The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-20

WIN the sweat or toll was good enough
for most men to wear at night, but
there were certain among them who
thought that they must wear night
gowns. He asked, with apparent seri-
BUSINESS, If they thought that man who
would wear nightgown would make
good lawmakcr. Corwin was confident
that this was the principal issue in his
first canvass for seat In congress-
Corwin had but one son, and no was
very fond Of him. When that son was
student at Dennison university, In
this state, one of his teachers wrote to
Mr. Corwin that his son was studying
too hard, and that he was in danger of
injuring his health. On receipt Of that
letter Mr.. Corwin wrote his son us fol-
lows. saw the original of tho letter,
which DR.. Corwin still retained in
1878:
MY DEAR SoN-I am informed that you arc
seriously injuring your health by study. Very
few young men nowadays arc likely to DO In
5ured In this way. and all have to say to you
Is that should you kill yourself by overstudy
IL will give me great pleasure to attend your
funeral.
Under the second heading In General
Garfiold's letter he subsequently related
an incident IN his own life that has not
appeared In any Of his biographies so
far as have ever seen. He said:
';You would hardly suppose that
was once OH the verge of gaining rop.
ntation as wit. would your
replied that I had never suspected
such thing.
A Reputation Lost
"It is nevertheless true" said he.
ut happened in this way: 1 had at one
time quite an itching in that direction
and carried it SO far in the campaign of
1850 that / delivered one speech that
was pronounced funny by those who
heard it. 1t was delivered in Columbus,
O., and published quite widely. The
coinmonts of the press called good deal
of attention to it Up to that time had
not made wide reputation In the state
as stump speaker, but the flattering
notices Of that speech brought mo into
considerable prominence. I received q
largo number Of invitations to speak in
various localities I thought the matter
over considerably and saw that the
time had arrived when must take my
place before the public either as q
funny man or rs speaker who dealt
with facts l said to myself that could
probably gain quicker and wider
reputation as man of humor than MS
speaker who dealt with subjects after
the usual matter Of fact way. But
knew myself vol enough to know that
1 could not long hold out rs u wit and
that when / failed In that limo could
not then take up the other style of dis
cussion. AS now recall it, it was good
deal OF struggle, but l decided firmly
to suppress the wit or tho attempts at
wit and SO accepted an invitation to
speak In Cincinnati. proceeded to pre-
pare speech in the most matter of fnct
way imaginable on tho leading issues
OF the day. There was q large crowd
out to henr me. They evidently expected
something after the Corwin stamp. In
fact, it had been more than whispered
about that was the second 'Wnggoncr
boy. 1 went ahead and didn't crack q
joke during the whole speech A more
disappointed audience it has never been
my fortune to address never had any
reputation as a wit to contend against,
though. after that speech"
In His Old Age.
Poor Corwinr' remarked the gen
eral. after apause. "Ho died, like many
another man who has made reputation
as wit, i'll great distress of mind He
was really II profound man and ono Of
the best lawyers this country ever pro-
duccd, but the common people regarded
him as a buffoon whose bounden duty
it was to amuse them.
When Corwin returned to tho United
States in 1864 from Mexico, where ho
had been serving us minister, he found
himself hopeless bankrupt About
EsAxa