The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-18
THE LATE CHARLES A. DANA.

Although Mr.. James Gordon Bennett
will probably maintain so long as jour
nalsm lasts the fame he won as the foun
der OF a modern American journalism,
and although Horace Greeley will stand
pre-eminent as the political journalist,
and Henry j. Raymond as the politician
journalist. it is probable that the tradi-
tions of journalism as they shall be told
in the future Will point to Mr.. Dana as
the greatest of American journalists.
&. \. Dana was born at Hinsdale y. H.,
on Aug. s, 1919. and when he was l6 years
Of age he entered Harvard college, i'm
mediately giving evidence that he pos
sessed r.lysual mental gifts. But he
was Obliged 10 give up his college
course. Whether il was overuse Of
his eyes by candle light or neglect. func-
tional disturbance which threatened to
become organic compelled him to aban-
don his books just as he was entering the
junior year.
Soon after Mr.. Dana thought Of a mer-
camille career. and he went TO Buffalo,
Books, observation. association with
men who knew much about many things.
had far more fascination for this lad
than did the drudgery of barter or the
became dreary and was fascinated with
the problems of socialism as they were
discussed in his early youth, and he gladly
Joined that famous but wholly impossible
socialistic community called Brook
Farm, which was established in what
was then the town OF RoXbury, Mass.
Here Mr.. Dana, with Nathaniel Haw-
thorne and Margaret Fuller and George
Ripley and George william Curtis and
others who were OF literary fame or
promise. did his share Of menial work
with cheerfulness and held his own in the
literary and philosophical discussions
which were carried on by these thinkers.
Dana was one Of the first 10 realize that
the experiment was. IL not absurd, at
least bound 10 be a failure. lie lived long
enough to see all Of his associates in that
experiment die and every one Of them
convinced that the scheme was utopian.
a S he was very anxious TO put himself
In touch with the world and TO go 90 the
other extreme from that represented by
the provincalism OF Brook Farm. Mr..
Dana went TO Europe. lie had already
learned TO read French and 20 speak 1t
fairly well. The facility with which he
acquired languages was marvellous and
remained with him long after he had
passed thrcescore and ten.
Soon after reaching Paris he spoke
French with nuercy. and Is he was there
at the time of the revolution OF 1898 his
newspaper Instincts were gully devcl-
oped. ana his Acquaintance with french
enabled him TO fully understand the
meaning OF the exciting scenes Of that
cay. lie wrote OF them in a series of
letters published In the New York Tri-
bure. and hts respordcncc IS even
regard21 20 this day as a model of that
derettreat of journalism.
Undoubtedly this work brought Mr..
Hana into close relations with Tho Trib-
una for soon after b. accepted an oficr
from Horace Greeley Co become man
aging editor of that paper
Nj Dun1'e counerN a. 70 with The 'fIib-
une gave hhu an inttlaie acquaintance
Win most - d." sfrtt men of t..e r. pub
ulan Daftv sIJ sth. %. ~ ltol. ,ui iug toa
GisaEr.. ment with Horace Creole, rec
speeding the attitude of T!c Tribune
upon tho conduct ~ Tho war. ho retired
he was esteemed as one Of the influential