He
was associated with the New York journals up
to 1872, when he began the study of Egyptian
## p.
was associated with the New York journals up
to 1872, when he began the study of Egyptian
## p.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v26 to v30 - Tur to Zor and Index
army officer,
poet, and author ; born in Lancaster, Mass. ,
in 1790; died in St. Louis, Mo. , Sept. 16, 1851.
He served with credit in many grades, and
retired with the rank of brigadier-general by
brevet. His published works include : "Otway:
A Poem (1822); “Sannillac: A Poem (1831);
( The Age of Steam); Life of Zebulon Mont-
He was co-author of (Histor-
ical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan)
(1834), and edited (Washington's Revolutionary
Orders, selected from the MSS. of John Whit-
ing, his father (1844).
Whiting, Lilian. A Boston journalist; born
in New York about 1855. She has written : (The
World Beautiful,' two series; (From Dream-
land Sent,' poems; and After her Death: The
Story of a Summer,' a memorial of Kate Field.
Whitman, Sarah Helen Power. An Amer-
ican poet; born in Providence, R. I. , in 1803;
died June 27, 1878. She married John W. Whit-
man, a Boston lawyer. She was once engaged
to Edgar Allan Poe, afterwards writing a de-
fense of him entitled "Edgar A. Poe and his
Critics) (1860). She was noted for her con-
versational powers.
She published several
volumes of poems, among them being the
volume (Hours of Life, and Other Poems!
(1853); also (Fairy Ballads, written with her
sister, Anna M. Power.
Whitman, Walt. A celebrated American
poet; born at West Hills, L. I. , May 31, 1819;
died at Camden, N. J. , March 26, 1892. He
published: Franklin Evans; or, The Inebri-
ate: A Tale of the Times) (1842); (Voices
from the Press: A Collection of Sketches, Es.
says, and Poems, by Practical Printers) (Walt
Whitman, Woodworth, Willis, Bayard Taylor
and others) (1850); "Leaves of Grass, 12 poems
(1855); do. , 32 poems (1856); do. , 154 poems
(1860-61); do. , 178 poems (1867); do. , 249
poems (1871); do. , 288 poems (1876); do. , 283
poems (1881); Drum Taps) (1865); "Passage
to India) (1871); Democratic Vistas) (1871);
After All Not to Create Only) (1871); As a
Strong Bird on Pinions Free, and Other Poems!
(1872); Memoranda during the War) (1875);
(Two Rivulets) (1876), including poems pre-
viously printed; (Specimen Days and Collect)
(1882-83); November Boughs) (1888); “Leaves
of Grass, with Sands at Seventy and a Back-
ard Glance o'er Traveled Roads) (1889);
(Good-Bye, My Fancy' (1891). The Complete
Works) (1897-98) are published under the su-
pervision of Whitman's literary executors.
Whitney, Adeline Dutton (Train). An
American poet and novelist; born at Boston,
Sept. 15, 1824. Besides writing a great deal
for magazines, she has published: (Footsteps
on the Seas: A Poem (1857); “Mother Goose
for Grown Folks) (1860; revised ed. 1882); (The
Boys at Chequasset) (1862); (Faith Gartney's
Girlhood (1863); “The Gayworthies : A Story
of Threads and Thrums) (1865); (A Summer
in Leslie Goldthwaite's Life) (1866); (Patience
Strong's Outings) (1868); (Hitherto: A Story of
Yesterday) (1869); (Real Folks) (1872); Pan-
sies? (1872), verse; (The Other Girls) (1873);
(Sights and Insights) (1876); “Bonnyborough)
(1885); (Homespun Yarns) (1887); and two
volumes of poems, ('Bird Talk) (1887) and
(Daffodils) (1887).
Whitrey, William Dwight. An American
professor, eminent as a philologist and editor;
born in Northampton, Mass. , Feb. 9, 1827; died
at New Haven, Conn. , June 7, 1894. He graduated
gomery Pike.
## p. 573 (#589) ############################################
WHITTAKER-WICKEDE
573
at Williams College, 1845; spent some years
abroad in study; in 1854 was made professor
of Sanskrit at Yale, in 1870 of comparative
philology, holding both positions till death.
His writings are authority on all philological
questions, and his rank as a Sanskrit scholar
is of the first order. From 1849 he was a mem-
ber of the American Oriental Society, and its
president from 1884. His contributions to the
North American Review, the New Englander,
and other periodicals, were numerous and
varied. His earliest work was the preparation,
in company with Rudolf Roth of Tübingen, of
an edition of the Atharva Veda Sanhita (Ber-
lin, 1856). Among his other works are: (Lan-
guage and the Study of Language) (1867); “On
Material and Form in Language) (1872); “Dar-
winism and Language) (1874); 'Logical Consist-
ency in Views of Language) (1880); (Mixture in
Language) (1881);( The Study of Hindoo Gram-
mar and the Study of Sanskrit) (1884); (The
Upanishads and their Latest Translation)
(1886). He has also written : (Compendious
German Grammar) (1869); (German Reader
in Prose and Verse (1870); “Essentials of Eng-
lish Grammar) (1877); (Sanskrit Grammar)
(1877); and Practical French Grammar' (1886).
Professor Whitney was the superintending
editor of the Century Dictionary) (1889-91),
and assisted in the preparation of Webster's
Dictionary) (1864).
Whittaker, Frederick. An American story-
writer and journalist, formerly an officer in the
United States service; born in 1838. He has
written : (A Defense of Dime Novels, by a
Writer of Them'; Life of General Custer);
(Cadet Button: A Tale of American Army
Life); (Bel Rubio : A Novel. ?
Whittemore, Thomas. A distinguished Uni-
versalist clergyman and religious writer; born
at Boston, Jan. I, 1800; died at Cambridge,
March 21, 1861. He was joint editor of the
Universalist Magazine, sole editor and pro-
prietor of the Trumpet (1828-57); member re-
peatedly of the Massachusetts Legislature;
president of the Vermont and Massachusetts
railroad. He wrote: (Modern History of Uni-
versalism) (enlarged ed. 1860); (Autobiography)
(1859), besides commentaries, hymns, biogra-
phies, etc.
Whittier, Elizabeth H. An American poet,
sister of John Greenleaf Whittier; died at Ames-
bury, Mass. , Sept. 3, 1864. Several of her poems
can be seen in her brother's (Hazel Blossoms)
(1875), or under that title in any collection of
his works.
Whittier, John Greenleaf. A famous Amer-
ican poet; born at Haverhill, Mass. , Dec. 17,
1807 ; died at Hampton Falls, N. H. , September
1892. A Quaker in religion, he was remarka.
ble for his consistency and the purity of his
life; he was one of the earliest and most in-
fluential abolitionists, several times mobbed for
his opinions. He was at different periods edi.
tor of several journals, among them (1838–40)
the Pennsylvania Freeman, an abolition publi-
cation, and the leading contributor to the
Washington National Era, 1847-59; was mem-
ber of the Massachusetts Legislature, 1835–36;
one of the secretaries of the American Anti-
Slavery Society, 1836. He took great inter-
est in politics. His home, after 1840, was at
Amesbury, Mass. Among his best-known poems
are: "Skipper Ireson's Ride) (1860); My
Playmate) (1800); (Barbara Frietchie) (1863);
(Laus Deo) (1865); (My Birthday); (Snow-
Bound) (1866); Maud Muller) (1866); (The
Tent on the Beach) (1867). Perhaps no other
of our poets, not even Longfellow, has so
reached the popular heart. *
Whymper, Edward. An English'artist, trav-
eler, and descriptive writer; born in London,
April 27, 1840. He is famous as a mountain
climber,- was the first to ascend the Matter-
horn and other great Alpine peaks, and has
ascended several of the greatest of the Andes;
traveled in Greenland. He has published, and
himself illustrated, (Swiss Pictures) (1866);
(Scrambles among the Alps) (1869); “Travels
amongst the Great Andes of the Equator) (1892).
