The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-05
Jenny Jiun,'e.

q & III u 81 -. - rsF s.,- . z
The recent death Of Mrs. Jenny G..
Grossly removes a well known writer. and
a pioneer of the NOV ement which has re-
suited in the establishment OF the many
woman's clubs throughout the land "A
cores ponoent4 Of the New York Tribune
gives in Mrs. Croly3 S own words the story
of her adoption of the nom de plume Jen-
ny June. It is. as follows:
I'm my early girlhood I knewHa young
minister who was in the habit OF Visiting
occasionally, at our house. One day he
came to Bid US goodbye, saying that he
was going to a Western State to reside.
AS he babe me goodbye he. gave me a lit
tie book. It was a volume Of B. +. ray
lor's poems called January and June. .
The little book opened of itself at the
page containing the verses entitled The
Beautiful River An introductory para
graph. in, prose read thus:
"'on such, a night, in such June, who
has not sat, side by side, with somebody
for. all theaWorld like Jenny j uneas May
be it was Years ago;,.: butt 1t was some
time. Maybe you had Quite forgotten it );
but you will be the better for remem-
bering. Maybe she has gone on before,
where it IS June all the year, and never
January att all; but God forbid! There It
was, and then it was. and thus it was
This stanza Of the poem was marked
in pencil: {. 49,
g Jenny June, thenI said, let US Inger no
On the banks of the beautiful river:
Let the boat be ,unnaoored, and mufled
the oar,
And wen steal into heaven together.
If the angel on duty, our coming describes,
You have nothing toSdo but throw, off
the disguise
That you wore when you wandered with
me,
And the sentry shall say :t"'Welco1ne back
to the skies;
We have long been awaiting for thee
I'm the argin, opposite this stanza.
was pencilIed these words, You are the
Juniest Jenny L know!'
"The years of my young girlhood passed
on, and with their passing faded away all
memory of the young minister. Later
there came to me, as l suppose there
comes to ali girls. the impulse to write.
and when some partial friends urged that
a certain little skit should be sent to
the press I was confronted for the first
time with the question of a signature.
Shrinking from the thought of seeing my
own name in type. by some strange witch
cry of mem Dry the words Jenny June
suddenly occurred to me, and that. you
know, has been my name ever since
After a little pause, with a faraway
look, and in a tower voice. Mrs. Croly
said: Now, have answered your ques-
ton. but II must tell you something more.
Thirty years after had assumed my
nom de plum a gray haired stranger.
,alled at my house one day and asked TO
see me. - The name on his card recalled
no one 7 had ever known, and on meet:
ing there was no recognition on either.
side. but he proceeded in a straishttorr--5
ward way to explain the object OF his
visit
For the last thirty years, said ne
since nv removal from this city, have.
lived in the West. NaturallysIs have been.
constant reader OF. Eastern papers ana
In particular have read every article article Is
have ever seen bearing the signature OF
Jenny June. have made many Ell
sorts but without success, to ascertain
who she Is and whether the name IS real.
~ fictitious. Somehow L have never for-
zotten a, little girl knew before went
Vest to whom gave a little tvolume OF
POEMS with something scrubbed on a page
! hat contained stanza, which 8 greatly
arnired about Jan,v I'm e1 b We ss7's7'7
dered and wondered If she had become
the famous writer. and now on my return
/ to my native city. after SO long an abb
sence, 1 have sought you simply to ask
IL Won are that little girl