New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-09
OLD MEMORIES OF AN ARTIST
WILLIAM NoRTRs ODD GENIUS.

Stp. In the baantif,il suburb of St. Johns Wood,
moi far from the Regents Park, lived William
North. He occupied two rooms in pretty
little row of houses the name OF which forget ana
lived there in state of squalid elegance which was
truly comcal. He was the oldest fish j, or indeed
any one, ever saw. believe this pre-eminent odd
ity was generally conceded both in England and
this country, where he terminated his life poor
fellow by taking prusslc acid in in his lodgings in
Bond-st. This tragedy, which took place more than
twenty-seven years ago. viii probably be remem-
bered only by few persons now living IN New
York but it vas sad affair." for he was still young
: and full OF genius. With little patience and SELF
rest rant he might have achieved great success Dut
he had neither, so he buried out OF world ID
which he said he was not fit to live. Some one mas
said he was the father of short editorials IN tne
American press; he certainly was the author OF one
of the sortest, the celebrated auti-Maine liquor
law editorial, which is now the watehword OF 'ne
frce-drilkers throughout Germany. 1t was only
two lines written for The Nec York Leader, and ran
thus:
We woud rather see the whole world drunk from
choice than one man sober on compulsion
Well this William North lived in his little quar-
tiers in the most comical style. He had furnisheu
his own rooms with rocking chair. part OF car
pet a large kind of side-board. and seVerai other
odds and ends of furniture. His bedroom contained
was ALL He had no scutle for his Goals, but being
of an ingenious turn of mind constructed one out of
n creular map of the Western hemisphere, which
being mounted Oh stiff cardboard he bent over and
fastened with piece of string, so that il assumed
something the appearance of Quakers bonnet
without the crown. in this device he took great
pride but as it was open Mt both ends and North
the most awkward of all living men, it caused the
poor fellow world of trouble. Three times out OF
four at very mercIiul calculation, when he at
tempted to put coal the fire. the thing would tip
backward and empty the whole of its contents on
The hcarth-rug at his feet. Then there would follow
ayolley of anathemas levelled at cosmos, and bis
own stupidity; and the coal would have to be
laborousy picked and scraped and shovelled up
again. Another of bis devices was of rather I'M
pleasant not to say slightly sckening, character.
Although the most careless of creatures where most
men are particular, ne had one or two ultra neat
fads one of which deeprooted objection 10 any
of his fren Is INDUCING in the Bohemian practice OF
splitting in the fire. place when they smoked now
% he had no spit-oon, thing indeed almost I'M
known in England, save in public-houses, he had
recourse to his inventive powers, and evolved from
them cuspdore of his own which consistod OF a
uoup plate filled with ashes! Many of his friends
openly rebelled and refused to use it, unpleasant
was the association of ideas But North would
ALWAYS stoutly defend his invention, and arraign
his friends for their unreasonng prejudice.
In his establishment attendance WIS not supplied,
save TO a very limited extent, so he used to COOK
his own meals, and a very interesting operation u
was to witness. His menu for breakfast consisted
of fried bacon, bread and butter and coffee. lie
could get along very well with the bread and but
ter, but the bacon and coffee we're trials lie mad
no frying-pan so he cooked the bacon In the ire
shovel. This might appear at fist sight rather
NartI, mail tn
the emergency He wrapped the bacon up in
clean sheet of writing paper and cooked it en- pdp'-
Iota-"just as the French cooks do at Very's, and
Ali the first restaurants of Paris" he would explain
And then he would launchinto a long monologue in
support of fre-shovels opposed to fry1ngpans as
culinary utensils; the latter, in his view, beng
efFete and barbaric. To be sure, when the Wand
was cooked there was always a little difficulty In
getting it out of the scaldng-hot paper and have
often seen him send his rasher gyraing across the
room and under the book in his efforts to shake
Ii out on plate, an operation he used to perform
with a motion very similar to that which terrier
uses in killing rat. The making OF the coffee was
attended with much the same difficulties. At that
time it was the custom in England to make coffee
by placing il in small bag in the cohee-pot, ana
pouring boiling water on it, and allowing 1t to per-
colate through. In North's case this bag would al
ways drop into the cohee-pot and had to be fshed
out with teaspoon. generally upside down and
half empty and sometimes emulatiDg the bacon by
afterward performing series OF somersaults
scross the table INTO the butter-dish. However,
be would struggle through his task, and then sit
down. red and breathless. but complacent withal to
enjoy the fruits of his labor, and talk metaphys-
les or art.
North had been educated at German University,
and articed to London solicitor. but not liking
hon hat and
turned his attention to literature much to the DIS
gust of his worthy father, business man of some
means His first work was "Anti-C Oningsby," a
three volume novel, intended to run n tilt against
Disraell's Conngsby," then the talk of the town.
North's book made quite little nit, and for some
time he was small lion, the guest of Miner Glib
Ason- and friend of Lady Bulwer. AS he was
only nineteen when this first book appeared, the
success proved rather too much for his Young
nerves. so that after rebufs soured him good deal
toward large portion of the world including that
mercenary and unapprecative class of men known
rs publishers.
If North's culinary methods were unusual. his lit
erary ones were equally so. On one occasion BIO
undertook to translate the whole of Lamartines
poems and that without knowing one word OF
French and what is more, he actually did II, and
did 1t very Sell too teaching himself the language
as he went along with the and of French diction-
arv. Lanartine wrote him very complimentary
letter on his work. and afterward received him with
cordiality in Paris.
North, who had gone through the approved drill
of school and college education. besides having the
advantage Of some social position, looked with
good deal of jealousy and contempt the older and
more successful set of seif-made writer's, OF whom
Douglas Jerrod, Layman Blanchard, the Mayhews,
Albert Smith, and Others were representatives. ana
itched To cross swords with some OF them But they
weIe safely encamped in the castles of their recog
pized regulations, surrounded by the sub
staptaI walls of established publications and
did pot choose TO invite him inside to
a tournament, nor TO 90 outside TO meet
family-ess wandering knight just 10 give him an
nnnnrtiinifY to win his spnrs.