Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1937-01-22
HER F and
THERE
By W. NJ. Smith

l do not, as a rule, enjoy a prize
fight. The vicious blows struck
seem always to be directed towards
me. The blood from smashed noses
and eyes, my own contribution.
But Joe Louis in an exhibition
was an entirely different PROPOSE
ton. / joined the thousands that
filled the Minneapolis auditorium
last Thursday night, to pay tribute
to the might and glamour of this
fighting machine. Like thousands
of others, who had not before
caught personal sight of this hand
some athlete (for he is a handsome
specimen of physical development),
I paid good money for the priv
lege. Aside from Louis himself,
my interest conferred in the huge
mass of people that filled the audi
forum from pit to dome. Espe-
cially the hundreds that found
seats near the dome. Without
opera glasses they could see but
little. They could scarcely be COM
Portable. Yet here they were a
tremendous tribute to mass psy-
chology and the cleverness of
newspaper ballyhoo.
Louis and his sparring mates,
together with the others who fur
nished the program, were well paid
for their services, there was no
occasion to wonder about that or.
their presence. But in the section
where / sat there were many who
paid $1.65 for seats and furnished
free entertainment for the rest of
Us. Crude wisecracks, meant to he
funny; loudly expressed opinions,
as from the mouths of experts, and
constant exhOrtatiOns to the fight
ers to ego in there and kill him"
were the delectable offerings of
this group of loud mOuthed men,
white and black, some of whom at
least, looked as if a dollar and
sixty-five cents for a new OvercOat
would be beyond their reach. It
takes all kinds of people to make
a world!
The temperamental ecstasies of
the crowd, its lightning changes
from applause to boos reminded me
of the Roman amphitheatre where
delicate ladies turned thumbs
down, the sign of death for the I'M
fortunate losers.
After the dinner, last week, Civ
en- for DIR. Geo. E. Haynes at the
Phyllis Wheatley House, one of our
ministers was overheard later to
say that he had told Mr.. Haynes
to his face at the dinner the criti-
cisms he had previously made of
the doctors actions in remaining
at the RadissOn hotel after he had
been told that he could not have
his meals in the dining room but
would be compelled to take them in
his room. 1 was present on both
occasions, so / know the minister
was telling the story just as it hap
pened.
I admit it requires courage of
sort to repeat a criticism uttered
elsewhere, to the person himself
for whom the adverse criticism had
been intended. Especially is this
true when the individual is a
stranger and the criticism given
before a group where said individ-
ual is present in the role of guest,
and when the net result can only
be mutual embarrassment.
But shall rate much higher the
courage of that minister or any
other, if and when, on a Sunday
morning, in the face of the attend
ing congregation, he or they will
voice an opinion of a people who
will carry their money, and spend
it too, in places where none of them
are permitted to earn a dime.
Businesses, where their thousands
of dollars are annually welcomed
but where no invitation is extended
or bargains displayed in the public
press of that people. The chaI-
T. L A