E 467 .1 .D28 F3 Copy 1 'the daughter of the confederacy' HER LIFE, CHARACTER, AND WRITINGS BY CHILES CLIFTON FERRELL, Ph. D. (Leipzig) PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI Reprinted from the Publication of the Mississippi Historical Society for iSgg a ^^^^ 9-. H'ASHm^ C^^" 36407 THE DAUGHTER OF THE C0NFEDERACY;-HER LIFE, CHARACTER, AND WRFriNGS.' ~V BY CHILES CLIFTON FKRRELL, PH. D. (lEIPZIG). It was on the 27th of June 1864 that Winnie Davis was born in the 'White House' of the Confederacy at Richmond. The boom of cannons in the distance seemed to celebrate this important event, — the birth of a daug-hter in the reig-ning- family. But in reality the firing- was not a manifestion of joy; many of the cannons were hostile cannons which were ultimately to deprive her of her birthrig-ht. The superior forces of the Union were closing- in upon the Confederate capital, and it was not long- before it fell, and the little g-irl, as well as her parents and friends, became an outcast. She took part in the flig-ht from Richmond, traveling- by day and nig-ht in an army ambulance for hundreds of miles over roug-h roads throug-h lonely woods, and being- even carried at times long- distances in her mother's arms. It was a veritable zvV/ dolorosa! The happy cooing- of the baby alone comforted the bleeding- hearts of the family and broug-ht smiles to eyes bathed in tears. During- the dark days of her father's imprisonment little Winnie, who alone of the chil- dren was allowed to visit him, 2 was the only sunshine that came to him. She liked to stay in his cell, where she plaved and prattled, all unconscious of the sad surroundings. She would put her arms round his neck, and he would clasp her 'The writer is indebted to the kindness of Mrs. Jefferson Davis for much of the information necessarj' in tlie preparation of this paper. Even Mrs. Davis, however, is unable to ffive the date when some of her daughter's minor pieces were published, and every effort to secure them has proved fruitless. They are either out of print or inaccessible. aShe was the only one of them he wished to have with him, as she alone would not understand that he was a prisoner. 70 Mississippi Historical Society. to his bosom, forg-etting everything- for the moment except the baby iing-ers that were pressed ag^ainst his cheeks and the blue eyes that looked into his. It would be hard to over- estimate the comfort she afforded him while he was treading- the winepress of bitterness and humiliation. Thus the infant had received the baptism of fire and de- served the name of 'Davrg-hter of the Confederacy.' Mrs. Davis tells some interesting anecdotes of the little girl's precocity, which I repeat in her own words.. "When Winnie was very small, — I think three years old,. — her father was reading- aloud to me an essay on the refusal of a tomb to Byron in Westminster Abbey. The nurse'took her up to carry her to bed and she called out: 'Oh, do leave me until I hear the rest. The English will regret refusing their great man a g-rave in their church ;' showing she had comprehended the whole paper. Another time, when she was five years old, she was asked : 'For what ^vas Abraham blessed?' 'For the manifestation of faith in hospitality,' she answered. No one had told her in this phrase, for I was her only teacher. At this same time she chiinced to be at a church meeting-, wait- ing for me and heard us talking of the minister's needs. For six months after^vard she saved up her little pennies and one day tipped up behind him and put them into his hand, which was behind his back, saying: 'Dear Doctor, buy every- thing you want, — here is the money.' She asked questions which it taxed our mind and ingenuity to answer, and rea- soned out her own theories and adjusted facts so as to suit her own ideas of right and justice. She could never become reconciled to the fatted calf being killed for the prodigal son, and sympathized passionately with the dutiful son who came from the field overtired with labor in his father's service to hear sounds of revelry in honor of the prodigal son, while he had never been given a fatted calf with which to entertain his friends." The father took great pride in the development of his younger daughter's bright mind. He and Mi's. Davis were The Daughter of the Confederacy. 