Page:Woman of the Century.djvu/261

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DOUGLAS.
DOUGLAS.

was seen throwing kisses to God. The "Zion's Herald." to which the poem was sent, published it, and from that time Miss Douglas has been a constant contributor to the press. She is also engaged ALICE MAY DOUGLAS. in editorial work on two monthly papers, the "Pacific Banner" and the "Acorn" Her first volume of poems was "Phlox" (Bath, Me., 1888). This was followed during the same year by a second volume," May Flowers" (Bath. Me.. 1888). Then she published "Gems Without Polish" (New York, 1890). She next wrote two juvenile books, one for boys and the other for girls, in the interest of the lend-a-hand clubs. Most of her books have first appeared as serials. Among them are "Jewel Gatherers," "Quaker John in the Civil War," "How the Little Cousins Formed a Museum," "The Peace-Makers" and "Self-exiled from Russia," a story of the Mennonites. Miss Douglas is State superintendent of the department of peace and arbitration of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She has also assisted the national peace department of that organization, by preparing much of its necessary literature and by founding a peace band for children, which has branches in Palestine and Australia.


DOUGLAS, Miss Amanda Minnie, author, born in New York City, 14th July, 1838. She was educated in the City Institute in New York. In 1853 she removed to Newark, N. J., where she took a course in reading with a private tutor. In childhood she was noted tor her powers of story-telling, when she would tell her friends long tales, regular serials, that would continue for weeks. Much of her girlhood was taken up by sickness and family occupations. She was inventive, and one of her inventions, patented by herself, was a folding frame for a mosquito-net. She had no early dreams of becoming a great author. She knew Edgar Allen Poe and other conspicuous literary persons. After she had reached maturity, she began to write stories for publication, and she was immediately successful. Among her published books are "In Trust" (1866), "Claudia" (1867), "Stephan Dane" (1867), "Sydnie Adriance" (1868). "With Fate Against Him" (1870), "Kathie's Stories for Young People" (6 vols., 1870, and 1871), "Lucia, Her Problem" (1871), "Santa Claus Land" (1873), "Home Nook" (1873). "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" and "Seven Daughters" (1874), "Drifted Asunder" (1875). "Nelly Kinnaird's Kingdom" (1876), "From Hand to Mouth" (1877), "Hope Mills" (1870), "Lost in a Great City" (1880), "Whom Kathie Married" (1883), "Floyd Grandon's Honor" (1883), "Out of the Wreck" (1884), "A Woman's Inheritance" (1885), "Foes of Her Household " (1886), "The Fortunes of the Faradays (1887), "Modern Adam and Eve" (1888), "Osborne of the Arrochar" (1889), and "Heroes of the Crusade (1889). Miss Douglas has suffered much from long illness, but she Keeps up courage and refuses to be borne down by fate. She is a fluent talker and well informed on current events. She has done but little work for magazines and newspapers. Her works have been, very popular. Her first book, "In Trust," sold 30,000 copies in a short time, but she had sold the copyright, and others reaped the benefit. She holds the copyrights of all her other books.


LAVANTIA DENSMORE DOUGLAS. DOUGLAS, Mrs. Lavantia Densmore, temperance worker, born in Rochester, N. Y., 1st March, 1827. She was one of seven children. Her parents, Joel and Sophia Densmore. were very poor in all the externals of life, but they were very rich in honor and integrity, in industry, in energy and in aspiration. When Lavantia was about nine years old, her parents removed to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, upon a farm. The father was unique in character, eccentric in person, in speech and in manners. The mother was of a bright, joyous, laughter-loving nature. Appreciating Keenly their