Whymper, Frederick. An English writer
of travels, brother of Edward; born in London,
July 20, 1838. He has written (Travels and
Adventures in Alaska) (1869), and (Heroes of
the Arctic and their Adventures) (1875); and
compiled (The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Ad-
venture, Peril, and Heroism (4 vols. , 1878-81).
Whyte, Violet. See Stannard.
Whyte-Melville, George John. An English
novelist; born near St. Andrews, Scotland, 1821;
died Dec. 5, 1878. A captain in the Coldstream
Guards, he retired from the army (1849), but
served in the Turkish cavalry during the
Crimean war. Among his works were : (Cap-
tain Digby Grand' (1853); (The Gladiators)
(1863); (Sarchedon (1871); (Katerfelto) (1875);
He wrote also a volume of "Songs and
Verses) and translated Horace's (Odes.
Wichert, Ernst Alexander August Georg
(vich-ert). A German dramatist and novelist;
born in Insterburg, March 11, 1831. He wrote:
(Our General York) (1858); Light and Shade)
(1861); (The Fool of Luck) (1869), which took
the prize at the Vienna Burg Theatre, and
turned the public attention to him ; several
novels, among them being (Behind the Scenes)
(1872), (The Green Gate) (1875), "A Strong
Heart) (1878); some historical works, as (Hein-
rich Plauen! (1883) and (The Great
Elector in Prussia (1886); and many plays.
Wickede, Julius von (vik'e-dė). A German
military writer and littérateur; born in Meck.
lenburg, July II, 1819. He has written: A
History of the War between Germany and
France in the Years 1870 and 1871) (1873);
(A History of the Wars of France against Ger-
many in the Last Two Centuries) (1874); (A
Prussian Officer) (1873); “A German Trooper's
Life) (1861); etc.
etc.
von
## p. 574 (#590) ############################################
WICKSTEED-WILBOUR
574
:
Wicksteed, Philip Henry. An English cler-
gyman, economic writer, and critic; born at
Leeds, Oct. 25, 1844. He was lecturer on so-
ciology at Oxford University. He has pub-
lished: (Dante: Six Sermons) (1880); Alpha-
bet of Economic Science) (1888); (Henrik
Ibsen: Four Lectures) (1892); besides transla-
tions from the Dutch and French.
Widmann, Joseph Viktor (vid'män). A Swiss
poet; born in Moravia, Feb. 20, 1842. He
studied theology in Heidelberg and Jena, and
in 1866 became organist and musical director
in Liestal; in 1807 he was made assistant pastor
at Thurgau; in 1868 became director of the
Girls' School in Bern, but resigned this posi-
tion in 1880, becoming associate editor of the
Bern Bund. He wrote: (Iphigenia in Delphi)
(1865), a drama; (Buddha : An Epic Poem)
(1869); "Enone) (1880), a play; etc.
Wied, Prince Alexander Philipp Maximil-
lan von (vēd). A German naturalist and trav-
eler; born at Neuwied, Sept. 23, 1782; died
Feb. 3, 1867. He became major-general in the
Prussian Army, but left it for scientific pursuits.
He traveled in Brazil, 1815-17, and in 1833 went
on a tour through the United States. As a
result of these trips he wrote: (Travels in
Brazil) (1820); Descriptions of the Natural
History of Brazil (1824-33); and “A Journey
through North America) (1833-43).
Wieland, Christopher Martin (vē’länt). A
German poet and prose-writer ; born in Ober-
holzheim, Suabia, Sept. 5, 1733; died Jan. 20,
1813. He established two periodicals, the Ger-
man Mercury, and the Attic Museum. His
most famous work is the poem (Oberon' (1780).
Other principal works are: (Agathon (1766-
67); (The New Amadis) (1771); (The Golden
Mirror) (1772). He also translated the greater
part of Shakespeare into German. *
Wiffen, Jeremiah Holmes. An English edu-
cator, poet, and translator ; born at Woburn
in 1792; died at Woburn Abbey, May 2, 1836.
He made poetical translations of Garcilaso de
la Vega (1823), Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered
(2 vols. , 1824-25), and from the Welsh (Triads. )
Besides contributing poems to the annuals, he
published several volumes of original verse.
Wiggin, Kate Douglas. An American story-
writer ; born (Smith) in Philadelphia, Sept. 28,
1857. Her youth was spent in Hollis, Me. ,
and she attended Abbott Academy in Andover,
Mass. She went to California in 1876, where
she studied the kindergarten system in Los
Angeles; later, she taught a year in Santa
Barbara College; then went to San Francisco,
where she organized the first free kindergar-
ten in the West. In 1880 she organized the
California Kindergarten Training School, with
her sister Nora A. Smith, and Mrs. S. B.
Cooper. In 1880 she married S. B. Wiggin, a
lawyer, and they moved to New York, where
Mr. Wiggin died in 1889. In 1895 Mrs. Wiggin
married Geo. C. Riggs. She has written many
stories and books on and for the kindergarten
among them being (The Story of Patsy,' (The
Birds' Christmas Carol, (Polly Oliver's Prob-
lem, (The Story Hour,' and Kindergarten
Principles and Practice.
Wigglesworth, Michael. An American Con-
gregational clergyman and poet; born in Eng-
land, 1631; died at Malden, Mass. , June 10,
1705. His best-known work, (The Day of
Doom (1662), was a popular poem in New
England for a long period. He published :
(God's Controversy with New England) and
"Meat Out of the Eater, in verse; and also
(A Discourse on Eternity.
Wight, Orlando Williams. An American
biographer, editor, and translator; born at Cen-
treville, N. Y. , Feb. 19, 1824; died at Detroit,
Mich. , Oct. 19, 1888. A Universalist minister ori-
ginally, he practiced medicine in Wisconsin,
where he was appointed State geologist and
surgeon-general in 1874; health commissioner
of Milwaukee, 1878-80; later he was health offi.
cer of Detroit. He wrote Lives and Letters
of Abélard and Héloïse) (new ed. 1861); (Max-
ims of Public Health) (1884); People and
Countries Visited) (1888), travels; edited (Phi-
losophy of Sir William Hamilton' (1853);
(Standard French Classics) (12 vols. , 1859);
(The Household Library) (18 vols. , 1859); and
translated Cousin's History of Modern Phi-
losophy) (1852, with F. W. Ricord); Lectures
on the True, the Beautiful, and the Good)
(1854); Martin's History of France) (1863
with Mary L. Booth).
Wilberforce, Samuel. An English bishop;
born at Clapham, Sept. 7, 1805; killed by a
fall from his horse, near Dorking, July 19, 1873.
He wrote: Note-Book of a Country Clergy-
man) (1833); “Eucharistica) (1839); (Sermons
Preached Before the University of Oxford) (2
series, 1839-62), and other volumes of sermons;
(The Rocky Island and Other Parables) (1840);
(A History of the Protestant Episcopal Church
of America) (1844); "Heroes of Hebrew His-
tory) (1870); (Speeches on Missions (1874);
and many miscellaneous publications.
