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Mary Hayes Davis
Mary Hayes Davis (c. 1884 – May 18, 1948) was an American writer, a newspaper editor and publisher, and the owner of several movie theaters. She is best known as the co-author of Chinese Fables and Folk Stories, which she wrote with Reverend Chow Leung, while based in Chicago. Published in 1908 and widely reprinted today, the compilation claimed to be “the first book of Chinese stories ever printed in English”. Between 1908 and 1912, Davis collected Native American folk tales from the Pima and Apache tribes in Oklahoma and Arizona, for a book she never completed. In the early 1920s, Davis moved to southwest Florida, where she published The Hendry County News, and later owned and operated a chain of seven movie theaters. In 1926, The Tampa Tribune called Davis "the heroine of LaBelle" for her courageous reporting of the lynching of Henry Patterson, despite threats of further mob violence. In 1928, The Hendry County News received the Florida Newspaper Association award for Best Community News Service. In 1998, the Dixie Crystal Theatre in Clewiston, which Davis had opened in 1941, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Mary Hayes Davis was born around 1884 in West Virginia, and grew up on a farm. She also lived in Kansas. She attended college for one year and was widowed.
In the early 1900s, Davis received on-the-job training in Chicago as a reporter and features writer for one of the major daily newspapers. Her reporting brought her into contact with people from "old" Chinatown, including Reverend Chow Leung, pastor of the Central Baptist Chinese Mission.
Around this time, a widely syndicated newspaper article had stated, "There is no perfect collection of Chinese fables." Davis was intrigued when she discovered that Chinese folktales did in fact exist. As they were developing the book, Chow Leung narrated the stories to her in pidgin English, and occasionally sought help from an interpreter. She had also learned some Chinese herself.
In the preface to Chinese Fables and Folk Stories, Davis called Chow Leung "an invaluable collaborator" and thanked him for his patience in answering her many questions. Davis dedicated Chinese Fables and Folk Stories to her friend, Mary F. Nixon-Roulet, who was working on a similar collection of Japanese folktales in Chicago around the same time, also published by American Book Company. Wang Tsen-Zan of the University of Chicago wrote the introduction for the book, explaining that it was the first compilation of Chinese fables of its kind translated into English.
Following its publication in 1908, Chinese Fables and Folk Stories received extensive nationwide media coverage, immediately recognized as a "novelty". The book was particularly well received by education journals. The Journal of Education called Chinese Fables and Folk Stories "a delightful little reader", while The Elementary School Teacher commended the co-authors for their efforts in providing "glimpses" into "a different life". By 1911, the book was being used by Chicago public schools as a supplemental reader.
Davis published two additional books in 1908: In the Realm of Make-Believe and Other Fairy Tales in Rhyme, a collection of illustrated children's stories from books that were out-of-print, and Cat Tales and Kitten Tails, Volume I. Mary Hayes Davis wrote the verses for Cat Tales and Kitten Tails, while her co-author Jennie Van Allen wrote the stories. Published by the Argus Press, Cat Tales was "dedicated to the memories of some of the most beautiful cats that have ever lived". The Los Angeles Herald called Cat Tales a "beautiful book" featuring "cat stories of every sort" which "exemplify the intelligence of these animals and their loyalty to friends or their mistresses."
Following the success of Chinese Fables and Folk Stories, Davis began her next project on Native American folklore. Dr. Carlos Montezuma, a Native American activist based in Chicago, introduced her to his contacts in the Pima and Apache tribes. Between 1908 and 1912, Davis made several visits to Oklahoma and Arizona to collect stories. Although she wrote a series of American Indian tales, the book was never published.
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Mary Hayes Davis
Mary Hayes Davis (c. 1884 – May 18, 1948) was an American writer, a newspaper editor and publisher, and the owner of several movie theaters. She is best known as the co-author of Chinese Fables and Folk Stories, which she wrote with Reverend Chow Leung, while based in Chicago. Published in 1908 and widely reprinted today, the compilation claimed to be “the first book of Chinese stories ever printed in English”. Between 1908 and 1912, Davis collected Native American folk tales from the Pima and Apache tribes in Oklahoma and Arizona, for a book she never completed. In the early 1920s, Davis moved to southwest Florida, where she published The Hendry County News, and later owned and operated a chain of seven movie theaters. In 1926, The Tampa Tribune called Davis "the heroine of LaBelle" for her courageous reporting of the lynching of Henry Patterson, despite threats of further mob violence. In 1928, The Hendry County News received the Florida Newspaper Association award for Best Community News Service. In 1998, the Dixie Crystal Theatre in Clewiston, which Davis had opened in 1941, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Mary Hayes Davis was born around 1884 in West Virginia, and grew up on a farm. She also lived in Kansas. She attended college for one year and was widowed.
In the early 1900s, Davis received on-the-job training in Chicago as a reporter and features writer for one of the major daily newspapers. Her reporting brought her into contact with people from "old" Chinatown, including Reverend Chow Leung, pastor of the Central Baptist Chinese Mission.
Around this time, a widely syndicated newspaper article had stated, "There is no perfect collection of Chinese fables." Davis was intrigued when she discovered that Chinese folktales did in fact exist. As they were developing the book, Chow Leung narrated the stories to her in pidgin English, and occasionally sought help from an interpreter. She had also learned some Chinese herself.
In the preface to Chinese Fables and Folk Stories, Davis called Chow Leung "an invaluable collaborator" and thanked him for his patience in answering her many questions. Davis dedicated Chinese Fables and Folk Stories to her friend, Mary F. Nixon-Roulet, who was working on a similar collection of Japanese folktales in Chicago around the same time, also published by American Book Company. Wang Tsen-Zan of the University of Chicago wrote the introduction for the book, explaining that it was the first compilation of Chinese fables of its kind translated into English.
Following its publication in 1908, Chinese Fables and Folk Stories received extensive nationwide media coverage, immediately recognized as a "novelty". The book was particularly well received by education journals. The Journal of Education called Chinese Fables and Folk Stories "a delightful little reader", while The Elementary School Teacher commended the co-authors for their efforts in providing "glimpses" into "a different life". By 1911, the book was being used by Chicago public schools as a supplemental reader.
Davis published two additional books in 1908: In the Realm of Make-Believe and Other Fairy Tales in Rhyme, a collection of illustrated children's stories from books that were out-of-print, and Cat Tales and Kitten Tails, Volume I. Mary Hayes Davis wrote the verses for Cat Tales and Kitten Tails, while her co-author Jennie Van Allen wrote the stories. Published by the Argus Press, Cat Tales was "dedicated to the memories of some of the most beautiful cats that have ever lived". The Los Angeles Herald called Cat Tales a "beautiful book" featuring "cat stories of every sort" which "exemplify the intelligence of these animals and their loyalty to friends or their mistresses."
Following the success of Chinese Fables and Folk Stories, Davis began her next project on Native American folklore. Dr. Carlos Montezuma, a Native American activist based in Chicago, introduced her to his contacts in the Pima and Apache tribes. Between 1908 and 1912, Davis made several visits to Oklahoma and Arizona to collect stories. Although she wrote a series of American Indian tales, the book was never published.