John Frederick Matheus* (1887-1963), grandson of slaves, taught at W.Va. State for many years.

A well-known educator in his time, a professor of French, he had a distinct literary talent and held a wide reputation as a poet, dramatist, and story writer.

Here is one of his poems, “In Haiti Is Riot of Color”:**

IN HAITI IS RIOT OF COLOR —

In Haiti is riot of color:
The sea with its salt, salt tang,
The land, the sky and the palm trees,
Dancing a wild meringue.

The mountains are royal purple,
The flamboyant flowering red,
The houses, the walks and the garments
Are white, like shrouds for the dead.

The moon is more than of silver,
The sun has dazzlinger glow;
The mangoes peep over bananas,
Painting a marvelous show.

The oranges are matching the cane stalks,
The coffee plantations are glad,
The hills are happy in splendor,
Only the people are sad.

The Crisis, November 1929***

*pronounced mahTEHoos
**Matheus and W.Va. State music director Clarence Cameron White, an exceptional composer and violinist, traveled to Haiti together and wrote an opera based on the life of Haiti’s first emperor.
*** Edited by W.E.B. Du Bois, The Crisis was a major outlet for emerging black writers. The Crisis remains today a magazine that stands “for the highest ideals of American democracy,” talking of John Milton in an intro to a recent environmental issue.

News bulletin: Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that reading Shakespeare has an intense effect on the human brain. Turns out, Shakespeare surprises our brains, and that’s a good thing. Holy tango! Let’s hope MountainWord shakes loose our minds occasionally.

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