BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. T CHARLES FOLLEN ADAMS. HIS humorous writer, author of "The Puzzled Dutchman," "Pat's Criticism," and four other poems of this volume, was born in Dorchester, Mass., April 21st, 1842. His parents were natives of New Hampshire. He received a common-school education, leaving school when about fifteen years of age to enter a prominent business house in Boston. In August, 1862, then being twenty years age, he enlisted in the Thirteenth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers. He was in the battles of Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and others, was wounded at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, and held as prisoner for three days until Federal troops retook the town. Upon his return home he resumed business, and is now at the head of a large house in Boston. of His literary pursuits have but lately begun, his first poem having been written in 1870, and his first dialect poem ("The Puzzled Dutchman”) in February, 1872. From that time he was an occasional contributor of the local papers, Oliver Optic's Magazine, Scribner's, etc., until 1876, when he became a regular contributor to the Detroit Free Press, his first poem in that paper being "Leedle Yawcob Strauss," which first appeared June, 1876. All of his subsequent productions, with the exception of "Hans and Fritz," have been written for that paper. His choicest pieces have been selected to enrich the pages of this volume. JOSEPH ADDISON. OSEPH ADDISON, who is pre-eminent as an author, essayist, humorist, and moralist, was born in Milston, in Wiltshire, England, May 1st, 1672. His father was the Rev. Lancelot Addison. He attended school at the Charter House, and when about fifteen years of age he entered at the Queen's College, Oxford, with a splendid stock of 48 711 712 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the best classical learning. In 1689 he removed to Magdalen College, where he remained about ten years. Before he had decided on the choice of a profession, he became acquainted with Charles Montague, the leading Whig financier. He was persuaded by Montague to decline the clerical profession, which his family preferred for him, and devote himself to the service of the state. In 1705 Addison was appointed Under-Secretary of State. He was elected to Parliament in 1708, and on one occasion rose to speak, but was overcome by his natural diffidence, and at once abandoned all effort to become a debater. His literary talents, however, rendered him one of the main men of the Whig party, as at that time public opinion. was swayed by the pen more than by the tongue. Addison was chief secretary to Lord Wharton, who was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland in 1709. In this year his friend Steele began the issue of “The Tattler," which afforded Addison a fine opportunity for the display of his genius. His graceful style, genial spirit, excellent invention and inimitable humor rendered "The Tattler" and its successor, "The Spectator," immensely popular. The latter was issued daily from March 1st, 1711, to December 6th, 1712. In 1714 it reappeared as a tri-weekly. Addison himself wrote nearly one-half the editorial contents of the Spectator, the success of which was quite phenomenal. On the death of Queen Anne he became secretary to the regency. After that date he again became secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He afterwards accepted a seat in the Board of Trade and began to publish "The Freeholder." He became one of the two principal secretaries of state in the ministry formed in 1717. He remained in office but eleven months; his retirement was attributed to his ill health and inefficiency as a public speaker. He died on the 17th of June, 1719, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Of Addison's conversational powers Lady Mary Montague said, that she had "known all the wits," and that Addison was "the best company in the world." "Addison's conversation," said Pope, "had something in it more charming than I have found in any other man." T ELIZABETH AKERS. E authoress of the exquisite ballad "Rock me to Sleep, Mother," holds a deservedly high place in the esteem of all who love pure and tender sentiment. She was a native of New England, born in 1832, and volumes of her poems were published in 1853 and 1867. She subsequently became Mrs. Allen, and lived in Virginia. MRS. C. F. ALEXANDER. 713 Lak T MRS. C. F. ALEXANDER. HE "Burial of Moses" is one of the grandest descriptive poems of the English language. Its gifted authoress has done much good work, especially in her "Hymns for Little Children," of which a quarter of a million copies have been sold. Rev. W. Alexander, and is a native of Ireland. She is the wife of the She was born in 1823, and belongs to the Church of England. The one poem from her gifted. selected for this volume, is of itself enough to immortalize her name. In grandeur of thought and diction it rises into the truly sublime. pen H. ALGER, JR. EV. HORATIO ALGER, JR., the author of "John Maynard," was born at North Chelsea, Mass., January 13th, 1834. He graduated at Harvard in 1852. He afterwards studied theology, and, in 1864, became pastor of a Unitarian congregation at Brewster, Mass. He has published several volumes of