The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-05-11
William Dean Howells, Who
Died To-day, Was Au-
thor of II Volumes
| WAS ALSO EDITOR
OF PUBLICATIONS
Mr.. Howells Had Recently
Returned to New York
from the South

New York, May ll.-Willism Dean
Howells, the novelist, died here to-
day, He returned few weeks ago
from Savannah, where he had spent
the winter. While in the south, he
was stricken with influenza and never
fully recovered from its effects.
At a dinner given in New York in
1912 to do honor to Mr.. Howells upon
his 18th birthday, William Howard
Taft, then president OF the United
States, lauded the guest as ''the great
est living American writer and novel;
ist."
He was the dean of American let
ters; poet, essayist, dramatist and cdi-
tor, as well as weaver OF fiction.
Beginning his first book. Poems of
Two Friends" just before the Civil
war, Mr. Howells had completed and
published n volumes at the time Of his
death, besides acting as editor OF VA
rious publications, crossing the ocean
Is times in search of material for his
novels, and writing essays, criticisms
and magazine articles.
Born in Hartin's Ferry, o., in 1887,
he served his literary pprenticeship as
compositor, reporter and editor on
his fathers newspaper.
'Inwardly / was poet said the
eminent novelist in reviewing his carly
experience, with no wish to be any
thing else. unless in a moment Of care
less affluence might so far forget
myself as to be n novelist"
When % years old he Travelled TO
Boston to make the acquaintance of
Longfellow, Hawthorne, Emerson,
Holmes and Lowell. Though a boy
among masters, he became their inti-
mate. learning their literary traditions
and preserving many of them through
out his long life.
At the age of "a he was appointed
by President Lincoln as United States
consul at Venice. He combined his
consular duties with literary work, and
produced his celebrated book, "Sene-
tian Life,
Four years later, in 1865, he came
TO New York with his wife, who was
Elinor G.. Head Of Vermont, and whom
he had married in Paris in 1852. For
two wears he wrote editorials for the
New York Nation, the Times and the
Tribune. and then moved to Boston,
where as assistant editor. he began his
association with the Atlantic Monthly,
succeeding James Russell Lowell as
editor in 1872. At the age of Al he
retired 10 devote himself to his novels,
which he produced for many years at
the rate of two a year.
When 80 years old, Mr.. Howell found
time TO become contributing editor,
and later writer for the Editors Easy
Chair" department in Harper's maga-
zine. For brief period he acted as
editor Of the Cosmopolitan.
DR.. Howells--he had received degrees
from Yale. Harvard. Oxford and Co
lun,gEa universities, though he had
never attended college-was keen
student Of current events. He avowed
his belief in socialism.
II cannot see" he declared, that
the remedy for existing conditions lies
anywhere else. But il it Is to be a
remedy il must come slowly. Violent
revolutions do not permanently solve
these problems"
On the subject Of woman suffrage his
opinion was decided;
1T Is one of the most important de-
velopments of this generation and one
of the most hopeful. The men have
made such a mess Of things that II the
women do not come to the rescue, I'm
sure don't know what Is to become
of us"