The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1909-05-15
AUGUSTA EVANS WILSON.

With her withered hands folded il
silence upon her breast, the literar.
world of over half q century bacl
and up to this day has lost one OF
its most charming and chaste writ
ers Of American fiction.
Mrs Augusta Evans Wilson lait
, down her pen forever at her home
in Mobile al an early hour May 9th
when the church chimes Of that city
were ringing in the Sabbath and in
benediction of the day that is holy
and blessed A native of Columbus
Ga, Mrs. Wilson, the day preceding
her death, was "A years Of age Her
death was sudden She had celebrat
ed in a quiet way the day previously
her birthday and III the afternoon
had taken a walk through one of the
cemeteries, and remarked to her
companion. You know it is only
from day to day with me now, and
the sooner the better" Although
there was no physical ailments, it
showed she anticipated when she
would meet her Maker for the sunset
of her life was at hand and she was
prepared for~the end.
In more than many ways Mrs Will
son was a most remarkable woman.
Her books outlived a generation and
will continue on, although unlike the
books of today when we have the
society novel, the problem novel, etc.
Hers were books of fiction, pure
thought and noble sentiments; her
language was choice, chaste; her
English had a polish of its own and
no better sentiments have ever been
written than contained in many of
her works.
The literary history of this re-
markable woman may be said to be
common property. Because of the
romantic style of her writings, read
ers have been disposed to indentify
her personality with some one or
more Of her heroines, thus placing
her also in the atmosphere Of ro-
nance. Her pure and lovely life al
so has helped to make possible this
identification of the writer with the
writer's ideals; and there has grown
up certain cult or worship at the
shrine of this dear lady. Mrs. Will
son herself did not encourage that
sort of thing, She was no self-wor-
shipper-far from it. She was just a
sweet and amiable woman, refined,
closely in touch with current thought,
thorough domestic soul, devoted to
husband, family and friends, charit-
able, sympathetic, and al that sort
of thing. She was moi all exclusive.
although forced to withdraw frola
general society by reason Of the liter
ary work she was frequently engaged
In. When she lived on Spriag Hill
avenue. Mobile, she had a wee&sy re-
ception day. when all accredited per
sons were received with grace and
charm that made a lasting 1mt
preston.
This was the real Mrs. Wilson
The romantic picture of her, however
rested unmoved in the minds OF her
admirers, who came on pilgfl images
to see her, to ask how she perform
ed her wonderful featS of literary
force, and turned white paper INTO
piles of greenbacks. 1t may be SAID
that Mrs. Wilson. save in these later
years. was always affable when prop
erly approached and that she talked
very freely of her work, showing Win
simple pleasure the manuscripts OF
her novels, these being preserved III
scrupulous neatness, just as when
returned to her by her publishers.
She wrote good. clean copy, upon
large sheets Of paper, her SCRIPT
being fine in line but OF goodly size
and perfectly legible at all Tunes;
She had no corrections TO make, ana
the pages were free OF lnterllIed-
tions or other added marks.
No one was better aware than the
a1thoress herself of the criticisms
which her books have been assalleo,
but the knowledge that they had
been III many instances productive
i've of good furnished her with
shield against the barbed arrows.Let-
ters came to her from men stating
that her writings had reclaimed them
from vice and infidelity; while others
eminent in their professions, declared
that their first inspirations to STUDY
was received from her.
An eminent critic has said: "Who
has read with rare delight the nov
els of Augusta Evans? Her strange,
wonderful and fascinating style; the
profound depths to which she SINKS
the probe into human nature, touch
ing it's most sacred chords and
springs; the intense interest thrown
around her characters, and the very
marked peculiarities of her principal
figures. conspire to give an unusual
interest to the works Of the emil
nent Southern Authoress.
Of her literary methods Mrs. VIII
son said: Il never begin to write
until the story has fully unfolded in
nv mind, and could write the last
chapter as easily as the first. l usu
ally write slowly and revise fre
quently, and my manuscripts wher
sent to the publisher are free from
erasures and corrections.
She was systematic. both by ma
ture and habit. Before her marriage
her mornings were spent IN sewing
and her afternoons and evenings de
voted to study: after it she gave tht
early morning hours to domestic mat
tiers and correspondence, and thel
until $3.50 o'clock worked at her man
uscript. 1t was an invariable rul'
that when her husband came hom'
at that hour her desk was closes
for the day.
Mrs. Wilson was an eminentl.
womanly woman, and was altogethe
opposed to the movement to lnves
her sex with the right of suffrage.
Il believe" she said, that TIT
day which endows women with elect
live franchise will be the blacklist i