The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-03-31
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literary gem Of raro intellectual merit.
It is thorough; free from exaggeration
or extravaganza. comprehensive, concise,
and we have no hesitation in pronounc-
iug the fulfilment of the design carried
out with marked effect.
In the January number of the XIX
Csntur:y we have read some disparaging
structures on this work, in an article en-.
titled "Recreations Of an Invalid" The
author of this article, NJ. Eliza Smith,
makes the somewhat startling assertion
"that Mr.. Davidson has sown the wind
in publishing such volume, and must
expect to reap whirlwind of censures."
We do not know what Mr.. Davidson
personally expects to reap, but we know
what he deserves to reap, what we look
forward undoubtedly to his reaping from
oil readers of reflection and discernment,
and that is, rich harvest of approval,
of high appreciation and grateful thanks
for the mastery manner in which he has
accomplished his difficult task. A task
for which the authors high culture,
vigorous and telling style, no less than
calm, judicial spirit and rare powers of
condensation, eminently qualified him.
True, Mr.. Davidson's book may be in
q manner incomplete-that is, he has
neglected 10 search diligently, and find
out in remote places, the name of every
Southern scribbler, who has ever put
pen to paper-who has ever perpetrsted
an obituary notice, or written O couplet
of rhymes, sensible or senseless. We
don't think Mr.. Davidson was called
upon to include in his collection, every
school-boy or girl who had composed
school thesis of little more than ordi-
nary ability. AS we'll write book on
the Artists Of the South, and include the
name of every private individual, who
had ever sketched in pencil, or crayon,
or water colors, or painted in oil, with
moderate capacity. It would be equally
sensible. We fancy certain amount of
ability should be unmistakably demon
strated before one is pronounced an
artist, OF writer, and ones picture taken
as such.
We will not venture to assert that there
are none excluded from Mr. Davidson's
list, who deserve place in it-Miss
Cheeseborough, for instance, who has
written considerably, and a few others.
But We are rather of the opinion that he
is justifiable in excluding the names of
some very young writer's. who. notwith-
standing they may do great deal in the
future, (and we hope that they may, and
have faith that they will, } are yet novices,
destitute Of that amount of literary
training, and that weight of literary
work accomplished. which alone would,
or ought, to make them worthy to enter
the charmed circle of the literati of the
South.
In that other rich acquisition to South
ern literature-Ida Raymond's South
land Writers--there is contained the
names and biographical sketches of 115
female writers, of whom, we confess,
one-half, ut least, we never heard of be-
fore, though we always have, and do
read, enormously and unfortunately,
(if you don't believe it, Mr.. Editor, we
will send you list of books, and let
you judge for yourself,) and are South
ern to the backbone, and tenacious of
Southern reputation in every depart
ment, and proud of Southern achieve
ment. This confession of ignorance is
certainly not meant as any disparage-
ment to the writer's in question, but only
in vindication to Mr.. Davidson. If he
omitted some Southern writer's, because
he had never heard of them, he is not
the only one in that predicament
Be this as it may, we claim for Mr..
Davidson, that he has accomplished
what he proposed to do in "the Living
Writers of the South" He undertakes
to sAo,o what literature the South has.
NJ. Eliza Smith says, in this undertak-
ing, he has signally failed. We say, he
has signally succeeded. If the litera.
ture of the South displays lamentable
poverty-as some critics have asserted
Mr.. Davidson may lament, and no donbt
does, but he cannot be made responsible
that such is the case.
We claim. furthermore, for this work,
that it is we'll written and admirably ar-
ranged; that it is an impartial, dispas-
sionate. mastery portraiture of Southern
literature as it really exists. A tone of
universal justice, independent of praise
and social obligations, pervades its pages
He does something moro than echo the
shallow compliments and interested OPT
mons of the day. His criticisms are
acute and truthfnl-indeed, we know not
which to admire most. his discriminat-
ingjudgment and accurate s, stematizing
nf III