Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1931-09-03
Give Their School
Publicity In Song

A rare treat was granted to the Is
land people on last Monday night in
the program of spirituals and plan
tation melodies rendered by a quar-
tette of colored boys, students Of the
Piney Woods School. These boys, ac-
companied by their teacher are tour
ing the country, giving first hand in
formation, and interesting the public
in their school. Their concert, con-
sisting of four groups Of songs, was
one that will long be remembered.
Rendering these songs as only the
colored people can the boys brought to
their audience the real meaning and
beauty Of the spirituals, which cannot
be initiated by white singers.
The story Of the Piney Woods
School was told by the teacher who
accompanied the boys. His talk was
illustrated by pictures that helped the
audience to visualize the story. Piney
Woods School was organized in 1909
by Laurence G. Jones, the present
principal, the first colored graduate
from the Marshalltown, Gowa) high
school. Mr.. Jones also graduated from
the University of Iowa, class of 1907.
His first class, consisting of but one
pupil was held under the pine trees
of south Mississippi, twenty-five miles
south of Jackson. Without money,
land or friends the school was begun.
The first substantial gift was 40 acres
of land and $50. Gifts of farm pro-
duce were brought by negroes of the
section. Later local white interest be-
came awakened, friends in other Sec
lions became interested, and the re-
suit was the establishment Of school
and center whose influence is being
felt for miles around. II is the only
effort in that section of the country
whose ideal is the simple country life.
There are now 1915 pupils.
AT present there are six troupes of
students, boys and girls, OF tour. These
students give concerts to which no adj
mission is charged. A. collection is
taken, which is sent to the school.
Richard Taplin, the teacher accom-
panying the boys here, teaches art and
painting during the school year. The
boys in his group, Robert ]. Raymond,
Vernon Dunn, Curtis McLaurin and
Henry johnson are seventeen and
eighteen years of age, all high school
students. They are bright, polished
boys 1t is impossible to give any ade-
quate idea Of their singing. All that
can be said was the remark made by
practically everyone in the audience
II never before had heard spirituals
sungp These boys are all earning
their way through school, by their
tours.
Although the audience was not as
large as the Presbyterian church
could have accommodated 1t was an
appreciative one. The collection
amounted to almost thirty dollars, and
was much larger than usually received
from such an audience. The boys
stated in no uncertain terms that II
they came to the Northwest agair
that they would surely come to the
Island. And needless to say If they
do come again they will be greeted
by a packed house.
Among the songs sung on Monday
night were "Old Black joe" "Whc
Built the Ark do You Call Tina,
Religionp", Little Liza" and Ken.
lucky Home 1t was hard to realize
as they sang, that not one of thest
boys had had any musical training
or suggestion, and were simply singing
according to their own ideas. Henr!
johnson said, "You might say we jus
sing mechanically but the audience
felt that they sang inspirationall!
rather than mechanically.