The true northerner., 1877-08-10
JOSH BILLINGs. H0isig
A Man Who Failed in Everything Else, and
Succeeded u Writer.
New York Cor. Chicago Times.l

III you were dskeu tO guess WHO, VI III
American authors, makes the most money
with the least work, the chances are q
hundred to one that you would not hit
upon the right man. He is of the hu.
morous tribe, and is generally known as
Josh Billings, though his real name is
Henry w. Shaw. Cultured people have
heard of him, of course many regard
him as kind of clown but they have
little acquaintance with his writings,
which are really to their liking. With
the masses, however, he is a favorite
they never tire of reading and repeating
his quaint sayings, often clever, but
oftener fiat. l..sr afra fr
He has had curious career, having
tried everything and failed before he
tried hterature-if his peculiar sort of
composition can be 80 designated
in that he has had exceptional success.
He is a native of Berkshire county,
Mass, and 90 years old His father
was farmer, and, remembering that he
was New Englander, 1T is superhuous
to say he was poor. Considerable atten-
ton was paid to Henry's education until
he was IA, when he grew tired of re-
straint, and, desirous of seeking his
fortune in the far West he journeyed
to the frontier. He seems to have ca
joyed rough life, though he did not
profit by it in a pecumary sense. He
turned his hand to anything he found in
his way. FAt40 w 1AA 4hsl'l@.
First, he opened country store, keep
ing stock of goods more remarkable
for variety than richness, including
grindstones, needles, scythes, cathartic
pills, calico, cheap confectionery, jews
harps, breast-pins and jujube paste.
In year or so, he closed the establish
ment, but not without the Sheriffs as
sistance. puLIrn09N hnG aH uH
Then he took farm on credit without
gaining any credit by farming, and was
obliged, at the end of the third season,
to discontinue the noble occupation for
lack of means to carry it on. II, =.
Next, he hired himself out to drive
cattle, and, having driven himself into
rags and semi i-starvation, he determined
to change his element.
Having obtained the place of master
of small steamboat on the Missouri,
he navigated the river for two Years,
having, in that time, sunk three vessels,
and lost, according to his own calcula-
ton, $4,000 or $40, 900, which was all
the more deplorable, as he had no money
to begin with. How he made the loss
he could never explain except on paper,
and his arithmetic is so abstruse as to be
unintelligible to the common mind.
Teaching was his next enterprise, and
such was his success that at the close of
the third term three OF his pupils were
promoted TO the county lunstic asylum,
and the remainder were pronounced de-
serving of the honor, with O little more
encouragement.
Having convinced himself of his ca
pacity rs a public instructor, he decided
|. TO open IA bank--not with jimmy and
outsider, as man of genius would have
done-and opened one But, having
neither capital nor credit, he suspended
indefinitely after the second week, and
published statement, his assets and
liabilities both being represented by 0.
He had expected the statement to create
a sensation, but, as he had no creditors
except himself, whom he had no hope of
paying, ne found that the public excite
ment very soon subsided. Having ex-
hausted himself and his resources, and,
having attained his 40th year, when, if
ever, a man is presumed to learn wisdom,
be decided that the West was not his
proper field, and so he set his face to-
ward the East He made his new home
at Poughkeepsie, on the Hudson, and
determined, as last and desperate re-
source, to write wisely Judging Ehat
man who could do nothing else might
prosper in literature, just as man who
prospers in literature is usually disqual-
flied for any other occupation. He
was encouraged TO this step by long OBJ
servation that his queer speeches made
people laugh, and he felt sure ii he could
produce the same effect on paper IT
would be better for him than to keep
store or teach school.
Turned of A. he wrote his first things
for print, being some of the sayings by
which he has since made his reputation.
! They were published in one of the city
weeklies, and were not much liked, it is
said, until he began to misspell them.
Then they rose in popularity, and he
was set down as humorist. After two
or three years he issued volume enti-
tied "Sayings of Josh Billings" 1t
had good sale in this country and a
moderate one III Great Britain. His
next DOCK, JOSH DlllluBs Oh ice, WIS
in still more demand, and put a fair
amount of money in his purse 1t soon
occurred to him to get out an almanac
ne called it "Josh Billings Farmers
Alminax and the almanac proved
highly remunerative. From 100, 600 to
1876, 900 copies have been sold annually,
and il is reported to be growing in favor.
Shaw still continues his connection
with the weekly he began on. II is II
story paper, claiming circulation of
100000, and having perhaps nearly half
that The propretOrs give him "a, coo
a year for his sayings, furnished exclu-
sively to that sheet He is in request as
a lecturer, his terms being from 500 to
$50 night
Ii Shaw is an ordinary clown, he is a
clown to some purpose. 1t is said that
! by his newspaper contributions, his al
manac, his books and his lectures he has
earned in good years from $4,000 to
! S35, 600, which is rs much as Hawthorne,
Emerson, Holmes, Lowell, Bryant, and
other famous authors have made 10y their
combined works.