Essay by Helen Dortch Longstreet concerning her re-appointment to the Gainesville, Georgia, Post Office

This story by Helen D. Longstreet is a commentary on the serious social issues of the early twentieth century. Her two-part narrative takes place in Blue Ridge mountains of North Georgia. Part one involves Margaret's romance with her lover, Captain Pulliam, and the tough choices she must make for her family. The second part describes the efforts by Katy to help her brother, little Billy Elrod, who is dying from a consumptive disease caused by a cotton mill somewhere near the Tallulah River. A big city power company has dammed the river above the beautiful Terrorah Falls he loves so dear. A powerful storm breaks the dam and lets the river run free again in the spectacular gorge. Billy is eager to see the misty rainbows above the falls one last time . . . .

This essay by Helen Dortch Longstreet appeals to "Progressives" not to re-elect Woodrow Wilson as President of the United States. Wilson white supremacist views and segregationalist policies in the federal government offended Helen's sense of "fair play." Woodrow Wilson "not only abided but encouraged the rise of Jim Crow. As President of the United States, Wilson allowed his cabinet officials to establish official segregation in most federal government offices, in some departments for the first time since 1863." Helen calls him a smooth talker . . . an unrealistic dreamer with no real record to speak of after four years in office. Helen says "his words never square with his deeds." Helen Longstreet amply demonstrates her ability as a political critic in this short essay.

This series of short essays by Helen D. Longstreet, second wife of Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, was first compiled and published in 1917 by A. B. Caldwell Publishing Co. in Atlanta, Ga. For the most part they are interesting stories about events which occurred during and after the Civil War. Helen talks about her family and how she met and fell in love with the old soldier, a man 40 years her senior. She vehemently defends her husband against scurrilous accusations spewed forth by the Lee cult, a group of ex-Confederates, who sabotaged the reputation of anyone who was bold enough to criticize any aspect of General Robert E. Lee's conduct during the war.

At eighty-three Helen has had enough of world conflict and wars. In this essay she preaches about what she perceives as an attainable path to world peace. Born during the Civil War she has seen the devastation and misery caused by the world's great powers struggling for supremacy and domination of vast stretches of humanity. She has lived through two world wars and numerous smaller conflicts, but now, at the end of World War II, she sees a threat to humanity itself, atomic power. Helen calls for the establishment of two world confederations of peace, one composed of the women of the world and the other of everyone else. She produces testimonials from various influential people to support her cause. Finally, she plugs for her long dead husband, Confederate General James Longstreet, in her continuing effort to rehabilitate his tarnished reputation.