Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1922-08-12

Mr.. PiCkcnS is we'll known to Amcri-
cans as n public speaker and an essay
writer. but he is new to the world OF
fiction. The Vengeance Of the Gods Is
a slight volume containing four stories
or to be more exact two stories and
two sketches of vcritable happenings.
l confess to finding reality bette,
than fiction. The tale OF the Colored
man who didn't take the upper berth
for which he had paid and who there
by got its occupant, white man, Il
good thrashiug and placed the white
man who had planned to attack the Ne
gro in false and ludicrous position,
is almost too good to be true. 1t laughs
at white prejudice, and the finest al
tack that We can make on white prcju-
dico, is the attack Of riddiculc. And tho
last sketch Of tho colored soldiers in
France. "rit for Tat" is the best oil a..
1t is the story Of the $40 Regiment eli
campcd at Grand Villars. T cann,l ~
sist repeating the gist Of IL.
AT Grand Villars. France, tho first
American regiment to be stationcn
was colorcd one. The French saw
tirese soldiers and learned to like
them heartily. The colorcd men were
on their best behavior and were polite
and gentle to tho women and hearty
to all men. They pushed the baby car
riagcs. they carried up the water for
the girls from the spring, they were
genuinely democratic, helping r1c.
and poor alike. The girls of course nii
took to them, the doors Of every home
was open to them, and they had 70.
al good time.
Thcn came n white regiment, ana
as 1T happened a white regiment tina.
did not take the trouble to be rs cour-
teous to the inhabitants as the colorc,l
regiment had been. AS soon as tho
white soldiers saw that the French
girls rad been inviting colored sol
aiers INTO their homes, they We're
shocked and they at once instructed
the French in race prejudice. But thew
oVerdid 1t. They overdid it so much
mat they gave the colored soldicrD
their chance. One OF their lieutenanta
from New Orleans got the French foih
or tire town out to hear him, and then
explained to them that these new sol
alers were not real Americans. Could
,'hev not see it? Had they not yiolatc,
an those ideals OF democracy Of which
thcV had heard SO much. We allow
them to live in our country but th,v
hate us. Many Of them are the descon.
o"i,'s OF the Germans and Austriaps
ana nave much Of the arrogance, y,
Ihclr forbcars. We do not associoto
WIN them IN our country; we call
'hem crackers and pecks!" And crack
ers and pecks they were to the ond n,
thelr stay, outcasts, unable to receiy,
recognition from any Of the French
people or Grand Villars.
Mr.. Pickcns says in his preface tina,
of tho Negro wants to be idealiscd he
must idealised himself. - "A ,nc,
must present its own case and ennohIc
It's own ideals" He offers these four
stories rs beginning in this direction.
In the tales the colorcd are the heroc.
ana her0nes and the whites occurp.
a subordinate and by no means an Mt.
tractive place.
IL IS q question whether we can got
artistic writing if it is undertaken on
inns method. Rather we shall Get the
SORT or writing that we dislike in tbs
whites, special pleading. Those who
iollow the custom, as Mr.. Pickens nuts
IT, or showing the Negro either as n
crown or william, have their propa
ganda that We dislike the story. So il
we are conscious that the colored wrf,
CT represents his heroes as virtuous
ana heroic because he wants TO teoch
us a lesson, we shall sense tho mora
sanda and just so far distrust the
story. '''''
ana when the facts as in this VOL
'''he are accompanied with much com
neht IRON the author regarding the
Negro and his rights we shall distrust
It all the more.
Whcn the Negro begins to write great
lriclion. and he will before long, ho
viii write out Of the intense creative
Impulse OF the artist. lie will show ia
Lie Negro In his strength and his yvoak
ness. And despite. all the weakness
inc truth Of the life of the Negro in
america Is so terrible, that he will
ear at our heart strings. But such q
writer must give all his life to his
work. ne must be content "to live IN
! garnet aloof, to have few friends ana
90 poorly clad" No creative work can
DC done at odd, tired minutes.
But l am reviewing q volume of
our stories, not the great novel of the
uture. The stories are entertaining
ina inc presage of larger things. Wei
lOpe tn0t we shall hova mana 20 +1~o,,,