Dickson, Harris

Contents: Brief summary of the life and works

of local Author Harris Dickson.

Location: Vertical Files at B.S. Ricks Memorial

Library of the Yazoo Library Association | 310N. Main Street, Yazoo City, Mississippi 39194

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Mary Loughborough {1836-1887) published her "Letters ofTrial and Travel" In My Qive Life in Vicksbi(rg{i864). In the firstchapter, she describes setting out from Jackson to Vicksburg.expecting to have a pleasant visit with friends while her husband,a Confederate soldier, served in the army. On her arrival, shenoticed through a window a piano in a sitting room with its corner blasted ott. Thus she learned of the Federal siege. Along withher daughter and servant, she quickly retreated to one of thecaves dug by ex-slaves for fees sometimes as high as fifty dollarsBelieving her cave safe because it faced away from the river, shewas horrified when Yankees began to shoot at its entrance. In herdiary she wrote, "Really, was there to be no mental rest for thewomen of Vicksburg?"

In Vicksburg, Highway 61 joins 1-20. Continue on 1-20 to Indiono

Avenue, exit 3. Continue on Indiana and it will merge with ConFederote

Avenue, From Confederate, take a right on Mulvihill Street.

1306 Mulvihill Street

Born in Yazoo City, Harris Dickson {1868-1946) grew up inMeridian and Vicksburg. In 1908, Dickson built this splendidhome, then surrounded by a pasture and stables, and lived hereuntil his death. In 1894, he received his law degree fromColumbian College {now George Washington University), and,after serving as private secretary for a Louisiana congressman,began to practice law in Vicksburg. He briefly served as municipal court judge.

He wrote his first novel. The Black Wolf's Breed (1899), while

waiting for clients at his law office. On a whim, he stuck the man

uscript in with other legal correspondence he was sending toBobbs-Merrill and was amazed to learn of its acceptance for publication. He wrote scores of short stories, as well as nonfictionworks and ten well-received historical novels. The Black Wolf'sBreed is a suspenseful historical romance, set during the Frenchcolonization of Louisiana. The Ravenals (1905) is set in Natchezand Vicksburg.

Dickson's popular black char-

,K-tcr, Old Reliable, regularly ^ippeared in the Saturday Evening MKK

Stories and in several novels.

\ mouthpiece for Dickson's satire ^2^,,1 both whites and blacks. Old 4Kcliablc has been compared to, ,^.orge Washington Harris's Sut \l .wingood and Joel Chandler

I i.irris's Uncle Remus. After mak-to Africa to further

mulerstanding people and ^culture, Dickson published

( in Africa

Some of Dickson's best works

were the short stories that Harris Dickson

.ijipeared in the Saturday Eveningl>osi during the 1920s. His worst was a nonfiction article he wrotedefending the racist views of Governor James K. Vardaman. He.ilso wrote Old-Fashioned Senator (1925). a biography of JohnSharp Williams. His views of the sharecropper system expressedin The Story of King Cotton (1937) are now considered sentimen-Ml.

Return to Confederate Avenue. Toke a left on Hall's Ferry Road and

merge onto Cherry Street going north. Take a right onto Magnolia Street.

Myrlie Evers-Williams SiteMognolio Street

Myrlie Beasley Evers-Williams (1933) was born in Vicksburgand raised on this street by her paternal grandmother. Annie

.McCain Beasley. An old city directory cites 1426 for the housenumber, but the numbers have changed since then. In her mem

oir Watch Me Fly (1999), Evers-Williams states that because hermother was only sixteen when she gave birth, Annie Beasley cameover and announced, "I'm taking the baby. Thus, for the first ten

Uves of

Mississippi Authors,1817-1967

James B. LloydEDITOR

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S5-o)aH

University Press of Mississippi

Jackson

1981

129 Dickson, H.

fhe Toll of the Sands. Denver: The Smith-Brooks Printing Co., 1919.

