Middletown transcript., 1883-04-06
Written for the MIddletoaOn Transcript.
THE FUNNY MEN.
BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL CHANCES AT
AMERICAN NEWSPAPER
HUMORISTS.
ROBERT ]. BURDETTE.

was born at Greensboro, Pa, in 1874.
When he was child his parents moved
to the West and settled at Peoria, ILL.,,
where Robert was educated at the pub
lie schools. When he was eighteen he
enlisted as a private in the Forty
seventh Illinois volunteers, and served
through the war. After the war he
found life's struggle rather severe. He
was the Oldest Of nine children, and as
the family were not blessed with an
abundance of this worlds goods, he
felt it his duty to help the others pull
through. In 1869 be secured position
on the Peoria Transcript, solid, staid
old paper whose editor, Mr.. Emory, had
no " nose'' for humor. After one of
Bob's early sketches had appeared in
this paper, Mr.. Emory came to the
humorist'S desk and said Young
man, l don't want you to write any
more of that slush. Local news is what
we want. If this paper needs anything
funny, I'll write it myself" Mr. Bur-
dette soon left the Transcript to start a
paper of his own-the Peoria ReUieaC-
which was not financial success. IT
ran it two years, " to use his own words,
= and found it a comforting sort of
paper. 1t brought to me few cares
but no uncertainty. | knew every
Monday morning that on the next Sat
urday night l. would not have money
enough to pay the hands. During my
career as editor Of that wretched sheet
it never disappointed me in that par
ticular-not once. Finally the sheriff
took me into partnership, and there
was glorious increase of activity. He
was an enterprising man, very. He
realized more in an hour than had
done in two years. Presently the part
nership dissolved, and looked around
for something to do" Shortly after
the dissolution Of this partnership"
with the sheriff, Mr.. Burdette accepted
a position as city editor and reporter Oh
the Burlington Hdlukeye, with which
paper he is still connected. His
sketches and paragraphs in the Hack
eye soon began to be widely copied by
other newspapers, and he and the
Hd,Ckeye awoke suddenly one morning
to find themselves with a national rep
utation. Bob's fresh and original hu-
NOR had done it. Mr.. Burdette entered
the lecture field in 1887, with "The
Rise and Fall Of the Mustache," and
was successful from the start. The
press everywhere he appeared gave him
columns of praise, and he was offered
more engagements than he could fill.
"Home" and "The Pilgrimage of a
Funny Man, y are the subjects of two
other lectures he has delivered with
equal success. His humor is always
fresh, sparkling and refined. His jokes
are never made to order, and he is never
pumped dry. Speaking himself of his
humor, he says: 81 don't try to be,
funny in my writings. have an idea
occasionally, and when l get it loose
people laugh. Then l review the re-
mark and shake it out to find the fun.
Ny PERCEPTION Of a joke is not hung on
a hair trigger" In all that he has
written there is not one coarse thought.
The pathetic story Of his great devotion
to his invalid wife, and how she in
sisted upon his writing his first humor-
Gus lecture and kept him at it while he
watched at her bedside, has before
been told in these columns. "One day
when she was lying helpless" as he
tells it, she said she believed that [
could write lecture and deliver it sue
cessfully, so she sat me down to write
that lecture; and from time to time I
rebelled with tears and groans and
prayers. 1 told her that l was too
little; that l had no voice that l
couldn't write funny lecture anyhow.
But she kept me at it, and in due time
we had lecture on our hands," The
lecture was The Rise and Fall of the
Mustache. Mr.. Burdette is short in
stature, and for a man Of thirty-nine
very youthful in appearance. He is
easy in manner and affable in CONVEX
sation. On the lecture platform he is
sparing Of GESTURE and talks to his audi
ence in an easy, winning, converse
tional way. His jokes fall thick and
fast and make themselves heard like
hailstones on a tin roof. Mr.. Burdette
has published three books, The Rise
and Fall of the Mustache, +" 1" Hawkeye
Glances," and The Life of William
PENN all of which have had a large
sale. The Hdwkeye pays him hand
some salary, and his lectures bring him
a large income. During the past Win
ter he has lectured almost nightly.
Being nearly always on the road in the
day time, to meet his lecture engage
ments at night, he writes his humorous
articles for the Hd,ckeye on the cars.