, 1877-03-31
THE BOHEMIANS.
MEN WHOSE TRAINED PENS
FEED THE TYPES.
VIRTUES OF A TABooED PROFESSION.

VIRTUES OF A TAB00ED PROFESSION.
The name of Bohemian. as generally
applied to literary men. means every
thing mean and vagabondish. This is
however far from being ar exact defini-
ton of the class upon whom it is usu>
sily bestowed. Probably the more def
mite and graphic Interpretation would
be a man without home. as is the case
with the rowing Bohemian gypsies from
whom the appellation was originally
borrowed. Most men of this class are
men who do not marry, for the simple
reason tha. their means Lave been bare
ly sufficient to support themselves, let
alone paying the board and maintenance
of a woman. Occasionally one meets
with a woman whose ambition leads her
beyond the mere display of new bon
net and when such a woman is to be
found, she is worth marrying. We
knew as shiftless fellow as ever drew
breath, in San Francisco some sixteen
years ago. He got thirty dollars per
week on a daily paper and never had q
cent. One day he fell in love with q
sewing-girl and married her. She
taught him lessons of economy till they
saved up enough money to buy a neat
home of their own and he is now
A LhADING REAL ESTATE AGENT
In that city. The life was not cne he
preferred. but was forced upon him by
adversity; as soon as prosperity greeted
his efforts. he cheerfully changed his
avocation You seldom hear of any of
these men being guilty of an act that
borders upon downright cruelty; they
are too often the good natured thought
less victims of circumstances and, where
they fall below the average standard of
manhood. are more sinned ae ainst than
shining. OF course there are many
downright scrubs among them. as in all
other avocations; but there are equally
ss many among them who are men of
naturally generous impulses and who
often are compelled to write what they
do not feel. at the dictation Of such
soulless masters as the chief conductors
of metropolitan dailies generally are.
There is some great railroad or acque-
duct scheme on foot and the opponents
of the scheme wish to array the opposi-
ton of the press against it until the pro-
ector finally becomes alarmed for its
success and agrees to divide the spoils.
The manager compels the reporter, un-
der threats of
yACATING HIS SITUATION,
TO write exactly as be dictates and the
result is that Dick Rothley. the Bohe
mian, is obliged to write articles attack
ing the honesty or solvency of MIR.
Goldencalf. the banker, who kindly
loaned him twenty" two or three
yearJ ago. So the poor fellow, bIim
full of thankfalness as he is. has SUBJ
mitted to him the dreaded alternative Of
ingratitude or starvation. Is it any
wonder, then, that men who are not
acquainted with the tyranny BY which
large newspapers are governed, look
down upon reporters and 'tree-lances"
as being men devoid of principal and
wholly mercenary! Usually, when sur
rounded by others of his own stamp.
the Bohemian is jolly and full of fun.
giving up his last dollar to the promo
ton of conviviality. At other times
when surrounded by the misfortunes of
others (for his own never t:ouble hlm)
he is the saddest and most wretched of
men. The great representative man OF
this stamp, in our era was the genial
humorist known as
'ARTEMUs WARD,
Whose real name was Chas. F. Browne.
We met him first in San Francisco dur
ing the winter of 1868, where he was
surrounded by such rare spirits as Ned.
Knight, Charley Webb and Noah Brooks.
He had weak body with a strong head
His lectures. if they were worthy of the
term. brought him more money than he
knew what to do with and he resolved
on seeing something of life. Into seven
years of festivity and dissipation he
compressed splendid manhood that
should have reached seventy. His drol-
lery surpassed ANYTHING. 1t was about
this time that the fashion of walking off
when an anecdote was being related
first began. One Saturday night ar
temus" and Webb met Brooks and in
sisted on his going with them to hip
ple's club house. Once there, they were
invited to supper by tho proprietor and
sat down to q magnificent repast of
roast vepison and champagne. After
this they lit cigars and sat down in the
outer parlor where a splendid portrait
of Washington was in full view. Ar
temus commenced to a
TELL A GOOD STORY
When Brooks. Whipple and Webb got
up one after the other and walked 81
lently away, whistling psalm tunes and
the like. Browne looked after them a
minute and. drawing derringer from