DE LA ROCHE. FRANCOIS. SEE: ROCHE,ben FRANCIS.DHINMAN, ANNIE MAY: 1895- Annie MayDenman. daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. N.penman, was born in Charleston, Mississippi,on 19 November 1895. She graduated from theMississippi School for the Blind in 1915 andfrom the Industrial Institute and College (nowMississippi University for Women) in 1919(B.A.). In that year she published an account ofher experiences entitled I. I. and C. Echoes.She had already privately issued a volume ofpoetry in 1916 (Voices in the Quiet Hour) andin 19W she published Poem Time, another collection of her verse. Upon graduation she returned to the Mississippi School for the Blindto teach to 1926, leaving then to become a secretary for the Y.W.C.A. for three years. About1940 she again went to work at the MississippiSchool for the Blind, retiring in 1960. MissDenman currently lives at 944 Harding Street,Jackson, Mississippi, 39202. F./. I. and C. Echoes. Meridian, Mississippi:Press of Tell Fanner, 1919.Poem Time. Hobart, Oklahoma: n.p, 1934.Poems: By a Blind Girl of Mississippi. Jackson, Mississippi: n.p., n.d.Voices in the i^iet Hour, n.p., [1916].DENTON, EVA ETHEL TUCKER (MRS.ELCHUE D.): 1887-1968. Eva Ethel Tucker,daughter of James Madison and Cornelia OttaTucker, was bom in Tunica Clounty, Mississippi, on 29 October 1887. After attending theIndustrial Institute and College (1905-6; nowMississippi University for Women) and thePennsylvania Convervatory of Music (1909),she married Elchue Denton (12 August 1913),a large plantation owner in Tunica CJounty.Here she lived the remainder of her life, dyingon 6 February 1968. In 1966 she publishedEkich Day a Bonus, which recounts her life onthe planatation. F; Each Day a Bonus.Each Day a Bonus: Life on a Delta Plantationin Mississippi. Tunica, Mississippi: Mississippi Plantation i^ress, 1966.

DICKENS, DOROTHY STOKES: 1898-1975.The daughter of Dr. W. B. and Marion StokesDickins, Dorothy Stokes Dickins was bom inMoney, Mississippi, on 27 August 1898. Shereceived her B.S. from Mississippi State Ck)l-l^e for Women (1920), her M.S. from Columbia (1922), and her Ph.D. from the Universityof Chicago (1937). She served as head of thehome economics department in the MississippiAgricultural Experiment Station from its inception in 1925 to her retirement in July,1964. Active in numerous home economics or

ganizations, Dr. Dickins was named Woman ofthe Year for Mississippi by the ProgressiveFarmer (1956) and Home Economist of the

Year by the Mississippi Economics Association(1960). She served on the President's consumeradvisory committee (1947-52) and wrote numerous books and articles in the field of homeeconomics. A member Phi Kappa Phi andOmicron Nu; Dr. Dickens died in Greenwood,Mississippi on 18 January 1975. WWAW 3; LE3; F.Attitudes of Rural School Children towardsSeveral Food Production and Canning Activities. State Collie: Agricultural ExperimentStation, Mississippi State College, 1954.Changing Pattern of Food I*reparation ofSmall Town Families in Mississippi. State(Dollege, Mississippi: Mississippi AgriculturalExperiment Station, Mississippi State College, 1945.

Effects of Good Household Management onFamily Living. State College, Mississippi: Agricultural Experiment Station, MississippiState College, 1943.The Labor Supply and Mechanized Cotton Production. State College, Mississippi: Agricultural Experiment Station, Mississippi StateCollege, 1949.Occupations ofSons and Daughters of Mississippi Cotton Farmers. State College, Mississippi: Agricultural Experiment Station,R^issippi State (College, 1937.Use of Cotton in Housefumishings. State College: Mississippi Agricultural ExperimentStation, Mississippi State College, 1952.Wanted: A Healthy South. Atlanta, Georgia:Southern Regional Council, Inc., 1946.

DICKS, JOAN BALFOUR PAYNE. SEE;PAYNE, JOAN BALFOUR.DICKSON, HARRIS: 1868-1946. HarrisDickson was bom 21 July 1868 in Yazoo City,Mississippi, to Thomas H. and Harriet E. Har-denstein Dickson. After receiving his generaleducation from schools in Meridian and Vicks-buig, he attended Dr. John B. Minor's summerlaw class at the University of Virginia in 1891.Dickson received his Bachelor of Law degreefrom Columbia University (now George Washington University) in Washington, D.C., in1894. From 1893 to 1894 he was a private secretary for Andrew Price, Clongressman for theThird District of Louisiana. In 1896 Dicksonpassed his bar examination and practiced lawin Vicksburg, Mississippi. He married Madeline L. Metcalf of Kentucky on 19 April 1906;they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Madeline. From 1905 to 1907 Dickson served as ajudge for the Municipal Court of Vicksburg.According to Charles E. Kemper in the Libraryof Southern Literature, Dickson was electedjudge because of a reform movement whichwas in process, and in his decisions he attempted "real reform and reaped as a rewardfor his laudable efforts—nfficini decapitation."In 1917 Dickson was a war correspondent in

