The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-04-06
AMONG THE HUMORISTS.

Denver Republican
 Thackerays clown in tears with his little family behind the scenes is not more pitiful spectacle than is Philip II. Welsh making fun for thousands with deadly cancer grasping his throat A year or since Welsh came from surgeons operating table with forty jokes ready for publication He said the anesthetc set his wits agoing Since then he has gone about among his friends now better worse, but never for instant losing the power to coin the jokes that his daily bread For long time he has spoken indistnctly talked little and wore mu ter close about the spot where the was doing it's work. His grave, emotion less face little like that of the professional humorist one could we'll imagine. For some weeks past Welsh has not been seen at his usual haunts He is i'll at home, but his jokes still appear in three or four publications The sick man dictates them in incoherent whispers to his wife.
 Welsh is one of dozen men who form the main- stays of the comic papers published in New York and he Is not the only one with the shadow of sorrow on his life.
 Three years ago a bright young man came to this city with wife and baby and big Newfoundland dog. He was almost penniless, and tor several days he visited one pawnbroker after another with the hope of pawning the dog. It sounds funny, and perhaps he laughs when he thinks of it now, but it was serious matter then He knew something of mechanical drawing, and had seen human life in many places and under many conditions He bethought himself of these two things and carried half dozen caricatures to the editor ot humorous weekly. The editor saw at glance that the pictures were admirable in spirit but defective in drawing. The letter press accompanying them extremely clever.
 "We cannot put these pictures into the paper" said the editor, "but they be redrawn by an artist and made suitable for our purposes We'll pay you for the ideas and hereafter shall be glad to have suggestions for either drawings or jokes"
 The draughtsman went away half in delight, half in disappointment. Now he earns B, ,0OO a year by the sale of 'ideas" His pictures are never pub lished he draws them, though they contain delicate touches that the artist who "improves" them often misses but his suggestions whether for drawings or jokes are never rejected
 "Yes, even so intangible thing as an idea has & saleable value in the market of comic journalism Suggestions from whatever source are received and impartially judged. From $l.50 to $1O is paid tor mere suggestion that perhaps has no existence on paper. young man summering at Bar Harbor was pleased with a witticism of his sweetheart He sent it to Life and was surprised to see it appear with an accompanying cut on the first page When all is said and done, however, it must be acknowledged that the mass of matter published by comic papers is the work of professional humorists. 1t is a mistake, however to suppose that the artists furnish the letter press which they illustrate AS matter of fact, artists as a rule are not witty, and sometimes they must be watched closely lest they miss some delicate point in the humor they are employed to represent pictorially Probably cartoonist originates & very large proportion of the ideas which he illustrates.
 The suggestions come from the editors from professional Idea peddlers and occasionally from volunteer strangers Eugene s. Bisbee, who has just been engaged to run the funny page of the World, and who has long been known as a suggester of cartoons has illustrated only small percentage of his own suggestions.
 J. l.. Goodwin, one of the most successful humorists in New York, never draws for actual publication he suggests letter press to fl pictures pictures to it letter press, and sometimes both letter press and picture but trained artist always intervenes between him and the public. A very considerable part of humorists work is suggesting the bits of what not to accompany the