71 her first teachers and introduced her to the immortal writers that they knew best. Before she could read she knew 'The Wreck of the Hesperus,' 'The Fig-ht at Coilantog-le Ford,' and Allan-Bane's song- in the dung^eonof Stirling- castle, and had the Bible at her tong-ue's end. At the ag-e of twelve she knew by heart also many striking passag-es from Shakspere and was an ardent admirer of the 'Wizard of the North.' In 1877 she was placed in a boarding school at Karlsruhe, Germany, where she remained for five years. The mental and moral discipline maintained by the Protes- tant sisterhood that directed the school was of the strictest kind ; the life was as secluded and as free from g-aiety and frivolity as that of a convent. In 1882 Miss Davis went to Paris, where she studied French several months, and after- wards traveled extensively. When she returned home she spoke German and French more fluently than English, and was well-versed in Euro- pean, especially German literature and history, but had lit- tle reverence for the learning- and literary history of her own country. Her parents began by dictations and by interest- ing- excerpts from Anglo-Saxon history to make her breathe their atmosphere and adapt herself to their habits of thoug-ht. After her many years of seclusion a new world opened be- fore her young- eyes when she made her first appearance in the g-ay societ}- of New Orleans at the time of the Exposi- tion. Now was formed her first acquaintance with theatre and opera. She was well prepared for this, — really her first encounter with life, — bring-ing- to it a mind vig-orous by nature and well disciplined by the study of history and economics. Hence, in spite of the g-reat enthusiasm with which she met the world, she was prevented from forming- any but just judg-ments of men and thing-s. She was queen of Com us this same season, I and somewhat later while attending- her 'In 1892 she was queen of Momus, — an honor that has always been reserved for natives of New Orleans. Miss Davis is the only visitor upon whom it has ever been conferred. 72 Mississippi Historical Society. father on his triumphal procession throug-h Alabama and Georg-ia she was introduced to the Confederate veterans by General Gordon as 'The Daug-hter of the Confederacy,' — an eminently appropriate title which she always wore in a man- ner worthy of her father's daug-hter. In 1879 the family had moved to Beauvoir, where they lived until the death of Jefferson Davis. Miss Winnie's de- votion to her father is said to have been beautiful. She was his constant companion, accompanying- him on all his trips throug-h the South ; she served him as pri^^ate secretary and assistant in all his literary work. She would wallv hand in hand with him by the sounding- sea; she would pore over volumes uninteresting- to her because she knew his heart was in them ; she would read aloud to him by the hour, and when he was weary she would sing- to him sweet old South- ern song-s. In fact she was the stay of his declining- 3'ears, succeeding- in her effort to fill not only her own place but that of the sons he had lost. After the death of the husband and father, Mrs. Davis and her daug-hter moved to the North. They felt that they must do so in order to secure work, which was now a neces- sity. ' It was also a g-reat advantag-e to them in their literary labors to be in close touch with their publishers, and the Northern climate was better suited to the mother's health. 'The Daug-hter of the Confederacy' received an urg-ent and hearty invitation to attend every function connected with the 'lost cause,' which she always accepted when it was pos- sible. Both hemispheres were shocked at the announcement that her life had been cut short at Narragansett Pier on the 18th of September 1898. As was fitting-, her body was buried at Richmond, where her cradle had stood, — in that city which is richest in memories of the 'lost cause' and all that is associated with it. Splendid was the character of this woman who had been 'With their slender means the two women found it impossible to meet the interruptions and exactions of sig-ht-seers at their home, so this too had something- to do with the change of residence. The Daughter of the Confederacy. 73 fondled and kissed in her babyhood by such men as Alexan. der H. Stephens, Judah P. Benjamin, Stephen R. Mallory, and the immortal Robert E. Lee. The hopes they expressed for her future usefulness as they stood round her cradle were fulfilled in rich measure. She always remained a child in her simplicity and in her exquisite purity of soul; she was a woman in dig-nity and in her ideas of justice before leaving- the nurse's arms. Even when she was a mere baby she resented any .reflection upon her truthfulness or sincer- ity; once when somebody reproved her for a supposed fault and threatened to tell her mother, she replied, "Do tell her, she always understands me; I am not afraid of my mother." After she had become known as one of the most cultured women of her time, — up to the very hour of her death, in fact, — she did not g-ive up her tender, baby ways with her mother, to whom she would say simply, "I try to be a good trirl; do you think, dear, lam?" She was unaffected, chari- table, honest, and loyal. Her love for little children was very marked ; to the sick and afflicted she was a ministering- angel ; she was almost worshiped by the poor people and the children about Beauvoir. It is said that she never