The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1894-07-20
rAoMss MAST or LONDON.
The Remarkable ( sreer Tiant ihs Once
t,rsas caraconIst liad In This Country.

The LEmArkaDie A&rtof AfaAA tftn O4co
Great ceraconist tiad In This Country.
The news that Thomas Mast has gone
10 making political cartoons on the Pail
MAll Gazette in London caused ripple
Of astouishment wherever artists gather
ii This town. The career that he thus
brings to acinse in America has indeed
besn q very remarkable one. About
East's origin and early life very little
has been made public, but It has always
been gossiped among the artists that he
E partly Italian. German and Jewish,
md thKs before he cane to America he
was with Garihaldi in that patriots
army. AS an artist hefrst went to work
far Frank Leslie in this city. The most
important work he did for him issaid to
have been the Heenan-Sayers fight in
England. Soon afterward be began work
upon Harper's Weekly. He did not at
once develop the gift which made him
the most talked Of artist and the most
powerful cartOonist in America. But
from the first he made cartoons and lit
tie else. They were not humorous at
the start, but, the year being 1884. were
upon war subjects and were patriotic
and sentimental.
Toward the close Of that year, when
Mcclellan was nominated for president
hy the Democrats, Mast began his poIit-
ical work, which ended brilliantly in
1871, when he began his attacks on VIII
liam N. Tweed. Most of his work up
to and at that time was drawn with pen
Or pencil directly upon the wooden
blocks which were to be carved ont into
wood cuts afterward. He did part Of
his work with india ink wash on the
wood in the same way. He parted with
the Harpers later, owing, 1t was said, to
difference of political opinion, but re-
turned to The Weekly after long abb
senca at salary that was considered re-
markable. Some said that he got $l5,-
ono q year, and some said that the fignre
was $40, 900. But his star had declined.
Kepplar had filed the field and with
merits that Mast never had. Keppler
had no limitations or letters. He was
al absolute free lance, his sense OF hu-
NOR was broader and his power Of satire
was keener. Moreover, he made artistic
pictures, enhanced by the use of gay col
oEs. Mast could not recover his old place
as the chief Of our cartoonists. He had
made great deal Of money, but it was
said that he lost most of it. He went
into q western mining venture and spec
ulatsd In other ways without success.
He took up newspaper work last Of all,
hut it was evident that IN every field he
had been distanced by those who had
the artistic faculty supplemented by ar
tistic training. Mast never had either \
He drew very clumsily and crudely.
Ead be been able to keep pace with the
arts lie progress Of the country, or had
be stopped work IN 1872, his fame would
have been splendid. During the closing
year of the war he was more dstested in
the south than the most rahid abolition
iEt in Boston, and in the same measure
he was id0lized ID the north. The Union
League club Of this city gave him pres
ent Of plate for what be did to glorify
patriotism and the northern cause.
When he fought Tweed with his pencil,
it was reported that his life was threat
ened and that great brihes were offered
to him. Tweed was reported to have
said that Nast's pictures worried him
mnre than gil that was written by his
opponents. Il
Mr. Mast lived well in pretty sub
urban home and had many warm friends
around him. His personal popularity
was very great all over the country. His
lecture trips. when be gave blackboard
TALKS al 0ger the country, made him wen |
known in even the smaller cities. and
travellers say that today there Is scarcely |
o clubhouse between this city and the
Pacific coast wherein the visitor will not
see Thomas Kastis bearded face drawn
by himself, framed and in place Of |
honor. It was his ability to express
popular sentiment IN picture that gave
him bis vogue. Whether be can remodel |
his mind tohit the English taste remains
to be seen. New York Sun.
A Unique Mining Outfit.