The Washington herald., 1907-10-06

DR.. Henry Van Dyke Tells
of Revelation.
STORY HAS NEW SIGNIFICANCE
Author of "stOFy of the other Wise
Man" Attributes Production TO Di-
vine InspiratiOn-Theme Comes to
Mind During Long Nights of Tor
mentiHg Pain and Days of Sorrow.

New York, Oct. SIT was sent 10 me.
and it has seemed as if knew the Giver,
though His name was not spoken"
In these words, IN new preface 70
his story of the Other Wise Man. Dr..
Henry Van Dyke lays aside the credit
for literary creation and makes a COM
plete and definite claim 20 inspiration.
more specific than that advanced by any
writer OF the Bible except ST. John the
Divine in his explanation Of the origin
Of the Apocalypse.
The Story OF the Other Wise Nan. "
hitherto printed ana widely circulated as
an exquisite work Of the imagination.
has been translated into German. French.
Armenian, Turkish, and other foreign
tongues. 10 say nothing Of its reproduc-
ton in a modern phonetic language.
But with its present reprinung in an
edition de luxe, the work aJtains new and
startling significance, because Of this ex-
PLANTATION Of its origin.
Tells story of Revelation.
Dr Van Dyke writes that he has been
asked to tell where the story came from.
This is his answer:
4 Go not know where il came from
out Of the air, perhaps One thing is GER
tain, It is not written in any other book
nor is il 10 be found among the ancient
lore Of the East. And yet I have never
felt as If it were my own. It was a
gift. Il was sent TO me; and II has
seemed as if 1 knew the Giver. though
bis name was not spoken.
THE year had been fun Of sickness and
sorrow. Every day brought trouble
Every night was tormented with pain.
They are very long-those nights when
one lies awake, and hears the laboring
heart pumping weariIy at its task.
Sees Fourth Wise Man."
''Well. it was in one Of these long.
lonely nights that this story came to me.
OF the Fourth Wise Man I had never
heard until that night. Then / saw him
distinctly. moving through the shadows
in a little circle OF light.
His countenance was as clear as the
memory of my fathers face as I saw il
for the last time a few months before.
''The narrative Of his journeyngs and
trials and disappoinuments ran on without
a break. Even certain sentences came to
me complete and unforgettable, cIear-eut
like a cameo.
"All that I had TO do was TO follow
Artiban, step by step, as the tale went
on. from the beginning to the end of his
pilgrimage
Expends Literary Effort.
DR.. Van Dyke does not altogether sur
render his claim to literary credit. He
says:
Though the story Of The Fourth Wise
Man came TO me suddenly and without
labor, there was great deal of study
and toll to be done before it could be
written down.
''Artiban went with me while I toied
through a score of volumes of ancient
history and travel. I saw his figure while
I journeyed on the motionless sea Of the
desert and in the strange cities Of the
East
The story is that of one Of the Magi,
or wise men Of the East, who came 10
worship at the birthplace Of Jesus. The
man never reached Jesus until the day
OF Calvary, for he spent his time and his
resources on the way in doing acts of
saving kindness and mercy il was TO
this wise man. according TO the story,
that the immortal words were spoken.
Inasmuch rs thou hast done it unto the
least of these Ny brethren, thou hast
done il unto Ne