Wilberforce, William. An English states-
man and reformer; born at Hull, Aug. 24, 1759;
died in London, July 29, 1833, and was buried
in Westminster Abbey, as he had wished, aside
by side with Canning, at the feet of Pitt, and
within two steps of Fox and Grattan. ) His
great work, achieved by almost twenty years
of effort, was abolishing the slave trade through-
out the British Empire. He published a volume,
(A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious
System of Professed Christians in the Higher
and Middle Classes of this Country, Contrasted
with Real Christianity) (1797). His sons wrote
the Life of William Wilberforce' (5 vols. , 1838);
and edited his 'Correspondence) (2 vols. , 1840).
Wilbour, Charles Edwin. An American
Egyptologist, journalist, and author; born in
Rhode Island, March 17, 1833; died in 1896.
He
was associated with the New York journals up
to 1872, when he began the study of Egyptian
## p. 575 (#591) ############################################
WILBRANDT - WILKINS
575
antiquities; and was afterwards the companion
of Brugsch Bey and Maspero in many explor-
ing expeditions in Upper Egypt. He has pub-
lished translations from the French : (Rachel in
the New World, from Léon Beauvallet (1856);
Victor Hugo's (Les Misérables) (1862–63); and
Renan's Life of Jesus) (1863).
Wilbrandt, Adolf (vēl bränt). A German
poet and dramatist; born at Rostock, Aug. 24,
1837. Among his dramas, which have been
successfully presented in all the principal the-
atres of Germany, are: (Graf Hammerstein)
(1870), (Gracchus) (1872), (Arria and Messa-
lina' (1874), “Giordano Bruno) (1874), "Nero)
(1876), (Kriemhild) (1877), tragedies; “Youthful
Love) (1872), and Natalie) (1878), comedies.
He has treated the great social and literary
questions of his day in the three novels (Adam's
Sons) (1890), (Hermann Ifinger) (1892), and
(The Thorny Path) (1894).
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler. An American poet;
born at Johnstown Centre, Wis. , about 1845.
She has contributed much to current period-
icals, and her poems are widely copied. Some
of her volumes are: (Maurine) (1882); (Poems
of Passion (1883); and (Poems of Pleas-
ure (1888). She has published a novel, Mal
Moulée) (1885).
Wilde, Jane Francesca Elgee, Lady.
["Speranza. ”] An Irish poet and author,
mother of Oscar; born in Wexford, 1826; died
in Chelsea, England, Feb. 3, 1896. She wrote:
Ugo Bassi? (1857); Poems) (1864); Drift-
Wood from Scandinavia) (1884); (Ancient
Legends, etc. , of Ireland' (2 vols. , 1886); “The
Glacier Land.
Wilde, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills. An
Irish poet and author; born in Dublin, 1856.
Some of his works are : Poems) (1880); (The
Picture of Dorian Gray,' a novel; (The Happy
Prince, and Other Tales) (1888); “Guido Fer-
ranti! (1890), and (The Duchess of Padua,'
tragedies; (Intentions, essays (1891); Lord
Arthur Savile's Crimes, and Other Stories)
(1891); "Lady Windermere's Fan, (A Woman
of No Importance, and (The Importance of
Being Earnest,' and other comedies.
Wilde, Richard Henry. An American
lawyer and author; born in Dublin, 1789;
died in New Orleans, 1847. He published :
"Conjectures and Researches concerning the
Love, Madness, and Imprisonment of Torquato
Tasso' (1842); and wrote many popular lyrics,
the best-known one being My Life Is Like
the Summer Rose. )
Wildenbruch, Ernst von (veld'en-bröch). A
German soldier, lawyer, and dramatist; born at
Beyrût, Syria, Feb. 3, 1845. His dramas have
been played with great success in most German
cities. Some of them are : Fathers and Sons)
(1882); (Harold) (4th ed. 1884; English trans-
lation 1891); (Christopher Marlowe) ( 1884 );
( The Mennonite) (3d ed. 1886); (The Carlo-
vingians) (4th ed. 1887); “The Quitzows) (1888);
(The New Master) (1891). He has also pub-
lished a number of short stories and novels,
the best of which is (The Master of Tanagra)
(1880). In his "Lays and Songs) (1877) and
(Poems and Ballads (1884), are some great
ballads and hymns, the most popular of which
is (The Witches' Song.
Wilder, Alexander. An American physi.
cian, and medical and archæological writer;
born at Verona, N. Y. , May 13, 1823. He was
president of the Eclectic Medical College,
New York (1867); lecturer on physiology and
physiological medicine (1873-77); professor of
physiology and of psychological science in the
United States Medical College. Besides tech-
nical works, he has written (The Worship of
the Serpent' (1877); and edited several works
on archæology:
Wildermuth, Madame Ottilie (vēl'der-möt).
A German novelist; born (Ronschütz) at Rot-
tenburg, Würtemberg, Feb. 22, 1817; died July
12, 1877. She wrote many novels of home life
and stories for the young, among which are :
(In Daylight) (1861); (Augusta (1865); (From
Mountain and Valley) (1867); etc. (In the
Child World) was published after her death.
Wilhelmine, (Friederike Sophie] (vil-hel.
mē'nė), Margravine of Bayreuth. A distin-
guished German writer of memoirs ; born at
Berlin, July 3, 1709; died October 1758. She
was the favorite sister of Frederick the Great.
She wrote (Memoirs) (new ed. 1845). *
Wilkes, Charles. An American admiral, ex-
plorer, and scientist ; born in New York, 1801 ;
died at Washington, D. C. , Feb. 8, 1877. In
command of an exploring expedition, he vis-
ited South America, the Fiji, Samoan, Ha-
waiian, and other islands in the Pacific, the
Antarctic regions, the western coast of North
America, etc. ; captured the Confederate com-
missioners Mason and Slidell, on the British
steamer Trent (1861); became commodore in
1862, and admiral in 1866. He wrote a (Nar-
rative of his expedition (6 vols. , 1845); “West-
ern America) (1849); etc.
Wilkes, George. An American journalist,
born in New York city in 1820; died there,
Sept. 23, 1885. He was editor of the Spirit of
the Times from 1850, and well known as a
politician and a traveler. He wrote a History
of California) (1845); and a book of travel,
(Europe in a Hurry) (1852).
Wilkie, William. A Scottish poet; born at
Dalmeny, West Lothian, Oct. 5, 1721; died Oct.
10, 1772. He was professor of natural philos-
ophy at the university of St. Andrews, 1759.
He wrote: (The Epigoniad' (2d ed. 1759), an
epic on the taking of Thebes, which won for
him the title of the Scottish Homer; and (Fa-
bles) (1768).
Wilkins, John. An English clergyman and
scientist; born at Fawsley, Northamptonshire,
1014; died in London, Nov. 19, 1672. He was
bishop of Chester (1668), and one of the found-
ers of the Royal Society (1645). His works
## p. 576 (#592) ############################################
576
WILKINS - WILLIAMS
(
were one of the most effective agents in the
spread of the Copernican system in England.
He wrote: (Discovery of a New World (1638);
(Discourse concerning a New Planet (1640);
Mercury; or, The Secret and Swift Messenger,
Showing How a Man May Communicate his
Thoughts to a friend at Any Distance) (1641);
Mathematical Magic' (1648); (Essay toward
a Real Character and a Philosophical Lan.
guage) (1668); Principles and Duties of Nat-
ural Religion (1675); etc.
Wilkins, Mary Eleanor. An American au-
thor; born at Randolph, Mass. Her works,
studies of New England country life, are :
(The Adventures of Ann (1886), (A Humble
Romance) (1887), "A New England Nun!