Dickson, H. 130

France for Collier's Weekly. In addition to being a judge and lawyer, Dickson wrote ten novels and various short stories.His other literary efforts (before he died on 17March 1946) included Unpopular History ofthe US. (1917), An Old Fashioned Senator AStory Biography of John Sharp Williams(1925), and The Story of King Cotton (1937).Dickson also regularly contributed articlesand stories to American, Saturday EveningPost, McClure, Everybody's, Metropolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, and Collier's.

When Dickson published The Black WolfsBreed (1899), he prefaced his narrative withcomments which foreshadow his future works.He writes that his subject matter will be"France—in the old world and the new... theFrance of romance and glory ... under LouisXIV in whose reign was buUded ... that empire ... Louisiana." His characters will be"king and courtier; soldier and diplomat; Ieissand lady," and the time will be "when a man'ssword was ever his truest friend, when he whofought best commanded most respect." Dick-son's succeeding novels did not deviate fromthis historical romance formula. The mainplot of The Black Wolfs Breed is, of course, alove story about Captain Placide de Mouretand Charlotte de Verges, and this plot is supplemented with various melodramatic trickswhich add interest and suspense. There is acase of mistaken identity; Mouret thinks fHhar-lotte is Agnes de la Mora, wife of Chevalier dela Mora. Other elements of suspense occurwhen Mouret undertakes two missions. He isto find the last of the d'Artin family, the lastof the Black Wolfs breed. And, he is to deliversecret dispatches from Bienville La Moyne,the (jrovemor of Louisiana, to the governor'sbrother who is a member of Louis XIV's court;the dispatches concern the future of the Louisiana colony which the King is about to abandon. In the denoument of the plot, Mouretdelivers the dispatches after almost fallingprey to Bienville's enemies, he discovers thathe himself is the last of the d'Artin's and he isbetrothed to Charlotte who is actually theyounger sister of Agnes.The Siege of Lady Resolute (1902), another

historical novel, t^es place in France andLouisiana. It begins in "the opening years ofthe eighteenth-century" during a religiouswar between the Cavaliers and the Royalists.The rnflin plot interest is a love affair betweenCesar de Saint-Maurice, a Royalist, and Juliede Severac, daughter of a Cavalier. Dicksonaugments the love story with political intriguein the court of Louis IQV. Antoine Crozat, forexample, wants control of Louisiana so thathis daughter will be a princess; Madame deMaintenon wants to marry Louis XIV so thatshe can be Queen of France. Through the polit

ical machinations of Crozat, Cesar is dupedinto thinking that he has let a spy through theFrench lines (the spy is an actress hired byCrozat), and Cesar goes to Louisiana under analias. Madame de Maintenon has Julie kidnapped because she becomes a threat to deMaintenon's plans. At the end of the novel, theactress confesses, Cesar is exonerated, Crozat'sand de Maintenon's plans fful, and Cesar andJulie are to be married.She That Hesitates (1903) is Harris Dickson's

third historical romance, and it takes place inGermany, Russia, and Louisiana. Once againDickson uses love and political intrigue as plotvehicles. The love story is between PrincessCharlotte of Bninswick and Henri d'Aubant, aFrench soldier of Fortune. He is commissionedby a political faction to make Charlotte fall inlove with him in order to prevent a marri^between the German Guelphs and the RussianRomanoffs which "would put an end to theSwedish empire in the North." Because of herdevotion to her country, however, Charlottereluctantly marries Alexis, the Russian princewho has a reputation for being a brute. Henrid'Aubant di^ises himself as a Russian soldier and accompanies Charlotte to Russia.Alexis is indeed a brute and he strikes Charlotte with a whip. Charlotte can tolerate it nolonger, and d'Aubant arranges for her escape.Prompted again by a sense of duty to her country, CSiarlotte returns to Alexis and d'Aubantgoes to Louisiana. Alexis almost kills Charlotte by striking her with a bronze image, andher advisors rescue her by claiming she diedfrom the blow. They substitute a dead body forthe supposedly dead Charlotte, and Charlotteand her retinue sail for Louisiana. In themeantime, Alexis dies of apoplexy when he iscondemned to death for treason against theCzar. The novel ends in Louisiana with themarriage of Henri and (Charlotte.The Ravanels (1905), set in Natchez and

