OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



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OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. Alden, Joseph, an 



American author and educator, born in Cairo, 

 N. Y., in 1807 ; died in the city of New York, 

 Aug. 30, 1885. He began teaching in a pub- 

 lic school at the age of fourteen, and devel- 

 oped a decided talent in this line. He was 

 graduated at Union College in 1828, and three 

 years later at Princeton Theological Semina- 



i ry, where he remained as tutor for two years. 

 He next became pastor of a Congregational 

 church in Williamstown, Mass. ; but as his 

 voice failed him in the course of two years, he 



; accepted an academic chair, and became Pro- 

 fessor of Latin and then of Rhetoric and Politi- 

 cal Economy in Williams College. He occupied 

 this post from 1835 to 1853, when he was called 

 to Lafayette College, as Professor of Mental 

 and Moral Philosophy. In 1857 he was chosen 

 President of Jetferson College, Cannonsburg, 

 Pa., where he remained until 1862. He then 

 took a rest for several years from active labors, 

 but in 1867 was made Principal of the Albany 

 (N. Y.) Normal School. This post Dr. Alden re- 

 signed in 1872, and thenceforth he devoted his 



i timechiefly to the department of Sunday-school 

 literature, and prepared seventy or more vol- 

 umes for the young. He also prepared a text- 

 book on intellectual philosophy, and contrib- 

 uted largely to periodical literature. Dr. Al- 



. Jen was at one time editor of " The New York 



' Observer," at another of u The Philadelphia 

 Christian Library." 



Arthur, Timothy Shay, an American author, 

 born near Newburg, N. Y., in 1809 ; died in 

 Philadelphia, March 6, 1885. He went to Balti- 

 more, Md., early in life, and edited a paper there 

 called " The Athenaeum." In 1841 he removed 

 to Philadelphia, where he resided for the rest 

 of his life. Mr. Arthur was a voluminous writ- 

 er of tales illustrative of American domestic 

 life, all having a good moral end in view. 

 Among his productions are, " Lights and Shad- 

 ows of Real Life," " Tales for Rich and Poor " 

 (6 vols.), "Library for the Household" (12 



! vols.), " Ten Nights in a Bar-Room," and " The 

 Good Time Coming." He was actively en- 

 gaged in literary work to the last, and was ed- 

 itor of " Arthur's Home Magazine " until with- 



' in a few weeks of his death. 



Atlee, John Light, an American physician, 

 born in Lancaster, Pa., Nov. 2, 1799 ; died 

 there, Oct. 1, 1885. He was a son of Col. W. 



, P. Atlee, a Revolutionary officer, and received 

 /his education and training in Lancaster and 

 Philadelphia. He studied medicine, and grad- 



i uated from the University of Pennsylvania in 

 i 1820. He then returned to his native city, be- 

 gan the practice of medicine, and soon became 

 : successful, especially in surgical cases. Dr. At- 

 j lee's operation for double ovariotomy, in 1843, 

 i, was the first in the history of medicine, and the 



patient is said to be still lining and in good 

 health. He was one of the founders of the 

 Lancaster City and County Medical Society in 

 1843, .and twice served as its president. He 

 assisted in organizing the Pennsylvania Medi- 

 cal Society in 1848, and became its president 

 in 1857. He was also one of the organizers of 

 the American Medical Association in Philadel- 

 phia, and was elected vice-president in 1865, 

 and president in 1882. Dr. Atlee was Pro- 

 fessor of Anatomy and Physiology in Franklin 

 and Marshall College for many years, was a 

 school director for forty years, was President 

 of the Board of Trustees of the Pennsylvania 

 State Lunatic Asylum at Harrisburg, was elect- 

 ed Honorary Fellow of the American Gyneco- 

 logical Society in 1877, and was trustee of nu- 

 merous public institutions. 



Bangs, Francis Nathan, an American lawyer, 

 born in New York city about 1824 ; died in 

 Ocala, Fla., Nov. 30, 1885. He was a son of 

 Rev. Nathan Bangs, a well-known Methodist 

 circuit rider and preacher, and was graduated 

 at the University of the City of New York in 

 1848. He entered the Law School of Yale Col- 

 lege, and supported himself during his course 

 by cataloguing books, etc. He returned to 

 New York, was admitted to the bar in 1850, 

 formed a partnership with Judge Sedgwick, and 

 soon became prominent in his profession, with 

 abundance of business in bankruptcy cases. He 

 was active in the proceedings against Judges 

 Barnard, Cardozo, and McCunn, and also in 

 the Cesnola suits, and the Havemeyer estate 

 suits. Of late years the firm of Bangs & Stet- 

 son has been known as a railroad law firm, 

 in charge of several important international 

 cases. Mr. Bangs was a Republican in poli- 

 tics, and was one of the originators of the Un- 

 ion League Club in New York city. He was 

 twice married, and left three sons. 



Billings, Josh. See SHAW, HENRY W. 



Bliss, Porter Cornelias, an American journalist, 

 born in Erie County, N. Y., Dec. 28, 1838 ; 

 died in New York city, Feb. 2, 1885. He was 

 a son of the Rev. Asher Bliss, for many years 

 missionary to the Indians on the reservations 

 in western New York. He studied at Hamil- 

 ton and Yale Colleges, and in 1860 traveled 

 through Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova 

 Scotia, to investigate the condition of the rem- 

 nants of Indian tribes. In 1861 he went to 

 Washington to apply for a place in the Interior 

 Department that would give him an opportu- 

 nity to make similar investigations beyond the 

 Mississippi ; but as he was disappointed in this, 

 he accepted the post of private secretary to 

 Hon. James Watson Webb, who had just been 

 appointed Minister to Brazil. In 1862, when 

 Mr. Webb returned home, Mr. Bliss went to 

 Buenos Ayres, and was commissioned by the 



