Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-11-27
THOMAS MAST.
scne Interesting Facts About His WorE
and Life.

and Life.
A New York correspondent has visited
Mast the greatest living caricaturist, at
his home in Morristown, New Jersey, and
gives these Interesting items concerning
him:
Sixty minutes from Christopher Street
Ferry over the New Jersey salt meadows,
and through the Morris and Essex Tunnel,
and we were at the home of the great car
icaturist. Mast met US at the depot, and a
half mile walk brought us to his charming
little cottage, filled with pictures, home
comforts, and four lovely angel babes
Presiding over all this happiness was a
young blonde Yankee wife, with brown
hair, graceful form, and delicate damask
cheeks that would bring the blush to q
Jersey peach.
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
political cartoons for Harper's, which have
amused the public, killed Mr. Greeley, and
made Grant President. In the room is
table where Mast draws these pictures of
wood. The table is covered with newspa-
pers and photograph and half-fiffished car
toons, while on the walls of the room are
sketches and drawings by Etty, Leach,
Dore and Turner, but nothing suggesting
the bold terrible satire which we see in his
own cartoons. After these cartoons are
drawn, they are sent to town, when they
are divided into several pieces, so that
several workmen can engrave on them at
once. It would take one engraver two
weeks to engraye picture the size of one
page of HdTper's Weekly, and cost, sup
pose, one hundred dollars. To-day the ar
tist was making sketch of Mr.. Froude in
the act of kneeling to pluck the nettle of
Irish failure and discontentment from
Irish soil, while, in the foreground, ,Colum-
bia 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 Harper's next week.
Nast's very boldness-his terrible ag-
gres siveness-is what challenges admira-
ton and makes Hdrper's Weekly a sue
cess, -as aa
When asked him if he didn't think it
great undertaking to attack Mr.. Greeley,
he said:
."Yes; but knew he was an old hum
bug. l knew I was right, and 1 knew
right would win in the end. / was almost
alone, too.
"People say you have made good deal
of money out of the campaign, Mr.. Mast"
remarked. --.-; "a
well, that is great mistake. | have
never madea centoutside of my profession
al pay, and that is small enough. It's so
small that can't afford to live in town."
"Couldn't you take some paying posi-
tion from the Administration ?'' I asked.
'.Oh no that would kill me. wouldn't
be Minister to England. General Grant
nor his frienGs have never offered me any,
thing, and Pm glad they haven't. know
Grant to be an honest man, and he knows
1 am actuated by unselfish motives. They
may all have the power, money and posi-
ton. / must be satisfied with glory, a
cottage paid for, and my wife and babies.
Why, Tammany Ring offered me $3.50, 900
| if would go to Europe when I first began
to expose them. They came to my lowyer
and laid all the plans for its payment. But
said: No; can not swerve from the
right line.'n mar o-.rf -DrI3ftfI
/ asked Mr.. Mast if his cartoons were al
ways his own invention.
"Yes, almost always. Indeed, / can't
RENE mber when / have used suggestion.
read closely, make my pictures plain,
and describe them with little words. Some
times the children put the little words in
my mouth. The Harpers never know
! what is coming. Indeed, if I told people