The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-01
A REPLY TO A REPLY.
Colonel Frank G.. Euffin Continues His
Criticism or Thomas Nelson Page.
For THE TIMEs.
Lest men suspect your tale untrue.
Keen probability ga view.

Criticism or Thomas Nelson Page.
For THE TINES
Lest men suspect your tale untrue.
Keep probability IN view.
In THE TIMES Of May sd Mr.. Thomas
Nelson Page published a letter in reply TO
nv criticism on the character Of Uncle
Billy in his story OF Meh Lady, and To my
protest, i'm the same letter, that Mch Lady
is untrue throughout TO our white society,
rs well as to the negro race; and that the
conditions Of the plot could never have eX-
listed anywhere. TO these two issues Mr..
Page pleads, with specifications, and TO
those specifications | reply as briefly as !
may.
Like Teniers, the Flemish artist, who
selected the lower ranks of life as the sub
iects of his pictures, Mr., Page has selected
negroes rs the chief figures In his stories,
most prominently Of all. | believe. in Meh
Lady. The merits Of the great painter 3
works are but two, correct dclineation and
finished execution. They can have mo-
other: for their subjects are thoroughly COM
mOnplace and provincial. In the same way
the productions OF Mr. Page must depend
for their value upon their ysTisimilitude.
For # is apparent that elegance Of style can
have no place, and that even elevation ci
character and excellence OF conduct
must be tinctured with ridicule by
the grctesque language in which
they are depicted. His purpose in Men
Lady. if understand it, is TO display the
negrO's character as manifested since tho
war, tinged by their former seUTude. and
expressed in their own Outre lingo. which
some people attempt to dignity by calling il
sdialcct'-a palpable misnOmCr: for that
appIOpriates 10 the negTo's ludicfOus imi'
tation Of the white mans speech. term
used to indicate varieties Of the same Ian
guage as correctly used by different states
Of the same race; as, for instance, Sparta
and Attica.
I'm all hia stoties, at least ih all that
have read, MIR. PAGE introduces ladies ana
gentlemen not only to break the general
monotone. but also, | suppose, 10 heiehten
hls effects by contrast. The question !
make IS whether the characters and inci-
dents in ilch Lady are true TO life and io
art, and are a tribute of praise TO the civil
zatOn Of the South. all which Nr. Page
claims they are.
Now how about that.
First. Let me state the case as 10 the
white people. The scene Of Neh Lady l.
laid In the upper part Of Hanover county,
There lived the Berkeys, the Nelson's, The
Pages. the Dabneys, the. MOrrises. the f0n-
taincs- many OF whose ladies and some Of
whose gentlemen, had the honor Of NUM-
herring among my friends; and from my
knowledge of them was not surprised al
the enthusiasm Of my personal friend. Mr..
Pages cousin, the late Hugh VI. Nelson, Of
Clarke county. but a native Of that part Of
Hanover, who, speaking Of the personal
traits OF those excellent people. said In "A
speech made in one Of the old Agricultural
Society meetings thirty years ago, "that Old
neighbOfhoOd D. nearer Heaven than any
other place ON earth" ! can testify that
Virginia had nowhere cOuriiier. or Drawer,
0r kinder. or more magnanimous men. nor
loyClior. more refined. or more devoted wO-
men, though each county or district had
many like them. one peculiarly. however.
had them: nearly all ofthem appeared 10 hc
related by blood or connected by marriage.
Kindly atiectioncd one 10 another, with
them hospitality was passion and neigh
borly feeling principle. There one was
reminded Of DR.. Bagby's idyllic dream OF
the "Old Virginia Gentleman his wife,
his family aud his guests. Taking life i'm
an sasy leisurrly way. as they could afford
10 do, they were perfectly well acquainted
with each others affairs; their residences
were, for The most part, 80 close together
| that any occurrence which brought JOY on
sOrroW 10 one household was soon known o.
all the others: and visits Of cOngTatulatiOn
or coincidence as the ease might be, were
the rule. Particularly in cases Of sick
ness or death they were ever present;
sometimes in embarrassing numbers.
In that society lived M"h Lady. She was
bOru in ii-she and her brother the son
and daughter Of u widow lhcy lived IN
style, as the old phrase goes. They were
cars moan YOU could tell dc names. De
use 10 be- thirty Graders in De harYes' fcl
an binders moan YOU Kin cJnnt.' OF
course they were we'll known and esteemed.
more properly beloved. The brother, "Marse
PM" whenever at home, "al'ays got some
body OF nurr wild him" an dem young
bucks, de used 20 be rom Meh Lady con
slant" For she was Il beauty. obviously
they We're people Of consideration.
The war came with its train OF woes.
"Marse PHIL who had raised "A company
and went in mt the start. was killed in 1872.
and the widow sat "in his room all day long
SEWN for dc soldiers while Mch Lady
managed the plantation with old Billy as
the head man. Two years lalcr in the
spring. Captain Wilton, of the Yankee
army, a cousin Of Mch Lady. son Of Y IT.
ginia United States officer, appeared upon
AIf fht4f 81 Il llAi VI lluntNl ih- auAiNH
into the Widows house. drives them of.
makes himself known as a kinsman; and Is
disOWned. He rushes OF 10 General McClel-
Ian, gels protection for the widow and de-
liNers it at great risk. Very soon after he
is brought back, having been desperately
wounded In hot skirmish, and is left a
parOled prisoner with the family, who nurse
him until his exchange in the fall of 1861
But during his stay he had addressed Meh
Lady and been rejected by her.
Then the hard times came. Everything
had been given 10 the army. and the widow
bonds We're sold for Confederate money;
some to buy things 10 eat, the rest 10 give
10 the government. Then, in the winter
Of 1864 Gj, the Yankee captain rides up one
night and leaves with Uncle Billy six
great yaller gold pieces jest like pats o but
ter" for the use Of the family. Meantime
stealing and Yankee plundering had broken
up the farm and the widow gave a deed OF
trust on the land to buy new team
shortly thereafter Richmond fell, and Apo
mattoN; and the widow who had never re-
covered from the shock of "Marsc Phirs'
death, took pretty 10 her bed. Meh Lady
and Hannah, Uncle Billy's wife, nursed heI
much; and Mch Lady sold diamonds Ia feed
the negroes. I'm no great while the credi
tors began 10 sue on the dead hus,
bands debts, the captains Eoc
| which had been secreted by Uncle Billy
was brought OUT the Captains gold, Of
which Meh Lady agreed 10 accept forty dol
lars on "A quibtle;-poO thing.-spent it fol-
her mother, and began Ia teach a Negro
school. Then came notice that they wert
10 be sold out under the deed of trust; and
that killed the widow. ON her dcath-bed
she entrusted the remaining diamonds e
"Uncle Billy, 10 give TO Meh Lady after
awhile, cOmmends Meh Lady Ia his care,
then, with her last breath, she eniOins on
Uncle Billy to let the Yankee Captain know
Meh Lady's circumstances, because she
knew ne would protect her. Hannah and
lleh Lady laid her out in her last frOck, and
''the next day the neighb0rs. the few that
Were left, and the black folks roun' buried
her.
For the next six weeks Meh Lady
kept her negro school; but things got 81
bad that Uncle Billy and HE wife decided
to let the Yankee captain know the state OF
affairs. just then appears the deus cr
m0chind. The Yankee captain rides up
again, courts Meh Lady again, is again re-
lected, and is about to 20 away, telling Un-
Gle Billy he will make arrangements 10
support Meh Lady, when the old negroes
tell their story. solve the difficulty, and the
affair Is settled. '.fhe table is set for two,
-. 4