(1891), and Young Lucretia' (1892), collec-
tions of short stories; (Giles Corey, Yeoman)
(1893), a play; Jane Field (1893), Pem-
broke) (1894), novels; and (The Long Arm
(1895), a $2,000 prize detective story. *
Wilkinson, Sir John Gardner. An English
Egyptologist ; born at Haxendale, Oct. 5, 1797 ;
died at Llandover, Wales, Oct. 29, 1875. His
principal work is (Manners and Customs of
the Ancient Egyptians) (two series, 6 vols. ,
1837-41), still valuable, and reissued in 1879.
Others are; Materia Hieroglyphica) (1828);
(The Topography of Thebes, and General
View of Egypt) (1835); Modern Egypt and
Thebes) (2 vols. , 1843), republished as Mur-
ray's Handbook for Travelers in Egypt) (1847);
(Dalmatia and Montenegro) (2 vols. , 1848);
( The Architecture of Ancient Egypt) (1850);
(The Fragments of the Hieratic Papyrus at
Turin) (1851); and “The Egyptians in the Time
of the Pharaohs) (1857).
Wilkinson, William Cleaver. An Ameri-
can educator and Baptist clergyman; born in
Westford, Vt. , Oct. 19, 1833. He is dean of
the department of literature and art in the
Chautauqua University, for which he has pre-
pared many text-books. Among his works
are : (The Dance of Modern Society) (1869);
(A Free Lance, etc. , (1874); (The Baptist
Principle) (1881); (Webster: An Ode) (1882);
(Poems? (1883); essay on Edwin Arnold
(1884); and College Greek Course in English.
Willard, Emma (Hart). An American edu-
cator and author; born in Berlin, Conn. , Feb.
23, 1787; died at Troy, N. Y. , April 15, 1870.
She did much for bettering the education of
women. Her books, educational and general,
include : (A Plan for Improving Female Edu-
cation) (1819); A History of the United
States) (1828); (Poems) (1830), containing the
popular song (Rocked in the Cradle of the
Deep); Journal and Letters from France
and Great Britain) (1833); Universal His-
tory) (1835); (Respiration and its Effects);
and Morals for the Young (1857).
Willard, Frances Elizabeth. An Ameri-
can educator, editor, and reformer; born near
Rochester, N. Y. , Sept. 28, 1839; died Feb. 18,
1898. She was been president of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union since 1879, and
founded the World's Woman's Christian Tem-
perance Union in 1883. She was editor-in-chief
of the Union Signal, the official organ of the
woman's temperance movement. Besides con-
tributing to other leading periodicals, she has
published: (Nineteen Beautiful Years) (1864),
a life of her deceased sister; 'Glimpses of Fifty
Years) (1889); and (A Great Mother' (1894).
William of Malmesbury. A celebrated Eng.
lish monk and historian; born about 1095; died
at Malmesbury, about 1142. He was librarian
of the monastery at Malmesbury. He wrote:
History of the English Kings,' and its con-
tinuation Modern History, the two being the
source from which all subsequent histories of
England have drawn; History of the Prelates
of England”; (Lives) of St. Patrick, St. Dun-
stan, St. Wulfstan; several books of miracles;
etc.
William of Tyre. A Syrian historian; born
about 1137. He was archbishop of Tyre (1175).
He wrote History of the Sovereigns of the
East,' and History of Events in the Lands
across the Sea,' a fine record of the Crusades
from 1127 to 1184, first printed in 1549. There
are German and French translations of the
latter.
Williams, Alfred Mason. An American jour-
nalist, editor, and poet; born in Massachusetts,
1840; died in 1896. He was long editor of the
Providence Journal. He published: (The Poets
and Poetry of Ireland); (Studies in Folk Song
and Popular Poetry); 'Sam Houston and the
War of Independence in Texas.
Williams, Mrs. Annie (Bowles). An Ameri-
can juvenile-story writer; born in Connecticut,
1840. She has published: (Birchwood); (The
Fitch Club); Professor Johnny); Rolf and
his Friends); "Who Saved the Ship? ); 'The
Giant Dwarf); (The Riverside Museum. '
Williams, Mrs. Catharine R. (Arnold).
An American author; born in Providence,
R. I. , about 1790; died there, Oct. 11, 1872. She
was the author of (Original Poems) (1828);
(Religion at Home) (1829); (Tales, National
and Revolutionary) (1830–35); (Aristocracy, a
novel (1832); (Fall River) (1833); Biography
of Revolutionary Heroes) (1839); and (Annals
of the Aristocracy of Rhode Island (2 vols. ,
1843-45).
Williams, Francis Howard. An American
dramatic writer and poet, residing in Phila-
delphia; born in Pennsylvania, 1844. Among
his plays are: (The Princess Elizabeth : A
Lyric Drama); (The Higher Education': (A
Reformer in Ruffles); Master and Man.
He also wrote (Theodora : A Pastoral); (At-
man: A Story); (The Flute Plaver, and Other
Poems); Pennsylvania Poets of the Provincial
Period. '
Williams, George Washington. An Amer-
ican negro writer and soldier; born in Pennsyl.
vania, 1849. He served in the Northern army
(
>
(
## p. 577 (#593) ############################################
WILLIAMS – WILMER
577
3
(
in the Civil War, and subsequently as an offi-
cer in the army of Mexico (1865–67). He was
minister to Hayti, 1885-86. He wrote: (His-
tory of the Negro Race in America); (The
Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion);
(History of Reconstruction. '
Williams, Isaac. A British clergyman and
religious poet; born at Cwmcynfelin, near
Aberystwith, Wales, Dec. 12, 1802; died at
Stinchcombe, England, May 1, 1865. With
Keble, Newman, and Pusey, he was active in
the Tractarian movement. He wrote: (The
Cathedral) (1838), in verse; (Hymns) (1839);
( Thoughts in Past Years) (1842); (The Christ-
ian Scholar) (1849); (Autobiography) (1892);
besides other purely religious works.
Williams, Jesse Lynch. An American writer
of stories for the young ; born in Illinois, 1871.
He has published: (Princeton Stories ); (The
Freshman.
Williams, John. [“Anthony Pasquin. ”] An
English writer, journalist, and dramatist ; born
in London about 1765; died in Brooklyn, N. Y. ,
Oct. 12, 1818. Because of his scurrilous political
writings he was declared in 1797 to be "a
common libeler, and soon after came to the
United States. He was connected with the
press, wrote several plays, also a volume of
poems (1789); Legislative Biography) (1795);
"Life of Alexander Hamilton (1804); and the
(Dramatic Censor) (1811).
Williams, John. An English missionary ;
born at Tottenham, June 29, 1796; killed and
eaten by cannibals, at Erromanga, New Heb-
rides, Nov. 20, 1839. His adventurous and gen-
erally successful life as a missionary extended
over a period of more than twenty years (1816-
39). He wrote that famous classic of mis-
sionary literature, (A Narrative of Missionary
Enterprises in the South Sea Islands) (Lon-
don and New York, 1837; 56th thousand,
1865).
Williams, Martha McCulloch. An Ameri-
can miscellaneous writer. Besides several sto-
ries and poems in Harper's Bazar and Monthly,
and a book on botany, she has published :
(Field-Farings) (1892), a collection of essays;
(Two of a Trade) (1894), a story.
Williams, Roger. An English-American
clergyman, and founder of the State of Rhode
Island; born about 1600; died about 1684.
His chief distinction is in his founding the
first State in which there is an absolute
guarantee of liberty of conscience to every
man,--the government having no authority in
matters of religion. He published: (Key into
the Language of America; or, An Help to the
Language of the Natives in that Part of Amer-
ica Called New England, etc. (1643; new
ed. 1820); Mr. Cotton's Letter, etc. (1644);
and (The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for
Cause of Conscience, Discussed in a Conference
between Truth and Peace, etc. (1644); (The
Bloody Tenent yet More Bloody, etc. (1652);
(The Hireling Ministry None of Christ's, etc.
