The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-04-11
FORM FIR U. s.
 AMBASSADOR
 PASSES AWAY
Henry Van Dyke, Preach CT and Author Dies
 in Princeton, N.J.

TRENTON, N. J., April 11.-Hen- " Van Dyke, former Ambassador to The Netherlands, died at his Princeton home yesterday.
 Van Dyke, undecided in his youth whether to become a preacher or writer, eventually achieved prom thence as both.
 In addition he was an educator of note and war time United States Minister to The Netherlands and Luxemburg.
 "The source of Van Dykes versa tility was his vitality a friend ot long standing said of him. He had a very real love of living-a natural tendency to obey human impulse; and he followed it."
 The son of Presbyterian minis ter, Dr. Van Dyke was born al Germantown, Penn, November 10 1852. He was descended from line of Hollanders who settled in New York in 1852, later generations of which fought in the Revolutionary War.
 Growing up in Brooklyn, to which place his father had moved, young Van Dyke early displayed some ot the aggressiveness of his ancestors It is related that he once attempted to Tick" an older boy for torment ing horse. The encounter, which ended disastrously to himself, was avenged two weeks later when he administered a drubbing to tht same offender.
 At 16, Dr. Van Dyke was gradu- ated from the Brooklyn Polytech- nic Institute. He received his A. B degree from Princeton in 1873 and was awarded the senior prize in English literature. Unable to decide between preaching and writing as a career, he regarded a course ir theology as worthwhile in either vocation and entered Princeton Theologic Seminary. After his graduation in 1877, he spent two years in postgraduate work al Berlin.
 Returning to the United States he was ordained Presbyterian minister in 1879. He tried to get a country pastorate. but was unsuc- cessful. Then he decided that writ ing was probably his real vocation
 Immediately ne received ar in- vitation to supply the pulpit of the United Congregation Church ol Newport, R. l., which he accepted on condition that he should not bs a candidate for permanent occu- pancy of the pulpit Three weeks later he was elected pastor of the church which he found heavily in debt and badly split up" He said afterwards of the circumstance, "A sense of duty took me by the back of the neck and said, Stay here and tend to your job'!" He re- mained four years.
 In 1883 he was called to the pas torate of the Brick Presbyterian Church of New York City and ac- cepted with the provision that ht should not stay more than five years. He remained eighteen. Over work and ill health forced his resig- nation in 1900, and he accepted g professorship of English Literature at Princeton University. There ft became a friend of Woodrow Will son, president of the university, ane in 1913 Wilson, as President of the United States, appointed him Unit ed States Minister to the Neither lands and Luxemburg. He remained in that post until 1917, when he re. signed to return to his work al Princeton University, teaching un. til his retirement in 1923. His mar. riage to Miss Ellen Reid of Balti. more, took place in 1881.
 Dr. Van Dyke was the author O. many books of original prose ane verse as well as treatises on relg. ious subjects. Among his best known works were The Other Wise Man, "The Blue Flower" The Rulins Passion" Fish e rman's Luck, Music, an Ode" and "The Gospe for an Age of Doubt"