Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-12-27
BAYARD TAYLOR.
The Life and Death of this Distinguished
Author. Poet and Statesman.

Bayard Taylor, American minister TO
Germany, died in this capital at 4
O'Clock this afternoon. He passed away
from life as though sinking into 5 eep.
Until recently decldad improvement
in his condition had been perceptible,
and the tidings of his sudden death will
arouse universal grief and sorrow, be-
cause the deceased gentleman, although
only accredited short time, was uni
versal favorl,e. The Emperor William.
the Crown Prince and Prince Bismarck
greatly esteemed Mr.. Taylor, whose APP
pointment rs Minister to this court was
extremely welcome to them. Mrs. TM-
lor and her daughter devotedly nursed
the deceased during his long illness, and
their bereavement was indescribably
sad.
The Chicago Tribune thus relates the
story of Bayard Taylors life: He was
born in Chester county, Pa, Jan. IL,
1925, and in 1S4? commenced his life
work as an apprentice in printing
office in West Chester. Three wears
afterwards he made tour through
Europe on foot, and upon his return in
1916 published Views Afoot, or Europe
Seen with Knapsack and Staff" which
aroused very general ambition among
tourists to travel in the same pedestrian
style. During the next year he edited
a newspaper in Phnnixville, Pa, and
then went to New York, where he be-
came identified with the Tribune, to
which journal he has contributed more
or less ever since, and i'll which many
of his smaller works have made their
first appearance. In 1919 he made the
tour of California, and returned by way
Of Mexico. The year 1851 was spent
III the East, and during his tour he as
cendcd the Nile and also traversed
large portion Of Asia Minor. lii 1852
ne set out from England, crossing Asia
TO Calcutta, thence going to China,
where he Joined Commodore Perrv's
Japan expedition In 1862 3 he was
secretary Of legation Mt st. Petersburg,
Simon Cameron then being minister.
After residing some time in Germany,
for which country he had special af-
lection, he returned to his native land
and made several lecture tours which
were remarkably successful, as few lee
turers ever had so much to say to peo-
pie that was new and entertaining. In
1874 he revisited Egypt, and III the
same year went to Ireland to attend the
millennial celebration, where a poem Of
his was read. He was sufficiently cos
mopolltan by nature to accommodate
himself to all countries, and probably
no traveller has been more loved and
respected by foreigners than he. lie
had welcome access to their homes,
and, being man of close powers of OBJ
servation, I've has not only acquainted
us with the general aspects of
countries, but with pictures of
home life such as few men except Auer-
bach have ever drawn-with this not
able exception, that while Auerbach's
observations have been limited to a mar
row region of his own country, Bayard
Taylor was citizen of the world, and
broke bread with the people Of many
strange countries. His travels have en-
riched our literature with many works,
among them, "El Dorado, or Adventures
IN the Path Of Empire (1S50); "A Jour
hey to Central Africa" (1S54); "The
Lands of the Saracen" 1854; "A Visit
to India, China, and Japan" 1850;
Northern Travel; Summer and Winter
of Sweden, Denmark and Lapland"
(lS57); Travels in Greece and Russia"
tlS59); AT Home and Abroad,
Sketch-Book of Life, Scenery, and Men"
(1S59G Colorado, Summer Trip"
(1SG7): "Byways of Europe" (lS69); and
Egypt and Iceland" (1S74.
His literary work has not been con-
fined to books OF travel. His busy pen
was almost constantly employed, and
his ambition and industry led him
through almost every department. of
literary activity. AS poet, he was
characterized by vigor and force united
with purity Of sentiment rather than
by the imaginative faculty or by the
dreaminess and mystery that character
izes so many Of our latter-day poets
Among the volumes Of poetry which
he has left the best known are: Poems
of the Orient" (1S553 Poems of
Home and Travel' (l855@ "The Pic
ture of St. John" (1866) "The Ballad
Of Abraham Lincoln (1869;) "The
Masque Of the Gods" (1872;) Lars, a
Pastoralof Norway" (1S733 THE Pro-
phet" (1S74) Home Pastorals, Bal.
lads, and Lyrics $3.50 and Prince
Deukalion" (187S.) He also ventured in
to the realm of fiction, but not with that
degree of success which characterized
his poems and works Of travel, and pro-
duced Hannah Tnurston, Story of
American Life (1S63): "John God
frey's Fortunes (1S64);" The Story of
kennett 1866; and Joseph and His
Friend" (1970.) In TRANSACTIONS his
work is the most valuable, because it is
the best that has ever been done by an
American writer, while in the case Of
his splendid version Of Goethe's "Fanst"
It may be fairly questioned whether it
is not the best translation of that great
poem ever made in any country. In
addition TO his poems, books OF travels,
novels, and translations, he has edited
Cyclopwdia of Modern Travel" the
Frithiofs Saga,'l Auerbach's " Villa
on the Rhine" and an Illustrated Ii
brary Of Travel, Exploration and Adj
venture The same graceful work