(1652); (Experiments of Spiritual Life and
Health, etc.
poet, and author ; born in Lancaster, Mass. ,
in 1790; died in St. Louis, Mo. , Sept. 16, 1851.
He served with credit in many grades, and
retired with the rank of brigadier-general by
brevet. His published works include : "Otway:
A Poem (1822); “Sannillac: A Poem (1831);
( The Age of Steam); Life of Zebulon Mont-
He was co-author of (Histor-
ical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan)
(1834), and edited (Washington's Revolutionary
Orders, selected from the MSS. of John Whit-
ing, his father (1844).
Whiting, Lilian. A Boston journalist; born
in New York about 1855. She has written : (The
World Beautiful,' two series; (From Dream-
land Sent,' poems; and After her Death: The
Story of a Summer,' a memorial of Kate Field.
Whitman, Sarah Helen Power. An Amer-
ican poet; born in Providence, R. I. , in 1803;
died June 27, 1878. She married John W. Whit-
man, a Boston lawyer. She was once engaged
to Edgar Allan Poe, afterwards writing a de-
fense of him entitled "Edgar A. Poe and his
Critics) (1860). She was noted for her con-
versational powers.
She published several
volumes of poems, among them being the
volume (Hours of Life, and Other Poems!
(1853); also (Fairy Ballads, written with her
sister, Anna M. Power.
Whitman, Walt. A celebrated American
poet; born at West Hills, L. I. , May 31, 1819;
died at Camden, N. J. , March 26, 1892. He
published: Franklin Evans; or, The Inebri-
ate: A Tale of the Times) (1842); (Voices
from the Press: A Collection of Sketches, Es.
says, and Poems, by Practical Printers) (Walt
Whitman, Woodworth, Willis, Bayard Taylor
and others) (1850); "Leaves of Grass, 12 poems
(1855); do. , 32 poems (1856); do. , 154 poems
(1860-61); do. , 178 poems (1867); do. , 249
poems (1871); do. , 288 poems (1876); do. , 283
poems (1881); Drum Taps) (1865); "Passage
to India) (1871); Democratic Vistas) (1871);
After All Not to Create Only) (1871); As a
Strong Bird on Pinions Free, and Other Poems!
(1872); Memoranda during the War) (1875);
(Two Rivulets) (1876), including poems pre-
viously printed; (Specimen Days and Collect)
(1882-83); November Boughs) (1888); “Leaves
of Grass, with Sands at Seventy and a Back-
ard Glance o'er Traveled Roads) (1889);
(Good-Bye, My Fancy' (1891). The Complete
Works) (1897-98) are published under the su-
pervision of Whitman's literary executors.
Whitney, Adeline Dutton (Train). An
American poet and novelist; born at Boston,
Sept. 15, 1824. Besides writing a great deal
for magazines, she has published: (Footsteps
on the Seas: A Poem (1857); “Mother Goose
for Grown Folks) (1860; revised ed. 1882); (The
Boys at Chequasset) (1862); (Faith Gartney's
Girlhood (1863); “The Gayworthies : A Story
of Threads and Thrums) (1865); (A Summer
in Leslie Goldthwaite's Life) (1866); (Patience
Strong's Outings) (1868); (Hitherto: A Story of
Yesterday) (1869); (Real Folks) (1872); Pan-
sies? (1872), verse; (The Other Girls) (1873);
(Sights and Insights) (1876); “Bonnyborough)
(1885); (Homespun Yarns) (1887); and two
volumes of poems, ('Bird Talk) (1887) and
(Daffodils) (1887).
Whitrey, William Dwight. An American
professor, eminent as a philologist and editor;
born in Northampton, Mass. , Feb. 9, 1827; died
at New Haven, Conn. , June 7, 1894. He graduated
gomery Pike.
## p. 573 (#589) ############################################
WHITTAKER-WICKEDE
573
at Williams College, 1845; spent some years
abroad in study; in 1854 was made professor
of Sanskrit at Yale, in 1870 of comparative
philology, holding both positions till death.
His writings are authority on all philological
questions, and his rank as a Sanskrit scholar
is of the first order. From 1849 he was a mem-
ber of the American Oriental Society, and its
president from 1884. His contributions to the
North American Review, the New Englander,
and other periodicals, were numerous and
varied. His earliest work was the preparation,
in company with Rudolf Roth of Tübingen, of
an edition of the Atharva Veda Sanhita (Ber-
lin, 1856). Among his other works are: (Lan-
guage and the Study of Language) (1867); “On
Material and Form in Language) (1872); “Dar-
winism and Language) (1874); 'Logical Consist-
ency in Views of Language) (1880); (Mixture in
Language) (1881);( The Study of Hindoo Gram-
mar and the Study of Sanskrit) (1884); (The
Upanishads and their Latest Translation)
(1886). He has also written : (Compendious
German Grammar) (1869); (German Reader
in Prose and Verse (1870); “Essentials of Eng-
lish Grammar) (1877); (Sanskrit Grammar)
(1877); and Practical French Grammar' (1886).
Professor Whitney was the superintending
editor of the Century Dictionary) (1889-91),
and assisted in the preparation of Webster's
Dictionary) (1864).
Whittaker, Frederick. An American story-
writer and journalist, formerly an officer in the
United States service; born in 1838. He has
written : (A Defense of Dime Novels, by a
Writer of Them'; Life of General Custer);
(Cadet Button: A Tale of American Army
Life); (Bel Rubio : A Novel. ?
Whittemore, Thomas. A distinguished Uni-
versalist clergyman and religious writer; born
at Boston, Jan. I, 1800; died at Cambridge,
March 21, 1861. He was joint editor of the
Universalist Magazine, sole editor and pro-
prietor of the Trumpet (1828-57); member re-
peatedly of the Massachusetts Legislature;
president of the Vermont and Massachusetts
railroad. He wrote: (Modern History of Uni-
versalism) (enlarged ed. 1860); (Autobiography)
(1859), besides commentaries, hymns, biogra-
phies, etc.
Whittier, Elizabeth H. An American poet,
sister of John Greenleaf Whittier; died at Ames-
bury, Mass. , Sept. 3, 1864. Several of her poems
can be seen in her brother's (Hazel Blossoms)
(1875), or under that title in any collection of
his works.
Whittier, John Greenleaf. A famous Amer-
ican poet; born at Haverhill, Mass. , Dec. 17,
1807 ; died at Hampton Falls, N. H. , September
1892. A Quaker in religion, he was remarka.
ble for his consistency and the purity of his
life; he was one of the earliest and most in-
fluential abolitionists, several times mobbed for
his opinions. He was at different periods edi.
tor of several journals, among them (1838–40)
the Pennsylvania Freeman, an abolition publi-
cation, and the leading contributor to the
Washington National Era, 1847-59; was mem-
ber of the Massachusetts Legislature, 1835–36;
one of the secretaries of the American Anti-
Slavery Society, 1836. He took great inter-
est in politics. His home, after 1840, was at
Amesbury, Mass. Among his best-known poems
are: "Skipper Ireson's Ride) (1860); My
Playmate) (1800); (Barbara Frietchie) (1863);
(Laus Deo) (1865); (My Birthday); (Snow-
Bound) (1866); Maud Muller) (1866); (The
Tent on the Beach) (1867). Perhaps no other
of our poets, not even Longfellow, has so
reached the popular heart. *
Whymper, Edward. An English'artist, trav-
eler, and descriptive writer; born in London,
April 27, 1840. He is famous as a mountain
climber,- was the first to ascend the Matter-
horn and other great Alpine peaks, and has
ascended several of the greatest of the Andes;
traveled in Greenland. He has published, and
himself illustrated, (Swiss Pictures) (1866);
(Scrambles among the Alps) (1869); “Travels
amongst the Great Andes of the Equator) (1892).