Vicksbui^, Mississippi, is the first Dicksonnovel which takes place solely in America.With the exception of tracing the legend ofRoderick de Ravanel and the mentioning ofthe five Ravanels who fought for the ConfiSer-acy in the "Foreword" of the novel, Dicksondoes not use historical events as part of theplot. Yet the Ravanels are in the clfivalric andcavalier tradition of Placide de Mouret, Henrid'Aubant, and Cesar de Saint-Maurice. In fact,in the "Foreword" Dickson describes the Ravanels as "a simple race of men, child-heartedand sincere, full of headlong passions, void ofmean ambition, careless of gain, and heedful ofhonor—^the cavalier Ravanels." Stephen Ravanel and Mercia Grayson provide the love interest in this narration. Instead of politicalintrigue, Dickson uses two murders for moremelo^amatic suspense. The first murder occurs in the opening of the novel when Ste-

131 Dickson, H.

phen's father is murdered by Powhatan Rudd,but the motive is never made clear. The secondmurder occurs when Stephen moves to Vicks-burg to begin work in the law offices of Gray-son and Kerr. The night he arrives he murdersRudd who is in an adjoining room in the hotel.Stephen is defended, of course, by GeneralGrayson who proves that Stephen had beenawakened during the night by a desperate cryfor help and had rush^ into the next roomwhere Rudd was reliving in a nightmare themurder of Stephen's father. Since Stephen resembles his father, Rudd attacked Stephen,and Stephen killed Rudd in self defense. Othermelodramatic elements include Stephen'sreucrring nightmares, his saving Grayson'splantation, 1^ impending duel with Rudd'sson, and his mistakenly thinking that John,his brother, is in love with Mercia.Dickson uses no historical events for thebackgroimd for his next novel. Duke of Devil-May-Care (1905), which takes place in Vicks-burg and New Orleans. As usual, the maininterest is love between Noel Duke, owner ofDevil-May-Care Plantation, and Anita Cameron, whose parents have died and who hascome to live with Mrs. Ashton, her aunt. Although there is antagonism between Noel andMrs. Ashton and she attempts to keep themapart, Noel and Anita do meet and of coursefi^l in love. Dickson complicates the love storyby introducing a murder and the mysteriousdisappearance of Mrs. Ashtqn. Je^ous because Anita goes to the cotillion with WoffardVance of New York, Noel goes to a saloon, isattacked by a drunk man with a fork, andsmashes a bottle over the man's head. Thinking that he has killed the mani Noel intends tosurrender to the police, but Joe Balfour, hislawyer and friend, persuades him to wait untilhe can veriiy the facts. In the meantime, Noelreceives a love letter from Anita and followsher to New Orleans where Mrs. Ashton hastaken her daughter and Anita for the MardiGras. The first night there Mrs. Ashton mysteriously disappears, and her room is completely changed. As the novel concludes, theplot lines fall into place. Mrs. Ashton had beenspirited away because she was thought to havesmall pox, and both the police and hotel proprietor wished to keep it secretive and notpanic the people in town for Mardi Gras. Mrs.Ashton does not have small pox, and Noel didnot kill the stranger; he had only knocked himunconscious. Noel and Anita marry and return to Devil-May-Care.Gabrielle, Transgressor (1906) is Dickson'smost fanciful romance and takes place in NewOrleans. There is a difference also in the outcome of the love story. Prince Murad ofTurkeyand Gabrielle do not marry although they arein love. Even though Murad entreats Gabrielleto run away with him, she refuses because she

