The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1879-03-12
NO 339.
[F,Om The Psasadsid 7saesl
JOSH BILLINGSs--IaEA
or HIS ILATNFTELD LIFE--HoW
HE C4ME TO MAKE HIS A.
lKTNAX.


we met Josh Billings for few minutes be.
fore bis lecture, when be gave us some inter
esting "reminiscences Of his life. Tie had been
spending the day with Postmaster vail, who
drove him abont the city and vicinity. Lyipa
Of IN comfortable rocker, lie commenced 10
talk. " saw the Old house TO-DAY, IL
said, "where lived when was i cisIzen II
Plainaeld. 1t is the brick house 81 cent,al
avenue, near Fifth street. rented The house
for very small sum.
: Well, after got through with PlafnfleId
went to Virginia to look after coal miui,.r
interests, and from there---weN, tho fact is.
didn't find out what was good for until &C.
ter was. 45 years DID,"
" 1t is curious how man viii stumble into
things. Take my almanac, for instance.
was filling lecture engagement in New Eng
land, when took heavy cold sleeping be-
tween damp sheets, and it made me sick 40
that had to cancel all my lecture contracts.
On my return bone ehanced to pick up in
hotel reading room an old Farmers Almanac.
which had been published for seventy or
eighty years in the same style. As read it
over at that time | Thought, what a capital
thing to burlesque Now Is the time 4,
plant peas why not Now is the time "a
dig for umbrellass' Then | worked right
there page in that vein. When l got
through with the year took the manuscript
to Carleton, who had already published some
thing for me, and told him would sell it TO
him for $780, He looked 1t over and said he
would not give two hundred and fifty cents
for 1t. But at length lie agreed to print two
Thousand copies This was In September
1s60-my almanac was for 1870. Two hun
drod and fifty copies were sent to the Ameri-
can News Company. Bnt the thing did not
CO. There was no call for IL. Later in tho
fall was down to Boston, when | dropped
into the different newspaper offices and left a
copy with the boys, and told them if they
saw anything in it to say so. They all spoke
well of 1t in their columns, and after that it
began to take. Pretty soon the News Com.
pany sent an order for 500 more, and other or
ders came in. In little while the News
Company left an order for 1000 day and,
to make the story short, there were 10000
copies sold.
" / was going to dedicate it to General
Grant, and then thought, What is q dedi-
cation anyway9 1t is sort Of bargain and
sale. You expect to get something in return
for it, So l said will burlcsque that
idea and just say, This dedication for SALE
Inquire of Josh Billings The space offer
ed to a merchant for three cents for every
copy sold. He agreed to give two conts, tho
publishers certificate of copies to be the ba-
sis of settlement. / went around to see him
IN the spring, and he gave me check for$i,-
800.
- will give You a copy Of the last ono,
(handing one over.) believe will not is.
sue any more of them. It is getting kind of
worn out, and have made about $780, 900 out
of it. am having the ten numbers put into
book form, with Illustrations, and shall put it
on the Market
And so the humorist pleasantly chatted on
about his experiences as an author and his
bouts with the critics. For the most part he
has been very generously treated by the lat--
ter class. Some of the most careful reviews
of his writings have been made by English
critics, who have praised his philosophical
sayings in fattering terms.