al- lowed tramps to be turned away hung-ry even thoug-h she saw them impose upon her repeatedly. She was a model listener and would sit with her blue eyes shining- with sym- pathy. Too modest to lead the conversation, she did so only when her interest in the subject and her knowledjre of it made her forg-et herself and inspired her to speak. She was chary of expressing- her opinions, which were honest and well-considered, and especially disliked pronunciamentos. Charles Dudley Warner, who knew her and loved her for many years, pays a high tribute in an article as yet unpub- lished to her sterling- character and ingenuous face, her sweet disposition, and power of g-reat affection. He empha- sizes her sympathetic nature, her simplicity of manner, her open-eyed candor, her transparent sincerity, and her unworldliness, — her disposition to place spiritual thing-s 74 Mississippi Historical Sucieiy. above material thing-s. He was especially struck with the fact that she was free from prejudice and bitterness with re- g-ard to the war between the States. He had reason to know that she rather shrank from the demonstrations of the Con- federate veterans towards her, as she was a little timid in such matters, and had a very humble opinion of herself and her merits and a womanly reluctance to such publicity. Yet she met the trying- situation admirably, her tact and delicacy preventing- her from making any mistakes.. She seemed to the veterans the embodiment of those principles for which they had foug-ht, and she .always remained true to the tradi- tions of her family and of her beloved Southland. The first thing Miss Davis published was a little poem in blank verse which appeared in 'The Times-Democrat;' it was an address to a group of giant pines at Beauvoir and was sig-ned 'The Colonel.' She was a member of a little literary club in New Orleans called the 'Pan^nostics,' at which each g-irl read a paper at an appointed time. 'The Daug-hter of the Confederacy' chose for her subject Robert Emmet, in whom she felt a strong interest because Mrs. Davis' grandfather. Colonel James Kempe, of Natchez, had been one of Emmet's men before he was sixteen. Besides questioning her mother closely as to the stories which her great-grandfather had told about the ill-fated strug-gle for freedom in the home of his youth, she read at least twenty books on Irish history or subjects related to it, in order to prepare herself for writing-. 'An Irish Knight of the Nine- teenth Century," as the piece %vas called, contains a vivid portrayal of the oppress.ion of Ireland from the earliest times and a sympathetic sketch of the young patriot, whose life was a romantic trag-edy. The author shows as g-reat enthusiasm for freedom as does Schiller in his 'Robbers.' Charles Dudley Warner, who was present when the paper was read to the club, was much pleased with it, and Mr. and Mrs. 'John W. Loveil & Companj', New York, about 1884 or 188S. Now out of print. The Daughter of the Confederacy. 75 Davis were so proud of it that they decided tohavcit published, expecting- only to distribute copies g"ratuitously among- their friends. However, it went through three editions, and although she had only a small percentage on the book, which sold for twenty-live cents, it broug-ht the young- girl $300. Mr. Ridpath once told Mrs. Davis that it had gone through many Irish societes and awakened much enthusiasm. The next publication, entitled 'Serpent Myths,' appear- ed in 'The North American Review.'' It shows wide read- ing- and offers an interesting- and ingenious theory to explain the orig-in of these myths. After this came some short descriptions of German life written for various papers and some clever bits of versification which were never publish- ed. Two or three years after her father's death she wrote for The Ladies' Home Journal' a very strong article against foreign education for American girls, on the ground that such education gives the pupil a different point of view from her own people and puts her out of harmony with her sur- roundings. This piece attracted wide attention in the North as well as in the South. She wrote for 'Belford's Magazine'2 a clever criticism of Colonel William Preston Johnston's theory that Hamlet was intended as a characterization of James I, oi England. Miss Davis next resolved to write a book, and chose for her subject a story her mother had told her about a veiled doctor that had once attended a member of Mrs. Davis' fam- ily in Pennsylvania. It shows the delicacy of her nature that she feared she mig-ht wound the feelings of his family and accordingly laid the scene of her story at Wickford, Rhode Island, in an old house which she had seen there. The main incidental of this novels are true. As it is her most ambitious work, I will speak of it in detail. * ' February 1888. 2 March 1891. 