Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1893-11-15
AN HONOR TO AMERICA.
John Fiske, the Famous Historian
and Publisher.
His Remarkable Boyhood - At Eight
Years of Age He Had Read All of
Shakespeare's Plays - Some Of
His Greater Works.

HIS GreACer w
Among the men of the present gener-
alton who by force and breadth Of in
tellect have won the respect of scholars
and the admiration of the public, few,
if any, Americans stand higher than
John Fiske. Possessing mind of ex-
traordinary strength and clearness,
tenacious memory that places every
thing that he has ever read at his i'm
mediate disposal, and catholic and
highly cultivated tastes, his equipment
for the work of original investigation
in history or philosophy is unusually
complete. Added to these qualities is
style of marvellous fexibility, sim
p1icity and lucidity, which is the
natural outgrowth of an orderly and
logical mind and which has been one
of the chief causes of the popularity of
his writings.
Mr.. Fiske is now in his fifty-second
year. His father was journalist. He
died in 1852, and in 1855, when her son
was thirteen years old, the widow
married Edward w. Stoughton, once
United States minister to Russia. Up
to this time the lads name had beeu
Edmund Fiske Green, but he now took
the name of his maternal great-grand-
father, John Fiske. He early showed
that he possessed extraordinary intel
lect. He had strong taste for science
and the languages. Before he was
eight years old he had read all of
Shakespeare plays. At eighteen, be-
sides his Greek and Latin, he could
read fuently French, Spanish, Portu-
gained a fair command of Dutch,
Danish, Sweden and Anglo-Saxon, be-
sides making beginning in Icelandic,
Gothic, Hebrew, Chaldee and Sanskirt.
In college the studies of which he was
especially fond were history, philoso-
ply and comparative philology. He
was graduated from the college in
1868 and from the Harvard law school
two years later.
/ Mr.. Fisl1e opened a law office in Bos-
ton, and found it convenient place
for studying history while he waited six
months for clients. Then he made up
his mind to devote himself exclusively
to literature. He had already done
something in that line. In 1861, when
he was junior in college, he contrib
uted to the National Quarterly Review
an article entitled Mr. Buckles Fall
lacies," which is now included in his
"Darwinism, and Other Essays" Mr..
Fiske's first book, which was preceded
by many essays in reviews, magazines
and newspapers, was "Myths and
Myth-NIakers, published in 1872. This
was followed in 1874 by work which
Immediately attracted the notice OF
many of the keenest minds in England
and the United States-"Outlines OF
Cosmic Philosophy" This work was
based upon series Of lectures which
Mr.. Fisl1e had delivered at Harvard il
1869 and 1871, and which he repeated il
Boston. New York and London.
During the last ten years Mr.. Fiske
has devoted his time almost exclusive
ly to American history, and the beauty
of his style and the philosophical
spirit with which he traces cause anc
effect in the development of politica
ideas give fascinating interest te
his historical works. These are
four in number -" American Pc
litical Ideas" 1.-THE Critical Period o.
American History, 17S3-17S9, y 1.-The Be
ginnings of New England, and, in the
Riverside Library for Young People
'The War of Independence" Since
1881 Mr.. Fiske has delivered an annua
course of lectures on American history
at Washington university, ST. Louis
and these lectures he has repeated il
mary towns and cities before publish
ing them in book form.
Mr. Fiske's home is in Cambridge
Mass, where he spends all of his tim'
with his wife and six children when hi
is not travelling about the country lee
turing Since 1879 he has been mem
Der of the board of overseers of Har
ward university, and from 1872 to 1877
hewas assistant librarian in that insti
tute. He has visited Europe severa
times. remaining for an entire year
and has lectured before the Royal in
stitution in London and the Philosoph
ica1 institution at Edinburgh. FL
numbers among his friends most of tn
men in England eminent in scienc
and literature, who were first attracte
by the skill with which he expounde
the philosophy of Spencer.