St. Mary's beacon., 1854-11-16

j
ing from the Georgia Il.i.-..---.---- ------s-, --'-ss,
-'ft'oeu pretty considerabla!pFd upon the
female .aifnineI- al idi 1Gr.lq ar!at me
WOMAN. LITERATURE.
'aUEECHY Br MISS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
LoFTYAND THE LowLY,' BY MISS NJ
IATosH. THE LAMPLICHTER.' BY MISS
.CCMMINS, TERN LEAVES BY MISS
WILLIS.
We have selected the above mention
ed four works for few critical remarks,
not only because they have gained great
popularity. bnt also because they have
received from us a careful examination.
The number offero d for prrusal is large
and our life Is very short, or we should
probably Introduce to our readers, "Miss
Minnie Myrtle or ''Alizs Lee Hentz,"
or Miss Ellen Louise Chandler. or last
ly, 'Nrs. Harriet B. Stowe" Prav, ex-
cuse us, ladies', We cannot attend to all
at once; perhaps, in time to come, YOU
too may hear from us. In the meanwhile,
should we offend in the following re-
marks, we shall console ourselves with
the reflection that ours is not the first
persimmon pole which has raised a row
on hen roost.
Since the days of w.itchcraft. such ut
terly incomprehensible folly has never
ragged among us. Never, in his maddest
moments, did old Cotton Mather" ap-
pear so much like a fool, as does the
American of the present day, in his cra-
zy worship of "FemaIe Authors" Let a,
publication of the most ordinary stG, gss
'snakr- it. appearance, 4anctioned- Pr-
signature of woman's hand, arfod
devoured with as much avidtv as 'Dise
vine revclation-aye, with great deal
more avidity than the only Divine reve-
lation we have ever had. Be the
subject what it may-polemica or polti-
cal, domestic or historical, religious or
Del i>tica!-the depraved appetite Of de-
Iudod public will enjoy it all The fiat
test style is denominated "Simpliri'v,"
the most eXtravagant nonsense dubbed
'ssprightliness. :he viIe>t sentiments
called a "kl l.owledge of human nature"
and the mo>tu'ier vulgarity yclept ''ster-
ling witt Oh! the length, the breadth,
the height, the depth of humhug Where
NAV our stated senses be undinned BY
its presence? Where NAV our ewes
never rest upon ITS fools cap and bells
Where do the breczes Of morning float
uninterrupted bv the folds of its banner.
/ Tell us, We stars, for there would VIC
make our dwelling place, and consigD to
the mercy Of oblivious waters the recnl-
( lection o"the annals of humhug and of
female authors. But our zc al rather blinds
our politeness: we have kept these fair
ladies' too lona. anticipating the verdict
of critical majesty.
| "Queechv." Miss Wetherell's bant-
/ ling, stands first upon our list. What
! ever may be our opinion of her ability.
. we must Weld TO the autho:e<s the credit
of no evil intent. However little good
there NAV be, there is certainly nothing
bad contained in her book. Some peo-
pie may say, then. that she deserves no
, blame; this is great mistake. Some
thing more is required Of an author than
the mere absence of i'll; there must be
the presence Of good. A man may make
his meals of saw dust: IT will not poison
him. but he will die for lack of susie
nance. We have ploughed through
"Qucechy." from cover to cover, and we
find il all-saw dust. We met with an
interminao.e array Of fat, commonplace
incidents, which bear no interest ~ them
selves, nor moral in their tendencies
A little girl attracts the notice of a young
mamie goes out and threshes hickory
nuts OF the trees for her; ste says and
does such things as Precocious little girls
generally say and do-ll our memory be