The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-05-05
For the FARMERASD A kcHASIC.
Live and Let Live
WuMISGroN, NC, April %.

WILMINGToN. NC, April %.
i NJ. EHttor In the issue of the BIZ
! licai Recore}er dated March 10th, there
appeared a review of Maj John W
Moore recent novel, The Heirs of st.
| Kilda." In which | observe the follow
| ing
~ orks of fiction by Southern au-
thcrs have hardly in single instance
attempted a broad and comprehensive
treatment Of our social aspects. Weak
lar stor,es and rhupsor}tes about our
scenery hpce been tie sum md sabStdac,
Of .SoatAera aoreis
That portion which have italicized
is too undioguised AMI pal pable slur
upon our most distinguished novelist,
Christian Reid, to pass unnoticed, and
therefore | have taken the liberty to
speak out in her behalf, though not in
antagonism to that talented writer who
is fast mounting the slope of distinction
ard who has but recently given to the
reading public quite credtable fiction
entitled The Heirs of st kilda. >
It is Just such feeling as IS illustrated
III the italicized portion of the quotation
that has caused Southern fiction to re
main so long dormant 1t Is just such
pulling down to make room for some
new candidate to public favor that has
discouraged young aspirants and has
stified and sn othered unmlstakable tai
ent ere it has dipped its pen deeply ID
the ink of Romance. Live aud let
live" is too old and too reasonable a
aging for people possessed with any
lberality, AID charity to disregard ut
terly.
As for the weak love stories refer
red to by yosss biblical contemporary,
that is simply difference of opinion
One of these SO called weak love
tories brought forth the following
comments FROM that chaste and erudite
scholar. Mr. I. B. Kiugsbury, in 1875:
Miss Reid has passed through her
novitiate and is now writer OF recog-
nized ability and influence We may,
therefore, venture to express briefly our
views Of her distinct claims as an au-
thor AS descriptive writer she de !
serves to rank high. We do not know
bali Dozen living Elglish novelsts who
equa ner il ii,a, particular We write
this quite deliberately, and are sure
that an intelligent crutc will sustain
this opinion after reading the many ex-
Iuisite descriptive passages that occur
IN the dainty, neat, fresh and wlnsoae
stoly that is now appearing IN these
pa ges Or Licing and Our Dedd), from
her pen.
'She observes closely. She knows a
good deal of the folbles and virtues OF
mankind. and is constantly making very
acute and penetrating remarks that re
veal the thinker, as well as the student
of Vanity Fair She has wit, pathos.
dramatic skill, and manages her scenes
generally with ability and tact. With
out croWding her CANVAS she presents a
few characters that are drawn With con
care and that iGterest Us II
not by the originality of lngentlon. at
east l.y their natura.ness. ana tAe VIVID
ard finished manner OF AeIRs:atlon.
Her style is neat, acurate, g aaetul,
elegant and artistic. Her conversaaLsns
are I,Li OF brightness, point aud force
and her ability to construct p OF Is
quite equal to the task she under
takes.
| could in addition refer to tiatterlng
lavished upon her by the
Northern press, which 1t seems mas bet
her own section.
Now concerning the weak rhapso-
dies about our scenery" there IS no
denying it, Christian Reid's Land OF
the Sky has done more for Western
North Carolina as far as attracting
Northern travel and capital is concern
ed, than anything else conceivable.
The South is not SO wholly destitute
of talented writer's of romance as the
Recorder writer seems to think. There is
Yrs. Fanny Murdough Downing who
has left behind her many line stories OF
the old Southern regime, and the same
may apply to William Gilmore Slmms
and Calvin II. Wiley, both of whom.
the former, have written some
truly commendable works. Then, to
come down to more recent date, we
have John Esten Cooke, Mr.. Lucason- I
who wrote the familiar odd Trump /
Series,' Mrs. Frances Hodgson Bur
nette- and many, many, more whose
narratives of Southern society | am glad
TO believe are eagerly devoured by
Northern readers of fiction.
The fact of 1t Is, We Southern people /
croak too much We ale ever bewal.-
ing our condition. when if we would but
cease long enough from osIl chronic dis
We would perceive that we
are not half so bad off as We try to make /
ourselves believe There lis too much I
antagonism about US and with all OF our /
pruyerbiaI hospitality We are the most |
selfish DeoDle living
Old Mrs. Grundy evidently was OF
southern birth.
Yours, r.. A. q.