New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-24
OLD MEMORIES or AN ARTIST
LEWIS GAYLORD CLARK AND THE KNICKER-
BOOKER.
A LETTER FROM FRANK BrLLEw.

three years a. in the illustrated publications and
magazines. In 1851 there was only one illustrated
| paper published in Ncw-Iork City. and that was
little sheet called The iicggunt. which appeared
| weekly with one small wood-engravng four inches
square. Some -of the Sunday papers now anu then
came out with remarkable woOO-cuts OF remarkable
| men but that was only special occasions and
was considered stroke of enterprise and did not con-
nict with Tire iccmnes CLAIM 20 being the only reg.
ular illustrated paper. III the WAY of magazines we
had only The haicleb0cE5 aud the Democratic and
Whig Rerieips the two latter being mainly political
organs hardly counting as literary publications.
| This left Us with TIE knicLs1LocLcr our only
| legitimate magazine. 1t was an excellent magazine
| too often containing contributions by men Oh
| reputation as well as others by able men VITO had
reputation, to make. And yet the internal economy
| of the affair was Of the most comlcaly narrow
| description. No contributor save Lewis Gaylord
Clark the editor. ever received any money from H.
To him it supplied toleIabiy comfortable hVlng,
and that seemed 10 strain the capacity of the con
ccrn to its utternost for lac had 30 exc out his cash
| income with tribute paiG in Kind for favorable
notices aud gifts made by admirers and patrons OF
literature All sorts of wheeling and coayins had
To be uTact,cl 10 secure these honorarunS and to
induce writers to give their writings grdt'tloSly.
Altogether the business WAS conducted III Such an
| amiaic. undgnihed way would aStOnlSh the
stiff hacked austeIe not To say arrogant publishers
Of the present day. with then two and three collars
q line for advertisements and death rather than
favorable hint of ANYBODY or ANYTHING in the read
| ing columns The hhckcdOckcy dad very fairly for
Clark and his publisher. til Ho,PrI'S and. for
short time Ta'aam's cnicrcd the fed. Then it
made feeble struggle even to the extent ofrubiiS-
ING one or two watcry- looking vOud-cuts, cave
gasp ard mfgr aud was - completely" knocked
out M would have been tie alndOlc and veneer
| able Mr.. Clark himself bad he met AIr. John L.
| Sullivan in q ply steal encounter in the ring
Clark had all the qualifications necessary for his
| post be was exceedingly genial winning and con
vivinl with great love and delicate appreciation
for bcl1og-ktrls. He WAS charming Lost. de-
lghtful guest. and most agreeable companion.
whet her over book bottle. For many year,.
indeed up t. the time of the demise Of !I'
| Kpick0locl0. be lived IL Twcuty-sccond-St. be-
| tween Eighth ard Ninth avc>. Here in his cory
sau-ium. surrounded W.,h books. pictures, Statu-
cites aud brc-;-hrGc, IA cheerful front rOOlE on
the second Aoor he entertained many men OF mark
| OF tlat day-Charlc, Dickens, Washington Irving.
Pauloine Verpanrl I. g. G. barley, Charles Elliot.
| j. g. SAKE ana host OF Others more or less known
! TO fame Here I have often paltaken Of an OK
t,nporarcous banquet, Of which the principal dish
| wasa specie, of oyster stew which have never
seen or heard % escw here. Clark had in ls room
one or two claiing-di>hc> hcatcdby Spir lamps.
and iu these hc would place number 0i large
oysters, without any liquor. then add tablespoon
ful of WOIct ,Icrshre Sducce, and WincslaSS;ull
of sherry, and then stew. He ras very proud Of
TIL, dish aud t WIS certainty most palalahe. THIS
plan OF cooking yOdI own oysters IN chatingdsh
WAS then plactscd IN the Century Club, aud was,
believe the only form al cooking allowed in the
clue 1T that time.
