The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1885-02-28
THE LUCK OF LITERATURE.
An Intcrc.:ing EcIn:nisccnc, Gf OIe oi
Americas NumoristS.
TC)r. New York Graphic

Americas Hlmorist+.
IC)r New York Graphic
Speak .ny Of O'Bricn puts IN, iE mind
of Ar,cnus Ward. VIC werc all init
mate frienlS, but there has becn 81
much invention and nonsense written
about the latter that aimo,t trcmblctd
saya word lest 1 may be put down
among the fabulsts. Especially al
Englisllman by the name OF kingston,
trusting to his imagination ioc tho facts,
and having been the travelling agent OF
Artemus for a while, got out II book, iIt
which tho main parts of the great
humorist life were omitte |, while other
parts were purely imaginary to fill in!
The real story of Artcmus' debut into
prominence is this: There was in 1860
Il comic paper printed in this city by two
brothers, stephens, called Vanity Fair,
which lazcd up brilliantly for whib
under literary and artistic genius,
but finally t:ickcrcd and was likely to
expire. The edtorSh!p was o:!crcl to
me-, but saw plainly could do nothing
with it. said:
There are only two men in this coun-
try that can do yol any good. Ono is
John q. SAKE, and the other Artemus
Ward" 1T t:,at time believed this TO
b. his real nlmc. SAKE you can't have
for he Is abDlt to run for governor of
Vermont. so you'd letter get hold of
Mr. Ward rs quickly as you can
Ny advice was Needed, and | WI,
as,icI if would write to Aricmus and
learn his views. did so to Cleveland,
Ohio, and made him the distinct offer Of
coming to New York on a salary Of so
per week, and an in rtase on tho sue
cess of the PAPER. lie was prompt, ar
irving in New York almost as soon a.
his letter OF accc; .tance. He attcrward
tod me that he was gtttin. bu. $40 per
week on The Plain Dealer, and assumed
thc editorial chair OF Vanity Fair but
salt could rot save the pa"cr notwitl-
standing It's genuine merit. The Amer
lean psb ic does not want refined wit,
though since that tim3 they have lceu
partially educated up to it: they want
broad huao: AMI personal al usioa.
Punch never did sell in this country.
and if We want anything outside of
daily paper it must be cheap and a great
deal of it. Witness 0 II so-caIlcl liter
ary papers, eight large Iagcs, running
six continued storts S, for cents.
VI hen Vanity Far was sure to go
down Artcnus was very despondent.
What should he do: Cne day walking
up Broadway said to him, 'Charlcy,'
why cont you leclure!' Why, the idea
was absurd He could write, Lut hc
could not talk; lie Was not able to say
ten lines on an emergency. | SOON
talked him out of that Ly telling him
that he could reld his lecture or com
nit it to IN .mory. That point settled.
now what should b. his subject? At
that time the canard of the Twenty
seventh street ghost was in full blast
and | suggested ghosts as q sub;ec
knowing that whatever he wrote ho'
would make it funny, and before We
parted ii was agreed that he shO Id
write what he could on this subject, and'
on the next evening come down to
Pfaff'S, the noted bohemian resort Oil
Broadway aLoyc ilcuHcr street, and
read it to the party that assembled there
every night.
This programme was carried out, and
Artemus duly appeared with what ho'
called "A | ecturc AIout Ghosts and
read it amid uproarious approval, tho
main fun of which was that there was
not a worl in it about ghosts. and il
was settled on all sides that it must be
brought before the public. Eut how:
| here was an actor ana occasional man.
ascr at the time playing general utility
at Wallacks theatre, the elder OF tho
name, on Broadway, near Broomo
street, whose name was Dc Walden.
went to lie Walden, whom
l knew, and talked Artemls to
him. He SAW it and an Introduction
followed. Uc Walden worked assidu.
ously, and the entire press helped him.
Everyto Iy was the friend OF Artomus.
for more genial, ;ovial, liberal man
did not live alas! for himself, DO
Walden took Niblo's saloon, now tho
dininy-room of the Metropolitan, for
one night, with the privilege of six.
They ran the six nights, craulned to tho
door. anil | doubt if ever audience
laughed before or since as they laughed
that week. The final result to Artemus'
was $l,2G0 and -.rtcmus was iubilant.
From that hour his course was ono of
success, and lecture after
lecture followed. each one greater than
the preceding, and fortune flowed into
.he pockets OF Art mus.