poems, besides making many valuable contributions to periodical literature. The poem given on page 406 of GEMS is one of the most stirring he has written. WILLIAM R. ALGER. ILLIAM ROUNSEVILLE ALGER, a distinguished clergyman and author, was born at Freetown, Mass., in 1822. His writings, in the main, have been theological, though poetry and general literature have been much enriched by his chaste and scholarly contributions. He has issued several volumes, one of which, entitled "Oriental Poetry," has furnished the two gems we have given. One of these is from the Persian, the other from the Chinese, and both are good illustrations of the best poesy of those far-off lands, and of the linguistic learning and poetic skill of the translator. T WILLIAM ALLINGHAM. HE author of the beautiful selection entitled "The Fairies," was born. at Ballyshannon, Ireland, in 1828. He published one volume entitled "Day and Night Songs," whence "The Fairies," is taken. Other works of his have been very favorably received, and, in 1864, a literary pension was bestowed upon him. 714 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. J. MICHAEL ALTENBERG. MICHAEL ALTENBERG was a German, who was prominent in the T ANACREON. HIS famous Greek poet is supposed to have been born about 563 B. C., and to have died about 478. His native place was Teos, in Ionia. He spent a long time at the court of Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos, after whose death he removed to Athens, where he remained many years; then he journeyed in Greece, and finally met his death, by accident, at a good old age. His reputed poems were largely on love and wine, though some were elegies and epigrams, a fair specimen of the latter being seen in "The Grasshopper King," on page 42. Criticism denies many of the so-called Anacreontics to be from Anacreon. T HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN. HIS most gifted writer was born at Odense, in the island of Fünen, April 2, 1805. His father was simply a poor shoemaker, though descended from a rich ancestry. Hans loved to dwell on the wealth and splendor of those ancestors and to talk of those departed glories. It seemed, indeed, to solace his own poverty. The father of Hans died when the boy was but nine years old, leaving the mother to stagger under a heavy load. She thought of putting Hans at the trade of a tailor, but she was prevailed upon to send him to Copenhagen, where he sought employment on the stage. In this he did not succeed, owing, as the story goes, to his emaciated and generally uninviting appearance. But he had a fine voice, and this gained him some employment as a singer. After a brief run of success in this line, his voice failed, and he was again afloat upon the world. In this emergency he came under the notice of his subsequent patron, Councillor Collin, who obtained for Hans the privilege of a free education in one of the State academies. Prior to this time the boy had written several short poems and stories. One of these, "The Dying Child," had attracted considerable attention. So conspicuous did his genius soon become, however, that the King of Denmark furnished the means for Hans to travel in Germany, France and Italy. After this tour his reputation grew rapidly, and in 1834 he produced a very brilliant romance entitled "The Improvisatore." It sets forth, in an inimitable manner, scenery and customs in Southern Europe. Another sketch of life in the North of Europe appeared the next year, and was almost equally successful. He also wrought the story of his own early life into a series of very striking pen pictures, which he entitled "Only a Fiddler." Andersen's genius was most conspicuous in the realm of fairy lore, of which he published several volumes. All these have met with a hearty reception. They are brilliant in imagination, quaint in humor, and ofttimes melting in pathos. The works of Hans Christian Andersen have been translated into almost all the languages of Europe. His one story given in this work is "The Little Match Girl," which is a perfect gem. Andersen died in 1875. P. ARKWRIGHT. NDER the above nom de plume, or the fuller, Peleg Arkwright, David L. Proudfit has written much concerning the "gamins," or street boys of our large cities. So graphic and tender have these descriptions been, that the public heart has turned very fondly toward this much neglected and abused class. "Poor Little Joe" (p. 358) is full of pathos and vivid description. EDWIN ARNOLD. DWIN ARNOLD is a native of England. He was born June 10th, 1831. As early as 1852 he took a high prize at Oxford for a poem. He subsequently became a master in a high school, but soon after removed to British India, where he became President of the Sanskrit College at Poonah. He resigned this post in 1860, and devoted himself wholly to literary pursuits. He has been a voluminous contributor to periodical, magazines, etc., and has produced some highly meritorious poems, chiei among which is his last extended venture, "The Light of Asia." His translation of the Persian poem, " Call me not Dead," given on page 269, is a rare piece of literary elegance. GEORGE ARNOLD. T HE author of "The Jolly Old Pedagogue," George Arnold, was born in New York City, June 24th, 1834, and died November 9th, 1865. He followed journalism and literature, making a good |
