New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-06-01
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
HISTORY OF HARPERs DRAWER"


CONTRIBUTORS FROM MANY PLACES - THt
WEEKLY DINNER.
TO the razor or The tribune
SIR: stray copy of TnE TRIBUNE comes to me
"tokpo mine ease in mine inn" in this lovely isle
and in it is this paragraph:
The Drawer" lin HGTper's BonMiU has n history o.
its own. 1t device OF Fletcher HARPER lor asUio
inc tLe he. things OF 'PJnc" and the other fOflg
comic Journals at first he did most OF the selecting
DR. Prime took charge OF IL ana gave IL NOR o, an
dotes personal recoecions and facett contributed by
almost as many correspondents
This is the first public mention of my name in
nection with the Drawer. The connection was long
since terminated, but it very pleasant while it
remained and this mention Of it stirS whole train
of recollections pleasing, but sobered somewhat by
the fact that many whose names revive now be-
yond the stars. My relation TO the Drawer was
rather accidental than otherwise. 1t began in this
way: 4 gentleman, now dead, whose name is not
mentioned in the paragraph above had been forsOmc
time manager of the Drawer. One day iii the year
ISJl conycrsing with the Brothers Harper about
the magazine ycutured to criticiSo some anecdotes
in the Drawer that introduced proiane words, and
sometimes made fun at the expense of serious tngs
when the Mayor, Mr.. James Harper, said in his
nnick and qui2zical way Do you think you could
make 1t any betterW replied: ANY one could
who holds with me that chcerfulncss is n duty.
and GOOD hurnor uuite consistent with true reg
ion.p Mr. Fletcher Harper interrupted: "Wil
You furnish twenty pagcs9' | consented to do So
and continued TO send from month to month in
cident anccd0tc, facctin and amusement a. they
fell in my way. | enlisted Others III the work. ana
in the course of year or two the supplies became
so abundant that the trouble was to select from the
Immense mass of material.
Most of the incidents were personal, and many
. mad.
or their friends All such were rejected, names Of
persons and places changed ciiectually to con
ceal their identity. 4 singular and nearly incredi-
bile occurrence happened. A correspondent sent an
incident To the Drawer but knowing that It's publ
cation would ne offensive 10 the person VINO was tic
object of rdicuir hc changed his namc. but lcit 1t
to be supposed that his real name was gwen W hc1
tine incident came to my hands WIS amused by II,
but wishing 10 avoid all offence ! subs Ituted
name for The one employed by the writer, and by
an unlucky yet mysterious coincidence put me
real name back again, without the sllsh'cst su,P-
ciou of the buudcr. Great was the wrath OF "a"
highly respected gentleman who was thus mace tH9
subject of hearty laugh among his friends ana an
the world beside. \ long and stirring correspond
cnct followed. which finally died out OF itself, and
no bones on either side were broken.
The most frequent and liberal contributors were
clcreyncn. Many of my personal friends, with no
knowledge whatever of my relation to the maya
zine. sent their pleasantrics to the Drawer. The
Rev. Dr. Bcihuue related to many Of the best
thups which wrote ont for this Omniyor"us hop
per. Mr. Fletcher Harper had the hospitable habit
of riyiu., "A dinner once a week To some twelve or
fifteen friends, iucUdnga stock company OF res
ilcnt guests with authors, literary people. and pub
fishers from abIoad, who light be in town. Ihe
dinner, were given at his own house in Twenty
,,coud-st., and thus had tie charm of domestic and
social life. At these delightful reunions, wit was
AWAY, sparkling; men of genius Learning and cu-
turc, free from restraint, and stimulated
by association with kindred and rival minds.
brought from tnrr treasures 'Le nIiBui-
would have filed the Drawer and furnished 4
tempting feast. even II served up cold " mohth
ult,,.Harl our ho,, one of the most genial of
ulcu would often say 80 iHc on an uBd'itunc when
.ou' thing very rlch had fallen from s"iuc one D:
" Delicious, that Is worth gong into the Drawer. ~
MhGr, the bind preacher, va, the best OF
ricontrurs; un4"i" - r'tI, ne Trn"mp'r'i ''tA
thing read To- him. or Vlic1 hc had heard. d..
McCIiutock, now gone M higher. was always en-
tcltaluIug and never sand foolish thing. We ma
wits from Boston and Plladci Ptia, and author,
from England. whose book, thc iiarPcrN published
and t was not unusual for snch collisions u occur
~ puf them ul thrlr mrttlc, and produced Tor tie
entertainment of the rest Of rs Il brilliant tourua-
m.ut. c,j ,y,d alike hy Nicto.s and FduqulNhcd Is
well ao spectators.
Naay year, ! was ~ constant intercourse with
the four original Harper brothers, all dead now.
They wrr, NY friend, more than n quarter Of n
century. l.tcil ui them hah MS strongly hdIhcu
feature, of character. one tat common 10
Them all-thc highest, best and loyciicst of all
trait,-thcy we've good men. They were genial
also cheerful. fond 81 humur never suriy moru,c
or sour; they had tnrlr best illustration IN the
drawer! Cheerful. entertaining, pleasant with
never a word that Ia" recording angel WOMB dot
out win a teal. making the world brighter and
better "a, sunlight that j. lt"rlt smile scn the
Drawer seek, 10 be; sGch the four Harper Brothers
wcrr: such may thci: sons and sons sons be- and
tie Drawer too, Whi.u the grass grows and rivers
How. =. lKiNIlS lElML.
Isic Of Eight, April II. ISIS.