had been married when she was five to the heirof an aristocratic French family. This marriage was sanctified by the Catholic Churchand Gabrielle cannot break her sacred vows.She also realizes that Murad's noble destiny isto return to Turkey to rule his people whowould never accept as his bride a woman of adifferent religion. Gabrielle honorably refusesand Murad honorably sails off to his destiny.Supplementing this plot is the usual melo-dr^atic suspense. After ruthlessly seizingthe Sultan's throne, Achmet urges 1^ brothers, Murad and Hassan, to return home andthen imprisons and condemns them to death.Hassan is executed, and Murad will be killedon "the first Moon of Safar." Murad escapes toFrance and then to Louisiana and when hemeets Gabrielle, he only has about forty-threedays to live; this adds to the melodrama. As thenovel ends, Achmet's forces arrive, but Selim,Murad's haff brother, dies in his place, Miuraddefeats Achmet in battle, and sails away toTurkey.In 1912 Dickson published Old Reliable, and

its sequel. Old Reliable in AfHca, followed in1920. Both novels are humorous and are theonly time Dickson allows humor to pervade hisnarration. They are about the misadventuresof Zack Foster who reminds people that "everybody, white and black, calls me Ole Reliable." Ihe humor occtirs when Old Reliableattempts to stay out of work, to make easymoney, or to help other people. In the firstvolume one of the most entertaining episodesresults when Reliable rescues a bulldog floating on a piece of driftwood in the Mississippiand which he names Drif. After much care andfeeding, Drif becomes a vicious pit bull, andOld Reliable makes easy money by travelingaround matching Drif with other dogs. Oneday Drif is soimffiy beaten by a scraggly dogbelonging to a traveling salesman and refusesto fight anymore. Other humorous episodesconcern Old Reliable's hiring N^ro sharecroppers for Colonel Spottiswoode's plantation, his being inadvertently involved in acounterfeit money scheme, and his savingColonel Spottiswoode's plantation. Old Reliable in Africa renews the adventiures of theex-slave. The British Cotton Growers Association attempt to grow cotton in the Sudan(Dickson's The Story of King Cotton gives afactual report of this endeavor). The Britishthus invite Spottiswoode as an advisor and hetakes Old Reliable with him. Once again OldReliable innocently blunders in and out ofpredicaments. The most humorous occur whenOld Reliable tries to buy a camel, when he isthought to be a holy prophet by some nomadicdesert tribe, and when he opens the Hot CatEating House.Between the two Old Reliable novels, HarrisDickson wrote The House of Luck (1916), a

Dickson, H. 132

historical romance set in and around Vicks-burg during the time of the Land Pirates. Inthe "Foreword" Dickson bases his plot on aplaque "Erected by a Grateful Community tothe memory of Dr. Hugh Bodley, Murdered bythe Gamblers, July 5, 1835, while Defendingthe Morals of Vicksburg." He further sthtesthat "No imaginative being may read this inscription without desiring to know the story."Dr. Bodley's story is, however, secondary tothe love story between Adrien de Valence andCecile Kinlock who are to be engaged. Melodramatic interest occurs when a chest containing a dowry for Cecile is stolen by twomembers of ̂ e Land Pirates. During the pursuit Adrien finds a secret code book which enables him to decipher the plans and operationsof the Land Pirates; one of the most fearsomeplans is to inspire an insurrection among theslaves. Adrien disguises himselfand becomes aLand Pirate, and while in disguise he leamsthat Cecile is seeking Buck Flint, a notoriousgambler and fnend of the Land Pirates. As thenovel concludes, the Vicksburg vigilantesdrive out the gamblers after one of them murders Dr. Bodley, the Land Pirates' plans fail,and Buck Flint is really Cecile's brother whohas been disowned but who, with the aid ofAdrien, redeems his dignity and honor byfighting bravely under Houston in Texas.Adrien recovers the stolen chest and he andCecile are to be married.Dickson's last novel is Children of the River:A Romance of Old New Orleans (1928). Its historical backhand is the battle of New Orleans, and the historical characters includeAndrew Jackson, Jean Lafitte, and GovernorClaibome. The Tige Bullock family leave Kentucky and go to New Orleans. There, MaryBullock meets Hugo d'Ardagnac, the son of aFrench aristocratic family, and this providesthe love interest of the novel. Secondary suspense plots concern Lafitte's efforts to fight forthe American cause and an attempted assassination General Jackson by Trigger Bullock,Mary's brother. Desiree Victoire, alias La Pou-let, wants the British to win because, under asecret treaty, England would surrender Louisiana to Spain. Since she wants to return "tothe easy-going Spanish days," La Poulet seductively persuades Trigger to assassinate Jackson during the battle of New Orleans. Maryleams of Trigger's plan, finds him hiding inambush, and 1^ him taken back home. Whilehe is being taken back home, a stray bulletkiUs Trigger, and Mary tells her father thatTrigger died bravely in battle. La Poulet's planfails. New Orleans is saved, and Mary andHugo are to be married.Before critically assessing the novels of Har

ris Dickson, there are several factors to consider. The most important is the literarydebate concerning the role and scope of the

