The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-21
MISS RITTENBERRY DISCUSSES
 AMELIE RIVES' LITERARY WORK

The following charming article Is from the pen of Miss Alma Rittenberry; MT. Henry Alden says that one writer whose short stories were contributed to Harper's Magazine stand alone In the field of fc- ton without precursor or successor, or even Kindred"
 This writer Is Amelia Rives of Virginia. He believes that American literature has no such examples to present of genius in Its simplest term and most naive ex- pression as shown in the tales and dramas known to have been written by, Amelia Rives before she was 16, and pub lished later.
 It was little more than dozen years ago that Amelia Rlves arose in the lit- erary Armament a star whose brilliancy threatened to pail the lustre of all of her contemporaries.
 The stories of Amelia Rives are and will long be appreciated.
 They are excellent studies of intense human. passion, and are given with certain degree of power that cannot be overlooked.
 Although many of her early characters were somewhat unnatural there is a breezy originality to all of her stories that will tend to preserve them. Her main strength as writer lies in her abil- sty to fathom the mysteries of the human heart to depict It's emotions and to make bare its secret cravings. All this Is dis closed in a splendid andacious, highly original style, which charms the reader and never falls to hold his interest.
 Many hold that the men and women of fiction are best portrayed by writers of corresponding sex. Certainly Amelia Rives, most striking creations are her women, and with her herones one does not associate the name of wit beauty or so- ciety-queen. one only associates with them one thought one faculty, and that is love. Love. that subtle influence which controls human destiny. Love- that rock on which we build our hopes and endeav- ors touch of It's magic wand will beauti- fy the lowliest cot while an absence of love will transform the palace of the million aire in a mass of gllded misery.
 No one bends at the shrine of this god- dess with more humility that the writer of fiction. Love-that is romantic. Love lis the main stem around which he weaves the thread of his narrative With out 1t his composition would be fiat and fasteless. It is the spice that imparts udNOT 10 the COn1ecIlOn. 1dleultQ WTlIeTb have essayed novels with the love left out, but with no success.
 Pickwick is an exception to this rule but even in Plckwick there are two or three sets of lovers that add softness to its pages.
 The question has been asked in Ameie Rives method of representation has she held the mirror up to nature Would one not have to search very diligently to find a Barbara or Virginia In the range of their acquaintances?
 Was there ever stranger compound of 1emininity-than Barbara In "The Quick or the Dead. A lovestory that Is steeped in realism and at times there are both extravaganza and erudity in the narration. The story ''rhe Quick or the Dead' was an extremely difficult story for a young writer to tell. It is one George Sand would have delighted to deal with in French, 1t involved the question as to just how far human love is a physical magnetism and just ho-7 far 1t is an at- traction of that finer and subtler sort which even materalists for want of bet ter descriptive term must call .'spiritual."
 Barbara and Deering, her dead hus- bands cousin, are necessarily alone to- gether in great old Virginia homestead. He is filled with youthful vigor and fire. and almost hourly finds himself growing more and more in love with his kins- mans widow. She Is a woman whose temperament has an almost tropical ar- dor and whom we can imagine perform ing scarcely a single act in life without giving it the horid lines of her own rather theatrical personality.
 Barbara boldly entraps Deering Into loving her, then, creature of contradic- tions that she was. finally tells him she is welded to her lost Val and can never marry another
 No wonder that Deering In his frenzy exclaims: Good God. are women hu- man"
 Barbara is meant for q very emotional being. and so she is; but her mentality is limited In an unfortunate degree, consid- ering the numerous tempting opportun- ties with which she is presented by her creator for behaving in a silly fashion, and which she constantly embraces.
 Amelia Rives surprise and charm by the delft use of phrase and sinlile as the following paragraph will show.
 It was on a bitterly cold, gray af- ternoon in November that these two comrades as they now called themselves were engaged In a game of "gaces' in tho large central hall at Rosemary. The caller day had been tempes- tons and clatterina with wind-whirled