Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-11-08
WnAr rnE ssNAToa SAYS
About Noted Men and Women aud the
Latest Book.
Brooklin 1fmeG


Brcoklin Tfmes
aAnd so good old Uncle Essex is dead,
said the senator. laying down his paper.
And Who is Uncle Esek, papaY askst
the Senator'S daughter-"O, ] know, sh'
exclaimed in ct of "remembery as th'
little girl called it; SITS the man who
taken with such bad spell in the Centur!
Bric-sBrac' every month, is it notr
The Senator took no notice OF SO ont
worn and tims-honored pun, Int simply
said, He is the last Of the Artemus Ware
school Of humorists-Henry NJ. SHAW
josh Billings'" MN,
'OI was Uncle Esek, Josh Billings
pspaY' asked the Senator'S daughter. u
did not know that. Well, ne has SAID
number of good things in his day it he hal
clothed them in such ridiculous sPelhpg
Was there any virtue in such cultivated
lliterateness, pspaT
Eyes, think there was my dear. the
Senator replied. zones attention 10 ar,
rested by anything peculiar, and bit Of
wisdom buried in the mass Of bad spelling
that made Josh Billings famous Would
doubtless be of more real benefit than II
couched in Addisonisn elegance. The sue
cess of Artemus Ward, and in minor way
of Josh Billings, is proof ofthis.
"HoR does . professional humorist look
papa-one of the josh Billings stamp,
uesn," queried the Senator 8 daughter
{ Did YOU ever see Mr.. ShswY
MANY times, my dear" the Senator re-
piled. "a few years ago he was well
known figure Of the New York thorough
fares. used frequently to meet him in
the safe deposit vaults of the Park Bank
a sufficient indication that the combination
of good sense and bad spelling paid him at
| least
"And how did he l5ok," papa.
Extra tall; roundshouldered and the
accompanying stoop; long, ircn-grsy hair,
close, slightly grizzled beard, a keen but
pleasant eys; q figure to arrest attention
wherever seen" checked of the Senator.
ut almost seems a pity that man Of
his possibilities should spend his life IN
such righteousness does it not papar the
Senator'S daughter inquired.
But don't admit his quaint phrase
and imperfect speech to have been ridic1'
lousness my dear" her father replied
Josh Billings taught gentleuess in man
uers and kindliness in lite by means OF an
unpleasant and Unsttrsctive husk to the
kurntl OF his thoughts. Surely this is moi
ridiculous. And such precep,s as this are
from sbsurdiries," and the Senator read;
IL is better to Bno less than to kno &c
mulch that amt 30. If you kant trust
man for the full amount let him skip. This
irving to get an average on honesty has
always been failure There is no treach
ery ia silence-silepcs is hard argument
TO beat. Don't mistake habits for karsc
ter. The man oY the most karscter hay
the fewest habits. There IL cheats in al
thing-even pizon is adulterattd. The
man who IL thoroughly polite IL thirds o
O Christian emmy how. Kindness IL an in
s,inkt, pohteness only an art. There ID
great deal ov learning in this world which
Il nothing more than trieing to prove wha'
we don't understand.
And this, my dear continued the Sen
stor, which this same kindly pen wrote or
the death of his friend and prototype, Ar
ten 4, Ward; listen to this. 1t is as much
q prose poem, as truly monody as is any
elegant elegiac in faultless diction And
it applies as truly to Josh Billings as il
did when written to Artemus Ward" And
the Senator read:
De,h hez done o cruel thing lately. Deth
seldom il imparsall; this is all that kon be
said 10 his favor. lie moves his sithe swl
round the world, now in this field, now in
that; wheat, flowers and weeds DROP wilt
and wither, for he sithes early and late, IL
citi and town, by the hsrthstun and away
ooh where the wanderers are.
Deth hez done cruel thing lately. Deth
is seldom kind. Here father mother,
a wee small thing but month on q visit
there Mary and Charley go down in white
clothes. Deth moves; menny fields are
bare, for Deth cuts cluss as we'll scruel
Deth luvs to NOV; tis his stile. He il
old and slick with his sickle; he moved
for Able Nv old and for Able w yesterday.
Deth mows strangely, and round fall all
the daisy and grass, and alone, snarlGDg
stands the kosrse thistle, left for what
Deth cant tell for God only knows
Deth, you have done cruel thing lately
YOU have moved where the wittiest one o.
sill stood, whose words have gone lafiug
awl over the world, whose heart waz az
good and az soft az mothers.
Deth, you have moved where my trIenc
Artemus stood, aud Humor wears mourn
ing nov for the child OF her heart. / an
sad, and ! am sorry.
Eyes, papa, l should say it did apply,
said the Senator 8 daughter; and no v fire.
uuently after all does one author write hi
own epitsph-for another. In much thu
same way ss in the November Harper
here, Mr.. Howells introduces in his Indial
Summer q discussion Of the merits o
, Howells aud ,James-With fsttering no
tice of Mr.. James and a non.conmitta
one Of himself. But isn't that most IN
conventional thing to do, papa, for nal
to be his own oriticY
"Unconven,ionsity is one Of the sigl
manuals Of genius, my dear" said tn
Senator. ut is that which makes bool
, take at once, and is what most author
+ strive after and far too msDy overreach
, From all accounts it has been successful
worked by this new wriser-Paul Lusks
; be calls himself--iu his new story AS l
J wss Written. J"
"Oh, yea, l have it, papa said the Sena
tors daughter. ut is weird and uncsnn,
, sort Of tale, and in the Way OF originate
and unconvenGouality it il certsinly re
marksble. There is love, ID murder, au
} circumsisntial evidence, an supernatural
ism enough about the book TO afford ms
tsrial for dozen hooks, and the plot
: certainly most strange ana abnormal"
And by the way, ss an explanation Q
; its weirdDess and its abnormal plot" sal
the Senator, Il zee it stated that the boo
: was written at the most ghostly time 9
, nisht-betweea the hours of 2 and 6.
; see, too, that Mr.. Lusks-whatever hi
r real name may bs-isa young New Yorke
of q or Whereabouts, aud his real name
r known only TO half dozen psoPle-all q
: whom are swpsn to secrepy.'
|. well, there is quite a romance abou
3 him too, IS there not9 said the Senator
i daughter. Though Why it should be nece.
ssry or wise to cover ones realms car
Z not understand. 1t seems to me If I hs