The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1940-12-20
OBSERVATIONS
By Fred G. Williams

THE PAST WILL NOT DIE:
The sweet strains of music by
symphony orchestra caught and
held my attention as twisted the
dial on my radio last Sunday night.
1 listened and soon the announcer
identified the station and the pro-
gram. It was woman's symphony
orchestra under the leadership of
Isler Solomon, beautiful, talented
young Jewish violinist.
But what attracted my attention
was the soloist on the program,
that matchless baritone, Paul Ro-
beson. And when he sang, Scan
dalized My Name" checked back
through the maze of controversial
newspaper items in which Mr..
Robeson's name was involved, for
just lately out in Frisco, he was
the central figure in an incident
at which a group of he and his
friends composed of both races,
were refused service in a famous
San Francisco Cafe. The manage
ment was sued, and charged with
discrimination. But in his reply
he said that the service was not
refused on grounds other than all
the tables were occupied and there
Many Races But One Party
was no room for more guests.
A check on the names in the
Robson party revealed both Jews
and Gentiles, white and black and
politically they were said to be
Communists. One of the Colored
men accompanying Robson was
on the staff of a Communist news
paper and my friend Mr.. Robson
seems to find more pleasure in the
company of Communists than he
does peoples not identified with
that organization.
Paul Robson is an intellectual
giant. Paul Robson is an artist.
A singer of merit. An actor of
high quality. Paul Robson re-
ceived all of his education and OPP
portunities in America yet he cri-
ticizes this country most severely
and points favorably to the idealo-
gies of Soviet Russia.
Aimee Breaks Into The News
turned another leaf in my book
of memories and found there the
name of the brilliant young writer,
Langston Hughes who the other
day attracted attention and got
into the news column when the
angel of Angelus Temple" Aimee
Semple Mcpherson, led group of
her followers into the quiet, sedate
city of Pasadena, California, and
picketed the hall, protesting
against the appearance of Mr..
Hughes on the program as a lee
turer on the grounds that he was
anti-Christ, calling attention to
the fact that he had written
poem of that nature.
Aimee Right And Wrong
Langston Hughes has brilliant
mind and like most men of genius,
sometimes takes an attitude
against some form of religion. We
do not excuse the action of Aimee
and her followers. I believe, like
Christ, that "let he who be with
out fault cast the first stone" For
Aimee must remember the dust
less shoes across desert wastes and
the mytery cabin in Carmel. Yet
we give her much credit for she
feeds the poor, houses the home
less and provides for the sick. But
picketing we believe to be out of
her line and was not justified
against Langston Hughes. It was
effective, we believe, because of
his color, and If she was going to
picket lecturers who were anti
Christ she has had plenty of OPP
portunity to do just this thing
number of times each month for
the past year in Los Angeles and
she did not need to go farther than
Pershing Square in that city.
Robson A Giant In His Field
We admire Robson as an artist
but we cannot appreciate his po-
Langston Hughes as writer, but
we do not condone his religious
antipathies. We hope that Mr..
Hughes will realize that the Amer
lean people will accept just so
much and no more and he for his
own good profit by the picketing
incident.
The appearance of Mr.. Robson
on the program of the women's
symphony orchestra composed
mostly of Gentiles and led by the
brilliant young Jewish Isler Solo
man, should be silent but poignant