Wichita eagle., 1889-05-23
ARTEMUS WARDS GHOSTS.
How the Great American Humorist Hap.
pened to Become a Lecturer,

How the Great American Humorist Hap
pened to Become a Lecturer.
1t may be interesting to know how the
great humorist came to take to the lecture
platform, when, before his great success in
that line, he had confined himself exclu-
slvely to the pens and, as had finger in
the pie, will relate it, writes j. W Wat
son In the North American Review. About
thirty years ago there was a paper pub
hshed in this city by several brothers
| named Stephens, called Vanity Fair, hav-
ing for contributors such men as Thackeray,
Fltz-James, O'Brien, George Arnold, Henry
Stanley and, in fact, all the literary talent
OF the country, with editors such as
Charles G. Leland, Henry Clapp and Frank
Wood, and yet it was plain that the public
old not want 1t, and 1t was about to give up
the ghost, when the publishers consulted
me as to what they should do My advice
was to get an editor who was well known
for his comic proclivities, and advertise
him as connected with the paper, and de-
clared there were only two men in the
whole country who filed the bill-John G.
Sake and Artemus Ward, whose real name
did not then know. knew that SAKE
could not be had, as he was a candidate for
governor OF Vermont; therefore the pub
Ashers empowered me to correspond with
Arsemus and offer him $50 per week and
travelling expenses to come to New York
as the new editor. The response was i'm
mediate acceptance, and SIS and two weeks
salary were forwarded-he afterward told
me the offer was godsend, as he was get
ting but 80 week on the Cleveland Plain
dealer, as reporter-and in few DAYS
Browne arrived in New York and assumed
the chair. The paper languished on for
few months, and then went the way of all
funny papers.
One day, when this had happened. l was
walking up Broadway and regretting the
result, for l had become very much at
tached to Browne. he was talking about
going back to Cleveland and resuming his
Old position. when l suggested to him that
ne try iecturing. At this he laughed, de-
caring himself totally unfit, not beng able
70 speak IN public at all, and having no sub
lect. L insisted, and gave him as a sub
!ect Ohosts," New York at the time
being very much exercised over foolish
nun pug got up In the newspapers and
called "The Twenty seventh Street
Ghost Before we parted Ar.emus had
promised to write such q lecture, and 70
meet knot OF literary and artist friends
the next evening at Plaf's, on Broad wav.
near Blocker street, noted restaurant
and resort Of Bohemians, and read what ne
had written. He came with about half
his effort, and for three-quarters of an
hour the party was literally in roar. Ee
called IL "a Lecture About Ghosts and
40 small part of the fun was that there |
was not word about ghosts in it. The |
next day he finished it, and then the cues |
ton was to bring it out / knew an actor.
and sometimes manager, by the name of |
De Walden, then part Of the old Wallace, |
Company, who had some money, and 7 |
managed to get him interested. He toox !
Nloio saloon, now the diuiug-rcon Of the /
metropolitan Hotel. for one night, with the |
privilege OF six. The first night, with the /
neip OF the press, who were all friends of /
ar0enus, was triumph. and he ran the /
week, clearing for himself and his man |
ager $500. From that time his lecture
was grand success, and, while Artemus
was more than liberal. he saved money, or.
ra,her. ne made it so fast that he could Eos
aeip ITS accumuiating m his hands. He
.ieo worth almost $4,000, of which he left
ne inoone TO his aged mother, aud, after
aef Gea,h' to found an asylum for old sad
.isaoied printers. to which GRAZ. he origin.
Ny belongeS |