The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1867-01-16
Artemus Wards First Letter.

From the Cleveland Plaipdealer-l
The Toledo Commercial not long ago had
the following paragraph:
at was over ten years ago that Mr.. Browne,
became the local editor Of this paper beng
bis first experience as a writer for the public,
and continued as such for some years, when
he assumed similar position on the Cleveland
Plaindealer, and afterwards wrote for the
Vanity Fair since which time he has been en-
gagged exclusively in travelling and 1ecturing.
It is fact that Mr.. Browne was at one time
Jour printer and probably strapped one.
He was a compositor on the Commercial be-
fore becoming its local editor, and it was while
thus employed that he began to develop the
peculiar talent as writer which gave him
national, and has now given him a world
wide reputation"
TO this the Cleveland Plain Dealer re- Joins:
at is true that Mr.. Browne first essayed
humorous writing On the Toledo Commercial,
but his talent in that line was developed, and
first attracted public attention, on the Plain
dealer While working as a jour on the
Commercial, his sense Of the ludlcrous was
one day strongly excited by some funny &C.
currence that he saw in the street, and hu-
morous account of it was the result. The
sketch was left on the editors desk, and
pleased him so much that Mr.. Browne was
taken from the printing office and installed In
more consenial position in the sanctum.
Although his first regular press writing was
done on the Toledo paper, be had previously
contributed some humorous -squlbs to Mi.
ShilIabar's Mrs. Partngton Carpet Bag,
upon which paper he worked for a time.
| Mr.. Browne commenced writing for the
/ Plaindealer in the summer Of '58, Mr.. }. W.
Gray being then proprietor His limtless hui
NOR confined itself to no special subject for a
number of months, but was constantly crop
ping out in all sorts of quaint sayings and
Juicy paragraphs. He finally concluded to
give his writing more individuality by adopt
ing a nom de plume. Hence the famous let
ters from sArtemus Ward,' Snowman. These
letters, first merely written for the purpose OF
filing up, when copy was scarce, sprang
almost Immediately into widespread notorlety.
The first one appeared in the fall OF SO
Here it is:
".To THE EDITOR OF THE PLAIN DEALER
Sir-I'm moving along-slowly alons-down
lords your place. | want you should write
me letter, sayn how's the show blznlss IN
your place. Ny show at present consists o
three moral Bears, Kangaroo amoozir
little Raskal-'twould make you Iarf to detl
to see the little cuss jump up and squcaI,
| wax-fcoers of G. Washington, General lay
Tor. John Bunyan, Dr. Kidd and Dr.. Webstc
in the act Of killing Dr.. Parkman, beside sew
cral miscellanyus moral wax stattoots OF cele
brated piruts and murderers ETC., exalted b,
few, and excelcd by none. Now, Mr.. Editor
scratch off few line sayin how is the sho'
bzniss down to your place. | shall have m
d hand bills dun at your ot1iss. Depend upo
r it. | want you should get my hand bills u
! in famin style. Also get up tremcn]us ex
y. element in yer paper, bout my unpavaIIele
show. We must fetch the public somehow
We must work on their feelins-come tn
IS moral on 'cm strong. If it's temperate
community, tell 'em sined the pledged ii
teen mnits arter Use born. But on the cor
trarv, if your people take their tods, says tn;
e Mister Ward is as genial Teller as we eve
! met-full Of conviviality, and the life and so
~ of the soshul Bored. Take, don't you?
- YOU say anything bout my show, say m
snaix is as harmless as a new born bah
What interesting study it is to see a zonol(
= gcaI animal like snaik, under perfect subJe'
- ton. Ny Kangaroo is the most lartabIe lit
cuSS | ever SaW-aIl LOT ulLccl! CCHto. a
- anxvus to skewer your inhooence. L repe
: in regard 10 them hand bills, that | shall {
= them struck off to your printIn otfiss. M
IL perlitical sentiments agree with yourn exacI
w w ". l know they do, bccauz | never sa"
) man WHO'S didn't
u ..Rosnoc.fnlv vours. "A. WARD
'e ".P. S.-You scratch my back and l
~ scratch your back
Mr. Browne worked on the Pla;ndea]
Sc for over two years, at the end Of which tin
A. he enjoyed national reputation, his letters
d. this paper having been copied tar ana wlae-
re even in Europe. In the winter of 1860
ng believe, he accepted an offer from YAM
Al, Fair, and went to New York, to take lea
ed ing position on that paper He was there
lal few months, when lie commenced his cane
IL as a lecturer, which has been attended
er such uniform and perfect success, and VIII
is 50 familiar 10 our readers.'