Twin-City herald., 1938-03-05
NEGROES AREN'T GIVEN
BOXING BREAKS

CHICAGO, ll.-Undoubtedly the
Dunbar for writing dialect poems
They declared that he was poking fun
at his own race, thereby lowering them
in the eyes of the white people. After
while this hostile feeling died. The
late Richard B. Harrison used to send
his audiences into shrieks of laughter
when he recited Dunbar's poems.
But it was rather disappointing to
the young poet that his dialect poems
were preferred to his other works
Many people who are very familiar
with the dialect poems do not even
know that he wrote other poems that
are considered marvels of beauty.
They have made favorable comparison
with the works of some of Americas
best known, best loved poets.
He began to show this unusual tai
ent when he was about seven wears
, old. He wrote little rhymes and took
them to school to show his teachers.
Fortunately they appreciated the clum-
sy little verses and their kindly inter-
est encouraged him. He wrote more
and little better.
But not only his teachers encour-
aged him. Although his mother could
not read and write she loved poetry.
When she was little slave girl in
Kentucky she lived in a family of cul-
tured people. Often she heard the ia
tfer Of the family read poetry aloud.
One of the things that gave her big
thrill was to be allowed to remain in
the room and listen. So we can ina
gine how delighted she was when her
own little boy began to show his tai
ent. She urged him to do his best and
encouraged him in every way she
could
When Paul was only thirteen years
old his father died and he was forced
to provide for himself and to help sup
port his mother. Of course at this
early age of his life he was not pre-
pared to do anything that would bring
much money. He did odd jobs around
hotels and such places earning a few
dollars. His mother washed clothes
for other people.
Although he hoped to go to college
some time in the near future. he felt
that he must find job that would paw
more money than he was making. His
dream of college was never realized.
but he found employment running an
elevator III business building in Day
ton for four dollars a week.
He had written the class song and
1t was sung at the commencement ex-
ercises. He had little time for writing
now that he had steady Job, but he
kept pencil and pad handy and wrote
between elevator calls. OF course
when bell rang down must 90 his
pencil and tablet. But even though he
was compelled to write under difficult
conditions he could not give ZIP a
thing that was really part of his life.
He continued to study and to write.
About year after his graduation
from high school one of his former
teachers asked him to deliver the adj
dress of welcome to the Wetern Asso-
ciation of Writers-holding a conven-
ton at Dayton.
His name did not appear on the pro-
gram and few if any in the audience
knew who he was. He gave the ad
dress in the form of beautiful poem.
His manner of speaking was almost as
charming as his lines. Instantly some
recognized him as a genius. Later he !
was received as member of the asso-
citation.
But on that particular day he had
only a few minutes "off'' so just as
soon as he had finished his part on the
program he had to hurry back to the
elevator, leaving the cultured audience