The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-01-22
AMERICAN HUMoRIsTs.
THEIR PREcARIous FAME-soME NOTABLE IN
STANCES.

We admire having new name to admire
and laud, and after little while we enjoy
equally its depreciation and denunciation. We
all seem willing to lift person to certain
height and we relish seeing him there as long
as we can delude ourselves with the notion
that we aided to put him in the positions
Hearing others extol him, we grow envious
and cynical; fall to piercing him with arrows
of satire, and are delighted when he is down,
never to rise again,
A slight retrospect will prove the truth of
the statement. We can easily recall the wide
popularity Doesticks (NIortimer Thompson)
gained as a humorist. His sketches were
laughed at immoderately. He came from De-
troit, Michigan, to New York and the Tribune,
and scintilated for a year or two. Then he
was pronounced wearisome, and ere long he
sank out of sight. He wrote for the weekly
story-papers but he lost his attraction, and
recently went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to
assist in editing daily.
Artemus Ward followed. From an humble
local reporter on a Cleveland TO- } journal, he
rose to more than national reputation. His
phrases were quoted by the people, and his
lectures drew crowds. He suffered an eclipse
He went to England because, as it was said,
his jokes were all known here. He died, and
the encomiums that had been suspended were
revived over his grave.
"Nasby" locke rose to fame Immediately
after the war; had his elimination and decline
You seldom see his badly spelled screeds now,
though he lectures with pecuniary profit
edits the Toledo Blade, and is worth $780,
900.
Orpheus G. Kerr Robert II. NewalD was
highly commended for his clever satres on the
Army of the Potomac in New York weekly,
but became invisible with the return of ,,eace.
He is attached at present to the staff of the
World, and does the "Socal Studies y in the
Sunday issue.
Mark Twain Samuel L. Cemens) was
brought to the surface by his dumping Frog, .
and universally advertised by his extremely
ludicrous "Innocents Abroad" As the funny
man on the Gdlary he was pronounced such a
failure that he retired from his department in
confusion and panic. His 'Roughing It" is
wholly inferior to his other book, though it
has sold largely. The public are wearying of
him little, and he must arouse himself if he
cares for his laurels.
Bret Harte conquered attention by his ex-
traordinary tales in the Overland, and grew
celebrated by his tritie. ''rhe Heather Chinee.''
Cities and publications bid for him, and Eos
ton and the Atontic carried him off. Since
then he has been stifed almost. :. We have
had no really clever thing from him, according
to the critics, who consider his reign at al
end.
John Hay came home from Europe wrote
"Little Brooches and "Jim Bludsoe,o ant
was made the theme of countless paragraphs
His admirable book, "Castilian Days. CAV,
him reputation among the cultivated, but they
are the few. He is doing fine strong work OF
the Tribune, but he is slipping out of the pub
lie eye. --, -. .s--
Even Joaquin Miller, the poet Of the Sierras
has almost had his day His songs are pro-
nounced monotonous, and his genius a manu-.
featured article.
We await, at this moment, another coming
man-somebody to put up and pull down. He
will be along anon. The question is: Do oul
humorists and literary lights decline, or do We
declare them exhausted because they are such
or because we are merely tickle ?--New Yorl
Correspondent 81. Louis Globe.