Henry Jackson van Dyke (November 10, 1852 – April 10, 1933, aged 80) was an American author, educator, and clergyman.

Henry van Dyke was born on November 10 , 1852 in Germantown, Pennsylvania in the United States. He graduated from Princeton University in 1873 and from Princeton Theological Seminary, 1877 and served as a professor of English literature at Princeton between 1899 and 1923. In 1908-09 Dr. van Dyke was an American lecturer at the University of Paris. By appointment of President Wilson he became Minister to the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1913. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and received many other honors. Van Dyke was an "ardent foe of the annexation of the Philippines, [and] told his congregation in 1898, 'If we enter the course of foreign conquest, the day is not far distant when we must spend in annual preparation for wars more than the $180,000,000 that we now spend every year in the education of our children for peace.’”

He chaired the committee that wrote the first Presbyterian printed liturgy, The Book of Common Worship of 1906. Among his popular writings are the two Christmas stories, The Other Wise Man (1896) and The First Christmas Tree (1897). Various religious themes of his work are also expressed in his poetry, hymns and the essays collected in Little Rivers (1895) and Fisherman’s Luck (1899). He wrote the lyrics to the popular hymn, "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" (1907), sung to the tune of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". He compiled several short stories in The Blue Flower (1902), named after the key symbol of Romanticism introduced first by Novalis. He also contributed a chapter to the collaborative novel, The Whole Family (1908). Among his poems is "Katrina's Sundial", the inspiration for the song, "Time Is", by the group It's a Beautiful Day on their eponymous 1969 debut album. Furthermore, the lyrics of a song — entitled "Time", sung by Mark Masri — are mostly inspired by the following quote, written by Henry van Dyke: "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love — time is eternity". A biography of Van Dyke, titled Henry Van Dyke: A Biography, was written by his son Tertius van Dyke and published in 1935.

List of Works: Short Stories

Among The Quantock Hills from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Antwerp Road
Art Of Leaving Off, The from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Ashes of Vengeance (half-told tale)
Beggars Under The Bush
Between The Lupin And The Laurel from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Blue Flower, The
Books That I Loved As A Boy from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Boy of Nazareth Dreams, The
Brave Heart, A from 'The Ruling Passion' collection
Broken Soldier and the Maid of France, The
Change Of Air, A
City of Refuge, A
Classic Instance, A
Countersign Of The Cradle, The
Days Off from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Diana And The Lions A half-told tale
Dream-story: The Christmas Angel, A
Effectual Fervent Prayer, The
First Christmas-Tree, The
Friend of Justice, A from 'The Ruling Passion' collection
Gentle Life, The from 'The Ruling Passion' collection
Handful Of Clay, A
Hearing Ear, The
Hero and Tin Soldiers, The
His Other Engagement from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Holiday In A Vacation, A from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Humoreske
In The Odour Of Sanctity
Justice of the Elements half-told tale
Keeper of the Light, The from 'The Ruling Passion' collection
Key Of The Tower, The
King's High Way, The
King's Jewel, The
Leviathan from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Little Red Tom from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Lost Word: A Christmas Legend of Long Ago
Lover of Music, A from 'The Ruling Passion' collection
Mansion, The Christmas story
Messengers At The Window
Mill, The
Music-Lover, The
New Era and Carry On, The (half-told tale)
Night Call, The
Notions About Novels from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Old Game, An
Other Wise Man, The
Primitive and His Sandals, The (half-told tale)
Remembered Dream, A
Return Of The Charm, The
Reward of Virtue, The from 'The Ruling Passion' collection
Ripening Of The Fruit, The
Sad Shepherd, The Christmas story
Salvage Point
Sanctuary of Trees, A
Silverhorns from Boy Scouts Book of Campfire Stories
Sketches of Quebec
Some Remarks On Gulls from 'Days Off And Other Digressions'
Source, The
Spy Rock
Stronghold
Traitor in the House, The (half-told tale)
Unruly Sprite, The A Partial Fairy Tale
Wedding-Ring, The
What Peace Means
White Blot, The (from The Ruling Passion collection)
Wood-Magic
Year of Nobility, A (from The Ruling Passion collection)

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_van_Dyke