Whymper, Frederick. An English writer
of travels, brother of Edward; born in London,
July 20, 1838. He has written (Travels and
Adventures in Alaska) (1869), and (Heroes of
the Arctic and their Adventures) (1875); and
compiled (The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Ad-
venture, Peril, and Heroism (4 vols. , 1878-81).
Whyte, Violet. See Stannard.
Whyte-Melville, George John. An English
novelist; born near St. Andrews, Scotland, 1821;
died Dec. 5, 1878. A captain in the Coldstream
Guards, he retired from the army (1849), but
served in the Turkish cavalry during the
Crimean war. Among his works were : (Cap-
tain Digby Grand' (1853); (The Gladiators)
(1863); (Sarchedon (1871); (Katerfelto) (1875);
He wrote also a volume of "Songs and
Verses) and translated Horace's (Odes.
Wichert, Ernst Alexander August Georg
(vich-ert). A German dramatist and novelist;
born in Insterburg, March 11, 1831. He wrote:
(Our General York) (1858); Light and Shade)
(1861); (The Fool of Luck) (1869), which took
the prize at the Vienna Burg Theatre, and
turned the public attention to him ; several
novels, among them being (Behind the Scenes)
(1872), (The Green Gate) (1875), "A Strong
Heart) (1878); some historical works, as (Hein-
rich Plauen! (1883) and (The Great
Elector in Prussia (1886); and many plays.
Wickede, Julius von (vik'e-dė). A German
military writer and littérateur; born in Meck.
lenburg, July II, 1819. He has written: A
History of the War between Germany and
France in the Years 1870 and 1871) (1873);
(A History of the Wars of France against Ger-
many in the Last Two Centuries) (1874); (A
Prussian Officer) (1873); “A German Trooper's
Life) (1861); etc.
etc.
von
## p. 574 (#590) ############################################
WICKSTEED-WILBOUR
574
:
Wicksteed, Philip Henry. An English cler-
gyman, economic writer, and critic; born at
Leeds, Oct. 25, 1844. He was lecturer on so-
ciology at Oxford University. He has pub-
lished: (Dante: Six Sermons) (1880); Alpha-
bet of Economic Science) (1888); (Henrik
Ibsen: Four Lectures) (1892); besides transla-
tions from the Dutch and French.
Widmann, Joseph Viktor (vid'män). A Swiss
poet; born in Moravia, Feb. 20, 1842. He
studied theology in Heidelberg and Jena, and
in 1866 became organist and musical director
in Liestal; in 1807 he was made assistant pastor
at Thurgau; in 1868 became director of the
Girls' School in Bern, but resigned this posi-
tion in 1880, becoming associate editor of the
Bern Bund. He wrote: (Iphigenia in Delphi)
(1865), a drama; (Buddha : An Epic Poem)
(1869); "Enone) (1880), a play; etc.
Wied, Prince Alexander Philipp Maximil-
lan von (vēd). A German naturalist and trav-
eler; born at Neuwied, Sept. 23, 1782; died
Feb. 3, 1867. He became major-general in the
Prussian Army, but left it for scientific pursuits.
He traveled in Brazil, 1815-17, and in 1833 went
on a tour through the United States. As a
result of these trips he wrote: (Travels in
Brazil) (1820); Descriptions of the Natural
History of Brazil (1824-33); and “A Journey
through North America) (1833-43).
Wieland, Christopher Martin (vē’länt). A
German poet and prose-writer ; born in Ober-
holzheim, Suabia, Sept. 5, 1733; died Jan. 20,
1813. He established two periodicals, the Ger-
man Mercury, and the Attic Museum. His
most famous work is the poem (Oberon' (1780).
Other principal works are: (Agathon (1766-
67); (The New Amadis) (1771); (The Golden
Mirror) (1772). He also translated the greater
part of Shakespeare into German. *
Wiffen, Jeremiah Holmes. An English edu-
cator, poet, and translator ; born at Woburn
in 1792; died at Woburn Abbey, May 2, 1836.
He made poetical translations of Garcilaso de
la Vega (1823), Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered
(2 vols. , 1824-25), and from the Welsh (Triads. )
Besides contributing poems to the annuals, he
published several volumes of original verse.
Wiggin, Kate Douglas. An American story-
writer ; born (Smith) in Philadelphia, Sept. 28,
1857. Her youth was spent in Hollis, Me. ,
and she attended Abbott Academy in Andover,
Mass. She went to California in 1876, where
she studied the kindergarten system in Los
Angeles; later, she taught a year in Santa
Barbara College; then went to San Francisco,
where she organized the first free kindergar-
ten in the West. In 1880 she organized the
California Kindergarten Training School, with
her sister Nora A. Smith, and Mrs. S. B.
Cooper. In 1880 she married S. B. Wiggin, a
lawyer, and they moved to New York, where
Mr. Wiggin died in 1889. In 1895 Mrs. Wiggin
married Geo. C. Riggs. She has written many
stories and books on and for the kindergarten
among them being (The Story of Patsy,' (The
Birds' Christmas Carol, (Polly Oliver's Prob-
lem, (The Story Hour,' and Kindergarten
Principles and Practice.
Wigglesworth, Michael. An American Con-
gregational clergyman and poet; born in Eng-
land, 1631; died at Malden, Mass. , June 10,
1705. His best-known work, (The Day of
Doom (1662), was a popular poem in New
England for a long period. He published :
(God's Controversy with New England) and
"Meat Out of the Eater, in verse; and also
(A Discourse on Eternity.
Wight, Orlando Williams. An American
biographer, editor, and translator; born at Cen-
treville, N. Y. , Feb. 19, 1824; died at Detroit,
Mich. , Oct. 19, 1888. A Universalist minister ori-
ginally, he practiced medicine in Wisconsin,
where he was appointed State geologist and
surgeon-general in 1874; health commissioner
of Milwaukee, 1878-80; later he was health offi.
cer of Detroit. He wrote Lives and Letters
of Abélard and Héloïse) (new ed. 1861); (Max-
ims of Public Health) (1884); People and
Countries Visited) (1888), travels; edited (Phi-
losophy of Sir William Hamilton' (1853);
(Standard French Classics) (12 vols. , 1859);
(The Household Library) (18 vols. , 1859); and
translated Cousin's History of Modern Phi-
losophy) (1852, with F. W. Ricord); Lectures
on the True, the Beautiful, and the Good)
(1854); Martin's History of France) (1863
with Mary L. Booth).
Wilberforce, Samuel. An English bishop;
born at Clapham, Sept. 7, 1805; killed by a
fall from his horse, near Dorking, July 19, 1873.
He wrote: Note-Book of a Country Clergy-
man) (1833); “Eucharistica) (1839); (Sermons
Preached Before the University of Oxford) (2
series, 1839-62), and other volumes of sermons;
(The Rocky Island and Other Parables) (1840);
(A History of the Protestant Episcopal Church
of America) (1844); "Heroes of Hebrew His-
tory) (1870); (Speeches on Missions (1874);
and many miscellaneous publications.
Wilberforce, William. An English states-
man and reformer; born at Hull, Aug. 24, 1759;
died in London, July 29, 1833, and was buried
in Westminster Abbey, as he had wished, aside
by side with Canning, at the feet of Pitt, and
within two steps of Fox and Grattan. ) His
great work, achieved by almost twenty years
of effort, was abolishing the slave trade through-
out the British Empire. He published a volume,
(A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious
System of Professed Christians in the Higher
and Middle Classes of this Country, Contrasted
with Real Christianity) (1797). His sons wrote
the Life of William Wilberforce' (5 vols. , 1838);
and edited his 'Correspondence) (2 vols. , 1840).
