St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-17
A FIELD OF HUMOR,
Some Facts and Fancies About a Chicag
Journalist.
The Author of ''Sharps and Flats
in Various Aspects.
Eugene Field and Pat Domains New
Comic Opera.
Correspondence of the Globe.

impetus to the rumOr that the twain are at
work on an American comic Opera-are, in
fact. about ready to launch their bark on
the sea of critical journalism. Some time
ago readers OF this correspondence were
given some information on this subject, but
recent developments warrant further eX-
position of facts especially as both gentle
men are so well known TO Northwesterners.
Everybody knows DOMAIN, though, pro
badly none save his personal friends
could swear whether Peter or Pat Is
the proper translation of the mystic letter
that always prefixeS the ''DOnan' on hotel
registers. Time was when everybody,
whether they knew him or not, called INN
Pat but Col. Field, in one of his artistic
paraphraSes on facts left most OF us IN
doubt, with a leaning to the cognOmen that
was borne by the disciple that denied his
Lord. But that's a part of Fields humor
/ Without doubt he's the best known, and
most esteemed too, of all Chicago news
/ paper men. His reputation as funny" man
/ Is extremely diStasteful to nina feeling
natural to any one whose poetry and pa
! thetc stories have been so widely spread as
/ have those of Field. As a news" man
| Eugene has never been q SUcceSs-witneSS
7 his city editOrShip on q defunct st. Louis
/ journal. But Is a newspaper writer his
/ promotion has been commensurate only
/ with his deserts, while his literary efforts,
restricted as they have been by the routine
OF daily journalism, have gained for him "A
/ deserved reputation Like all men
blessed tor atiiicted?) with what
is called genius" Field is peculiar.
Long and gaunt bald and bilious; a face az
smooth as his tongue; not given to smiling
at least facially; irascbe and extremely
. iovial by turns; good company and the re-
verse according to his mood; spirits mercu-
rial, and changeable as a Chicago thermOm-
eter, yet withal the cleverest man in his
peculiar vein that to-day writes for the
| American press. It's not 80 many years
since Field was a student in an Illinois coll
lege. Here lie first made his
REPUTATION As \ JOKER
but his jokes were mostly practical, and
| brought him many times into trouble.
| Naturally high spirited, with those refined
Instincts that are everywhere recognized as
the stamp of the true gentleman, he was Il
fayorite everywhere And as organst in
prominent church he was thrown into the
society of the best element of that staid
old college town. But even under these
ciyiliZing influences Field could not restrain
his passion for fun, and-enough said
on this subject. 4 trip abroad de-
veoped the young man wonderfully.
many of his paragraphs, even to-day, show
a familiarity with continental affairs that
the average traveller would not acquire in
years of travel. His years in journalism,
while subduing, have far from thrOttled
his youthful eXuberance, but age and time
have sottened the sings once sent from his
facile Quill, and from sarcasm and cynicism
Field has arisen to pathOS and good natured
humOr, that calls for a tear or laugh as
the writer pleases. For long time Field
was under contract to write exclusively for
/ the News but of lgtp il 9DnpDrS that thR
Introduction has been removed, as the Ram
bier, Life and other well-knOwn journals
are publishing articles over Fields sigma
ture. The best thing-aS newspaper men
think at least-abOut Field is his geniality.
He knows everybody and everybody knows
him. His little jokes are always harmless,
his sarcasm blunted by a kindly expression,
and genial Gene as his friends know
him, is not an inappropriate name for
him. Fields humOr has of late
YES, for some time paSt-eXtended
largely into that field known as artistic
lying There's no individual too promi-
nent or incident too small to receive notice
from his pen. For instance there are hun
dreds of persons who, knowing Pat DOMAIN
by reputation. and, perhaps, by sight, can
tell whether his name is Peter or Pat
solely through the misleading influence Of
one of Fields squibS. Bertha Ricci, the
, yum-yum of McCaull's ''MikadO' company,
now singing in the city, was announced by
Field, not long since, as the wife of Count
, Ricc,
A WEALTHY NOBLEMAN
of Italy, who permitted the lady to con-
tinue on the stage for a certain period when
she must then retire To occupy Il gorgeous
| palace. John HOwSon was made to shed
I tears over pathetic role written by his III
FAINT son, when as a matter of fact John
hadn't a son. OF late Fields column has
been illustrated and prominent public oiti-
Zens have been numerically calicatured
Readers of the News, familiar with the
methods and pecularities OF the ''Sharps
, and Flats column on the editorial
page, extract much amusement from
, its perusal, but to strangers it
must be a surprise, to say the least. l have
in mind steady-going business man. a
, church member, who declared the news
, was unreliable and SanderOus, referring to
an item written by Field. | haven't seen
any Of Fields poetry of late, but several of
, his stories that | now recall were worthy OF
the wide publication which they received.
, Shortly before Gen. Grants death, and Mel
lie SartOris had just returned from Eng
land. there appeared in the News from
i Fields pen a most touching story Of
r a dying soldier and his favorite
daughter at his bed side. A Thanksgiving
story that was a strong reminder of some of
Dickens tales and a Christmas tale that
was full of beautiful sentiments and tender
= illusions to home life, are the beSt-in my
, humble opnion-that have been published
for MANY long day.
here quote Il specimen Of Fields jokes,
: humOr, sarcasm, call it what you will.
; l,alvini, the famous Italian tragedian is
; made the subject of the humOrist's quill:
The dialogue OF Salvini tragedy impresses
, the average auditor as much as the sub
! joined dialogue will impress you, gentle
! reader:
Viola Allen-You sent for me, me lord?
Salvini (gloomily)-Si, SignOra.
! V. A.-Wherefore. pr thee, tell me?
5. (seizing her by the arm)-Questa infelics
graZZio guglielano 81 giomaco pueila bustra.
V. a (deprecatingly) oh, me lord!
:. with suppressed ragel-SOsphiro, an
m'appari-questra adagio banana rodrigo
piano.
BY this fair sample of Salyini play it can
be seen that man with fertile imagination
can derive large amount of satisfaction
from the dago drama.
, By thus pOking harmless fun Field has
) always made friends among members of the
dramatic profession-in fact, is the favorite
of all newspaper habitues of the Chicago
theaters. Much of his inspiration is drawn
from the stage, if his frequent presence III
private boxes at the different play-hOuses
| may be taken as a criterion. The Herald,
r not long since, contained a squib to the
effect that the manager of q certain
theater called back by means of a
rubber tube with a whistle on one end
to the stage manager asking if Col. Field