Minutes 2 March 1906
Item
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Title
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Minutes 2 March 1906
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Description
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[Page 1] All the members of our club who were fortunate enough to attend the meeting with Mrs. Price on Friday March 2nd, will long remember the evening as one of much pleasure and merriment. An unusually large number was absent - measles still bring a guest in our midst - but the missing places were filled by the following guests whom we were glad to have with us; Mrs. Morrison, Miss McAllister, Mrs. Haliburton, Miss Price, Mrs. Munroe, Miss Glasgow, Mrs. Reid, & Miss Louise Dupuy. Mrs. Price very kindly sent a hack for those of us who lived some distance away & we appreci- ated her thoughtfulness & found the drive in the night air highly enjoyable. In the absence of the Secretary, Mrs. Har- rison, the roll was called by the President, Mrs. Dupuy. All responded with some item of news. Miss Holt read the minutes of the last meeting which she kindly con-
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[Page 2] 2. sented to write as Mrs. Harrison had sickness in her family. The Current Events were omitted this time. The meeting was then turned over to our hostess, whose book for the evening was Heckla Sandwith, one of the most readable books in our club. Mrs. Dupuy read an interesting letter from Mrs. Ravenel, whose husband knows the author, Edward Uffington Valentine, in which she tells some thing of his life. “Mr. Valentine was born at Belford, Penn. where his family had been iron swelters for generations. They are Quakers by birth & many of the pictures in Heckla Sandwith are true to life, the Valentine aunts & cousins being the originals.” Mrs. Ravenel says she has heard that they were some what indignant over the book. “Mr. Valentine did not distinguish him- self while at Haverford College, not even in composition. He studied law in Balto & was clerk in a lawyer’s office but did not succeed.” While attending a one summer a house party given by the Ravenels at Highlands he wrote his poem - Highland [?]
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[Page 3] 3. In describing Mr. Valentine Mrs. Ravenel says, “He has the artistic temperament; rather weak & easily led, but capable of warm & tender feeling. He is not handsome though his expression is sweet.” For a good many years he lived in Balto. & wrote reviews for “The News,” which by some are thought to be his best work. After the reading of one of his poems, “The Mountain” by Mrs. Dupuy, Mrs. Price informed us that there were several “stars” of the American stage present who would act a scene from “Heckla Sandwith.” While they were changing their costumes the books of the week were discussed. In a few minutes we were invited to the dinning room which had been ingeni- ously converted into a Dutch Kitchen. Ropes were stretched from one side of the room to the other, from which were suspended red peppers, dried fruit, herbs of different kinds & paper bags whose contents were all labeled. Over the mantle & on the shelves were the old blue Delft plates & cups. Our hostess
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[Page 4] 4. went to no end of trouble to have every thing as realistic as possible. Over the blazing logs in the fireplace hung a kettle into which Heckla Sand- with was carefully measuring sugar for her peppermint. At a table on the other side of the kitchen was her sister Harmony, beating eggs for the cake she was making. The Quar- terly meeting of the Friends was in progress and the girls were preparing for their guests. Heckla’s quiet, dignified manner was well portrayed by Miss Thompson & no one could have acted the part of Harmony better than Miss Holt. Miss Dupuy played well admirably the bright, vivacious part of Hetty, rush- ing in with a dozen questions, not waiting for an answer to any of her queries about the neighborhood gossip with which she was so fa- miliar. She was compelled by her Uncle, whose money she would inherit to dress and talk like
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[Page 5] 5. a Quaker, although it was very much against her wishes and inclination. Unless one knew beforehand who was to represent Aunt Seaborn, I am sure he would never have recog- nized Miss Glasgow in the old, bent form, toothless & grey haired (clad in) wearing a quaint, black dress, bonnet & veil. Everything that was said or done re- minded this weeping old aunt of some sorrowful event in her life & if any one tried to comfort her, she would exclaim, “I don’t want to be cheered, I want my tears to flow freely!” After the play we spent a pleasant half hr. talking over the evening’s fun & giving all due attention to the good things Mrs. Price had prepared for us. We left feeling proud of so much histrionic talent in our Club & ad- miring Mrs. Price’s originality in see- ing the possibilities of this play in the book.
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Subject
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Women-North Carolina-Davidson-Societies and clubs.
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Books and reading.
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Women-Societies and clubs.
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North Carolina-Davidson.
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Creator
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BookLovers Club
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Publisher
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Davidson College
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Date
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2 March 1906
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Rights
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For permission to reproduce image, contact archives@davidson.edu
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Language
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eng
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Type
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text
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Identifier
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bl-056
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Coverage
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1906
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4049696
