The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-08-01

hANCRUfT . hlsEOh1
has been the work Of his lifetime, and he
t0id mt to day that he was well satisfied
with the last edition Just published. He
said, 81 want my history to be correct in
every state and in every particular,
and l am working to that end" He has
been working indeed q long time upon It,
more by far than the average mans lie.
Fiity.eight years ago he began 1t, when he
was twenty nve years old, and had been
eight years out OF college. He has been
working ut ii steadily ever since, and 1t Is
now practically completed. !. is that part
Of Mr.. Bancroit's life work which will live
after him, and 1t will be a bigger monu.
ment than all the granite In New England
could make. There are few examples oil
better spent lives than that OF the great
American historian. He commenced life
early, took it for granted he could do some
thing in the world, laid out his plans,
and then eConomizing his time, he weRt
to work in a systematic manner he
was born in the old Massachu-
sells town OF Worcester, and his
father was, l think, q Unitarian preacher.
At any rate hs was q preacher. George
BlncrOit was born in 1900. When he was
thirieen years old his father sent him to
Harvard. lie graduated with honOrs four
y ars laters later. Theaversgs age OF grad
u ton to-day is %twenty-one or twenty-five.
Bancroft graduated at seventeen. A year
later he went abroad and spent several
years in GERMANY, studying the different
European and the Oriental languages.
While he was in Germany Goethe was still
living, and he became acquainted with
him. lie met him first at Jena and after
wards at Weiiner, Goethe received him
when he first visited him in his garden and
talked to him for an hour about Byron,
whom he admired greatly. Bancroft at
terward met Byron and repeated TO
him the complimentary remarks OF
Goethe, saying that Goethe thought
his "Don Juan" showed the greatest
genius, and that he thought "Manired" was
something OF an imitation OF his own Faust.
To this Byron replied that he was sorry to
kuy he was u%nacIuainted with the German,
aud that lie had no idea Of Faust" before
he wrste Manfred" except Of q few OF It's
scenes which had beep translated for him.
1t wat an honor, however, he said, for
"Maufred" 10 BIZ mentioned by the side Of
Faust"
Twas in Germsnythat Bancroft first con-
the idea Of his history, and he pre-.
p,red himself for it by studying under the
most noted scholars OF the age. In Berlin
he was acquainted with Niebuhr, Buusen,
SchIeiermacher, Heeel, and Schlegeland.
Since that time he has had an acquaintance
with nearly every literary light Of both
hemispheres.
Bancroft is now one OF the mot homo I'd
men in Washington. He is mvlted " the
dinners, and it is more OF an hon
Or to haye his company than that Of the
President. He is the only private citizen
who has been givea the freedom Of both
houses during Congress: The country has
honored him often other ways than in buy
ing his history. He was under Polk, Sec.
rotary OF the Navy, and atterward Minister
to the Court OF st. James. While he was
in the Navy Department the Naval ACAdes
my at Annapolis was founded, and his es,
for the support Of the Navy went
through the House without the usual fight
which almost invariably takes place over
those Of other Secretaries.