Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-10-23

CHARLES "A. DANA
such for several months that the mem
bers of his family had kept themselves
in constant readiness to go to his bed
side at any moment. On Saturday
morning he had relapse, and it was ap-
parent that recovery was impossible.
Several times, however, he rallied, but
toward night began to sink. During
the night there were feeble rallies, but
they did not last long. Sunday morning
it was seen that the end was but few
hours off, and his attendants remained
almost constantly at his bedside. The
end came quietly.
Charles Anderson Dana was born August
49, 1919. He came of an old New England
family, which has supplied as many stu-
dents to Harvard and as many well-known
names to litelature as any in the east.
Among its members are numbered Fran
els Dana, the revolutionary patriot: Rich
ard Henry Dana, the poet; the other Rich
ard Henry, who wrote Two Years Before
the Mast" and James d. Dana, the geol-
ogist. He followed the ancestral track at
Harvard, when weakness of the eyes inter-
rupted his studies and Obliged him to leave
the university without taking degree, in
spite of his high scholastic achievements.
College life over, he Joined with Theodore
Parker. Emerson, Margaret Fuller. George
William Curtis, Hawthorne, Claiming and
others In their attempt to found the Brook
Farm community. This was an endeavor to
form an ideal society based upon real equal
ity and perfect fraternity. The plan was
not a success and the members of Brook
Farm were soon scattered. Young Dana
abandoned his visionary hopes and turned
his face to life of toll. He at once en-
tered the newspaper profession and was
first employed by Elizur Wright. who was
then publishing paper called the Chrome.
type in Boston. He earned five dollars a
week. From this point his rise was rapid
In lS47 he went to New York. having been
engaged as city editor on Horace Greeley's
rising paper, the Tribune at ten dollars a
week. The following year he was sent as
special correspondent to Europe. His work
there soon gained him renown as a corre-
spondent, and on his return to New York
he became Gree!ey's principal assistant.
His salary gradually was increased from
81. 900 to $500 year. this being the highest
salary paid at that time by any newspaper.
Mr.. Dana's leisure hours were spent in lit
erary work. He published volume Of
poems. and in 1855 he began, in association
with George Riley. to edit the New Ameri-
can Cyclopedia."
June 16, 1862, he was appointed to the
war department commission to investigate
claims at Cairo, ILL.,; on March r. 1869, as
special commissioner of the department
to report on the condition of the pay serv-
ice in the western army. June l, 1863, In or
der that he might be subject to military ex-
change II captured when visiting the front
OF the army, he was appointed major and
assistant adjutant general, and on De-
| cember 81, 1868, was nominated to the sem
| ate for that office, but he never formally
accepted 1t, and the nomination, at his re-
quest, after he had returned from Vicks-
burg, was withdrawn on February "a, 1864.
January 20, 1864, he was nominated for as
| sstant secretary of war for one year. from
| January, 10, 1854 confirmed January 90
and took the office on January IS; renom-
| mated January %, 1865. and confirmed on
| the same day. He rendered the principal
part OF his service for the war department
| under the above commissions and as assist
| ant secretary by visiting the army head
| quarters of Rosecranz Sheridan, Sherman
| and Grant. advising contidentially with the
| commanding officers and corresponding
| freely with President Lincoln and Secre.
| tary Stanton, restSning as assistant sec.
| retary July l, 1865.
| When the war was over in 1867, he went
| to Chicago, and for year acted as editor
| of the Republican. Then he returned to the
| metropolis and organized the company
| which now publishes the New York Sun.
| The Sun was already an old-established ed
| journal, having first appeared In 1888
| Dana's conduct of this journal was so fear
| less that in 1873 his criticism of the Grant
| administration led to an attempt on the
| part of the heads of the government to
| hale him TO Washington for trial in a po-
| lice court on charge OF libel. Justice
| Blatchford. then of the United States dis
| trict court in New York, declared the at,
| tempt an invasion OF constitutional rights
and refused to grant the necessary warrant
of removal For nearly SO years Mr.. Dana
| made the Sun an independent democratic
journal. In its Issue of October IA, 1897
| in the heart of the Greater New York
municipal campaign. Mr. Dana repudiated
| democracy of every stripe and declared for
the principles and policy of the republican
party. This was on the ground that the
democracy of William j. Bryan represented
| principles, tendencies and purposes which
| The Sun abhorred, and that the gold democ-
| racy was impractical and without definite
| purpose or Cigniflcance.
| In private life MIR. Dana was a connois-
| seur OF books. ceramics, bronzes. painting
| and orchids, lover of chess and athletics
| and enamored OF all things OF refinement.