Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-04-02
TRIBUTE TO MRS. j. G. n.
DORR.
Interesting sketch by Lucy \. Leg
gett In the WOmnu's Magazine.

Tho following article by Lucy a. Leg
| Cctt. appeared in the March issue Of the
Womans Magazine. published at ST.
| Louis under tho heaC: "Distnguished
Women
"Ncw England has given Ms many
| charming writer's and among them rev
are more admired and loved than Mrs.
Julia G r. Dorr. Up among the YER
mont hills overlooking tho little city
| or Rutland. with Killington, Shrewsbury
| and Plco. towering over them all. lives
and writes the Vermont Poetess' as she
is lovingly and proudly callcd by the
people of that staunch New England
state who stand by their own with all
the strength and fidelity OF ther own
green clad hills.
Mrs. DORIS grandparents were ma
ivcs Of France and she was born in our
own Sunny South at Charleston, :. G..
Tier father was William Young Ripley
o. Rutland Vito her French parentage
may bc attributed that namcless charm
of manner which attracts all who meet
hey. and to hor Southern birth perhaps
she owes tho forvd imagination and rich
now Of Language winch holds in ls
carossiuC tones the power 10 win all
who approach II &c.
II first met her at the house Of her
daughter. Mrs. steele. whose skill as
an artist is not inferior 20 tina Of her
mother as "A poet She illustrates all Of
Mrs. DORIS hooks. Afternoon songs =
beautiful christmas hook entitled The
Fallow Field show lne specimens Of
Mrs. Sicelc's work
Mrs Dorr IS Eve Shakespearian
scholar and takes great pleasure In the
entertainments. when those plays are
presented. Rutlsrd boasts Of two fine
dramatic clubs to which Ms. Dorr lends
her gracious presence u was At one Of
those that I first mot this gifted wo-
man. Tho entertainment was given at the
house o Hirs steele, and the hostess APP
pcared rs 'Rosaind' in AS You Like
IT,. doing the character ample justice.
Il visited AZ her home afterward and
found tho genial roctoss as lovely in her
home as IN society. OFF from the pleas
ant parors. which showed everywhere
the traces of refined taste and daily oc-
cupancy, was quaint little 'snuSgerv'
where wore tho books she loved. tho
desk where those charming poems were
written. and climbing over tho windows
ard on tho walls was uxuriant Eng
lish ivy.
"rhis' said she came from Stafford
on-Aron asked for a slip. and tho wo-
man in charg" OF the house gave me
erudcinglv tho finest bit Of green. I put
il in my hand bag. la ~dly thinking that
# could possibly grow but after its
long Journey the ten cious little thing
sproutod ana has grown to what You
see
cone cannot help having Shakespeare
thoughts. observed. under these
spre ding vines
d" An. If We COULD she said hut the
world will never produce another Shake
spoare.
Her first published poem was sent
by her husband 10 the Union magazine
| without her knowledge and her first
| prose was Il story FOR which she receiv-
( ell hundred dollar prize. Her 'Vashti'
! has been copied all over the world AS q
| highly dramatic poem, and her Cen
tury Dead attracted much attention
through the centennial wear
Mrs Dorr has been for many years
, the president Of the 'Fortnirhtly' a club
, Of about 100 women connected with the
Congregational church Of which she Is a
memher. It is. a rare pleasure to SEQ hel
{
dignity and grace peculiar to herself She
has known most Of the nineteenth cen
fury writer's and often reads extracts
from personal letters which arc auto
graph collector would give a fortune tc
I own.
conc evening she was invited to a re.
ception, hut having already engaged r.
read the Decoration Day poem. she drove
f,.fx.
said
" y may not be able t. come. hut
want to. SO do not consider the invita-.
ton declined
"Thc evening arrived and among The
early guests Mrs DORIS smiling face
appeared Her hostess was delighted ant
said: 4 am so glad 70 see You. feared
you would be too tired Ia come
7 was. she answered with Al
amuse smile. until picked rp Bos
ton paper and read this paragraph,
Mrs. Julia .. Dorr, Vcrmont's venerable
poetess, viii read poem at Rutland oil
Decoration day No woman likes to b.
called old. YOU know SO | mmediatel,
declared that was still Young enough
to read a poem and attend reception
on the same day
MIS-. pofr mas gwen to the RUTLAND
library large collection Of books com
posed OF several hundred volumes. com
prisinC a fine series Of biographies of en-
inent mon. the works of jefferson. Madi
son. and other American statesmen. AM
Valua III" contributions to United State
history. She Is identified with every in
tellectual movement of that cmincntl
sult ured section of orr country-Ney
England. She Is grea- admirer Of tn
hills and mountains and pointed out thei
beauties to me ono sunny morning whe
we took a drive over the hills she love
so well. Ny recollections of that charm
ing scenery are closely connected wit
the sweet voice and attractive person
alty OF the loved New England poetess.
| YES AND NO N THE LITERARY
BELT.