The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-01-12
vIII.-FRANK 3. STOCKTON.

If the saying that "a merry heart doeth
good like a medicine" may be accepted as
the sober truth, and who can doubt it,
then the present generation is indebted
to Mr.. Frank r. Stockton for large
quantity Of this kind of medicine. How
many hearts have been made merry over
his Tale of Negative Gravity" his "Voy.
age of the Merry Chanter," "The Casting
Away of Mrs. Leeks and Mrs. Aleehine,"
and his various other conceits in this
general line, it is impossible to tell, but
they must comprise good part of the
English reading public. Mr.. Stockton
is first of all humorist, but his humor
is of an original and decidedly unique
character. He is not to be associated in
any sense with the fun makers OF the
Artemus Ward and Josh Billings order,
but if he is to be connected with any
such writer's at all, it should be with
Lamb, Irving, Dickens and Charles Dud-
Ter Warner. Like the latter his humor
is quiet and refined. The mirth provok-
ing qualities of Mr.. Stockton's stories
do not consist in grotesque spelling,
broad jokes or ludicrous incident, but
rather in the drollness of his narrative,
pervasive and subtle wit, and peculiar
faculty for inventing the most whimsical
and grotesque situations. In working
up material of the latter sort Mr.. Stock.
h do ls1f,p NJ GoII
for himself. There is a peculiar flavor
in such stories as "The Bee Man of
Orne" and "The Hundredth Man, (which
is inimitable and can be known by no
other name than Stocktonesque. The
writer's powers as a humorist are seen at
their best, perhaps. in his "Rudder
Grange" a story full not only of exquis-
lite humor but of true literary charm.
But Mr.. Stockton's greatest literary
success thus far in commercial sense
at least is the curious tale, 1.-THE Lady or
the Tiger?" The interest in this story
is based chiefly upon the arttul way in
which the writer leads his readers up to
crucial problem and then betrays their
confidence by refusing to solve it, cloak
ing this refusal under a pretext of in
ability to decide the question he had
raised. This story was "al the rage" for
one or more seasons, and the question it
propounded is still being debated with
definite conclusion apparently as far
away as ever. A comic opera based on
1.-THE Lady or the Tiger?" was put on
the comic opera stage in 1888. but it had
only brief run. 1t is said that Mr..
Stockton has been besieged by inquisit-
i've people in letters and otherwise to
settle the harrassing problem himself,
and many amusing and ingenious de-
vices have been resorted to to draw "the
secret" from him. AS matter of course,
Mr.. Stockton has no solution for the
problem as to whether it was the lady or
the tiger that welcomed the hero of his
story, which can rest upon indisputable
grounds. The author has no advantage
here over any of his readers. Each
must argue the matter out to suit him
SELF
But Mr.. Stockton's literary fame does
not rest alone either upon his humorous
writings or upon his invention, of 1.-THE
Lady or the Tiger?" problem. Long be-
fore this story appeared he had achieved
popularity as writer of children's
stories of the "St. Nicholas order. He
was an assistant editor of this periodical
for several years and has been constant
contributor to its pages. AS early as
1870 four of his tales for children were
issued in book form by Boston pub
Usher, under the title of 1.-THE Tiug-a-
ling Stories" Mr.. Stockton has also
written number of novelties of more
ambitious order than anything yet
named. Such is "The Late Mrs. Null"
a story of Southern life, in which the
writer approaches closely to the stand
ard of Thomas Nelson Page as delinea
tor of negro character and dialect. Mr..
Stockton was resident of Virginia for
a time, and has infused "a local color"
into this narrative which adds greatly to
it's interest and value.
Mr. Stockton is still in the full prime
of life, and is evidently not disposed to
ruin his reputation and popularity by
rushing crudities into the literary mar
ket as many other popular writer's have
DONE He is Philadelphia by birth,
having first seen the lightin that city on
April 5, 1852. He has delightful home
at Nutley, N. j., suburb of New York,
and is known in private and social life as
most genial and companionable gentle
man.
THE CONVENTION CIRCULAR of Ohio
thus greets The UNIvERsALIsT as it en-
ters upon the new VoIume:-