Wilbour, Charles Edwin. An American
Egyptologist, journalist, and author; born in
Rhode Island, March 17, 1833; died in 1896.
He
was associated with the New York journals up
to 1872, when he began the study of Egyptian
## p. 575 (#591) ############################################
WILBRANDT - WILKINS
575
antiquities; and was afterwards the companion
of Brugsch Bey and Maspero in many explor-
ing expeditions in Upper Egypt. He has pub-
lished translations from the French : (Rachel in
the New World, from Léon Beauvallet (1856);
Victor Hugo's (Les Misérables) (1862–63); and
Renan's Life of Jesus) (1863).
Wilbrandt, Adolf (vēl bränt). A German
poet and dramatist; born at Rostock, Aug. 24,
1837. Among his dramas, which have been
successfully presented in all the principal the-
atres of Germany, are: (Graf Hammerstein)
(1870), (Gracchus) (1872), (Arria and Messa-
lina' (1874), “Giordano Bruno) (1874), "Nero)
(1876), (Kriemhild) (1877), tragedies; “Youthful
Love) (1872), and Natalie) (1878), comedies.
He has treated the great social and literary
questions of his day in the three novels (Adam's
Sons) (1890), (Hermann Ifinger) (1892), and
(The Thorny Path) (1894).
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler. An American poet;
born at Johnstown Centre, Wis. , about 1845.
She has contributed much to current period-
icals, and her poems are widely copied. Some
of her volumes are: (Maurine) (1882); (Poems
of Passion (1883); and (Poems of Pleas-
ure (1888). She has published a novel, Mal
Moulée) (1885).
Wilde, Jane Francesca Elgee, Lady.
["Speranza. ”] An Irish poet and author,
mother of Oscar; born in Wexford, 1826; died
in Chelsea, England, Feb. 3, 1896. She wrote:
Ugo Bassi? (1857); Poems) (1864); Drift-
Wood from Scandinavia) (1884); (Ancient
Legends, etc. , of Ireland' (2 vols. , 1886); “The
Glacier Land.
Wilde, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills. An
Irish poet and author; born in Dublin, 1856.
Some of his works are : Poems) (1880); (The
Picture of Dorian Gray,' a novel; (The Happy
Prince, and Other Tales) (1888); “Guido Fer-
ranti! (1890), and (The Duchess of Padua,'
tragedies; (Intentions, essays (1891); Lord
Arthur Savile's Crimes, and Other Stories)
(1891); "Lady Windermere's Fan, (A Woman
of No Importance, and (The Importance of
Being Earnest,' and other comedies.
Wilde, Richard Henry. An American
lawyer and author; born in Dublin, 1789;
died in New Orleans, 1847. He published :
"Conjectures and Researches concerning the
Love, Madness, and Imprisonment of Torquato
Tasso' (1842); and wrote many popular lyrics,
the best-known one being My Life Is Like
the Summer Rose. )
Wildenbruch, Ernst von (veld'en-bröch). A
German soldier, lawyer, and dramatist; born at
Beyrût, Syria, Feb. 3, 1845. His dramas have
been played with great success in most German
cities. Some of them are : Fathers and Sons)
(1882); (Harold) (4th ed. 1884; English trans-
lation 1891); (Christopher Marlowe) ( 1884 );
( The Mennonite) (3d ed. 1886); (The Carlo-
vingians) (4th ed. 1887); “The Quitzows) (1888);
(The New Master) (1891). He has also pub-
lished a number of short stories and novels,
the best of which is (The Master of Tanagra)
(1880). In his "Lays and Songs) (1877) and
(Poems and Ballads (1884), are some great
ballads and hymns, the most popular of which
is (The Witches' Song.
Wilder, Alexander. An American physi.
cian, and medical and archæological writer;
born at Verona, N. Y. , May 13, 1823. He was
president of the Eclectic Medical College,
New York (1867); lecturer on physiology and
physiological medicine (1873-77); professor of
physiology and of psychological science in the
United States Medical College. Besides tech-
nical works, he has written (The Worship of
the Serpent' (1877); and edited several works
on archæology:
Wildermuth, Madame Ottilie (vēl'der-möt).
A German novelist; born (Ronschütz) at Rot-
tenburg, Würtemberg, Feb. 22, 1817; died July
12, 1877. She wrote many novels of home life
and stories for the young, among which are :
(In Daylight) (1861); (Augusta (1865); (From
Mountain and Valley) (1867); etc. (In the
Child World) was published after her death.
Wilhelmine, (Friederike Sophie] (vil-hel.
mē'nė), Margravine of Bayreuth. A distin-
guished German writer of memoirs ; born at
Berlin, July 3, 1709; died October 1758. She
was the favorite sister of Frederick the Great.
She wrote (Memoirs) (new ed. 1845). *
Wilkes, Charles. An American admiral, ex-
plorer, and scientist ; born in New York, 1801 ;
died at Washington, D. C. , Feb. 8, 1877. In
command of an exploring expedition, he vis-
ited South America, the Fiji, Samoan, Ha-
waiian, and other islands in the Pacific, the
Antarctic regions, the western coast of North
America, etc. ; captured the Confederate com-
missioners Mason and Slidell, on the British
steamer Trent (1861); became commodore in
1862, and admiral in 1866. He wrote a (Nar-
rative of his expedition (6 vols. , 1845); “West-
ern America) (1849); etc.
Wilkes, George. An American journalist,
born in New York city in 1820; died there,
Sept. 23, 1885. He was editor of the Spirit of
the Times from 1850, and well known as a
politician and a traveler. He wrote a History
of California) (1845); and a book of travel,
(Europe in a Hurry) (1852).
Wilkie, William. A Scottish poet; born at
Dalmeny, West Lothian, Oct. 5, 1721; died Oct.
10, 1772. He was professor of natural philos-
ophy at the university of St. Andrews, 1759.
He wrote: (The Epigoniad' (2d ed. 1759), an
epic on the taking of Thebes, which won for
him the title of the Scottish Homer; and (Fa-
bles) (1768).
Wilkins, John. An English clergyman and
scientist; born at Fawsley, Northamptonshire,
1014; died in London, Nov. 19, 1672. He was
bishop of Chester (1668), and one of the found-
ers of the Royal Society (1645). His works
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WILKINS - WILLIAMS
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were one of the most effective agents in the
spread of the Copernican system in England.
He wrote: (Discovery of a New World (1638);
(Discourse concerning a New Planet (1640);
Mercury; or, The Secret and Swift Messenger,
Showing How a Man May Communicate his
Thoughts to a friend at Any Distance) (1641);
Mathematical Magic' (1648); (Essay toward
a Real Character and a Philosophical Lan.
guage) (1668); Principles and Duties of Nat-
ural Religion (1675); etc.
Wilkins, Mary Eleanor. An American au-
thor; born at Randolph, Mass. Her works,
studies of New England country life, are :
(The Adventures of Ann (1886), (A Humble
Romance) (1887), "A New England Nun!
(1891), and Young Lucretia' (1892), collec-
tions of short stories; (Giles Corey, Yeoman)
(1893), a play; Jane Field (1893), Pem-
broke) (1894), novels; and (The Long Arm
(1895), a $2,000 prize detective story. *
Wilkinson, Sir John Gardner. An English
Egyptologist ; born at Haxendale, Oct. 5, 1797 ;
died at Llandover, Wales, Oct. 29, 1875. His
principal work is (Manners and Customs of
the Ancient Egyptians) (two series, 6 vols. ,
1837-41), still valuable, and reissued in 1879.
