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Henry Van Dyke
Henry Jackson van Dyke Jr. was an American author, educator, diplomat, and clergyman.
Van Dyke was born on November 10, 1852, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. The younger Henry van Dyke graduated from Poly Prep Country Day School in 1869, Princeton University, in 1873 and from Princeton Theological Seminary, 1877.
He served as a professor of English literature at Princeton between 1899 and 1923. Among the many students whom he influenced was, notably, future celebrity travel writer Richard Halliburton (1900–1939), Editor-in-Chief, at the time, of the Princeton Pictorial.
Van Dyke chaired the committee that wrote the first Presbyterian printed liturgy, The Book of Common Worship of 1906. In 1908–09 Dr. van Dyke was a lecturer at the University of Paris.
By appointment of President Woodrow Wilson, a friend and former classmate of van Dyke, he became Minister to the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1913. Shortly after his appointment, World War I threw Europe into dismay. Americans all around Europe rushed to Holland as a place of refuge. Although inexperienced as an ambassador, van Dyke conducted himself with the skill of a trained diplomat, maintaining the rights of Americans in Europe and organizing work for their relief. He later related his experiences and perceptions in the book Pro Patria (1921).
Van Dyke resigned as ambassador at the beginning of December 1916 and returned to the United States. He was subsequently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and received many other honors.
Van Dyke was a friend of Helen Keller. Keller wrote: "Dr. van Dyke is the kind of a friend to have when one is up against a difficult problem. He will take trouble, days and nights of trouble, if it is for somebody else or for some cause he is interested in. 'I'm not an optimist,' says Dr. van Dyke, 'there's too much evil in the world and in me. Nor am I a pessimist; there is too much good in the world and in God. So I am just a meliorist, believing that He wills to make the world better, and trying to do my bit to help and wishing that it were more.'"
He officiated at the funeral of Mark Twain at the Brick Presbyterian Church on April 23, 1910.
Van Dyke died on April 10, 1933. He is buried in Princeton Cemetery. A biography of Van Dyke, titled Henry Van Dyke: A Biography, was written by his son Tertius van Dyke and published in 1935.
Books by Henry Van Dyke
The Spirit of Christmas
A short Christmas book by American author, educator, and clergyman Henry Van Dyke, including a short story, two essays, and two prayers for the season.
The Story of the Other Wise Man
You know the story of the Three Wise Men of the East, and how they travelled from far away to offer their gifts at the manger-cradle in Bethlehem. But have you ever heard the story of the Other Wise Man, who also saw the star in its rising, and set o...
The Red Flower: Poems Written in War Time
In the midst of the tumultuous chaos of war, a single red flower blooms, a symbol of resilience and hope amidst the darkness. Henry van Dyke's collection of poems, "The Red Flower: Poems Written in War Time," captures the essence of humanity's strugg...
Name of France
In celebration of Bastille Day, 2007, LibriVox volunteers bring you 11 different recordings of The Name of France by Henry van Dyke. This was the Weekly Poetry project for the week of July 8th, 2007.
Flood-Tide Of Flowers
LibriVox volunteers bring you 9 recordings of Flood-Tide Of Flowers by Henry Van Dyke. This was the weekly poetry project for April 5th, 2009.
Valley of Vision
”Why do you choose such a title as The Valley of Vision for your book” said my friend; “do you mean that one can see farther from the valley than from the mountain-top?” This question set me thinking, as every honest question ought to do. Here is the...
Red Flower
LibriVox volunteers bring you 27 recordings of The Red Flower by Henry van Dyke. This was the Weekly Poetry project for March 11, 2012.Dr. Henry van Dyke was an American author, lecturer, ambassador and pastor. He was in charge of the committee which...
Blue Flower
"Sometimes short stories are brought together like parcels in a basket. Sometimes they grow together like blossoms on a bush. Then, of course, they really belong to one another, because they have the same life in them. ...There is such a thought in t...
First Christmas Tree
This is a folk tale of how the first tree came into being. It tells of a hero Winfried with his young companion stepping boldly into the pagan right of the passing into winter. He preaches the gospel of Christ and His birth on that night; then from t...
What Peace Means
This is a collection of three sermons by Henry van Dyke, dealing with the subject of peace in the immediate aftermath of World War I. As peace has not been forthcoming, the sermons are still timely until today. - Summary by Carolin
Companionable Books
Many books are dry and dusty, there is no juice in them; and many are soon exhausted, you would no more go back to them than to a squeezed orange; but some have in them an unfailing sap, both from the tree of knowledge and the tree of life. Here I h...