▁in ▁United ▁States ▁literature . ▁We ber ▁( 1 8 9 8 ) ▁mentioned ▁that ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁his ▁writing , ▁Mississippi ▁had ▁" f ew ▁grounds ▁for ▁bo ast ing . ▁The ▁list ▁of ▁Mississippi ▁books ▁is ▁not ▁long ; ▁the ▁average ▁quality ▁is ▁nothing . ▁Of ▁pure ▁literature , ▁of ▁the ▁real ▁literature ▁of ▁power , ▁we ▁have ▁contributed ▁scarcely ▁ 5 0 ▁pages ▁to ▁the ▁world ' s ▁store ." ▁ ▁Mississippi ' s ▁general ▁tr end ▁of ▁a path y ▁towards ▁serious ▁literature ▁continued ▁into ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 0 s , ▁with ▁Els ie ▁D ers ham ▁( 1 9 2 1 ) ▁re iter ating ▁We ber ' s ▁statements ▁in ▁" An ▁Out line ▁of ▁American ▁State ▁Liter ature " ▁and ▁discuss ing ▁lost ▁opportun ities ▁to ▁add ▁to ▁Mississippi ' s ▁literary ▁re per toire . ▁The ▁author ▁writes : Miss iss ippi ▁has ▁contributed ▁much ▁more ▁to ▁politics ▁than ▁to ▁literature . ▁With ▁the ▁single ▁exception ▁of ▁the ▁po ems ▁of ▁Ir vin ▁Russ el , ▁Mississippi ▁has ▁produced ▁nothing ▁which ▁literary ▁men ▁have ▁been ▁willing ▁to ▁give ▁a ▁place ▁in ▁American ▁literature . ▁She ▁has ▁many ▁interesting ▁Indian ▁leg ends ▁and ▁negro ▁folk ▁tales , ▁and ▁accounts ▁of ▁the ▁do ings ▁of ▁Mississ ipp ian ▁laws ▁that ▁should ▁be ▁collected ▁and ▁made ▁a ▁part ▁of ▁her ▁literature . ▁Williams ▁Ward ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁Mississippi ' s ▁best ▁po ets ▁and ▁is ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁well ▁known ▁poem ▁" K atie