Woman of the Century/Lulah Ragsdale
RAGSDALE, Miss Lulah, poet, novelist and actor, born in "Cedar Hall," the family residence, near Brookhaven, Miss., 5th February, 1866. She is a genuine southerner. Her father was a Georgian. Her mother was a member of the Hooker family. One of her ancestors was Nathaniel Hooker, a pilgrim father, whose immediate descendants settled in Virginia. Her mother, a gifted woman, supervised her early education and selected her books. She was graduated from Whitworth College. She began early in life to study two arts, the art of poesy and the Thespian art. She believes that poetry is constitutional, and she fed on works of poetry and romance. Her poems have appeared in the leading southern papers. Her stories and novelettes have won her fame. As an actor, she has succeeded so well that she will adopt the theatrical profession. She has written for many northern magazines, as well as weekly and daily papers. The twin loves of her life, the drama and poetry, have made their impress upon her with equal strength. In her acting she is always poetical, in her poetry always dramatic. Strength, delicacy and a romantic intensity characterize all her work.