The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-18

be IN your taVOf. ne Snhh8 are eOch very lafRe
family that the ODDS are one hundred 70 tBst one
Of its members may be our next President so take
heart old boy; go IN and win. IL you are elected
III vote for you; thai is, mean " you're nCmi-
mated. suppose yon do not want 10 be President
however. have made somewhat Of q tigresslon
from the subject but am very much interested in
it. The fact is, ] was thinking that my own name
was Smith.
/. As was being remarked, " ~ necessary that man
should have come popularity handle TO hmsoli as
IL were; something by which he may be known beside
his name for that is not SUFFICIENT 10 create an TIM
preston. 1t must be something, too, which can be
spoken Of easily, and II It can be riiculed or s very
funny, 30 much the better. IT, in private converse
ton, you say hT. Smith was Knocked down IN the
street last night the bearer naturally asks which
Mr.. Smith. Then you are obliged TO explain, and
give his characteristic and then he is known. YOH
cay, Why, don't you known Smith. The fellow with
the long red hair or the crooked nose the lellow
that swears so terribly. II in the newspaper para
graph You say John Smith, the man who bites his
finger nails so much, met with serious aocieent IT
is probable that all who read IL win take particular
notice of the fact. They may have seen the man
before, remarked his peculiarly, and know HIM by 1t,
When attention s called 20 his accident they Know
who il is. It is much easier to remember men by
this method than by their names only.
Afterwards, should this Smith turn out a public
character, his name becomes byword, on account
Of the nnger-nail characteristic, and generally
gresham, Councilman, President OF an engine CON-
pany or OF the United States, as he viii.
do not wish you 10 confound this word chaIae-
terstic with the word hobby. hobby is also neces
sary for great man, but that Is very easy TO GET
want no advice on that subject l have that arti-
Gle already selected, and win tell you what Is be-
fore closing.
II a very easy thing for a man to devote his
spare time or perhaps some which s not spare TO
exclusive pursuit or pleasure. He pretend 10
be very much Interested; he can create an impress
sion that he for and is good for nothing else;
he can bore everybody with IL, and can bring IL up
as a subject Of conversation at.every inopportuDe
moment. It is very easy to collect postage stamps
or old cOins TO the disadvantage OF your pocket If
you only make up your mind to do 80; 1t is oompa
ratively easy 10 collect such curious relics Old
street door-knockers or bell-handes; it is easy to
pretend that there is nothing in the world like his
tory chemistry or photography; but it Is not OF
| this sort OF thing OF which am speaking What
refer to is distinctive personal characteristics, OF
| something about the individual himself which ,s
| peculiar, and Dy which he may be known.
These personal characteristics may be DIVIDED into
two classes, natural and acquired natural CsaI-
acteristic Is which has been bestowed upon the
| person by nature and which he cannot well avoid.
Red hair squint to the eyes would be among this
| class. An acquired peculiarly is something which
| has come from the possessors own Efforts whether
| Intentionally or otherwise. All peculiar habits be-
|
with his arms a-kimbo; another has o habit OF
! scratching his head when excited One man dresses
| in certain outandish styles; another very
Queerly shaped beard or mOustacbe. Some mems
minds are so arranged that their actions snow them
| to be very pecnliaf.
George Washington the Great had acharaeteristic-
| 1t showed itself when he young man, 70 his
tendency to chop down fruit trees and then go and
tell on himself. Horace Greeey's characteristic ~
| bad writing; General Grants is smoke; Henry Ward
| Beecher's is popularity itself.
/ myself am without any natural characteristic.
| 1t follows that If / wish 10 become great l must
| acquire one. have experimental SO far with every
variety and species which has ever been noticed but
| without success want something which has not
| been remarked OF any other person. Il must be
novel; or at least not well known, else if It can
| not be distinctive, j have tried bad writing, but
find that with this accomplishment it is really tm-
possible to get along in the world have tired the
truthfulness of George Washington, and have found
that also to be impossible, with present ways OF
| doing things have endeavored 70 acquire an arti-
| fetal squnt and have also gnawed my hnger-ends
very ndustrousy, and find that both processes hurt
| too much for general use. find that other men
surpass the most outrageous swearing that do.
| have ordered the most peculiar garments which
| were ever constructed but the result was only
get into the police station, when there was nc
| reporter in the neghborhood. nave thought OF
getting person 10 twist my nose, or other part
1 EiNt
me peculiar expression; but this is too painful
subject for discussion.
To put it in small compass Ihave tried everything
and find that nothing will work. Cannot you ed,-
tors you men with the big brains, set yourselves 70
| work and give me an idea which can WORK out for
myself; l will pay any one well who will do it. And
besides q almost forgot thaD will tel you what my
hobby is to be. You see have determined to be an
author. Every spare moment OF time intend to de.
| vote TO writing. / shall write, write, all the time
| until people begin to say, 'What writer he is %
But best part OF it is that editor publisher
or in fact, any one is ever TO what write You
| need not suppose that am ever going TO trouble
| Won with my productions. / am only going TO write
for the sake OF being called writer. / viii work
| and work and store away, until my name is well
known, but no will ever know II my writings are
| good or bad Some may possibly suppose that these
writings may consist OF eopy-books filed up, but
| they may also be mistaken. j can afford to bear
their rdicule for they will take it all back when they
| find that have become the -, j beg your pardon
| but / again supposed that my name was Smith
| Now give us your candid opinion is not this good
plan?
| Note by Fdat-EditOr. - This closing paragraph
shows SO much good judgment and sound common
sense that we have been induced to print the entire
| letter.
L