The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-18
PRESS CLUBS TRIBUTE
A MEMORIAL On THE DEATH OF r..
ID. STEVENSON ADOPTED.
A Committee Appointed to Attend the
Funeral i'm Terre Haute-Brief
Service at st. PnuI's.

acllFe newspaper man OF TINS city, VINO uleo
Thursday night at st. Vincent's Hospital.
A special meeting of the club was held in
the ordinary OF the Grand Hotel at 4
o'clock, at which President Hornaday an
nounced Mr.. S%tevenson's death. Miss Anna
Nicholas. of the Journal. who was long as
ISOLATED with Mr.. Stevenson on the Jour
nal, read a memorial. as follows:
The humorist, like the poet. is born, not
made. The sense of humor Is a gift which
canot be acquired; it must be a part of a
mans nature. And it is a gift whose value
is hardly to be overestimated. II helps its
pOsseSor TO Offset the ills of life; II enables
him to see compensating conditions where
the too-serious mind only discovers gloom;
it gives him a philosophy which others
solace. And. if it is the humor which finds
expression in words, II Is a source or In
finite enjoyment to the mans associates.
Our friend Robley d. Stevenson was a
humorist of the genuine sort. With him
the gift was undoubtedly inherited. his
father having had a local reputation as a
wit. He detected humor not only where 1t
was SC obvious that all might see, but
where It was concealed from duller minds.
and by setting forth his ideas in brief
phrase and in such quipS and drolleries as
only he could conceive, brought them to the
comprehension of these slower wits and
brought laughter. What is better in this
busy, work-a-day world than a wholesome,
hearty laugh? And who deserves better Of
his fellow-creatures than the man who
makes ii possible? Some floating newspa-
per verses express 1t thus:
Good laughter is a gift of God.
1t waketh man; it shaketh man; it taketh
Out of a clod
And buoyeth him aloft in air.
For laughter, it befriendeth man-it rendeth
Away from care.
"He who doth make his fellows quake,
lie gives them wings, he courage brfngs-he
draws life's stings,
And cures its aches;
Laughter is wiSdom's better half.
Let each tell each. let teachers teach-let
preachers preach
That men should laugh!
"By thus contributing to the pleasure of
his friends and of the public, Mr.. Steven
son did a service of whose Importance he
those whose work lies in the direction of
benefiting their fellow-men might we'll
envy. He was without question the most
original of the newspaper humorists of the
day Although certain conditions seemed to
appeal to him more than others and to be
more Suggestive, as, for instance, the atti-
tude of the Everett Wrests,' the Dismal
DawSOns'-the tramps and waits, in short
toward life, Yet he did not repeat himself.
he was accustomed TO say that there was q
trick in joke writing that any one should
be able to master, and frequently amused
himself by compromising jokes after the
pattern of other professional humorists, not
for publication, but TO prove that he under
stood each writer's formula. Some of the
tramps who so frequently appeared in his
paragraphs he undoubtedly personiied, and
had in his mind distinct characters who ut
tered the unique sayings in keeping with
their supposed nomadic existence. So we'll
could he indicate such characters by his
deft touch that ii was always a matter of
regret among his associates that he did not
undertake more sustained productions and
carry one parsonage through a continuous
series of adventures. His only attempt in
this line was the 'Ginger-beard Man Sc
ries. and when this was suddenly discon-
tinued. to the regret of the readers of 'Bub-
bles.' his only explanation was that the
man had gone away and would perhaps
never return.
For the most part Mr.. Stevenson, or, as
we all knew him best, 'Wickwire,' gained
his inspiration from the newspapers, which
he read industriously. Evidently his pleas
%antries were all formulated before he be-
gan to write them out, for when he sat
down to his typewriting machine he wrote
his daily installment quickly and without
hesitation.
He did little serious writing. though he
was quite capable of producing good work.
Once or twice during his connection with
the Journal he sent brief sketches to the
New York Independent-one, if we are not
mistaken, a fairy tale-which were accepted
and published, but in general he seemed to
nave a Discrimination for this class of work.
Personally Mr.. Stevenson was extremely
reticent and retiring. Probably few Of his
- LSAN tAAtAN lily AO0A AAi0 w
him intimately. for, though he was COM
pa~niOnable and well liked, he never talked
of himself. 1t was only in an incidental
way and through chance illusions that they
felt themselves acquainted with the real
man. 1t became known in this way that he
feared that his gift of humor would fail
him. He had a list of humorists who had
met with this fate. and remarked on one &C.
casion that it was what all such writers
might look forward to. Tt was a thing,
however, by no means likely to have hap
1900 ~ bic aoao a. hr- fa- 60 -
grained and so original.
1T is the feeling of this club that in the
untimely death of Mr.. Stevenson the news
paper fraternity has lost a valued member
and that the reading public suffers a dis
tinct and irremediable loss"
Additional tributes were paid by A. G.
| White and Miss Laura Smith. The me-
mortal was ordered spread on the records
! of the club.
1t was decided that the club should send
a floral tribute to Terre Haute, and a COM
mittee consisting of Miss Laura Smith,
Annis Burk. of the Sentinel: Charles A.
| Casad, of the Journal; F. T. Baker, Horace
Lancaster. T. K. Hubbard, of the Sun, and
f. III. McElroy was named to go TO Terre
| Haute to-day as representatives of the club.
The committee will leave this morning at
Has over the Big Four.
Inc luIleTdl ScINlCtS were uelQ DIT Sl.
Pauls Episcopal Church at 5 o'clock yes
terday afternoon and were conducted by
the rector. Rev. Lewis Brown. The pail
| bearers were all members of the Press Club
and were Hugh Richards. Horace Lancas-
ter. Charles a. Casad. F. 7. Baker, NJ. E.
! Donnelly and B. D.. Crosse. Nearly all those
/ present had been associated with Mr.. Stew
enson in his newspaper work. The full
! Episcopal service for the burial of the dead
! was read and Mr.. Brown made brief re-
marks in which he referred to Mr.. Steven
sons work as a humorist and said that any
man who had helped to tighten the burdens
of others by bringing into their lives cheer
fitness had performed a noble mission.
The musical part of the service was fur
nished by the organiSt of the church, Clar-
ence Carson, and by l.. IL. Colvin, one of
the soloists of the church choir, who sang
Peace. Perfect Peace" and abide with
Me"
The body was sent to Terre Haute last
evening and will be buried there this after
noon at $50.
FUNERAL OF FRANCIS Il. HORD.
II VIII BE Held To-Morrow Afternoon