The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1938-07-08
IT SEEMS
TO ME


and Henry Armstrong. The
race has almost a monopoly of
the ring titles. And in track
athletics, leadership in the dash
es and the jumps has gone very
largely to the dark-hued COIN
petitors. When Joe smackcd
Max, great crowds came cheer
ing into the streets in many
cities. And why not?
But Negroes should join
again in mass demonstration
for one of their own who could
not fight with his fists or sprint
or leap. But this man did more
for his race than any athlete,
however great, could possibly &C
complish. James Weldon John
son died on Sunday in Maine. He
was killed in an auto accident.
He was slight in stature, but
here was the greatest fighter
of t h G m all. And when public
tribute is paid to jim all groups
should Join i'm the mourning.
You know him, although per
haps his name escapes you. At
the moment this broad appeal
rests on h $ lesser work. The
songs which he and his brother
j. Rosamond Johnson, wrote, in
collaboration with Robert Cole,
are on your radio almost every
! night. Most of them 90 all the
way back to the days of the Klaw
land Erlanger cXtravanzas.
But of late they have had Il
| second blooming. once again
"Under the Bamboo Tree"
"CongoLove Song" and "m My
Castle on the River Nile" are
heard in the land. One of Anna
Held's songs, ''The Maiden with
Dreamy Eyes" was written for
her by Cole and Johnson. They
were the song writing kings of
Broadway at the turn Of the
century.
| J. Weldon Johnson was h q
Ilyricist and later on he publish
ed serious poetry Of high merit.
J | rave particularly in mind a
lovely long poem called God S
TrombOnes." Jim finally left Off
Sc % w';tinP : rrusadc for his
ipcoplc as secretary for the Ma
tiOnal Association for the Adj
vanccmcnt of Colorcd People.
| When J i'm was a Broadway
songWriter he was success
| sCnPWritcr he was a successful
90 to his head, and when he
icrusadcd for the N.A.A.C.P. he
still kept his feet on the ground
There was a time when both jim
and his successor. Walter White,
lWere under bitter citicism as
Icompromiscrs / think that in
lboth cases this was unfair. Mis-
! takes in tatics may have been
made but jim was at his best in
J making flank rather than front
al attacks on prejudice. He die
| do both, but he was most success
| full in doing his work in his own
WAY. He never surrendered any
thing Of his high aspirations anc
! ideals.
He had charm and humor, anC
in his own personality and life
he did great deal to brush a
side the words and thoughts Oh
those who would minimize the
achievements and the potential
tiles Of the Negro race.
r Under his mile there wa:
Ioften the substance Of iron.
felt that once when he told me
| laughingly Of an incident which
Occurred during a big KIaw and
| Frlanpcr show A young white
lPirl from Mississippi had SOM
TO sing and 4 hardboilcd director
Twas baWling her out. jim John
son tapped him on the shoulder
land said You can't talk like
that" Who says so?" jim
lansWcrcd y do, and Rosamonc
land Cole and ] are your show
tIame+ Weldon Johnson told me
at was sort OF funny. Dowl
where that singer came from
I was an inferior person. Bur
in that theatre ] wasn't. VIZ
were the show and what we saiC
went"
Did she thank you, jim 2"
asked Yes, he said, and grin
me. She told me that on he
| grandfather's plantation be
fore the war the slaves wcr,
| t1.nnAnd nl.nnn.L Iil.n r,nnr,, Ln,.. -