Others are; Materia Hieroglyphica) (1828);
(The Topography of Thebes, and General
View of Egypt) (1835); Modern Egypt and
Thebes) (2 vols. , 1843), republished as Mur-
ray's Handbook for Travelers in Egypt) (1847);
(Dalmatia and Montenegro) (2 vols. , 1848);
( The Architecture of Ancient Egypt) (1850);
(The Fragments of the Hieratic Papyrus at
Turin) (1851); and “The Egyptians in the Time
of the Pharaohs) (1857).
Wilkinson, William Cleaver. An Ameri-
can educator and Baptist clergyman; born in
Westford, Vt. , Oct. 19, 1833. He is dean of
the department of literature and art in the
Chautauqua University, for which he has pre-
pared many text-books. Among his works
are : (The Dance of Modern Society) (1869);
(A Free Lance, etc. , (1874); (The Baptist
Principle) (1881); (Webster: An Ode) (1882);
(Poems? (1883); essay on Edwin Arnold
(1884); and College Greek Course in English.
Willard, Emma (Hart). An American edu-
cator and author; born in Berlin, Conn. , Feb.
23, 1787; died at Troy, N. Y. , April 15, 1870.
She did much for bettering the education of
women. Her books, educational and general,
include : (A Plan for Improving Female Edu-
cation) (1819); A History of the United
States) (1828); (Poems) (1830), containing the
popular song (Rocked in the Cradle of the
Deep); Journal and Letters from France
and Great Britain) (1833); Universal His-
tory) (1835); (Respiration and its Effects);
and Morals for the Young (1857).
Willard, Frances Elizabeth. An Ameri-
can educator, editor, and reformer; born near
Rochester, N. Y. , Sept. 28, 1839; died Feb. 18,
1898. She was been president of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union since 1879, and
founded the World's Woman's Christian Tem-
perance Union in 1883. She was editor-in-chief
of the Union Signal, the official organ of the
woman's temperance movement. Besides con-
tributing to other leading periodicals, she has
published: (Nineteen Beautiful Years) (1864),
a life of her deceased sister; 'Glimpses of Fifty
Years) (1889); and (A Great Mother' (1894).
William of Malmesbury. A celebrated Eng.
lish monk and historian; born about 1095; died
at Malmesbury, about 1142. He was librarian
of the monastery at Malmesbury. He wrote:
History of the English Kings,' and its con-
tinuation Modern History, the two being the
source from which all subsequent histories of
England have drawn; History of the Prelates
of England”; (Lives) of St. Patrick, St. Dun-
stan, St. Wulfstan; several books of miracles;
etc.
William of Tyre. A Syrian historian; born
about 1137. He was archbishop of Tyre (1175).
He wrote History of the Sovereigns of the
East,' and History of Events in the Lands
across the Sea,' a fine record of the Crusades
from 1127 to 1184, first printed in 1549. There
are German and French translations of the
latter.
Williams, Alfred Mason. An American jour-
nalist, editor, and poet; born in Massachusetts,
1840; died in 1896. He was long editor of the
Providence Journal. He published: (The Poets
and Poetry of Ireland); (Studies in Folk Song
and Popular Poetry); 'Sam Houston and the
War of Independence in Texas.
Williams, Mrs. Annie (Bowles). An Ameri-
can juvenile-story writer; born in Connecticut,
1840. She has published: (Birchwood); (The
Fitch Club); Professor Johnny); Rolf and
his Friends); "Who Saved the Ship? ); 'The
Giant Dwarf); (The Riverside Museum. '
Williams, Mrs. Catharine R. (Arnold).
An American author; born in Providence,
R. I. , about 1790; died there, Oct. 11, 1872. She
was the author of (Original Poems) (1828);
(Religion at Home) (1829); (Tales, National
and Revolutionary) (1830–35); (Aristocracy, a
novel (1832); (Fall River) (1833); Biography
of Revolutionary Heroes) (1839); and (Annals
of the Aristocracy of Rhode Island (2 vols. ,
1843-45).
Williams, Francis Howard. An American
dramatic writer and poet, residing in Phila-
delphia; born in Pennsylvania, 1844. Among
his plays are: (The Princess Elizabeth : A
Lyric Drama); (The Higher Education': (A
Reformer in Ruffles); Master and Man.
He also wrote (Theodora : A Pastoral); (At-
man: A Story); (The Flute Plaver, and Other
Poems); Pennsylvania Poets of the Provincial
Period. '
Williams, George Washington. An Amer-
ican negro writer and soldier; born in Pennsyl.
vania, 1849. He served in the Northern army
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WILLIAMS – WILMER
577
3
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in the Civil War, and subsequently as an offi-
cer in the army of Mexico (1865–67). He was
minister to Hayti, 1885-86. He wrote: (His-
tory of the Negro Race in America); (The
Negro Troops in the War of the Rebellion);
(History of Reconstruction. '
Williams, Isaac. A British clergyman and
religious poet; born at Cwmcynfelin, near
Aberystwith, Wales, Dec. 12, 1802; died at
Stinchcombe, England, May 1, 1865. With
Keble, Newman, and Pusey, he was active in
the Tractarian movement. He wrote: (The
Cathedral) (1838), in verse; (Hymns) (1839);
( Thoughts in Past Years) (1842); (The Christ-
ian Scholar) (1849); (Autobiography) (1892);
besides other purely religious works.
Williams, Jesse Lynch. An American writer
of stories for the young ; born in Illinois, 1871.
He has published: (Princeton Stories ); (The
Freshman.
Williams, John. [“Anthony Pasquin. ”] An
English writer, journalist, and dramatist ; born
in London about 1765; died in Brooklyn, N. Y. ,
Oct. 12, 1818. Because of his scurrilous political
writings he was declared in 1797 to be "a
common libeler, and soon after came to the
United States. He was connected with the
press, wrote several plays, also a volume of
poems (1789); Legislative Biography) (1795);
"Life of Alexander Hamilton (1804); and the
(Dramatic Censor) (1811).
Williams, John. An English missionary ;
born at Tottenham, June 29, 1796; killed and
eaten by cannibals, at Erromanga, New Heb-
rides, Nov. 20, 1839. His adventurous and gen-
erally successful life as a missionary extended
over a period of more than twenty years (1816-
39). He wrote that famous classic of mis-
sionary literature, (A Narrative of Missionary
Enterprises in the South Sea Islands) (Lon-
don and New York, 1837; 56th thousand,
1865).
Williams, Martha McCulloch. An Ameri-
can miscellaneous writer. Besides several sto-
ries and poems in Harper's Bazar and Monthly,
and a book on botany, she has published :
(Field-Farings) (1892), a collection of essays;
(Two of a Trade) (1894), a story.
Williams, Roger. An English-American
clergyman, and founder of the State of Rhode
Island; born about 1600; died about 1684.
His chief distinction is in his founding the
first State in which there is an absolute
guarantee of liberty of conscience to every
man,--the government having no authority in
matters of religion. He published: (Key into
the Language of America; or, An Help to the
Language of the Natives in that Part of Amer-
ica Called New England, etc. (1643; new
ed. 1820); Mr. Cotton's Letter, etc. (1644);
and (The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for
Cause of Conscience, Discussed in a Conference
between Truth and Peace, etc. (1644); (The
Bloody Tenent yet More Bloody, etc. (1652);
(The Hireling Ministry None of Christ's, etc.
(1652); (Experiments of Spiritual Life and
Health, etc.
