John Harrison Wilson, The life of Charles Henry Dana

[509] such a thing as a headache or a rheumatic pain was unknown to him, and notwithstanding his exposure at times during the Civil War, he never had what could be called an ailing moment. Temperate and simple in his tastes and habits, he made no complaint of cold, hunger, or privation. He was by nature disposed to make the best of what life brought to him, and to look not only calmly but confidently to the future. He claimed but little for himself, but instinctively credited his fellow-men with good rather than bad motives. Suspicion was foreign to his nature, and although he was a man of high passion, strong enthusiasm, and vivid imagination, it would have been difficult to find among his contemporaries one whose habit of thought and philosophy of life were marked by greater sanity or more evenly balanced judgment. He did nothing from temper or passion, and adopted no course, either personal or official, unless it was approved by reason and reflection. With a keen sense of humor and a disposition of unfailing cheerfulness, he was disposed to find fun in everything, and these qualities made him a delightful companion alike to young and old, and gave a special tone to his newspaper. They were ever present in his home life, where they made him the most intimate friend of his children and their companions. Indeed, it was one of his most perfect gifts that he could adapt himself to the understanding and gain the confidence of the young as fully as of the old. Few parents ever lived in more perfect harmony with their children, and few children ever grew up in more perfect enjoyment and admiration of their father than was the case in Dana's household. He played and worked with his son and daughters from their earliest days, not only helping them in their studies, but constantly supplementing and enlivening them with bits of information and learning, which they could not have gathered otherwise till later in life.