New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-11-28
ELL Perkins in New York Commercial Advertiser
Thomas Nast,s Laurels
FIFTH Ayr>,,-,, TO-

'iI q. cartoons TO Illustrate my lecture.
sixty minutes from Christopher Street Ferry
over the New Jersey salt meadows. and
through the Morris and Essex tunnel, and we
W Were at the nome OF the great caricaturist,
Mast met us at the depot, and half.mile wall
brought us to his charming little cottage
niled with pictures, home comforts. and fSur
lovely little angel babies. Presiding over all
tnis happiness was a young blonde Yankee
wIe, with brown hair, graceful form, and
dellcate damask cheeks that would bring the
plush to Jersey peach. The children,s
names are Mabel, the eldest: Thomas. a
bright little boy of 8; and then Edith. and
Juila, little toddling baby. Mrs. Mast,
nee MISS Sarah Edwards, was born in Phila-
deiphia. She somewhat resembles Mrs. T.
Buchanan Read, the wife of the dead poet
painter. rO'
Mast left us in the parlor a moment to 60
10 ms studio, and We were entertained by
little Edith, prattling four-year-older, who
talked about the horse "dis-sneeze" and
Morrlstown statistics generally. Looking
out from her German-cut hair, she wisely in.
formed us, as she touched the piano KEYS
with her little hand, that Morristown was a
nice place, and then. with an extra wise look.
That papa has bought some new furniture for
the parlors.
After IL O'Clock lunch we went up with
Mast to his little cottage studio-the room
where he has worked out all those funny po-
iltical caricatures for Haper's, which have
amused the public, killed Mr.. Greeley, and
made Grant President. In the room is a ta-
BILE where Mast draws these pictures on wood
The table is covered with newspapers and
photographs and half-finished cartoons, while
on the walls of the room arc sketches and
drawings by ETY., Leach, Dore, and Turner,
but nothing suggesting the bold and terrible
satire which we see in his own, cartoons.
After these cartoons are drawn they are sent
to town, where they are divided into several
pieces, so that several workmen can engraye
on them at once. 1t would take one engraver
two weeks to engrave a picture the size of
one page Of Hayper's Weekly, and cost, sup
pose, 800. To-day the artist was making
sketch of MIR. Froude in the act of kneeling
to pluck the nettle of Irish failure and dis
contentment from Irish soil, while, in the
Columbia looks him straight in
the face, and, with dreadful emphasis, points
to the burning Orphan Asylum and to priests
expelling the bible from the schools. This
cartoon will appear in Ha,per'S next week.
Nast's very boldness-his terrible agrees
siveness-is what challenges admiration and
makes Ha,per's Weekly success.
Everybody knows how George w. Curtis
trembled in his boots when Mast commenced
making fun of Greeley, Sumner, and Schurz-
now he went to Sumner and apologized, and
how he fused around like "cOnfirmed soph-
omore" generally. heard from an outside
party, but not from Mr.. Mast, that he went
to the artist and told him to be careful-that
"a cartoon was black and white, and that
you couldn't take it back as you could an
editorial" This is good joke for us, who
know how the proper and Chesterfieldian
MIR. Curtis, who wears a swallow-tail coat
even to take bath inflow he squirms and
qualities every statement, instead of striking
straight from the shoulder like epigrammatic
writers and cartOonists of the period
People say you have made a good deal of
money out of the campaign, Mr.. Mast" re-
marked.
swell, that is a great mistake. have
never made cent outside of my professional
pay, and that it small enough. It's so small
that can't afford to live in town. In fact,
ia like to visit Washington with my wife
this winter, but can't afford it; then I'd
like to go to Europe, but can't. Why, when
we first came to Morristown, which, as you
know, is very fashionable summer resort,
some of the people asked us if we should stay
in the country till the winter fashionable
season set in in the city. l told them we
should, but didn't tell them that we were
poor, and questionable enough to live in
MOrristOwn all the year round. We were
very fashionable last summer, but this winter
we amt so fashionable-are we, dear?"
asked the artist, looking at his wife.
Mrs. Mast said, mo, Tom; but the chill
dren are healthy, and we are very happy"
Couldn't you take some paying position
from the Administration ?" l asked.
go, no; that would kill me. Wouldn't
be Minister to England. General Grant nor
his friends have ever offered me anything,
and Pm glad they haven't. l know Grant
to be an honest man, and he knows am ac-
tuated by unselfish motives. They may all
have the power, money, and position. L
must be satisfied with glory, cottage paid
for, and my wife and babies. Why, Tam
many Ring offered me $3.50, 900 if would 90
to Europe when 1 first began to expose them.
They came to my lawyer and laid all the
plans for its payment. But l saidno; cam
not swerve from the right line"
1 asked Mr.. Mast if his cartoons were
always his own invention.
Yes, almost always. Indeed, l can't re-
when l have used q suggestion. J.
read closely, make my pictures plain, and de-
scribe them with little words. Sometimes the
children put the little words in my mouth.
The Harpers never know what is coming.
Indeed, if l told people about future cartoons,
they would all have so much to say, that the
unity of the cartoon, which is its strong
point, would be destroyed. OF course re-
ceive good many letters and suggestions.
"Onc day last summer" continued Mr..
Mast, laughing, received genuine propo-
sition of marriage from an admiring young
lady in Ohio, in which she referred to Gem
eral Schenck and Ex-Governor Dennison as
to her position"
"What did you dO?"
"Why, sent back cartoon of Mrs. Mast
and the children, labeled the only objec-
tiOns.'"
/ learn that there is movement on the
part of the friends of the Administration to
present Mast with suitable reward. 1t is
no more than fair that it should be done, and
the IIarpers, whose weekly has steadily adj
vanced from &c, 900 to 10000 through Nast's
superior talent, should second the movement
with substantial sum. Besides the Harper's
cartoons, Mast does two pages of pictures
every week for the Phunny Phellow, a comic
paper. ELI PERKINS.
Liberian Emigration.