St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1947-01-31

you realize that this woman was
Frances Boardman, for many years
dramatic and music critic and edi-
torial writer for The st. Paul
Pioneer Press and Dispatch, the
plot begins to thicken for a real
story. Frances Boardman is truly
a cosmopolitan Ia citizen of the
world). She had, and has a high
regard for people, regardless of
race, creed or color. This deep
respect and high regard for people,
particularly those of minority
groups, are evident in so many Of
the editorials and news stories she
has written in her long and dis
tinguished career as a newspaper
, writer.
This fact that she is a cosmo-
politan became of greater sig
nificance to me when | was told the
following story by a true friend
and admirer Of Miss BOardman,
in the person of Mrs. Ruth Aber-
nathy, executive secretary Of the
St. Paul Council of Human Rela-
tions. l am really deeply indebted
to Mrs. Alternately for most Of the
information in this story.
called Miss Boardman and
asked for the privilege Of inter-
viewing her, but l soon discovered
that the reporter on the Dispatch
found out that this woman who has
interviewed many people is a very
reluctant person to interview. l
think that / am known to be some
what persistent when | want to be,
but l gave up trying to get the
interview and l did what was prob
ably best after all-got my infor-
nation from a real admirer and
friend of Miss Boardman.
According to Mrs. Alternately,
Miss Boardman's fathers grand
parents were southerners, probably
from South Carolina, and she has
relatives in Virginia. Her mother
was related to Senator Henry Rice,
who represented Minnesota in the
U. S. Congress from 1858 to 1868.
The time came when Frances had
to go to a public school. Her rela-
tives felt very sorry to have to see
her attend the public school, but for
little Frances it was just what she
evidently wanted. When she went
to the Franklin school Il believe),
and saw all the children of different
national background - tia ian,
Greek, German, Scandinavian, etc,
a real glow came into her eyes and
heart as she exclaimed after her
first day: This is the world"
She always took every OPPOr-
tunity to give mention or publicity
to every achievement Of the Negro
and other minority groups. She
took every opportunity to write
favorably about organizations de-
voted to the welfare and progress
of minOrities; most especially she
has written editorials and factual
stories about the St. Paul Urban
League and the ST. Paul Council Of
Human Relations.
In looking over the clippings Of
some Of the editorials and news
stories she wrote, l read editorials
criticizing the OAR. for its pref
udiced stand in insisting on re-
fusing to permit Negroes to appear
in Constitution Hall in Washington,
and its traditional stand against
permitting immigrants to come to
this country. Here is a sample Of
one of her editorials. The editorial
is headed IAN Anachronism":
ut is possible that the OAR.
is being taken too seriously by Rep
resentatiye Powell and others, who,
UNDERSTANDABLE enough, resent the
barring of Negro artists from the
stage of its Washington auditorium.
Constitution Hall. Any society
founded on premises that confuse
patriotism with mere accidents Of
name and date holds within it the
seeds of its own decay, and should
perhaps be regarded as less dan
gerous than mildly absurd.
Like many other anachronistie
institutions, this one is brought into
somewhat uniattering perspective
nv the rigOrs Of current history.
Today, under the crosses and stars
of those burying-grOunds that, with
terrible inevitability, adjoin battle
grounds, there lie so many dead
whose names could never have made
the OAR. roster; names Of people
who came to this country just
little while ago, believing that
Amerieanism is something to live
and work for and often to die for.
"Some Of them even haven't
white skins; but then neither did
Crispus Attacks, the very first
American casualty of the RevOlu-
tiOAary War"
James Gray, for many years