The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-10-21
The SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY.
Tuesday, October 2l,ilS79.
BARMENAS MIX AND ARTEMUS
An Unpublished Interview With
the HumOrist.
detroit Free Press.

N--~N-~-N 4.
I met Artemus Wsrd but once. I was
quite Young at the time andswas acting
rs city EDITOR of the s,Siar," published at
Schenectady, New York. The papers
wlr,le name was the Evening Star. -
Gregory, the genial philosopher OF the
Buffalo Express, aud other great men
were once connected with It. Well,
while I was city editor of this sheet,
met Artemus. He had come among US
IT, deliver his famous lecture, and the
whole place turned out to hear him.
Strange rs II may appear, I didn't co.
You see, was fatho ms deep in love with
q girl at the time and had o rival. This
rival, who had recently blazed out in a
new, suit of ctothes, was at the lecture
and, sitting hy his side, as happy as a
kitten with gill of milk Coz cealed about
It's person, was the idol of my heart
the alas! tickle queen OF my young af-
fections. This is the reason that, an hour
after the lee ure was over, happened to
he standing on 9 canal bridge looking
sadly down into the water. Although !
heard no Footsteps | suddenly became
conscious Of presence. Looking up ]
saw standing beside me q slender form,
whose face in the dim twilight seemed
an unusual one. ....,...
Pardon me-" he said; 81 saw you
looking dreamingly into the water as If
you might be q poet. or perhapsa . coro-
ner, and was attracted to your side. Has
misfortune overtaken thee, or art thou
thinking of . lost one or two, or q
nearer one vet, or dearer one in the
shape of VT'
I explained that had lost no money,
and during the course OF the cow rsa-
tion revealed the fact that I was local
editor. a 9TGssft iies5
) ait must be a terrible strain to the in
tellect to attend TO the duties Of local
editor" he remarked tenderly. "Long,
long time ago had relative--it is q
family tradition-who was local editor.
He succumbed TO bis tremendous intel
leciual exertion at an early age. Noble
soul, he died in the harness; at all events
. stub lesd pencil and an old notebook
were found in his coat-tail pocket after
his demlse. His last words we're, Sci
'em up again. alluding, you kuow,to the
type 'e qs
L was going to say something in re.
gard to my heavy editorial responsible
ty, hut Ward checked me by asking:
-. s.Wiiat creek is this an.
g"Creek ?" i exclaimed. "Why this il
the Erie Canalr'
How Far is itnasigable?r
..s'Wby, Of course, it is navieable fro n
one end to the other, was my surpris et
reply. a-n' e aI
SWELL" solemnlv replied Ward, alha
heats all the streams lever heard Of
By the way, I think can make out SOM
large boats anchored up the streau
there-what are they, propellers or side
wheelers ?" y e ~
I replest that they we're merely cana
boats and were moved by horse power
ssAh! / didut think the stream wa
as shallow es that replied Artemus-
s.As shallow as .what?"
"Why you say that these boats ar
pulled along hv horses. Now, of ccurs
they must walk along in front of tn
boat, mustn't theyp / used to run
stone boat on my tamsnted Uncle John
farm, and distinctly remember that th
horses walked along in front"
I mentally declared that had neve
before met with such ignorance. I spen
some time IN explaining the peculiaritie
Of the big ditch, and just as began
think that at last had set the strapge
right on the snhject, he knocked m
hopes into kindling-wood by remark
ing:
II suppose that when the stream drie
up in summer they put the boats o
wheels, don't they?' Ta
Then l. began again and explaine
qverv feature in the canal from Ne
York to Erie. How attentively he lii
tened ofny words. - I can still see th,
melancholy face lit by the sad light {
pthe STARS, and those mournful eyes loot
ing into mine 50 earnestly and again
hear, as I did then. after I had talked fo
nearly half an hour, going fully into tn
details OF boating, the low, patheti
drawl:
"Any saw-mills on the stream tbs
you know Off"
Shortly after some gentlemen can
along who seemed to he acquainted wit
my ohtnse friend. Presently one calle
him Artemus. and then commenced
reflect. always reflect best when II
hid away somewhere, so went and hi
myself -