Bibliography
Clum, John. Ridgely Torrence.New York: Twayne, 1972.
Ridgely Torrence Papers, Rare Books and Special Collec-
tions, Princeton University Library.
Torrence, Ridgely. Granny Maumee, The Rider of Dreams,
Simon the Cyrenian: Plays for a Negro Theatre.New
York: The Macmillan Company, 1917.
Riding the GoatMay Miller(1929)
A one-act play by MAY MILLERSULLIVANthat
was selected for inclusion in the WILLISRICHARD-
SONanthology PLAYS ANDPAGEANTS FROM THE
LIFE OF THENEGRO(1930). Sullivan, who pub-
lished the play as May Miller, adapted the work so
that it was appropriate for use by high school and
college students.
The play, set in contemporary times, revolved
around the South Baltimore community that was
on the verge of a summer parade. William Carter, a
physician and the grand master of the United
Order of Moabites, has no desire to lead the pa-
rade. His unwillingness is fueled by his exhaustion
from conducting house calls and his frustration
with the closed society that the Order represents.
The primary action of the play occurs in the home
of Aunt Hetty, grandmother to Ruth Chapman,
the young woman whom Carter loves. Ruth soon
learns that Christopher Columbus Jones, a child-
hood friend and privileged jealous man, plans to
upstage and confront Carter. When Carter refuses
to agree to lead the march, Ruth dons his costume
and mask and does so in his stead. Jones chases the
impostor, determined to reveal the scam and to
justify Carter’s ouster from the lodge. Carter
emerges heroically, just in time to save his sweet-
heart from Jones’s threats. The play ends as both
Dr. Carter and Ruth celebrate their triumph and
newfound sense of collaboration.
Miller’s play explored the social roles of ritual,
accommodation, and heroism. As a love story, the
play also introduced a fearless heroine whose ex-
ample inspires others to noble action.
Ridley, Florida Ruffin (1861–1943)
A BOSTONwriter, editor, social worker, and activist
who was part of the SATURDAYEVENINGQUILL
CLUB, the city’s Harlem Renaissance–era literary
society. Born Amelia Yates Ruffin, she was the
daughter of George and Josephine St. Pierre Ruf-
fin. The Ruffins were leading members of Boston’s
African-American social and professional elite.
Her father, a musician and a journalist for the New
York Anglo-African, in 1869 became the first
African-American to graduate from the Harvard
Law School. He went on to become the first
African-American municipal court judge in the
United States. Ruffin’s mother was an influential
member of the racial uplift and women’s club
movements. In 1894 both Josephine St. Pierre Ruf-
fin and her daughter Florida made history when
they established The Woman’s Era,the first news-
paper that was owned, managed, and published by
African-American women.
Florida Ruffin graduated from the Boston
Teacher’s College and began teaching at the Grant
School in Boston. In 1888 she married Ulysses Rid-
ley, a native of Georgia who was a successful Boston
tailor. The couple had two children, Constance and
Ulysses, Jr. In the years before the Harlem Renais-
sance, Florida Ruffin Ridley was active in the
women’s club movement and in efforts to improve
the lives of children. She was the corresponding
secretary of the Women’s Era Club and the Na-
tional Federation of Afro-American Women. She
also was one of the few members of color in the
Twentieth Century Club and the Women’s City
Club of Boston, two predominantly white New
England organizations. She founded and was presi-
dent of the Association for Promotion of Child
Training in the South and spent three years in AT-
LANTAas the organizer of a kindergarten. Ridley
also served as editor of the Social Service News,a
publication of the Cooperative Social Agencies.
During World War I, Ridley completed secre-
tarial courses that familiarized her with the admin-
istrative needs of various war-related organizations.
She worked with the Soldier’s Comfort Unit and
the War Camp Community Service following her
graduation from the Boston University Secretarial
War Course.
Ridley’s Harlem Renaissance literary debut
came in 1925 when she won second place in the
Personal Experience category of the OPPORTUNITY
literary contest. She also published stories in the
SATURDAY EVENING QUILL, the periodical that
was founded in 1925 and edited by fellow BostonianRidley, Florida Ruffin 453