Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-01-26
Joe Louis
Wins Praise
From PegIer
He's UncommonIy Wise.
Brief Answers Prove
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

Dy "hc ADAsOoh GoLG1
I COVERED professional and
amateur sport throughout the
era OF wonderful nonsense when
we gave ourselves over 10 a pas
sion for games and gain and
met or observed all the great
American athletes of the time.
both men and women. ignorant
and educated, the wellborn and
the lowly.
There were many fine, clean
characters among them of whom
no disparagement is meant in
observing that Joe Louis. the
prize fighter. seems a distinct
degree the most admirable.
His virtue as citizen and
sportsman is accentuated be-
cause he is a Negro and risen
from cabin poverty and it
would be dishonest to deny that
the merits of conspicuously
good Negro are accomplished
10 the same extent that. in gen.
eral. the faults Of a disreputable
one are overemphaSized.
Some years ago, when Louis
was on his way up the writer's
on the sport side wrote anus
lngly of his drowsy indifference
and his frugality of words.
He could drop asleep like a
tired dog in from the field. all
oblivious of the ribald crew
around a fighters camp. on the
day before an important fight or
even a few hours before ring
time.
And when one asked a ques-
ton, he gave civil and suf-
ficient answer. but in no more
words than just enough.
This. for a time, was taken 10
mean that he was a dumb field
hand. but that was an excuSable
error, because there had been
no man like him before.
TRUE. there had been dumb
l. fighters with nerves so in
sensitive and with such limited
imagination that they could
Snooze on the table OF a smoky
dressing room during the semi
final and SO stupid that speech
was a mental exercise
But the quality Of the an
Swers which Louis did return IN
so few words presently proved
that he was uncommonly wise.
for they always covered the
ground or frankly and briefly
hedged the question.
No other sportsman on the
! professional side ever has
matched the unqualified gener-
oSity Of Louis in rlSking his
championship. business asset
of great value. in his recent
fight with Buddy Baer and do
mating. entire. his share Of the
purse 10 the navy's relief fund.
Other men have given their
lives. including the almost for
gotten but knightly young
American. Lieutenant Calnan OF
the navy. who had been selected
10 personify the ideal OF Ameri-
can sport in the Olympic Games
and was lost in the wreck OF a
| dirlgible.
Others have been and others
will be lost in battle, but Louis.
too. is a soldier now. and II he
is withheld from the realities
and especially protected from
the normal risks Of war 10 be
+ exploited as money raiser and
/ morale builder. that course will
/ be Inconsistent with his conduct,
/ and remarks 10 date and the
serious fault OF the army, itself.
| MEN wonder at the instructive
A'i tact and sporting decency
Of Louis little, breathless COM
ments on the air when fight
is just over and he has won. or
lost. not at all because he is a
Negro. but because he never has
been heard to complain. explain
or withhold honor from an OPP
ponent.
We're you hurt, Joe?
Yes. he shook me up pretty
bad there in the third.
Will you fight him again?
Yes, he is nice boy and
good fighter. l would like to
fight him again.
Max Schmeling struck him an
unintentional foul after the bell
which started his collapse in
their first fight. but he made no
issue.
But, for contrast. when he
unintentionally fouled another
opponent. the white boy howled
with outrage.
The only opponent he had
reason 10 hate, personally, ra-
cially and politically, was
Schmeling. who had said that he
was member Of the master
race, that Louis recognized this
and that therefore knew he
could not win.
For that Louis briskly and
fercely knocked Schmeling's
body out of plumb like bombed
building. with right-hand
smash beside the spine and hum
bled him and his fuehrer before
the world in a very few minutes
But even then he did not
gloat.
No other fighter has so cleanly
refrained from mean excuses or
legitimate complaints in mo-