Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-01-19
JOSH BILLINGS.
A RaCy Sketch Of the NumOrisfs Ad.
yenturOus Career.

RaCy Sketch Of the HumOrists Adj
venturOus Career.
Mr.. Redpath gives, in the Illustrated
UCcklN, an interesting account of one of
the noted characters of our day, modern
edition Of "Poor Richard" with various
improvements. We abiidgc the follow
ing biographical notes:
Josh Billings was born in Lnnesboro,
Berkshire County, Mass. sixty-two or
sixtv-thrcc years ago. Both his grand
father and father were members of Con
gress. His name is Henry W, Shaw.
His father was al intimate frierd of Hen
ry Clay, and his political manager i'll
New England. Josh once asked me to
introduce him to Wendell Phillips to get
his advice about publishing the corro-
spondence between Clay and his father.
Phillips advised him TO publish. Josh
SAYS that he never dared to enter the
political arena because both Tie grand
father and father had left such pure re-
cords i'll it His father added farming to
politics, OF politics to farming. / have
forgotten which was horse and which
cart with him.
Josh went to school until he was IA,
when he started ont on his own hook for
the West. He spent the next twenty-five
years of his life mostly out West. He
turned his hand to everything, but for
tune turned its back on him. Most Of
what | know about Mr.. Shaw's lie up to
the age of 45 did not learn from him,
but chiefly from his friends. One of
them wrote that Josh 'first opened n
country store, keeping stock Of goods
more remarkable for variety than riches
including grindstones. needles, scy,hes,
7 put 1apY 10 mill oh n,4i
/ cry. jews harps breast-pumps, and iu-
lube paste. In year or so he closed the
establishment but not without the Sheriif"s
assistance Then he took farm on
credit without gaining any credit by farm
ing, and was obliged at the end of the
third season to discontinue the noble oc-
cupation for II lack of money to carry it
ON. Next, he hired himself ont to drive
cattle: and, having drevin himself into
rags and semi starvation. lie determined
to change his clement. Having obtained
the place of master of n small steamboat
on the Missouri, he navigated the river
for two years, having III that time sunk
three vessels snd lost, according to his
own calculation. $1,000 or $4,000,
which was all the more deplorablc as he
had no money to begin with. How he
made the loss lie could never explain, eY-
cept on paper, and Lis arithmetic is sc
abstruse rs to be unlntelligible to the
: common mind. Teaching was his next
| enterprise, and such was his success that
at the close of the third term three of his
; pupils were promoted to the County
Luuatic Asylum, and the remainder were
pronouncedsdese of the honor, witt
Il little more encouragement. Having
l convinced himself of his capacity as
+; public instructor, he decided to open
= bank-not with jimmy and outsider
: as 4 man of genius would have donc-ane
e he opened ono. But having neither cap
, ital nor credit hs suspended indotinitel,
a after the second week and published
} statemcnt-his assets and liabilities botl
c being represented by-0.
+ | once showed this account to Jash
His eyes twinkied IS he read it, and the
II lie said there was II good deal OF truth Il
II it. His steamboat enterprise was con
II fined 10 the Ohio River, not the Mis-
q souri. II was undertaken at the instanc
r Of New York spectators, by whom h
{ was sent to open mine in Western Vii
+, Ginin. He bought steamboat at Pitt
/, burgh, and it took him three monies
ii get it to Charlcstown and Gallipolis, III
,, til tl!c company became bankrupt. L
N the course of his western wanderings JOS
p found himself in California. in lSf9-l
20 was one of your oldest and best-but i
Is did not stay ON tine coast for any lengt
of time.
n He married at the age Of u when on
IA visit TO his father in Massachusetts.
il the age OF 40 he moved East in order
educate his two daughters. He -four
rs good schools ut Poughkceksie, on II
IL Hudson, and he settled there. As
ri had no egular profession, he took l
nj the trades of auctionoer and dealer
he real estate. He had dabbled in both
as these calliugs in the West. He had gre
as success as nm auctloneer in Poughkee
OF sic but Us the town is n small one, |
no professional income was not very lare
a. His humor made him Il great iavorte vi
EN- the Toodles family,
de There pas little nine by seven da
paper published i'll Poughkeepsie. Il
editor called on Mr.. Shaw one day n
said that the man who could talk as W
as he could talk ought to be able to VIZ
well. and he wanted him to contribl
gh something to his paper. Mr.. Shaw t'
I'M him that lie had never written II line
lily publication in his life But the noel
Iiss pleased him, and he thought over it, Il
i've then wrote II series of between twenty Il
'ou thirty of the short pieces that have m;
r?' his name Il household word in Amer
md since then. For six months he continr
Ugh his contributions every week. Nobt
i'm noticed them outside Poughkeeksie. {
, day Mr.. Shaw read one of the essays
tin. Artemus Ward on subject that he !
op; treated in one Of his essays. He rea'
I, n over ana over again; and the more
has read it the less he understood why Al
lloS mus Wards should be popular and
'ein pieces had fallen stillbon from the pr
g OF us it the bad spelhng?' he asked Ii
tie. self. He made mp his mind that it
one that bad spelling and nothing else
rms had given wings to Artemus Wa
lbt- Lunor and made him famous. and