American novel. In his "Art of Fiction" (1884)Henry James argued that the novel should beconcerned with truth which would free thewriter and enable him to present his own "personal, direct impression of life." In 1891 William Dean Howells' Criticism and Fictionadvocated a more "realistic" presentation ofactions, characters, settings, and experienceswith which the average American could easilyidentify and relate, /^d in 1894 Hamlin Garland's Crumbling Idols argued his doctrine ofveritism which would reject imitating thegreat literary classics, would present thepleasant and unpleasant side of life, and woulddepict real American characters and settings.On the other hand, there were still those whoargued for the romance, among them FrancisM^on Crawford who thought that novelistsshould be "pure amusers" who should writeprimarily about love because "in that passionall men and women are most generally interested." Furthermore, Crawford said that novelists must show men what they should be andthat their works should be capable of teingread by the "clean minded American girl."Other important factors are the authors andnovels that appeared during Dickson's literarycareer. Dickson's TTie Black Wolfs Breed waspreceded by several literary landmarks: James's Portrait of a Lady (1881), Howells' TheRise of Silas Lapham (18^), (larland's MainTravelled Roads (1891), and Stephen Crane'sMaggie (1893) and The Red Badge of Courage(1895). In 1899 appeared Dickson's BlackWolfs Breed' along with Norris's McTeague,and one year later Dreiser published SisterCarrie. Dickson's The Siege of Lady Resolutewas published the same year James publishedThe Wir^ of the Dove, and his Old Reliableand Dreiser's The Financier were published in1912. And finally during Dickon's careerother major American novelists appeared:Sherwo4^ Anderson, Ernest Hemingway, F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Sinclair Lewis. Thesefacts emphasize that during Dickson's literarycareer American literature was in a period oftransition. Not oiUy were James, Garland, andHowells demanding a more realistic innovative American literature, they also produced novels that coincided with their literaryphilosophies. Concomitantly, Cr^e, Norris,and Dreiser broke with tradition and dealtwith new subject matter. And, of course, thenovels of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Lewis, andothers would redefine the role and scope andtechnique of the American novel.Yet Dickson was neither irmovative norunique in his plots and subject matter. Instead, he preferred to write in the acceptedtradition of the era—^the romance. From 1896to 1902 the historical romance in America hadits greatest period of growth, and almost fourout of every five novels published between

133 Dickson, H.

1895 and 1900 were romances. In addition tobeing based on historical events, the romancedealt with ideal heroes and heroines; the action was suspenseful, exciting, and entertaining; the plots were melodramatic; and themain interest was the love story. Indeed, mostof these novels conformed to the guildelinesfound in Crawford's The Novel: What It Is.Dickson's novels are indeed romances andtheir main focus is on the love story, and thelove is ideal, chaste, triiunphant, and simple(e.g., no psychological analysis of love). To keephis readers entertained and interested, Dick-son relies on the melodramatic twisting of plotthreads. The melodramatic suspense rangesfrom mistaken identities to mjrsterious identities; from actual murders to a supposed murder; from a predestined assassination to' anattempted assassination. Complementingthese are melodramatic duels, swordfights, secret journals and letters, kidnappmgs, ambushes, exotic settings, and the inevitableescapes-and-pursuits—ail common ingredients for the romance. The last page of TheRavanels contains an editor's advertisementabout this novel "A novel of cleverness, withcapital plot, surprising climaxes, and a love-story of imusual sweetness." Indeed, this is anexcellent summary of all of Dickson's romances.

