The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-11-12
JOSH BILLINGS"
Various Tributes to His Genial,
Quaint Worth.

IA more sweet and delightful nature
than Josh Billings Henry Shaw never
lived, says ID. r. Locke, of the Toledo
BiGde. in his editorial tribute to the
dead humOrist. HE was a singular
compound of simplicity and shrewdness.
lie was more philosopher than humor-
ist. His sayings will outlive those of
Poor Richard, and they ought to, for
his was pleasant philosophy that had
nothing of meanness in it.
He did not write as profession.
Writing adopted him. He originally
wrote his sayings because he had to.
TIE public got a taste for them and
compelled him to write them. He was
not money-maker, and yet ne was in
a small way. When he found goodness
he made the public pay. He was very
shrewd in his investments, so that he
left his family competency.
''He captivated on the platform be-
cause his manner exactly fitted his mat
ter. His lectures were nothing but a
collection of sayings carefully and
.artlStically arranged so as to appear
without form. He was always popular
because his talk was like his writings
intended TO discourage meanness and
TO be helpful TO those who needed help.
There was not a mean or selfish thing
in him, and his work was merely a re-
Of
and compressor. His great merit was
in taking a column and boiling it down
so as to get it into two lines His work
was converting ashes into potash.
He was all in all delightful man,
and was in private life what he was on
the platform and in print. He never did
a mean thing, and never had an enemy
among good men"
HE was man no one could know
well, said Milward Adams. OF Central
Music Hall, Toledo. Il asked him once
why he did not stand up and talk to his
audience, and he replied: Well, sir.
old as am. and as long as have been
before the public. never 90 on the
stage but | am so nervous and fright
ened that | don't know who | am for
the next twenty minutes Do You
know he used TO conduct most all of his
business correspondence by postal card,
with his communication on it mostly
printed; and the characteristic thing
about this was that in the corner of the
card was good picture of Josh in chair
while beside him, with cheek against
his, was donkey around whose neck
Josh had an arm. He announced his
terms in this fashion: Il will lecture
for fun and one hundred dollars thrown
in And that's what he got, unless
visiting some small place where they
couldn't pay as much. He picked up
his wisdom as he went. He told one
once, when L asked him where he rot
his ideas for all his sayings, that he cot
them everywhere looking at this thing
and at that as he travelled from place to
place. He never seemed conscious that
he was humorist."
Some years ago there was published,
Tor advertising purposes, letter which
JOSH Billings wrote to gentleman in
the way of autobiography. 1t was in
part as follows:
L vas born in Berkshire County, Mass.
during the nineteenth century, of highly re.
Specialize parents, and owe what little sue
cess have attained to the wisdom of my
1attor. ana the P;etY of my mother. At the
fragrant age of fifteen set my face west
ward ana followed IL until | stood upon the
banks of the wide Missouri without any
plans for life, and but little better in feelings
than a cheerful vagrant. For twenty-five
years the various wanderings of a border
life made me acquainted with scenes and ex-
perienees better calculated to cut the char
sacter sharp, than to refine il, and il | escaped
bnnamSn he
susceptibility of my nature looked upon
most things in this life as simply joke.
In common with most Americans who have
10 push early to test their own wings en-
gagged in all the usual enterprises of front
ierSmRn, having been at times a land-hunter
farmer, drover, steamboat captain and even
pioneer, for partially organized an enter
prise as early as 1885 to cross the Rocky
Mountains. This last-named enterprise was
q profound failure, but its inception apd
pref m1nary arrangements afforded me one
OF the choicest relics of my early adveu-
lures, and that is three letters, now IN my
possession, written to me personally by
Van Buren,, Recommending me and the
undertaking to the kind care and patronage
OF all people and all nations.
IF may be said TO ever have commenced
n Etecary career. it certainly was much
later in life than most men commit the folly,
for / had passed forty-fve years before l
little reputation may hare made. han been
accomplished within the last nine years, and
/ consider that owe all of this little TO the
kindness of the world at large who, while
they have scovered but little wit or even
-humor, in what have written. have done
me the credit TO acknowledge that my pro-
duct ons have been free from malice. pin
al my faith, hope and charity upon this one
impulse Of nv nature. and that is. If | could
have lay way, there would be smile coutin-
ually on the face of every human being on
God s footstool, and this smile should ever
and anon widen into a broad grin.
Il have not the inclination to go into an
extended account of the trials and failures
that have met with since first put on the
cap and bells, but can assure You that /
would not contend with them again for
what little glory and stamps they have won
for me-
The bad spelling under which Josh
Billings pregnant sayings so proitably
thrived was purposely taken on, partly
through fear of his ability to spell cor
rectly. and partly from eccentricity. So
Billings qussi-phonetic method became