Smyrna times., 1871-03-22
MiSceIIUH eOMS.
An Hour at the Lecture Bureau.

In large upper room in Boston, you NAV
sometimes see the whole menagere of the
hons OF the lecture-rO0m as they drop in. one
after another, from the morning trains. How
different some Of them look from the idea we
naturally form of them
who, for example, would guess that refn
ed, poeueal looking gentleman clad in student
black, student stoop in his broad shoulders
and with lap full of letter, before him. i
the person known to the public as Josh Bill
hngsE Yes; that is the veritable Josh, and
and an excellent fellow he is. Fellow indeed
lie Is the father OF grOwn-up children. Eight
years ago. he was auctiOneer at Poughkeepsie
where to Oblige friend who had lust started
little daily paper, he used to write short
editorial every day, which was read, liked.
and forgotten in morning. But one dav-
one one lucky day Tor JOSh--a letter of Artemus
Ward, the spelling of which was in the eccen.
trlc style OF that great show man, fell under his
eye. The thought stole into the mind of the
anctloneer that some Of his own pieces would
have been as funny as that, if he had onlv
spelled the words wrong, and put at the end
OF them an odd signature. He resolved. upon
the instant, to try the experiment. He took
one OF his essays, rewrOte it in the worst spel.
ing he could think Of aud then sat musing
Tor half an hour over various absurb names
that occurred to him. Josh, he was at once
resolved upon, as the name of all others ex-
presslve OF the familiar and the countri6ed
Billings was at length envOved from the depths
OF his mind, and the first essay Of Josh BILLINGS
was presented to the world. The bad smelling
gave wings to his quaint wit and wisdom. and
the piece flew, from paper to paper all over
the land
Such was the entrance of the worthy and
genlel Henry w. Shaw into the comic litera-
ture OF the time. The first volume of his col.
Iected essays sold to the extent of sixty thou
sand copies, and bis Almanac for 1871 is 90
ing towards hundred and fiftv thousand. with
a protlt to the author of nine thousand dollars.
Aud the best of it is, every one of his acauaint-
ances relolces in his good fortune His con.
versatlon IS frequently enlivened by good
things. My audience, last night, was per
ieetly immense, said one Of the lecturers the
other morning. "My house," said Josh.
was so packed, that the last man who came
ID had to leave his walking. stick outside"
no Is that rather pOrtly, good humored
Individual, looking over letters at the table, so
careessly dressed, and wearing upon his whole
person the stamp of the Western man? That
IS the Rev. Petroleum V. Nasby, of the Tole-
DO Blade All the world is as familiar with
the person as with the writings of the most
genial OF political satirists for the lecture that
he has In his pocket he has delivered four
hundred times, and there are two others in
hl3 trunk which will be read as often as that
before he has done with them. No man amus-
es an audience better than the ex-postmaster
and, what Is still better, he makes his audi.
ences laugh on the right side What is this
ne Is saying p He has never got over his sta ge.
fright? Always trembles for half an honr he.
fore going on? Never sure the lecture will
not be a failure ? Yes; 30 he says, and SO saw
they all. N ~ soy
Cough strides in, in his hearty busting man.
ner,-GOugh, the king of the platform. the
Only man in the profession who pleases every
audience every time he speaks for he is one
OF the greatest actors of the age, as well as a
man OF sense and benevulcDce. He has come
from flying visit to his farm in Massachu
setts, where he has house full of children
his own and other people s-to all of whom he
is bountiul friend and father. "What do
you raise on your farm, Mr.. Cough ?" asks
one. try to raise good many things" is
his reply, but my only sure crop is bills, y
Well he has plenty Of money to pay them with
for he can lecture seven nights a week, if he
chooses, with matinees Wednesday and Satur
day, and could always get five hundred dollars
for lecture if he would receive it. But Cough
has an idiOsyncrasy. He is as stingy to him.
self rs he is generous to others and there fore
when he draws a thOusand-dolIar house, he il
content if he receives only a third of the
sum. 81 positively cannot lecture with
spirit" he says, if | have an interest in tho
Ireceipts. " Cough, too, although he has prob