Evening star., 1900-10-22
CHARLES D. WARNER DEAD
EXPIRED SUDDENLY LAST SATURDAY
IN HARTFORD, CONN.
He Was Famous as an Author and
Newspaper Editor-Sketch
of His Life.

| urday afternoon in Hartford, Conn. He
had a very severe attack of pneumonia two
years ago while in New Orleans, and had
never fully recovered from 1t. Last spring
he contracted pneumonia again while at his
| home, and this weakened his heart. OF
| late, however, he had been much better.
At noon Saturday he attended a luncheon to
bid farewell to some friends about to start
for the Mediterranean. Mr.. Warner was
cheerful, and gave no indication of ILL
| ness.
After the luncheon Mr.. Warner started
on a walk. Among his acquaintances was
colored man. to whom Mr.. Warner gave
| books to encourage his desire to read, par
ticularly books connected with the history
| of the colored race, upon which Mr.. War
\ ner was an authority.
| Mr.. Warner probably intended to call on
this man, he in the neghborhood
of his house when he was stricken. Prob
| ably feeling i'll, he asked leave at a house
| to sit down, then to lie down, requesting to
| be called in ten minutes
When the woman of the house went to
| call him Mr.. Warner was dead. News of
his sudden death spread rapidly, and was a
| great shock to his many friends
Charles Dudley Warner was born in
| Plainfield. Mass, on September II, 1899 A
Massachusetts farm was the playground, or.
| rather. the school of hard work Of the
boy. who developed literary aspirations at
reading for the satisfaction of his thirst
| ing intellect apart from theological trea-
ttses and works of similar character. He
was allowed to read biblical commenta-
ries, biographies of divines, and Calvinistic
| treatises. But he soon succeeded in get
ting where he could read to his hearts
content. and he also found the opportunity
| to do some little writing. The classics ap-
pealed to him, and much of his boyhood
was spent in reading the works of the an
| cient masters.
A period spent in attending the schools
of young Warmers native place was fol-
lowed by a course at Hamilton College,
from which he was graduated in 1851, TAX
| ing the first prize in English. In articles
contributed to The Knickerbocker and Put
nams Magazine he showed even while at
! college his prediction for essay writing.
The college course finished, he took up lit
erature with more serious purpose. He
began along critical lines, showing thus ear
ly the bent of his mind. His Book of
Eloquence." published two years after he
left college, displayed critical judgment and
| appreciation of literature, even II 1t was
without conspicuous literary merit.
In 1853 Mr. Warner Joined surveying
party on the Missouri frontier. and this
trip to the west revealed his facility for
turning into literature all the information
| acquired in his daily experiences After
each such experience followed a work based
thereon-essay. novel. lecture, story or
sketch. The western trip. brief as it was.
provided material that was used many
work.
In 1854 Mr. Warner returned to the east
and took up the study of law at the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania. being graduated
two years later. For four years thereafter
he practiced his profession in Chicago,
where he did not meet with any great de-
gree of success. and again he returned to
the east. this time to take up his real pro-
fession, literature. In 1850 he became as
sistant editor of the Press. paper in Hart
ford Conn. and assumed control of it the
following year.
Some fifteen years before IA Little
Journey Around the World appeared Mr
Warner in what was said to be a spirit Of
fun. started out with Mark Twain to write
story that was intended to be humorous
ly descriptive Of western life. The story
was written in very few weeks. 1t was
called 1.-The Gided Age" and the names
of Warner and Twain could not save 1t
from condemnation by the critics, while
the reading public regarded It with amaze
ment. Mr.. Warmers friends always felt
that this exploit was source of mortifi-
cation to him. Mark Twain saw in the
book the possibility of dramatfzation. He
bought Mr.. Warmers rights, and when
John T. Raymond took the character OF
Mulberry Sellers and adapted it to the
stage it met with great favor To the
failure of The Gided Age is ascribed
Mr.. Warmers long pause before again at
tempting the writing of fiction.
In 1872 Mr.. Warner published his Back
Log Studies' in which he introduced under
thin Ve1lS tnat Q1Q not disguise hdrR
Twain. the Rev J. H Twichell. the pastor.
and the Rev. DR.. E. P. Parker the COM
mon friend of the little colony at Nook
Farm.
work was done in his Hartford home, THE
Golden House" was written IN Washing
ton and part of "A Little Journey was
Written in the University Club of this city,
here.
Among Mr. Warmers best-known books
were "Baddeck, and That Sort of Thing"
ness 1s7s). Capt. John Smith" dssl,
washington Irving QssD, "a Round
about Journey dss9. Their Pilgrim
age dss0 and 'On Horseback usss).
Mr.. Warner was the editor in chief of
Warmers Library of the Worlds Best
Literature comprehensive literary die
ttonary In many volumes. 1t was pub
lished in 1897. The managing editor Of
the work was Mr.. Warmers brother, Geo.
H. Warner
1t was shortly after the publication of
the Library of the Worlds Best Lit
department in Harper's Magazine. This
department was called THE Editors
Study and replaced that feature of the
magazine that George William Curtis had
previously contributed under the head of
1.-The Easy Chair
The last thing Mr.. Warner ever did of
public nature was to write the address in
nOnOT Oh MS DelnS pTeSideHl VI tIic
National Institute of Arts and Letters,
which held it's initial meeting in Mendels-
sohn Hall last spring. For that meeting
he had prepared an elaborate and learned
address. but his health did not permit him
to be present, SO Hamilton w. Mabie read
the speech from proof sheets.
The extent of Mr.. Warmers literary work
recently has been very limited, for his
health began to break down about three
years ago. One of his latest contributions
to periodical literature was in the New
York Times Saturday Review of July 8,
1895. The article was entitled "The Truth
About Virginia 1t was in the form of a
review of Alexander Browns book, ''The
First Republic in America"
Prior to the civil war Mr.. Warner was an
abolitionist. and afterward he identified
himself with the republican party, although
he had not been ardent in politics since
the exciting days of 1860. He had no chill
dren. but was fond of young people, and
they We're frequently to be found about his
home.
Political Items-Other News.