The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-13
JNO. 7. TROWBRIDGE
NOTED AUTHOR, DIES
Venerable Writer Won Fame
Despite Poverty and Lack
of Opportunity.
WAS LOVED BY ALL BOYS

EosToS, Feb. 1o.-John T. Trowbridge |
aged So. poet and author OF boys stories
died at his home in Arlington this AFTER
noon of bronchitis. following an attack
of grip which b. gan three weeks ago.
Mr.. Trowbridge is survived ny a
widow, two daughters and "a son.
ITS Jack Hazard stories Tor boys
were regard, d by William Dean Howells
az the best of their kind ever written by
an American.
IL Is sevenr VI nree years since John
Townsend Trowbridge began to earn q
livelihood with his pen, and sixty.three
years since his first book was published
Although his popularity with this gen
cra.ion MAY have diminished there are
few elderly persons who did not in their
Younger days eagerly devour everything
he wrote.
Mr.. Trowbridge was the surviving
! member Of "A literary circle that in the
| third quarter OF the last century made
| Boston tho huh of the world OF amer
can letters. lie was born In New YORK
state of Massachusetts, stock. His father.
a farmer, lived will his wife and nine
children. OF whom John Townsend was
the eighth. in a log cabin eight miles
from Rochester. The date OF MIS- birth
was September rs, 1927.
The future poet lived the life OF a
farmers son IN poor circumstances.
working hard i'm tn. fields in the fall,
spring and unmer, and picking up what
] schooling he could in the winter. Even
so he managed to achieve a wide. II
h"aphazard, education. including some
knowledge Of Latin and French.
HIS first poem was printed IN a
Rochester paper In 1913 Wh'n y
/ Chicago paper reprinted II young Tro".
NYtl..f4 d. pthtstnn Tn earn MS living nv
writing was famed into a Hamc soon
! nftcvward he sold a poem 20 y New
York manor for $3.50. About this time
ms father died Tie went ives, ard
taught school for A while. ard In lNI
came to New York city 10 try his luck
with tho publishers. Hc had a hard
fine selling his poetry. but managed to
re' A, bar. livelihood ont of prose. cell
TX most Of It TO Hoid'n'S Dollar Hdoi-
.i,.. so called because ite subscription
price Was 81 a year.
81, earned "A still further claim to ~
little" wrote MIR Trowbridsc, by paying
Us writers 81 "A page
Later he went to Boston. where NO
found the opportunities better tor an rs
piring author. This was IN ls'o' me
uos,on wceklics were willing to accept
a, "A low rate-almost everything he
wrote lie became editoriHlly connected
with several magazines ~ the day, n
., ISi2 his frs, book. Father Bright
homes was published. Martin Merit
vale" his FRS, long novel. was published
"A veal later. but II was the publication
Of his anti-slaverN novel N"lShnor
lakewood that gave him his place in
tho front rank OF contemporary Amert-
can authors. In 1855 he became one Of
TN, first contributors to the atlantic
Ngr'hlv and Was the last survivor or
the famous group Of contributors 70 lac
frs, number, which included Lowell.
Longf.llow. Emerson, Motley. Holmes
and Mrs stowe
puriur the course Of tho civil war ne
vrn,e three war stories. OF which
"cudio's Cave" achieved the greatest
renown.
In 1865 he began that phase ~ his
career which made hin most popular as
ed tor ~ oar Young Folks. which lasted
from 1855 To- 1874. when II was combined
" tn -. Nicholas. Her" the irst Jack
Htzard' stories were published, Here
also ,pp,lr,d Darius Green and HIS
irwin Machine which few youths of
tuut day could not recitc, and which
VA. practically always ~ the pro-
crammo Of school and Sunday schoo'
/. entertainments. His stoiics for boys
were not Of the sunday school type, nor
were they - a sensational character
His heroes were hard working boys. and
their adventures were always within
, reason. Another poem which achieved
r great fame was wv. Are Two Travel
lers. Roger and I Rogers NV Dog
Since the termination OF his ornec'
ton with Opr Young Folks Mr.. Trow
bridge brought out more than "A score
OF books. and in 1903 published his auto
/ biography. Its conclusion summel ~
T fairly his experience OF life. In PAY
: IL says.