3 'The Veiled Doctor.' A Novel by Varina Anne Jefferson Davis, New York, Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1S95. 4The following- review is practically the same as one published by the author of this paper in 'Th; University of Mississippi Mag-azine, ' April 1896. 76 Mississippi Historical Society. Doctor Gordon Wickford, the heir of the leading- family in a provincial town, has married a city belle. She is a beau- tiful blonde^ whose "glory lies in her hair," which she treas- ures above all other earthly possessions, including- her husband. "He had prostrated himself spiritually before her beauty, and demanded nothing but the acceptance of his adulation." Too late he finds out that blind infatuation has- caused him to marry a woman who is so vain, shallow, and frivolous as to be utterly unworthy of him. The uncong-enial surroundings among- which she linds herself serve to accent her lack of loveliness of character, and to widen the chasm between them. This becomes impassable, as far as he is concerned, when he catches her in a downrig-ht lie. Then he turns upon her for the first time, and tells her that, while she may remain in his house, she shall henceforth be his. wife only in name. The spirit and determination he shows reveal to her a force of character she had never suspected in one who had been accustomed to yield to her in everything, and she begins to respect him thoroughly. Only after she has lost his love does she realize the value of it, and then she strives to win it back, while a genuine love for him begins to grow up within her own bosom. As time goes on Wickford recognizes the fact that he is doomed to die of cancer, that dread disease to which other members of his family had already fallen victims. On re- turning from the city, where his worst fears with regard to his condition have been confirmed, he is thinking of seek- ing a reconciliation with Isabel, his wife, in order that she may comfort him in the trying hours that are to come. He hesitates because he has heard her make so many unfeeling remarks about the afflicted and infirm, and knows she can- not bear to come into contact with suffering. While he is still in doubt what to do, a scene of which he is an unseen wit- ness convinces him of his wife's infidelity, and in a moment of delirium he cuts off her beautiful hair and throws it into the fire. After this he is ill of brain-fever for a long-time. The Datightcr of (lie Confederacy. 77 As he has completely ignored his wife ever since he dis- covered that she had been lying, he is not aware of the change in her feeling towards him. He pcrsistenth' refuses to listen when his old aunt attempts to plead the cause of Isabel. His sensitive nature cannot bear the thought of everj'- body seeing the mark of the loathsome disease as it slowly eats its way, so he covers his face with a black veil, which he never removes. He loses sight of his own condition in ministering to the sufferings of others. Finally, after many months his own hour comes, and he locks himself within his office, determined that no mortal e3'^e shall see his last suffer- ings. He writes a letter to his wife beseeching her to re- spect his wishes in this matter, and assuring her that by doing so she can atone for all her sins against him. She obeys him to the letter, refusing, in spite of vigorous pro- tests, to allow anyone to enter his chamber. She takes her position just outside his door, and listens with ag-ony to his moanings until the end comes, when she finds a note, writ- ten just before he expired, in which he recognizes her love for him and asks her forgivness. After her own great sor- row she is able really to sympathize with the sufferings of others, and finally goes down to the grave respected by all who know her. Such is the story, briefly told. The title reminds us of Hawthorne's parable, 'The Minister's Black Veil.' Both Doctor Wickford and Parson Hooper put on the veil never to lay it aside even for a moment, and the effect on the outside world is naturally very much the same in both cases, but here the resemblance ceases, for the cause is physical in one instance and moral in the other. The selfishness and levity of Madame Wickford find a parallel in the heroine of Ben- son's 'Dodo,' while her 'new birth' is not altogether unlike that of Marcella, who is, however, an infinitely stronger character. More interesting still is a comparison between our novel and 'The Forge Master' of Georges Ohnet. Claire persists in receiving the advances of her husband, Philippe 78 Mississippi' Historical Sociffy. Derblay, with such coldness that he finally loses patience and pays her in her own coin. Her respect for him is awakened, and when he is on the point of fig-hting- a duel for her sake, she rushes in between him and his adversary, re- vealing- to him the fact that she now loves him devotedly. Thus a reconciliation is effected. I do not mean to say that our author has