Canton, William

(1845-1926)

   Canton was born in China. His father, a colonial civil servant, died in Jamaica when William was nine. Educated in France, he started studying for the Catholic priesthood but early in adult life converted to Protestantism. From 1867 he engaged in teaching and journalism in London and, from 1876 to 1898, worked for newspapers in Glasgow. He moved back to London and became sub-editor of The Contemporary Review and editor of The Sunday Magazine. He published non-fiction as well as verse. His major works: The Invisible Playmate: A Story of the Unseen, 1894 (commemorating his daughter, who died young). W.V. Her Book, 1896. A Child's Book of Saints, 1898. In memory of W.V., 1901. A history of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 1904-1910 (5 volumes). Poems, 1927. Some of his other poems: "A Child's Prayer," "A New Poet," "Bethlehem," "Carol," "Day-Dreams," "Easter Dawn," "John Calvin's Dream," "Laus Infantium," "Life and Death," "The Crow," "The Door in Heaven," "The Shepherd."

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition, 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www. lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). Our Holidays in Poetry. Mildred P. Harrington and Josephine H. Thomas, eds. H.W. Wilson, 1929. Penguin poetry anthologies (http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Penguin%20poetry%20anthologies). The Book of a Thousand Poems: A Family Treasury. J. Murray Macbain, ed. Peter Bedrick Books, 1983. The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org).