Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-29
WEST VA. AUTHORS.
NAMES CELEBRATED IN THE LITEaA-
TuRE OF AMERICA.
What They Have Done In Poetry, Ro-
nance. History. and General
Literature.

long one. Perhaps it will not be consider
] ed O brilliant one, but there Is hope OF
many bright chapters yet to be written.
! To breathe Z" literary atmosphere in
that State one must create it and take ii
about with him: but this does not mean
that its citizens do not have literary taste.
education, and culture. Their activities
are directed rather toward the building OF
railroads. coke-ovens, fine houses, lumber
mills, and ng-factorIes than toward the
making of books. But in view OF the fact
that. in the estimation of men the world
over, even bung outweighs book, this
| is not to be wondered OF. However, West
| Virginia has produced some highly-credi-
table literary workers and / want TO men,
| ton some of them.
NAMES IRON TIE ROLL.
First of oil was Colonel Alexander With
ers. a highly educated Virginia gentleman,
whose mother was, believe. first cousin
Of Sir Walter Scott. He graduated OF tho
! famous old college of William and Mary
and afterward studied law. Later he
moved west Of the mountains and in 1881
published ut Clarksburg. Chronicles OF
Border Warfare" weli-written work con-
tainIng vast store of information con-
corning the settlement of Western Viz
| B1Uld-a SLOTc WHICH litS IuIuiFhtt ibti "a
supplies for every writer on that subject
since his day.
| His honored name ia worthily borne by
bis granddaughter. Miss Emma Withers;
of Chenille. W. Va. writer of thoughtful
and graceful verse. Her poems have been
widely published. but che has not yet
yielded to the temptation TO put her name
on the title-page of a book.
JOURNAL TO HER CREDIT.
Patrick Gasss famous journal Of the
Lewis and Clarke Expedition to the Pacl-
| fic " is not strictly literary production,
| but il was of great importance, and west
ern Virginia asks that 1t be put down 10
her credit. Gass lived for some time in
what is now Brooke county, West Virginia.
where some of his descendants still reside.
| The publication of his journal" ante
dated Withers's Border Warfare" one
year, believe.
Then there was delightful old Porte
Crayon" General. David II. StrOther)
whose Virginia Illustrated" series OF
| illustrated articles in Hdrper's Monthly and
atterward published in book form, at
tfacted wide attention and made for him
n national reputation. After taking his
college degree he went to Rome and spent
two OF three years studying art. so that
he was able TO combine pen and pencil in
nearly all of his literary WORK: From 1873
TO 1885 StrOther was Consul-General to
Mexico and collected while there material
for work on the character of the Mexi-
cans, but his death in 1888 prevented his
frishieg it.
MORE RECENT WRITERS.
These three - Withers. Glass;, and
Strother-were the most notable Of the
early writers living in Western Virginia.
The more recent years have brought forth
quite number of literary people who
have won for themselves the right to that
name.
Hon. Daniel Bedinger Lucas. president
of the Supreme Court of Appeals of the
State, is n poet as well as judge. He has
published THE Maid Of Northumber-
land" THE Land Where We Lay Dream
ing" "Balleds and Madrigals." "St. Agnes
of Guienne." and other verses. His bal
lads and lyrics especially are graceful and
musical. He does not philosophize or SER
monte, but let's the beauty of his rhymes
preach its own sermon. Fortunately his
judicial duties have not caused him TO
abandon his pen, and we occasionally still
have a pretty ballad or delightful madri-
gal from him.
POLITICS, LAW. AND LITERATURE.
Congressman George Wesley Atkinson,
of the FIRST West Virginia district, com
DlncS DOitlCS, lNtIhiuit, anu bio law.
Strange bed-fellows, indeed. but he has
succeeded in making them lie down grace
fully together. He is tho author of The
West Virginia Pulpit" Among the Moon
sinners" a History OF Kanawha,"
Don't" and prominent Men of West
Virginia" The last named is just out of
the press. and is edited by Mr.. Atkinson
and A. L. Gibbons. of Charleston, together.
The latter is successful writer of both
prose and verse.
Mr.. Hu Maxwell. of Tucker county. has
published volume Of verse which he calls
"Jdyls of the Golden Shore" most of the
poems being written while the author was
residing temporarily in California. They
are quite creditable productions.
HISTORY.
Mr.. Virgil A. Lewis, of Mason county,
about q year ago, published History of
West Virginia" an extensive work in two
parts and covering 74i pages. IL was the
result of an immense amount OF labor and
research on the part OF the author, beng
the first attempt TO cover the entire field
of West Virginia history. Ii has had q
large sale and is one of the States most
important literary productions.
DR.. John u. Hale. of Charleston, is the
author of an exceedingly interesting his
tory Of "Trans-Alleghanv Pioneers" be-
ginning as early as 174S. IL Is q book of
about 500 pages crowded with facts. Incl
dents, and anecdotes of the early days in
the Great Kanawha Valley.
WRITER'S AND TEACHERS.
Some of the members of the faculty of
the West Virginia University have been
writing as well as teaching. ID. Is. Purin-
ton, Ii. d.. formerly vice-president of
that institution, published last year
through Putnam's Sons q very able and
scholarly treatise on Christian Thesm."
which has been received generally az one
of the most satisfactory and valuable
works on that subject. Professor /. &.
White. PHI. D., the eminent geologlst. has
contributed largely to the scientific htera-
ture of the country during the last ten or
fifteen wears, and Or. j. w. Hartigan has
issued Gn excellent textbook on physlo-
logy and hygiene.
Returning 70 poetry we have Mrs. Danske
cambridge, of Shepherdtown. whose ex-
ouisite little volume of dainty and charm
ing verse to which she gave the happy
title of Joy and Other Poems" made for
her circle of friends and admirers which
is sure to be enlarged and strengthened
by her second volume. Rose Brake"
which is lust out. The critics have been
very kind to her, the commences OF her
poetic fire being recognized.
Mr.. William Leighton, who moved from
Wheeling TO Chicago a short time ago, Is
the author of two stirring dramas" The
Sons of Goodwin" and AT the Court of
King Edwin" and a blank-verse poem
called "Change: Whisper of the
Sphinx" At the time Of their publication
they were much talked about and praised,
many people regarding the dramas quite
as good as Tennyson's Harold" which
treats of the same historical theme.
RoMANoERs.
In fiction there 10 the well known name
of Mrs. Alexander McVeigh Miller. who re-
sides near Anderson. Monroe county, and
who Is paid, believe. a salary by Robert
Bonner's Sons, New York.
Also, Miss Mcleod, formerly of Parkers-
burg and now OF Wheeling, whose Cap
tain McDonald's Daughters was accepted
and published by the Harpers. When the
book appeared il created something Of a
sensation at Parkersburg because OF the
fact that several prominent residents APP
peared IN the book under thin DISCUSSES.
There should be mentioned. also, Mrs.
Mary Bowen, writer Of verse for the fotaa's
Companion and other periodicals; the ven-
cradle ex-senator Waitman L Wiley, who
wrote a life OF Philip Doddridge; Hon.
John A. Hutchinson, the author of two or
II Ia, IaQoh Rrft