borrowed anything* from these stories, for, while she is probably acquainted with them all, it is by nO' means certain that she has read any one of them. I have mentioned these points of resemblance merely because I think they are interesting". I have heard the situations in 'The Veiled Doctor' char- acterized as unnatural and melodramatic, and the style criti- cised as stilted. With this opinion I cannot ag-ree. Our author partially disarms criticism by calling our attention to the perspective^ — the events being supposed to have taken place in "those times when the lives of men and women swung- between the two poles of war's brutality and a super- refined sentimentalism, which seeins mawkish to their more prosaic grandchildren." The ideals of different periods are not the same,, and it is hardl}^ safe to take those of our own as a perfectly reliable standard in judging those of another. For instance^ to our age Goethe's 'Sorrows of Werther'' seems full of maudlin sentimentality, yet it was received with wild enthusiasm when it appeared, for it mirrored per- fectly the spirit of the time. All are agreed that a story should harmonize, at least in a general way, with its histori- cal setting-, for else we should be reminded of Horace's pic- ture of the figure with a woman's head, a horse's neck, feath- ered body, and a fish's tail. When we take into consideration the sensitive nature of Gordon Wickford and the ignorance of the physicians of his day with regard to the proper treatment of cancer, his de- sire to die alone does not seem so unnatural, and, if this view be accepted, Isabel's obedience is easily understood. It must be confessed that the most sympathetic and practical char- acter in the book is 'Aunt Hannah.' llic Daug-Jiter of the Con/cdcrary. 79 The style is not always what it should be, our author being- at times unable to resist the temptation to use hig-h- sounding- phrases, but it sometimes manifests considerable streng-th, and we find numerous bits of description that are really clever and show excellent taste in their simplicity. I quote several passao-es. "As yet the trees in the street had not completely hid- den their g-raceful branch-lines in new spring- g-reener}'; there were still lig-ht young- shoots in the box hedg-es, and the air was full of the breath of the spring-. In the old g-ar- den long- lines of crocus, yellow jonquils, and sing-le blue hyacinths hedg-ed the g-rass-plots. The snowballs were cov- ered with g-reat foamy white balls, periwinkles looked up clear-eyed from under the parlor windo^vs, and everywhere the sing-le blue violets were making- the air sweet with their spring- thanksg-iving-. The tall standard roses had thrown out pale-g-reen racemes, and the 'bridal-wreath' bushes were just commencing- to powder their branches Vv'ith miniature blossoms. A young- moon hung- like a reap-hook in the even- ing- sky ; the bride and g-room could see it between a fret- work of flowery apple and pear branches as they paced backward and forward in the soft air." "At last the day broke ros}' and splendid over a steel- blue sea." "There was a freshness on her cheeks and a dewy look about her eyes that seemed to answer to the glory of the new day, and to proclaim her an intcg-ral part of the summer morning-." "i\utumn had dressed the old town in sober suits of brown, laced with yellow and red; there was a sharp tano- in the salt sea air that sent the blood dancing-. The smell of the ripe apples, crushed by the cider-presses, pervaded the orchards, and in the fields the stacked dried corn showed the unsuspected wealth of g-olden pumpkins that grevs^ between rows. Out in the v/oods the ferns had g-rown wan and pale, and the fading- leaves beg-an to carpet the dead summer's underg-rowth. Day after day the officer and the lad}' rode 80 Mississippi Ilisioj'ical Suciciy. away from the tree-shaded streets to the silent autumn for- ests where silver-g-ray oak-boles upheld canopies of brown velvet leaves. The g-um-trees burned like fire, and the hick- ory and sassafras g-leamed g-olden over the red sumach and whortleberry that made the old fields seem delug-ed with the blood of some mig-hty battle. At times the long- lines of homing- ducks would pass them, or a V of wild g-eese would sweep over their heads, crying- iionk-honk!' " "Evening had come on, and the bare boug-hs were etched black ag-ainst a lemon-colored sky, which melted into orang-e where it kissed the horizon." "The rosv g-low in the west faded to ashen gray as the day burned itself out." "Autumn followed, spreading- its rich India carpet of leaves before the retreating- footsteps of the dying year." "Again the dawn swept up out of the sea, rosy and clear; she could see the pink light of a new day on the western walls of the passage." "He labored under the oppressive aloofness begotten by sorrow, which endows even the most familiar objects with a