The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1922-03-09
WRITTEN IN RETROSPECT


of FOrty-Five Years Ago.
Noticing in the Shreveport dailies
during the latter part Of February IN
announcement to the effect that Prof.
Mcbride, Of Tulane University, would
deliver a lecture before the Shreve-
port Women's Department Club on
March Sd. on Chaucer and !" Uucle
Remus (Joel Chandler Harris) had
friend ask the president II might
attend. She gracionsly consented, and
1 was enabled to be present.
The date Of the lecture carried the
mind Of the writer back to March 8.
1Ses1just forty-fiye years-and prac-
tiealiy the same hour Of the day thar
l had entered the office OF the Mon
roe Advertiser as an apprentice, and
OF my 1irst meeting Of Mr.. Harris,
and t. listen. and before such a
notable array of the cultured ladies
ct Shreveport, Is to me to be always
4 rs.l-'as'er day.
The lecturer, DIR. j. NJ Mcbride,
took the familiar fable OF the fox and
! the rabbit In the well. This. he ex-
planned, was before Chaucer's time in
1850, tracing these stories through
different nationalities; showing the
different myths as having appeared in
India. Africa, China and Japan. His
rendering Of the story Of Br'er Rab-
bit and Br'er Fox, when Br'er Fox
found Br'er Rabbit at the bottom of
the well, and when accosted as to
what he was about replied that he was
fishing for suckers, inviting him to
come down and help him catch them,
was traced to its source in far-away
India. The speaker also traced the
Tar Baby story back to perhaps 1920.
Mr.. Harris, as matter Of fact
never claimed to be the originator OF
these famous stories. He only put
them In a better setting. I remember
distinctly Of being asked by him my
version Of the Tar Baby story. / had
heard the story when a child, not
over six years Of age, am sure.
The lecture made decided hit, it
appeared, as the faces Of those pres
ent reflected. It will tend to per
petuate the love Of Uncle Remus'
during the years to come by all who
heard 1t. and to their children, and to
the children of the South, am sure.
The first poem ever knew Mr..
Harris to write was that here given
TO NORA BELLE.
OF all the little fairies
That ever lore caressed.
kpOw our little darling
Is the brightest and the best.
Oh! the neatest and the sweetest
No tongue can ever tell
How much Of lore We lavish
On little Nora Belle.
She cannot reach the roses
That grow about her way,
But In her face are flowers
More beautiful than they:
.And the sunlight falling round her
CLOVIS with magic SPELL,
Shedding golden glory
On little Nora Belle.
She is winsome, she is winning,
She is -hlithe and she Ia gay,
And she asks the wisest questions
IN the noaf 0ld-fashioned way;
And the lilies IN the valley.
And the daisies In the dell,
Are not 70 pure and tender
As little Nora Belle.
q rslre sunshine and shadow,
That chase each other 30
That fall. and fit and flicker,
.And restless come and gOi
O winds from DER the ocean.
q reezes from the dell!
Bring naught but health and pleasure
TO little Nora Belle!
We had been busy at work in the
advertiser Office that day--I think It
was during June, 1S6ll-=and after we
quit work began leaking around to
see II We had enough type set for the
paper. Tie and were the only COM
pastors saw the poem for: the
first time and read 1t IN type. He
was such reticent man that nothing
was said Of 1t. The poem was tor his
little friend, Nora Belle Stark, daugh-
ter Of Mrs Georgia Stark, a sister OF
the proprietor Of the paper. Nora
Belle was one OF the sweetest little
children had ever seen at that time.
Plain Dealing. Route One.
Hated: Monday, March 9th.
Mfr and Mrs Rev N0rriS Of mar |