The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-02-17

'iiC 6NhLItN omen OI lhC Sbulll' lillS -
evident from her novels. She has done
much to dspei the false impression
taken from Amelie Rives and the dia-
iect inventors that southern girls are
hysterical and that the whole south is
devoted to bad English.
I MRS. ANNA HANSON DORSEY
is nc more-her name must be written
with reverence She was the real piO-
neer OF Catholic literature in the cOun-
try. Her Student of Blenheim For
est evoked deep appreciation and in
teFest from all parts of the world. Her
fame rests on list of good books that
make library of themselves, and no
Catholic home ought to be without
them. Later writer's have followed her.
but none has eclipsed or even equaled
her
Miss Anna Hanson Dorsey was born
in Georgetown, D. c., Dec. II. 1915, and
descends from a number of the most
brilliant and patriotic colonial and rev
outlonary families of Maryland She
was a convert to the Catholic faith.
All her books have enjoyed a never
diminishing popularity. The list is a
very long one, including The Oriental
Pearl, May Brooke "The Young
Countess, - Tears on the Diadem. "
"Woodreve Manor" The Flemings," :"
"Ccaina" " The Old Gray Rosary"
Guy, the Leper," "Zoe's Daughter"
Warp and Woof, The Old House at
Glenaran,' The Fate Of the Dane"
The Mad/Penitent of Todi" The
Snow Anger and finally, the greatest
of all, Palms" pronounced by all the
critics to be the equal Of Ben Hur."
During the civil war Mrs. Dorsey was
an earnest lover and ardent advocate
of the Union cause, and her patriotism
gave birth to some stirring lyrics. Her
/ Mother and Son was said to be the
best piece eff literature evoked by the
Custer massacre.
She has been the recipient of the
! highest honors that the church in
America can offer, being a Laetare
medallist. Her work has been twice
especially blessed from Rome, and the
tribute paid her by the bishops was one
of the most highly prized happenings
of (her life
The daughter of this gifted woman is
ELLA LORRAINE DORSEY.
MISS DGrseyis masterpiece is THE
Cars Horses" declared to be "one of
| the best short stories written" Mid
! e.hipman Bob" settled her position as
one Of the first writer's of stories, for
children. Miss Dorsey began her liter
| ary career when she was about 16,
as special correspondent on the Chron-
icle and Critic. two Washington papers.
| i-dNCI SIt NIOle EptCIdlS IOI lile NHl-
cago Tribune and other important pa
DorS
| In April 1886, Harper's Magazine
published Back from the Frozen Pole
and the Catholic World published THE
| Cars Horses" which last was attr-
| buted to Archibald Forbes, and went
around the English colonies as far ais
New zealand. The same year Mid
! shipman Bob was published which
] rn1l rnH hot
printed, and had a large sale in Eng
! land and Ireland, and was translated
/ into Italian. From that time she de-
voted herself to Catholic boysthrough
the Ave Maria, and published between
1886 and 1890. jet, the War Mule"
The Salem Witch and Tiny Tim
besides many other interesting stories
known to the young Catholic readers.
Mrs. Mary r. Waggaman is cele-
brated for her vivid children's stories:
and her daughter Miss Waggaman, is
post of great promise. The san
Francisco Monitor lately declared that
some Cf her verses in the Ave Maria
| had a poli-h and sweetness which
modern American poetry generally
| lacks.
Speaking of the Catholic authors
who write for the entertainment of the
children | must mention, above all,
REV. EltANttS j. FINN.
BOYS are the most difficult readers to
write for. They have no interest in
any fictitious persons except those of
their own age and of their own hearts
The good little boys, who underwent
untold persecution for their religious
ecCentr.cities in the stories that were
peIperei and sa!ted with strange
morals for the boy reader to swallow,
did not appeal 10 the healthy young
mind. Francis J. Finn realized this
and gave them real boys who did real
things and lived real lives. In the kind
ness, the cheerfulness, the earnest sym
pathy and the idealism of Father Finn,
the boys found a new leader. Father
Finn takes the boy as he is. He has
no illUei0ns about INN. but strives to
make him better by showing that boys
may be honorable and spiritual minded
without losing all the qualities which
the growing man esteencls and loves in
his heroes; and what the boy loves in
his heroes ne strives to initiate
Father Finn was born in st. Louis.
He entered the Society of Jesus in 1879,
and was ordained priest in 1898. All his
books, from Tom Playfair" to Ethel
red Preston" are too we'll known to be
mentioned here. His latest work is, like
the others, a book for boys, THE Best
Foot Forward" 1t has had a great
SuCCtSS,
WALTER LECKY.
Walter Lecky is another name fa-
miliar to readers of Catholic literature.
Mr.. Lecky's literary history is the gen
ests of many a literary man, who be-
gins with the newspaper and ends with
the book. He attained his first success
on the Montreal True Witness AT the
age Of Is he was a newspaper man in
Chicago, doing fepoTtorial work on the
Times, Herald and Mail From Chicago
he went south: and from New Orleans
the love for change and adventures
took him over the water where he filled
his notebooks with the things he had
seen and heard throughout Europe. He
is also familiar with Mexico, through
which country he travelled on foot
From this comes Mr.. Leckys intense
love for nature anil the excellent de- |
scr'iptive, passages which are found in |
his work. His books are Green Graves
in Ireland" Down at Caxton's.' "Pere |
Monnier's Ward" and Mr.. Billy But
toms" Mr. Lecky now lives in little |
mountain town in the Adirondacks.
THE SADLIERS.
Mrs. Mary A. Sadlier is another |
whose works are widely read and have |
exercised a great influence in the his |
tory of Catholic literature in this coun-
try She began writing for La Belle |
Assemble. a London magazine whom
she was still Miss Madden She edited !