strangeness borrowed from the new relation that we thence- forth bear to our dead selves. The old landmarks seemed to be obliterated by the torrent of his anguish, and he felt no more of the balm he anticipated from a sense of home- coming than he mig-ht have experienced in entering any way- side tavern. His disease created a spiritual alienation from all things, and in his heart, like the Jewish lepers, he cried out perpetually, 'Unclean! unclean!' proclaiming his eternal separation from humanity." "There were all sorts of half-fiedged thoughts nestling in his heart as he strode out into the night." "A sudden apprehension shook her, every overwrought nerve in her body seemed strained to listen ; the wind had risen since dark, and was moaning in the chimney. She heard him fumble with the bolts ; it seemed an age before the door flew open with a crash, and the storm rushed in whooping, making- the candles flicker and starting the TJic Daughter of the Confcde^'acw Rl smouldering- log's into a blaze. Some one was talking- to the Captain in the hall ; now the door closed, and she heard his quick step coming- back alone. The presentiment of impend- ing- evil that had oppressed her all day now took the form of anxiety for her husband; her fear g-rew into an awful cer- taint}' of misfortune as she listened for the Captain's return. Could Gordon have been taken ill? Was there an accident on the journey ? Could he even be dead? 'Oh God,' she prayed dumbly, 'not without saying- g-ood-bye, — not ang-ry with me, and without good-bye !' " Finally, the moral of the book is one that has the sanc- tion of the father of Greek trag-edy ; it is the familiar adag-e that wisdom comes throug-h suffering-. The strong-est feature of the story is its interest; I could hardly put it down before I had finished it. This interest, which is in- spired by its intrinsic merit, is increased by the fact that it is the work of 'The Daug-hter of the Confederacy.' While it is not a g-reat book, it is well worth reading-. Next came many unsig-ned essays for different journals, — a Christmas story for 'The World,' and a pretty one called 'Maiblume' for 'Arthur's Home Journal.' Then followed a comprehensive article on 'The Women of the South before the War,' — before she was born. Mrs. Davis g-ave her the material, and her beautiful, pure soul shed upon it the moon- lig-ht of idealism. The piece last mentioned, as well as a remarkable paper on her father's character as she saw it, was published by McClure's syndicate. Miss Davis was unusually well-versed in Chinese history, as she had spent two years reading- it because of her inten- tion of writing- a Chinese novel. On this account 'A Ro- mance of Summer Seas' has so strong- a vraiscmblancc that people thoug-ht the author had visited the scenes so vividly described. Her knowledg-e of the Chinese world is shown also in an article not yet published which has for its title, 'An Experiment in Chinese Money;' it was written at the time of the silver and g-old contest. It was a cherished wish of the dutiful daug-hter to put 82r Missisii^pi Historical Society, herself in a position to buy a little liome in a beautiftii" cbvintry district and" a little pony carriage tor her mother and herself.' With this in view she wrote 'A Romance of Summer Seas,'' which she had first intended to call 'An Un-' conventional Experiment.' She had contemplated writing" a. ' novel of which the scene should , be laid at IIong--Kong-,-^a ' novel of a more ambitious nature than 'A Romance of Sum- mer Seas.' The 'uhcoiiveiitional experiment' consists. in a young o-irl's. ■ being- forced by circumstances to ti-ayel under the sole guard- ianship of a young Englishmaii frbiu thpir home, Penahg, off the coast of the Malay /Peninsula, to Hong-Kong and YolvO- hama. The summer seas of the Orient and the two cities' last' named forni the background of the story. The pair are' very i-eserv'ed" and stand aloof from the othei* passengers' until these begin to gossip about them and to whisper that . the relations between them are not just what they should ' be. This causes two or three fights, two challenges, and one ' d'uel, all of which might have been avoided if the people on board had niinded their own business. It also brings about a marriage between the 3^ouhg mail and young- girl in ques^ tion, who have been awakened by these rude happening-s to tlie consciousness that they love one another. The characters are well-drawn and lifelike. Btish, the Globe Trotter, who tells the story, proves to be a very enter- taining rciconteur in spite: of the reputation he has of being an insufferable bore. He isloyaland true, and does liot hesi- tate to risk his life for his new-found friend. Malcolm Ral- stone: and Miiierva Primrose, the pair in whom the interest o"f the story centers, ai-e not idealized but thoroughly human.' Guthrie, the Kansas cattle king, is