Within the Southern literary tradition, Dickson's heroes are in the myth of the &uthemcavalier which upheld the chivalric ideals ofthe feudal past, which lent itself admirably tothe historical romance, and which bec^e apeculiarly Southern symbol. Originating inthe eeirly writings of Thomas Jefferson as theVirginia cavalier and being first explored inWilliam Caruther's The Cavaliers of Virginia(1834-1835), this myth was further developedby William Gilmore Simms in The Yemasseeand The Partisan, both appearing in 1835; byJohn Pendleton's Kenn^y's Swallow Bam(1832) and Horse Shoe Robinson (1835); byThomas Nelson Page's In Ole Virginia (1M7);£uid by (jeorge Washington Cable's The Gran-dissimes (1880). Dickson's heroes and heroinesare virtuous, courageious, idealistic, strong,and noble in aspirations and actions. As a result there is little difference between the characterizations of Placide de Mouret, CesarSaint-Maurice, Henri d'Aubant, StephenRavanel, Noel Duke, and Adrien de Valence.Dickson does create, however, a most memorable character in Old Reliable who is definitely in the local color tradition. Althoughthe two novels end happily and although he isa stereotypte of the post-war Southern Negro—naturally lazy, jovial, easy going, and innocently mischievous—Old Reliable has a depththat is not found in the other characters. 'Thisdepth is provided, first of all, by the humorousand entertaining episodes that could happen

only to Old Reliable. In these episodes Dicksondoes not depend on melodramatic tricks to dazzle the reader, but instead he is more intent inauthentically recording a character. Secondthe incidents and chs^cterization complement the gentle and broadly sympatheticsatire aimed at the Southern white and blackraces. Ironically, the two novels are the onlytime Dickson writes satirically, and perhapshe should have done this more often. At anyrate, Old Reliable is at least more human thanDicl^n's other heroes. He is part rogue, partrbildiflh innocent; he is ignorant about somethings, knowledgeable about others; he succeeds some times and fails other times; he combines both the good and bad of the white andblack races. In American literary traditions,he would certainly rank with other such memorable characters as A. B. Longstreet's RansySniffle, George Washington Harris's Sut Lo-vingo<^, Johnson Jones Hooper's SimonSuggs, and Joel Chandler Harris's UncleRemus.

With the exceptions of the Old Reliable novels, Dickson's romances are similar in plot,chmacters, and melodrama. Unlike some ofhis contemporaries, Dickson chose not to enterthe literary debates or to deal with seriousAmerican issues in his fiction. From a literaryperspective, however, his novels are valuablebecause they are examples of the type offiction demanded by the reading public andsome critics—the exciting, mortffly uplifti^,melodramatic romance. They likewise providea measuring device which indicates how muchAmerican literatiure has progressed in its roleand scope. And finally, Harris Dickson's novels do record, if only superficially, the events,conditions, and traditions in the l^uth duringhis literary career.

Edward C. ReillyThe Black Wolfs Breed: A Stop' of France inthe Old World and the New in the Reign ofLouis XIV. New York: B. W. Dodge and Company, 1899.Children of the Riven A Romance of Old NewOrleans. New York: J. H. Sears and Co., Inc.,1928.

Duke ofDevil-May-Care. New York: D. Apple-ton and Co., 1905.Gabrielle, Transgressor. Philadelphia andLondon: J. B. Lippincott, 1906.The House of Luck. Boston: Small, Maynardand Co., 1916.An Old-fashionjed Senator A Story-Biographyof John Sharp Williams. New York: Frederic A. Stokes Co., 1925.Old Reliable. Indiimapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co.,1911.

Old Reliable in Africa. New York: FrederickA. Stokes Co., 1920.The Ravanels. Philadelphia and London: J. B.Lippincott Co., 1905.

Dillard, L. M. 134

The Romance and Reality of Vicksburg: AStorytelling Ramble with Harris Dickson.n.p., n.d.She That Hesitates. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1903.The Siege of Lady Resolute. New York andLondon: Harper and Brothers, 1903.The Story ofKing Cotton. New York and London: Fi^ and Wagnalls Co., 1937.The Unpopular History of the U.S. by UncleSam Himself as Recorded in Uncle Sam'sOwn Words. New York: Frederick A. StokesCo., 1917.

DILLARD, LILLIAN MADISON (MRS.JAMES eL): 7-1963. Lillian Leona Madison,daughter of John and Lillian Cotton Madison,was bom in Macon, Mississippi. After attending school in Virginia, she went to study voicein St. Louis where she met the ReverendJames Edgar Dillard, President of ClarksburgCk}llege (Missouri). She came to that college toteach, shortly thereafter marrying the Reverend. Under the psuedonym Johann Madison,her father's name Germanized, she publisheda collection of letters to her daughter entitledMeet the Parson's Wife. She also publishedbooklets on such diverse topics as black folklore (My Black Mammy) and her visit to Israel(Sketches of Palestine). She died in (Thicago on9 January 1963. F.Meet Our Black Mammy. Nashville: The Parthenon Press, 1945.