Clark. whose chief literary business in life was 10
collect anecdotes for h!s magazine. naturally had
- .ff III toll
eHoclcut r0c5ai,tU, # ma, eas IS Ice lmaginc3 thai
ne made lie evenings pass pleasantly. lac was !
rather fond uf d' 'icaic cNuuplr o. thai u.raly
II.,Dar snCch, of humOI known as "a sell" / |
remember Iii, taking aside on one occasion, and
with q very S,Vcrc co1nieuahc' producing one /
of my drawings NJ conc paper, aud saying |
want 30 know what reference tins has 90 me |
reference to yo4Y echoed seeing. IA? Thought, /
that hc was much offended AND tearing that lac /
MIGHT De libUling under some hllstpprchcnslun.- |
difference 80 Won y don't understand Aou.' d" /
have moi replied Clark, "donc an;thug-ncver |
49,. ,lo,,c any, 6iue and never will de- ANYTHING to
Justify anything and y with increased dignity " !
want 20 know what reference Thai picture bus TO |
me " None at all. not the Ttmotc,t reference 10 |
ynu in the world assure sou. MI Clark al
thought not lac SAID ~ lie burst INTO merry |
laugh; Lei as take drink II had no more to dc
with him than tlc man in The moon.
As / recall one on two of lis stories they do not |
s;riAo NE - being of startling briIancy 81
,ume our appreciation OF them az tie time must
Lay. come from Li, Hoire way Of telling them. One
.t'.T. II " sLirgtou Irving" once when he was
visiting Irving they were OYcTtaken by thunder
storm IA one of their ramblcs There were three on
l0ur ln the party. Irving took shelter under m
elm. where be- vas presently wet through. Never
theess be called out to ono OF the others: Why
don't you COME under the tree and be dry and com
Portable ike mcW His fricnd explained his
nervousness by stating that he once had an uncle
struck dead by lightning IN similar position
" orr exclaimed Irving If lightning runs IN the
family that a different thing" Clark used to enjoy
repeating second hand after +. o. {. barley, Edwin
Forests mOuOloguG on the picture of q bull by
Paul Potter. II very funny, but about posi-
bile 10 reduce 70 type as the seng of a canary.
Al one time Clark resolved 90 collect some OF his
best stories from The hAiokf5Ocsr IN book. When
the matter ready for the printer he found
himself at loss for u proper tine lie wrote Tor
ad vice TO Washington Irving who AT wrote back
that he should call his work "Knick-knacks.'
The title was fecitOus. it was tho habit OF Clark
to write of himself a, Old Knick" and his Little
boy as Young Kuickp One story which appears
in this volume heard him tell before Il knew print
SURPRISE which PERHAPS was better IN telling than in
types II was tins:
We have done evil this day the Ferry,of Dolb and
reuOrsf sits at heart aud +" guaws his cruel
lei,llrc' VIM should have done doedl It was |
not revenge; II not ambitions II wins not exactly
wsntonucss; cruelty not In our thoughts. The ,
scete itself: the pleasant summer day. the cool woods
he uurInnrng brooks; the happy te folk; Tbs tWit-
erng birds in the trees. and the chipping, peeping {
Bo.rps running IN aud OF tho gla,, IN the gIecn
adc by the brook, follow lug thei anxious mother"
WHO oeened 10 know at when they were OUT" all
hese things were not suggestive OF cruelty. But |
Young Knick" bad cIOs7-Oow gun one Oi Inc rght
and with trigger and oil complete Ihe arrow was OF
pine; ueh aud dubious ~ tine end Whnt ~ was That
tempted took the cross-bow IN bunh L" ann an
AZ tat yong mother Of hen We cannot tell We
'i1 II e0Bd hit her; ouf Object u we
nov heart WIS To SOC II we o0tfdH lana We
i,dtL
crest feather in LOWS Gaylord Carks cap was
hat he became tho friend aud ciooT0ne OF Charles
Dickens " hon he first visited this county. and
'afrieq on friendly correspondence WIN nun ,
tfIerWnrd |