Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-10-27

seemed TO stand as much In need OF H. He
wrote rather rapidly. and writing see mel 10
come easy to him. He laughed nearly al the
time he was writing.
o all Artemus Wards friends, however
end he had more tn an almost any man in
Americs-the one friend who cher isnes n; m
with a remembrance tender as that of q
man for his dead lady love, Is Mr. j. III.
Ry der, familiarity known in Cleveland as
Jack Ryder. He met Artemus Ward In
'57, and was his constant companion from
that time until he went TO take charge OF
Family Fair ia '61. Mr.. Ryder was his az mt
afterwards, during the tour in which he lee
tuTed on the Mormons.
And it pleases me to think, now, that
saved him from a good deal of dissipation
into which thougntless friends would have
pluDge1 him" said Mr.. Ryder. gently.
Mr.. Ryder seems To have been the one
stroDg spirit 10 whom the sensitive soul OF
Artemus Ward clung for projection, he being
III nit q To take care of himself In Cleve
land the two friends were room mates.
" be was restless sleeper said Mr.. Ry-
der: many time he used TO wake the up ut
or 3 O'clO, at nigIt, a Nd say to me, Il ant
stand this. must see something funny AMI
ne would make me get up and dress AMI 20
out with him, and We would roam the stree,s
up ard down in the night, looking for som =
thing funny. l always went with him VIII IN
re wanted me 10. am glad did, - said this
UdUS Achdt6S.
Il have observed many people in nv
time" continued Mr.. X 'ani / must say
TINS, thai never met man VINO pDsssSSe
Tie SOCIAL IdsclEaLiOns that ArlemuS w ard
did His SOFT, slow voice, and the slight,
natural hesitation of his m amer, helped 10
make him irresisiibly charming in society.
Ladies found him entirely fascinating"
Did he use TO get love letters from wo
thOSe?''
Yes, a great many. But there was this
popularity about them: The ladies' w %
wrote letters to Artemus Ward were ladies
who had what Is rather rare among women,
a strong humorous sense. Ladies with the
m N IN NJ
Artemus Ward and his lectures. And the
letters he got from them displayed usually a
comic side. | remember one i'm particular
which gave the poor fellow as much fun as
anything ever did in bis life
Z" He lectured on the MormOnS one hundred
nights at DoiwOrth Hall, New York. He had
his own way of advertising. as well of doing
everything else, inimtfable, like all he did.
To advertise his Dodworth Hall lectures, he
dressed up two men Ike Indians and then
finished them Off with plug hats and UNI
hrellas, and had them parade up and down
H. front Of DOdworth Hall in daytime. The
ludicrousneSs o, the thing took the New
to the hall every night.
at was during this time that he got the
funny letter from the young Lady. II con-
tanned long bill-as long page of fools
cap-charged up against Artemus Ward, for
destroying the lady's wardrobe, as tented
In the bill. There were twenty -four buttons,
SO many pairs OF corset stays and laces. so
many hooks and eyes, and so on which the
young lady had burst and broken while at
tending Ariemus Wards lectures. 1t was
capital hit, and / never saw Ward enjoy
anything more. He wrote to the bright
young lady, and they corresponded for some
time"
"Was Ii true that his lectures succeeded so
remarkably from the very first?,
1T was not true. He had har1 time, an
awful hard time, to get started. He lectured
in the smaller country towns at first, and
went along for year or two, barely making
expenses. He didn't have full confidence ia
his own ability at first, and he was so sensi-
depressed him for DAYS. and made him
fairly sick. He never could do as some IA
nous public men do whom I've known
stand at the exit as an audience passed. out
and hear the remarks that were M ade about
him. HIS aim in life was TO make people
laugh, and when they didn't laugh at his
lectures, ii depressed him beyond measure.
He never showed his depression, however,
nut worked ON mis- audience desperately. II
they didn't laugh at a joke. ne would pre-
tend 10 think they did not understand IT, aud
would go over II all again, stopping at every
point TO explain in most ludicrous man !.
ner. and when at last the long expected gig
gle rippled over his audience, he would re
mark to them, with solemn gravity: Il
thought that would bring you.'
" And TO think of the school OF vile INIT
tor OF Ward that have sprung up all over
lLe country, said MI Ryder, era phaticaliy.
"All our pretended humOrists In America
an nOthiT Z but imitaiOrs and plagiarists of
Ar smus Ward. Eli Perkins is the very worst
fraud III all, SAID he, with somethirg which
sounded wrathful in mis- tones. ELI Perkins
goes around the country occurring and trying
to initiate Wards manner; and that Is not
the worst thing he does, either. He takes
whole paragraphs and pages bodily out of
Wards Lectures and repeats them for his
own. He had the iInpudence TO do this right
here in Cleveland, among Wards friends,
I UcnI you recognize that? D1l't YOU kno 3
/ 4 = AriemEh Wards lecture, word for word?
| u ma kes me so II digaant that can't endure
| Il.
"Artemus Wards greatest fault was his
| reCki - generOsIty," continued Mr.. RYDER
'it he lI' q TO make IN popular, suppose
| AEcti tr tbI ibat be ped was mis- memory.
! lie had The most reIentlve memory of any
! mar ever knew. If he had been merely in
/ trOduced 10 "a man, in any town where he vas
| travelling. be would remember him so walI
/ that when he passed through tn at town again,
| though il were years after, he would call tne
| man Y name and shake hands with him,
| nkirg Of him ever since he saw him the
| other time. 1t made folks feel as If he re-
/ garded each one of them as his particular
! friend, and II battered them.
- He never did anything like anybody else.
one cay he came TO me here in Cleveland
ard asked 10 see me privately. We went into
the private Office, and Ward said Jack
wouldn't like to tell anybody but you, but
the fact Is, I'm dead broke. i don't want you
10 tell your brother, but i wish you would
| let Inc take your watch and chain to pawn,
SO can raise some money on them g
Didn't like to do 1t much, as you may sup
| pose offered 10 get some money for him,
al could spare at that time, but he said no.
| He desired especially TO experience the SEN
/ satior OF leaving his watch and chain al q
| pawnbroker's shop. gave up TO his within,
! al last, as did TO most of Wards whims in
I fact, and let him take the watch. In the az
ternOon / was greatly surprised to receive a
/ package containing handsome, brand ne "
watch and chain, in return for my old one
} Ward had wished to make me present of a
watch, aud had taken that way to do II. II
/ was just like him."
SOFT was. a friend OF the humorist was
married, on one occasion, AMI Artemus
NaId sent the fair bride bottle of Mrs
Winslow's Soothing Syrup as a wedding
present. He followed ii up Immediately,
I however, with a handsome silver set, and
b both presents Were ''just like him"
In 1866 he took his panorama and Mormon
B lecture 10 England. He did not begin lectur-
| irg at first, however, but wrote awhile for
1 the London Punch. He could not make thin Is
/ work TO his satisfaction at once.
! A characteristic Incident happened, how
! ever, which was the making OF Artemus
| Ward in London. He was standing with "a
| friend, one rainy night, on the sidewalk in
\ front OF a London theater. Ward was a
| slight, fragile man, and as he stood there
| quietly, big, burly rowdy went past him
! ard brushed against Artemus Ward and
| knocked him down. Artemus picked hi nself
up as speedily as possible, and the crowd
A q nm a ~. 60 n ID