The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-02-29
HONOR WILLIAM
DEAN HOWELLS
Most Noted Of American Authors
Seventy-Five Years Old
Tomorrow
LITERARY MEN PLAN BANQUET
Taft Will be Guest Of Honor at
Saturdays Fete
From Humble Start as Printer Gifted
Writer Rose to High Place in
World Of Fame.

New York. Feb. 29.--Wiliam Dean
. HoWells, the dean of American fiction
and probably the most widely read
American author of the present time,
VIII celebrate his 15tho birthday tomor-
row and on Saturday nc will be the
guest Of honor at dinner given in
honor Of his birthday by his friends
: President Taft and several hundred
men distinguished as statesmen writ
ers. artists, journalists and men OF az
fairs in general have expressed their
Willingness to come To New York in
order TO attend the Howells dinner.
William Dean Howells is probably
the best liked of all American authors
His charming personality. his unvary-
ing kindness and gentleness and his
almost excessive modesty have won foI
him the love and admiration of every
one who ever came in personal contact
with him amid all the iealousies, the
hackbitings. the lttleness which per-
wade the literary ranks, one never
hears an unkind word attached to the
name of William Dean Howells Noi
has anyone ever heard Mr.. Howels
speak an unknd word of any fellow
author. on the other hand his en-
] couraging kindness has been a help tc
many young writers. who have since
then won their place i'm literature
Sen Of an Editor.
William Dean HoWells was born in
Martins Ferry. Ohio. March 1, 1891
His father, who was a printer and
newspaper proprietor and editor was
Il man Of taste and refinement, a schol-
ar I'm his way and an original and inde-
pendent thinker. He believed in the
educative value Of useful work and
brought UP his family to be industrious
and frugal of poth time and money.
| The mother was a woman of refincd
tastes and gentle manners. Young
Howells learned Co set type almost as |
soon as he learned to read. But he al |
so learned the Importance of truth and |
honesty and of courage and gentle be. |
havior. His literary tastes found an,-
pie announcement in the kindred |
tastes of his parents
Met Many DiscouraJements.
When stlll a lad Howels went to
work in his fathers printing office as
q regular employe. For two years. from /
1S49 to 1851, his father published dali
ly paper in Dayton. o.. and the clever
son soon became an all-around assist
ant in the work. But the paper failed
and young Howells was compelled to
seek other employment He became
printer at 81 a week, but after his faith
er had recovered his losses and start
ed I'm the printing business again,
young Howells gave up his position
and again worked for his father. Dur
ing all that time the young man care
wrote many poems but most Of them
were rejected. After few years Of
tentative efforts to write poetry young
liowells became convinced that he did
not possess the true poets gift ana
promptly abandoned all efforts in that
direction. devoting himself entirely to
prose writing.
Rise to Literary Fame.
For two winters. from 1858 to 1860.
he resided in Columbus and acted as
correspondent for several outside
newspapers. He was then offered a po-
sition as city editor of a Cincinnati
paper but the position proved uncon-
genial and he returned to Columbus
where he accepted the position OIL
news editor of the State Journal. 1t
was while he was connected with that
paper that Howells wrote his Life of
Lincoln" This book was the young
writer's first great success. In the
first place IL brought him money
enough to make a trip To Boston,
where he made the personal acquaint-
ance of Lowell. Holmes and other emil
nent literary people and came I'm touch
with the best literary ideals OF tho
time. In the next place II won for him
the position Of American consul at
Venice. His four years residence az
Venice was his real education. The
knowledge of the world, the expert
ence OF men and manners he gained
there, formed the main foundation up
on which all his subsequent literary
work was built
Many Honorary Degrees.
After his return to the United states
Mr.. Howells lived for some time In
New York, engaged upon the Tribune
and the Nation. In 1866 he went to
Boston TO be assistant editor OF the At
lantic. In 1872 he became its sole ed
itor. and this position he held until
1881. Since then he has devoted his
whole attention to literature. In 1871
lie published his first and perhaps most
successful novel. Their Wedding Jour.
ney." For five or six years he con-
Quoted The Editors Study in Harp
er's Monthly and for "A while acted as
editor OF the Cosmopolitan Magazine.
His works comprise more than sixty