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Henry van Dyke

Henry van Dyke was an American author, educator and clergyman, born in 1852 in Germantown, Pennsylvania.
He attended Princeton University, graduating in 1873 from then matriculated at the Princeton Theological Seminary from which he graduated in 1877. He returned to Princeton as a professor of English literature, a post that he held from 1899 – 1923 but it was not without interruption. From 1908–09 Dr. van Dyke was an American lecturer at the University of Paris. And in 1913 his former classmate, President Wilson, appointed him Minister to the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
As a member of the clergy, Christmas and Easter were a special holidays for Henry van Dyke. He wrote some popular Christmas Stories including; The Other Wise Men, The First Christmas Tree, and Keeping Christmas.
Here is a picture of Henry van Dyke delivering Easter Sunrise services in California, March 23rd, 1913.

One of van Dyke’s best known popular quotations is his poem, Time Is:

Henry van Dyke composed several add-on verses to America – My Country, ‘Tis of Thee, originally composed by Samuel Francis Smith in 1892. It was America’s de facto national anthem until The Star-Spangled Banner was officially adopted in 1931.

Poems

  • America’s Welcome Home
  • A Slumber-Song
  • Liberty Enlightening the World
  • Mare Liberum
  • Sierra Madre
  • The Hymn of Joy
  • Time Is

    • Short Stories

  • A Brave Heart
  • A Change Of Air
  • A City of Refuge
  • A Classic Instance
  • A Dream-story: The Christmas Angel
  • A Fatal Success
  • A Friend of Justice
  • A Handful of Clay
  • A Holiday In A Vacation
  • A Lazy, Idle Brook
  • A Lover of Music
  • Among The Quantock Hills
  • An Old Game
  • A Norwegian Honeymoon
  • Antwerp Road
  • A Remembered Dream
  • A Sanctuary of Trees
  • Ashes of Vengeance
  • A Slumber Song For The Fisherman’s Child
  • A Wild Strawberry
  • A Year of Nobility
  • Beggars Under The Bush
  • Between The Lupin And The Laurel
  • Books That I Loved As A Boy
  • Days Off
  • Diana And The Lions
  • Fisherman’s Luck
  • His Other Engagement
  • Humoreske
  • In The Odour Of Sanctity
  • Justice of the Elements
  • Keeping Christmas
  • Leviathan
  • Little Red Tom
  • Lovers And Landscape
  • Messengers At The Window
  • Notions About Novels
  • Salvage Point
  • Silverhorns
  • Sketches of Quebec
  • Some Remarks On Gulls
  • Spy Rock
  • Stronghold
  • Talkability
  • The Art Of Leaving Off
  • The Blue Flower
  • The Boy of Nazareth Dreams
  • The Broken Soldier and the Maid of France
  • The Countersign Of The Cradle
  • The Effectual Fervent Prayer
  • The First Christmas Tree
  • The Friend of the Family
  • The Gentle Life
  • The Hearing Ear
  • The Hero and Tin Soldiers
  • The Keeper of the Light
  • The Key Of The Tower
  • The King’s High Way
  • The King’s Jewel
  • The Lost Word
  • The Mansion
  • The Mill
  • The Music-Lover
  • The New Era and Carry On
  • The Night Call
  • The Open Fire
  • The Other Wise Man
  • The Primitive and His Sandals
  • The Return Of The Charm
  • The Reward of Virtue
  • The Ripening Of The Fruit
  • The Sad Shepherd
  • The Source
  • The Thrilling Moment
  • The Traitor in the House
  • The Unruly Sprite
  • The Wedding-Ring
  • The White Blot
  • What Peace Means
  • Who Owns The Mountains?
  • Wood-Magic