The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1906-02-09
NOVELIST AND POET.
4 Paper ou William Giin,or~ sanns
by Mrs II. y. reter~


4 tera OF the cenfederaes Mrs II. y
Peters Rad the following paper OF
f''NEa.isan. n..il:...s-=A G. -s=s= =rss:s.i
OF poetry and fiction
| To understand why this Southern
writer IL not given more pfominen
place IN the world OF literature W,
must think OF the period in which h,
lived and the existing circumstances
William Gilmore Simms was bern III
Charleston Ia 1906. and despite tn,
fact that hla opportunities for learn
Ing were sCanty and the lack of {
college education. he has the dfstinc
ton of being the first Southern writ
Ter 20 follow literature as n profca
| sion At the age of eight he was 4
great reader and would often LOCK
himself in his room and read far
into the night lie served In his
youth as druggist apprentice
though at the age of Fl vas admit
ted TO the bar in Charlest on Before
| this he had published two books OF
verse His love OF writing was SO
/ great be gave his entire attention to
! that. SO never entered into active
! practice Of law He was poet. dramat-
lTts kFAl thf'T pea IAN fdiltfI ESSAY Is
! Journalist, critic and above ali a
novelist Martin Fahef, published
in 1893. was the first Of that long
succession Of vomances OF adventure
on which his chief claim 10 be re-
memborcd rests inferior 10 Cooper.
with whom he suggests comparison.
in portraying the indian, he is more
truthful, yet not as idealistic One
authority says. There Is no neon
sistency in saying that Simms won
considerable note because he was so
sectional, and has lost IT,. because he
was not sectional enough To paint
actualities and things present. as
do Gable, Miss Murfree and others
was not his chief purpose The tinge
OF the past and the imaginary is
thrown over most Of his plots and
descriptions, yet without that full
and deliberate Idealization which is
needed.
In his time an historic BACKGROUND
was deemed essential. the portrayal
of folk lore was yet to come. His
gEcat qualifications were his love for
his state, and acquaintance with the
scenery, natural pride in its history
and intimate knowledge OF it's past.
and behind all this lay the genuine
power and vigorous spirit of the
man. Tho far from finished in an
artistic sense his stories are South
ern and characteristic There is
pleasant suggestiveness even in the
names of his books. THE Yemassee"
deals with the Indian outbreak in
South Carolina. The Partisan, =" pro
badly the best of his works, is a story
of the revolution, and the exploits
of Marion and his band. A few
more of his novels are Beau
champe" or a Kentucky Tragedy.
Southwark Ho, A Spell of Sun
shine" He also wrote an History
of South Carolina" "The Life of Fran
els Marion, - Life of Captain John
Smith" The Life of Chevalier
Bayard,' The Life of Nathaniel
| Greene, Benedict Arnold, a dram
attic Essay, Michael Bonham
Il drama, and great many volumes
| OF poems, Lyrical and other poems,
/ Early Lays, etc His prose seems
TO far surpass his poetry. 1t is well
that the Daughters of the Confeder-
acy are trying to know more of the
southern writer's and giving them
recognition, for Simms received very
little recognition from Charleston
and was forced to have the greater
part of his works published in the.
North. 1t is said he remarked after
trip to New York, that it surprised
him very much to find the North SO
warm and the South 50 cold
For myself, | should be glad TO
have the opportunity OF reading more
Of the writings of man who utters
such beautiful thoughts as there
On The Lost Pleiad"
All, still the strain.
OF wailing sweetness fills the sadden-
ing sky;
The sister stars, listening in their
pain
That one OF the selectest ones must
die,
Must vanish. when most lovely, from
the rest;
Alas! tbs even thus the destiny,
Even rapture's song hath even more
OF wailing. as for bliss too quickly
gone.
The hope most precious is the soon,
| est lost,
| The flower most sweet is first Il
! feel the frost,
| Are not all short lived things The
loveliest?
And like the pale star. shootinf
down the sky.
Look they not ever brightest as the,
fly
From the lone sphere they blest,"