the best-drawn character of all; he is kind-hearted and mailly, but the personification of vulgarity,. — one of that type of Americans who 'travel' much because they think it is the thing to do, make I 'A Romance of Sumniei" Seas,' A Novel. By Varina Annfr' Jbfl'erson-Davis, Author of 'The Veiled Doctor,' New York and, Lon- don, Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1898. The Daitghtcr of the Coii/edcrdty. S3 themselves very conspicuous by their louclncs!;>, bad manners, and ig-norance,.and do all they, can to bring our country into disrepute. They are aided in this noblework by such vul- g-arians ■ as the American consul; at PIong'-Kong-,— these creatures who owe their prominence to the abusQS of our consular system. Miss Edwina Starkey is a revised but un- improved edition of Mrs. Jellyby, — what Mrs. Jellyby might Ivtive been if she had become a sour old maid. Thoug-h an apostle of 'The Botherhood for the Diffusion of Light,' Miss Edwina has about as much of the true spirit of Christianity as she has of personal beaut3\ Among the minor chai-ac- ters Doctor Clark is admirably drawn. The book contains many charming bits of description; one has the feeling that Miss Davis nmst have visited these scenes which she so vividly paints. ' The life on shipboard seems very real. We find evidence of the closest observa- tion of tlte ^ortd, and the results of this observation scnten- tlously expressed. A quiet humor pervaxles the \ story, j which is realistic in the best sense and quite healthy. I insert a few extracts. "We were all up on deck enjoying the black glory of the night, — -stars set in a velvet pall overhead, and, below, the phosphorus fringes that edged every ripple in the water and made the ship's wake shine like a reflection of the IVTilkv ^ay.''' ■ '"As I sat there heedless of time, the light in the west faded, and the great blue dome blushed with a thousand' delicate gradations of color, from the deep sapphire over- head, where the first stars twinkled, through fainter blues a,nd apple greens, until everything melted into the red gold Of the horizon." "So he went off, leaving me alone in the white glory of the tropic night. No words of mine can convey the magic of that moonlight, enveloping everything, and culminating in a glittering path across the water. Every now and then a fish jumped, and I could see its wet sides glitter; or a ghost- ly gull swept by on silent wings, for when the full moon rides in the southern sk}', not even the birds can sleep, but Wake and sing their songs fitfully throughout the night."- 84 Mississippi Historical Society. "They sat at the window waiting-, and watching- the heat- lig-htning play in the west and the reflection of the ships' lamps that lay in the water like long- yellow smudg-es. As the nig-ht closed in the threatened storm swept up out of the sea, deluging the city and whipping- the quiet harbor into a foam; the thunder crashed incessantly, and the flashes of lightning- showed stooping' fig-ures running- along- the bund to shelter, and hooded jinrikishas tearing by, the coolies' g-rass cloaks, dripping- at every blade." "When one woman wishes to wound another she always strikes at her heart." "Black was very inky and white immaculate to this son of the prairies." "People never relish life as they do when the taste of death is still bitter between their teeth." "Her heart was as pure as crystal." "Women are the most conservative things alive." "The face he turned upon me was no more the face of Minerva's lover than the sea in December is like the sea in June." "I venture to say that very few of the dead would be entirely welcome if they returned unexpectedly to their widowed affinities." "Nothing- is so perfect a g-uarantee of respectability in a chance acquaintance as the names of your own friends on his visiting-list." "Many babies and Burmese summers had exhausted ali the elasticity she had ever possessed." On the whole, 'A Romance of Summer Seas,' while it is. on a less ambitious scale than 'The Veiled Doctor,' seems more natural and shows a gratifying- advance along- several lines. When Miss Davis was suffering intensely in her last ill- ness, she would pat her mother's hand and say, "We shall have our carriage when my book sells." But her unselfish dreams were not to be realized. The career which seerned so full of promise was cut short by death. Now we see through a glass darkly; when we see face to face, we shall know why this life of usefulness ended in its morning. As long as the memories of the 'lost cause' linger in her beloved Southland, so long shall the name of Winnie Davis, 'The Daughter of the Confederacy,' remain unforgotten. She has passed away, but the perfume of her noble life will not pass away. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 1 III III II 013 700 756 3 ^ ^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 700 756 3 J^