The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-11

when, in November, he finally appeared.
Immense crowds were compelled 10, turn
away. Ateyery lecture his fame inCfeas.
eq, and when sicl1iess, brought his bril-.
liant success To On end, d nation monrnetl
Ills retirement.
On the evening Of Friday, the seventh
week Qi his engagement al EGYPTIAN Hall.
Artenus became suddenly nj, an apology
was made TO disappointed audience, and
from that time the light of one of the
greatest wits Of tho centuries commenced
fading into darkness. The press mourned
bis retirement, and funeral pail fell over
London, The laughing, ,applaudlng
crowds were soon 70 see his Consumphye
tornI moving towards its harrow resting
placein the cemetery at Konsal Green,
Bymedlcal advice Charles I3fbwne went
Tor q short time 10 the Island Of jersey.
but the breezes Of Jersey were liowefleis.
In his viii, he bequeathed among Other
things large sum Of money 70 his little
Udtet, bright little fellow; though subse.
quent denouements revealed the fact that
ne LETT only q $4,000 house In Yonkers.
There is still some mystery about his
finances, which may one day BIO revealed.
II Is known that he withdrew $40 900 from
the Pacific Bank to deposit 1t with friend
before going 70 England; besides this, his
profit.
Personally, Charles Farrar Browne was
one Of the kindest and most atteclionate of
men, and history does not name man
who was 80 universally beloved by all
who knew him. 1t was remarked, and
truly, that the death Of no literary chArac.
ter since Washington Irving caused such
general and widespread regret.
In stature he was tall and slender.
bis nose w9s prominent-outlined like
that OF Sir Charles Napier, or MIR. Sc.
ward; his eyes very brilliant, small, and
close together, his mouth large,
teeth white and pcarly; fingers
long and I slender; hair soft, straight,
and blonde; complexion Aorid mustache
large; and his, voice soft and clear. In
bearing, he moved like natural.born
gentleman. In his lectures he never
smiled-not even while he was giving ut
terance to the most delicious absurdities;
but all the while the Jokes fell from his
lips as fhe was unconscious OF their mean.
Ing. While writing hislectures, lie would
laugh and Chuckle 10 himself continually.
The wit Of "Artemus Ward" and Josh
Billings" Is dlstinctively American.
Lord Kames, in his elements of Crit
icism," makes no mention Of this species
Of witt . lack whiclLth future rhetOriciah
should look to. We look In vain for Il
In the English languages Of past ages, and
IN other languages Of modern time. lis
tlIess genus American. When Artemus
sayA Ia that serious manner, looking adj
miringly at LIS atr0cious pictures-"I love
pictures-and ] have many OF them
beautiful photographer mysell"-you
smile; and when he continues, "These pic.
lures were painted by the Old Masters:
they painted these pictures and then they
they expired" you hardly know what
u Is that makes you laugh OutTight;and
when Josh Billings says Ii his Proverbs,
wiser than SolomOn'si you'd better not
knowso many things that ANT so;"@the
same vein is struck, but the textbooks
fail to explain scientifically the cause of
our mirth. ,o.z-. 10, ..gs -
Auo VII IN SuhrIeS bfOWne Is or The |
most exalted kind. 1t is only scholars
and those thoroughly acquainted with the
subhlty of our language who fully appre.
ciate It His wit is generally about his.
torical personagcs like Cromwell, Garrick,
or Shakespeare, or a burlesque on differ.
ent styles OF writing, like his French nov.
Ell, when, hiialutin phrases Of tragedy
come from the clol.hopper who "selis
soap and thrice refuses dncal coronet!o'
MIR. Browne mingled the eccentric
even in his business letters. Once lie
wrote 10 his Publisher, Mr.. G. W, Garlic
ten, who had made some alterations In |
his MSS: "Thc next book write I'm
going to get you TO write" Again he
wrote in 1868: :. II
DEAR CARR Youand l will get ont
a book next spring, whichwill knock
spots out of all comic books in ancient or
modern history. And the fact that you
are going to take hold of it convinces me
that you have one OF the most maSSire in.
tellects Of this or any other epoch.
"Yours, my pretty gazelle,
.....l..5. .. ...., IA WARD"