The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-12-07
"Artemus Ward. Z"
BY JAMES PARTON

BY JAMES PARTON.
In the beautiful city of Cleveland
Ohio, ten years ago, / was introduces
one Sunday morning, to Mr.. Charlie
F. Browne, who had recently acquir
cd celebrity by his Artemus Ware
letters, in Clev, land Plaiadealer. FL
was then twenty-five years of age, o
somewhat slender form, but with rud
dy cheeks and general appearance
of health and vigor. He was the 10
the rca ly, cordial and off hanl man
ner of The members of the Western
press. Like other professional hu
morists, he was not particul lrly funny
in ordinary conversation on the con
trary, he WAS less so than Western ed
itors usually are. l was far from an
ticipating the career that WAS in store
for him still less could l have fore
seen the premature death of a young
man who presented even an excep-
tional appearance of good health. II
he were alive to-day, he would only
be thirty-slx years of age.
He was born in Waterford, in
Maine, where his father was survey
or. His native village, as he says in
one of his papers, "does not contain
over forty houses, all told; but they
ere milkwhlte, with the greenest of
blinds, and for the most part are shad
ed with beautiful elms and willows.
To the right of us is moutain; to
tie left lake, The village nestles
between. OF course it does. 1 never
read novel in my life in which the
village did not nestle. Villages in
variably nestle" In this secluded
nook of New England, he passed the
first fourteen years of his life, during
which he acquired such education as a
rather idle and sport-loving boy could
acquire in the common and high
schools.
lie was sent to learn the printing
business at a neighboring town, call
ed Skowhegan, whe.e, in the Office of
the Skowhegan Clarion, he learned to
set type and work the hand-press.-
To the last of his days he held this
place in adherence. Que of his
friends has recorded that he was ac-
customed "to set up howl of deris-
ion,' whenever its name was mention
ed; and that whenever he desired to
to express the last degree ofcontempt
for any person, place or thing, he
would speak of it as worthy of Skow-
hegan. How many boy has reaped
a full revenge upon a teacher or an
employer by turning out to be geni-
us, and consigning him to universal
ridicule
At sixteen be found his way 70 Bos-
ton, where he obtained employment
as compositor in the Office of the
funniest perio lical then published in
Boston, Tho 'Ca,pet-Bag, to which
Shilliber, Halpine and SAKE contribu-
ted. AS he set up from week to week
the humorous contributions of those
writers, the conviction grew upon him
that he too could write piece that
would make people laugh. I think
he must have been reading FrankIin's
Autobiography or the preface to Pick
wick, for putting his talent to the test
he employed a device similar to that
used by Franklin and Dickens in offer
ing their first productions to the
press. Having written his piece in a
disguised hand, he put itinto the edi-
tors box. Great was his joy when it
was handed to him, soon after, to set |
in type.
This first piece, L believe, was in
the style of Major Jack Downing,
whose letters, he once said, had more
10 do with making him a humorist
han the productions of any other
writer.
About this time he CHANGED to read
Bayard Taylor's Views Afoot," in I
which that popular author gave an ac-
punt of his making the tour OF Eu-
'ope, and paying his way by working
It his trade, which was that af print
II. Captivated by this example, he
tarted for the Great West. When
lis money was exhausted, he would
top for while in some large town
where there was printing office, and
eplenish his purse; which done, he
vould continue his journey.
81 didn't know" he once said, ''but
What might get as far as China, and
ct up a newspaper one day in the
tongue"
He stopped short of China, however.
1t the town of Tiffin, Ohio, he OBJ
aimed place as compositor and as
istant editor, at four dollars-a week.
rom Tiffih he moved bo Toledo, q
rhere he procured similar place in '
he office of the Toledo Commercial,
t five dollars week. 1t was upon +
his paper that his talent as humor-
It first attracted attention, and he was =
BON permitted to devote his, whole {
me to'tfiling the local cofumn with
musing abuse of the rival paper. He '
cqaircd so much celebrity in Ohio
5 a writer of facetious paragraphs,
nat he was offered at lengththe place I
f local editor of the Cleveland Plain !
ealer, at a. salary, munifcent for the I
me and place, of twelve dollars g
eek. IL
Most of the noted hum orists and 5
,e great master Of humer himseifl 3