Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-04

important event of his early life. since he
always traced his literary career back to
tie day when he first opened its pages.
His only formal educational advantages
were derived from few terms at the
EatCnton Academy. But he early selected
twelve he heard that a Col Turner, a
wealthy slave owner, who was also a bib
hophile and who resided on a large planta-
ton half days journey from EatOnton.
was publishing weekly paper called The
Countryman He trundled over, with stolid
seriousness. in a big plantation wagon
TO the Turner estate and applied for the
position of printers apprentice.
Col Turner happened to be whole
hearted type of southern country genlie-
man. He took an interest in the boy He
introduced him to Shakespeare Bacon and
other English classics. and taught him
how TO put his thoughts into written
words.
In Civil War Times.
At the time OF the civil war, when Lar
ris was only from thirteen to sixteen
airs old he was writing weekly essays,
lctdl articles and even poetry for the
Plantation papers. When Sherman
burned Atlanta IN November. 1854. Slo-
Gums Corps treated the boy kindly But
IN, plant OF Tbs Countryman was de-
siEGyad. Harris worked on the newspa-
I $ successfully OF Macon. New Orleans,
Forsyth and Savannah. While in the lat
or ci'l ne married Canadian girl. a
Miss LaRose- He continued to write for
the Savannah Morning News until the
coming o. the yellow fever of 1876 tie
then removed to Atlanta and joined the
staff OF the Constitution.
Harris decided that he might make
prohtable copy of the mass OF negro
songs legends and stories which he had
heard night after night among the slaves
OF the Turner plantation. In a few weeks
IN the columns of the Constitution the
first of the Uncle Remus'' stories be-
gan TO appear. They were published in
1850 under the title of Uncle Remus: His
Songs and Sayings
They were followed by Nights with Tn
Gle Remus.' in 1884; "Mingo and other
Sketches. in 1854; Free Joe and Other
Georgia Sketches in 1855; Daddy Jake
the Runaway, and Snort Stories" in 1889
BALKAN and His Master" in 1891; Tales
in 1s9s; Little Mr.. Thimblefinger," in
1921. and Aaron in the WildW oods' in
1891.
A Memoir of Grady.
Harris also published a memoir of Henry
w. Grady in 1880. and a volume of his
tory. Georgia from the Invasion of DE
Soto 10 Recent Times" in 1899 His later
literary efforts have been Stories OF
nerva Jane ON the Wings of Occasion
G3CU. The Making Of a Statesman,
Gabriel Tolliver." .'Wally Wanderoon,
A Little Union Scout, The Tar Baby
Story and Other Rhymes of Uncle Re-
mus. Told by Uncle Remus'' 1890
Mir. Harris continued as chief editorial
writer OF the Atlanta Constitution uni il
practically the end OF his life. He had d
great dislike for publicity and even for the
legitimate curiosity concerning him which
was aroused by his widely loved books
For years he occupied with bis wife and
six Of his nine children who survive him. q
piCtuTcSQUcly shaded. brOad-VerandaeG
gu IN Anne villa. which was SCI in the
middle OF a hvc-acre farm in the suburb
{: West End, twenty minutes out of At
.&Eta.
Excited Much Interest.
When the Uncle Remus'' stories frs
began % appear Mr.. Harris received
Scores OF letters ASKING him by VIVA, deeI
research he had acquired his intimat,
LnC Wiccge of negro philology and foil
-Crc. To an interviewer some years ago
he gave the following quaint account o
how hi !nirnitaSle stories were derived:
i dent know much about READ Negro
felix lore. And don't think any one els
does. But every southerner knows tina
Vtry Old negro mammmy Is full of jus
such stories as | write. AS the negroes
do not get them from the whites, / pre-
Sume they are of African origin. Uncl
Remus. however. was merely a composite
or ideal type and far from being the re
suit OF pathological research: his dialec
or pecuiarite:i of speech are nothing blu
one of the any fanciful parts of hi
character.