[Madison, Johann]. Meet the Parson's wife.Nashville: The Parthenon Press, 1939.My Black Mammy's Religion and OtherSketches. n.p., 1941.

DILUNGHAM, JOHN: 1896-1974. The sonof John and Alice Purdy Dillingham, John Dil-lingham was bom on 10 November 1896 inLeota, Mississippi. He received his A.B. fitimShaw University (1924), his A.M. from Yale(1925), and a B.D. (1938) and M.Th. (1940) fromCrozier Tlieological Seminary. In 1926 he married Geraldine Satchell of Atlantic City, NewJersey. Mr. Dillingham taught and served asdirector of religious activities at AlabamaState Teachers Ciollege and Tennessee StateCollege (1931-35) before serving as Presbyterian pastor in Chester and Philadelphia,PftnnyHlvflnia (1938-45). In 1946 he foundedthe Faith Presbyterian Church in Oakland,California, serving as its first minister until1950 when he returned east to join the Thirteenth Avenue Presbyterian Church of Newark, New Jersey, where he died on 23February 1974. WWCA 7; F.Making Religious Education Effective: A NewProgram for the Church School Today. NewYork: As^iation Press, 1935.

DINKINS, JAMES: 1845-1989. James Din-kins, son of Alexander Hamilton and CyuthiaSprings Dinkins, was bom on 18 April 1845 inMadison (bounty, Mississippi. He attended the

local schools before going to the NorthCarolina Military Institute (1860-61). At theage of sixteen he joined the (Confederate Armyas a private, rising to the rank of captain andserving as an aide-de-camp to General J. R.(Chalmers (1863-65). On 15 November 1866 hemarried Sue Hart. In 1874 he went to work forthe Illinois Central Railroad, remaining withthe railroad in various capacities until 1 January 1903 when he opened the Bank of Jefferson in Gretna, Louisiana. For many years heedited a Conf^erate coliunn in the New Orleans Picayune, contributing his war-timememories. In 1897 he published a volume ofhis reminiscences, 1861 to 1865, by an OldJoh-nie. Captain Dinkins died in New Orleans on19 July 1939. WWWA 1; F.1861 to 1865, by an Old Johnnie: Personal Experiences in the Confederate Army. Cincinnati: The R. Clarke (^., 1897.

DOBBINS, GAINES STANLEY: 18^1978.The son of (Charles Wesley and Letitia GainesDobbins, Gaines Stanley Dobbins was bom inLangsdede, Mississippi, on 29 July 1886. Hereceived a B.A. (19()8), D.D. (1915), and LL.D.(Honorary, 1947) from Mississippi (College, aTh.D. from Southem Baptist Theol(^cal Seminary (1914), and an MA fiem Columbia University (19^). Married to May Virginia Riley(25 Dumber 1909), he was ordain^ a Baptistminister in 1914. As early as 1904 he hadworked as a journalist, editing the SaturdayEvening Eye, a weekly newspaper published atHattiesburg, Mississippi, and serving as an Associated Press correspondent for southernMississippi. While attending Southem BaptistTheologi^ Seminary, he was printer and reporter for the Baptist World. After holdingpulpits in Gloster (1914) and New Albany(1915), Mississippi, he retumed to journalismas founding editor of Home and Foreign Fields(1916). Even after he was invited to teach atSouthem Baptist Theological Seminary in1920, he continued to edit that joumal formany years. During his thirty-six years atSouthem (1920-56), he served as treasurer ofthat school during the Depression and as Acting President (1950-52). From Southem hewent to Golden Gate Theological Seminary(1956-66); subsequently, he retired to Birmingham, Alabama, where he was chaplain of anursing home and a lecturer at Sai^ord University. The recipient of numerous awards, including the Muliins Award for Distinguish^Denominational Service (1966) and a Distinguished Service Award (1972), Dr. Dobbiiu lectured around the world. He publishedthirty-two books and nearly five thousand articles between 1915 and 1977, many of which areconcemed with effective church managementDr. Dobbins died in Birmingham, Alabama, on22 September 1978. WWA 40; CA 4; Reviewand ̂positor. Summer, 1978; F.