Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-12-18
Miscellany.
Ths Great caricaturist.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE LIFE. STRUGGLES
AND SUCCESS OF TB. MAST.

SOMETHING ABOUT THE LIFE. STRUGGLE
AND SUCCESS OF sH. MAST
The story of Tommy Na.t's artist
career is a little peculiar. His fathe
was professional musician. and, when
first knew Tommy, the old gentleman
was playing that extension brass shove
out-and pull back force pump sort of oil
fashioned horn. they used to have i,
bands. IA friend says it is called from
bone in the orchestra of Wallack oil
theatre, corner of Broome and Broadwa,
at ten dollars a week.
Mast senior wanted Tommy to become
musician, and to that end used to thrast
him with a leather trap most enthusias
tically and faithfully in order to max,
him learn the scales on the VIOLIN
Thomas. however, had genius for draw
ing and knew it. He used to beg hi:
father to permit him to become an artist
to all of which the truly conscientious old
German gentleman (now many years
dead) would reply with additional doses
of strap.
At last young Thomas became acquain
ten with Mr.. Berghaus. now. and for
more than dozen years one of Frank
Leslie chief Artists and to Berghaus.
who was also German. he conided all
his woes. He showed his drawings to
Berghaus and 20 So! Eytinge, who is one
Of the most delicate and fanciful Ameri-
can draughtsman, and who was at that
time with Feslie and they seeing there
was really something in the boy, then
eleven years old, advised him to continue
bis efforts to convince his father that he
could earn more money as an artist than
rs a musician
Tommy went home that night, and to
the German parent having coma III at l2.
(midnisht he thus RENAL ked
Father, | must be an artist If you
let me go and learn to draw in year or
two | can earn twenty dollars week !;
and in a few years after that can bring
in from fifty to seventy FIVE dollars every
week. If you make me learn music l
may slave all my life and l shall very
likely find himself at fifty years old just
where you are now, playing for ten dol
lars week in somebody's band. liable
to a discharge any minute, and out of an
engagement quarter of the year, even
when things are at their best.
Whether it was the argument or the
determination of young Mast to learn to
draw in spite Of the parental forbidding
that carried the point, know not GER
tain it is, however, that the next day
Tommy Mast entered Frank Lesl:e's en-
ploy, and was assigned desk between
Berghaus and Eytinge. which thorough
artists and amible gentlemen gave Mast
all the regular instruction lie has ever
had.
The young artist more than kept his
word in less than year he could not
only earn $50, but thrice that on Leslic's
paper alone, besides making as much
more on outside work. His father lived
to see that son bringing home his hun
drcd dollars in gold every Saturday
night. while he was humbly toiling away
for the same old hardly earned ten dol
lars.
Nasl's industry and imaginative genius
rapidly carried him forward in the profess
sion. and presume that for the past ten
years there has not been week when his
work, taking bis cartoons for illustrated
papers, his illustrations for books and
other business, has not been equal to at
least $50 day, and up to three times
that sum.
,Nast's mother is thorough German a
most estimable woman am told. and ex-
cellent mother, but che cannot speak, or
could not when saw her first and last
a dozen words of English.
Several years ago Mast was introduced
to an English family consisting of the
father, mother, son aud three daughters.
The mother is fine specimen Of the
thorough-b bred English lady, and her
daughters are like unto her. She is an
aunt of James Parton, the biographer-
he who has written the lives of Andrew
Jackson, Aaron Burr, Horace Greeley,
etc, and who is known all over the coun-
try as one of the most versatile and ac-
complished magazinist and men of letters
in the land. The eldest daughter, Sallie,
OF this lady. Mrs Edwards), Mr.. Thomas
Mast married some nine years ago. They
have had three children. all l think now
living. So you see, if the caricaturist
dies, he leaves abundant material for
new generation N. Y Letter.
NEW York city is erecting new Ma
tural History building-eighs hundred
feet long and six hundred feet wide-the
largest building on this continent. Five
hundred thousand dollars were appropri-
ated last winter by the Legislature to
it. and two hundred men are
already blasting for its foundation. 1t
will eventually cost sl0.OO0.00o. and
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