The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-01-20

on for more than eighty years. with
brain and pen working TO the very last
one OF the very few women humor-
lists, Frances Mriam whiicher was
born IN 1871, and though she died at the
age OF forty-one. her widow Bedoti
Papers became quite famous. In 1871
rollickins -, r. sbilTsber was born at
portsmouth, n. ~ lie Mas raised. a
printer, became an editor and acquired
n Etcat fame ~ Mrs.. Darlington. lie
.tdhd so recently. as 1890, yet may be
said TO have belonged to the previous
generation OF hum0rlsts.
II don't blame Prince Alfred" said
Mrs. Partngton. FOR not Wishing 20
take the throne of Greece he'd slip OF
y as sure as YOU LIVE" She preferred
4 the Venus de Medicine to any other
statute" she knew Of.
= An erratic genius appeared in the
person OF John O. SAKE 1916 who was
admitted TO the bar IN isiS. owned and
edited paper and set the country agog
, with his poetry, witty, humorous and
not lacking I'm polish. He died. IL not
! of melancholia, yet melancholy man
4 in 1881
I In 1917 was born James T. Fields. a
1 native OF Portsmouth. famous publish
! er OF Boston a scholarly writer who
dearly delighted TO tickle The muses.
I fancy with queer conoeits. Close upon
\ The heels OF Fields trod the quaintest
and most phiIosophic humorist America
ever saw, Henry Wheeler Shaw. who
Z extineuished his rightful. name IN the
cognomen of Josh Blinvs, There was
never smother such as Josh except IL be
/ Artemus Ward. lie was forty-fve
years old when he gave Josh Billings TO
the world and was sixty-seven when
he died in 1885. There is a heap" nj
humor in Josh Billings sayings" not
because of but despite their phonetic
spelling. To prove this took mp Uncle
Esek. In which the hard sense is ap-
parent without the aid OF IMAGINATION.
In 1918 also. was born +. $. CozZens,
author Of the once famous sparrow
srass Papers and a Soiourn Among
the Bluenoses" The next year the
world was blessed with the birth OF
James fuvser1 r.owe1r, hardly second 10
Holmes as humorist. as those ac-
quainted with his "Biglow Papers"
can testify. In him as also IN Holmes,
humcr and pathos We're exquisitely
blended, and IL Is doubtful IL either has
been greatly surps ssed. Both Holmes
and Lowell were. first of all, men Of let
ters, and either would have become IA
nous WITHOUT the expression nf the hu-
IaorOGs qualify. The @Bigiow Paper9D
abound in photographic pocuIarIties
hard Tor an American 10 swallow. but
there are many gems Of "purest ray Sc
rene"
Lowells birth year was also that OF
Mr. TFaNers, more of wit than hu-
morist. but one who made many laugh.
Donald q. Mitchell ok MarxeA -x hn
was seyenty-nine years old last April.
displayed a quiet humor OF the gentle
sort In his "Reveries II a Bachelor
and other works, always classicalIy ell
egant, though OF the old school styIe
@, III. Derby. later and better known as
John Phoenix. was born in 1929 and
died 1861, few years after the appear
ance OF his "PhRniNianA" and Soul
bob Papers" 1885 and 1859.
Americas ripe scholar and genial hu-
morist OF the Easy Chair" sort George
w curtis, born 1924 made a hit" i'm
his "Potiphar Papers" published years
ago. Like many another hunorist
however, he rather looked askance al
fun in his latter years. He died IN
1882; but humorist OF the rollickinc
sort, Charles Godfrey Leland. who was
born the same year as Curtis. Is not |
only living but has just revised his ia |
NOUS Hans Breitman" ballads. which
first appeared more than thirty year.
ago. Bill Arp ICharles Henry SMITH,
whose humor baathe genuine southern
smack 10 1T. VAS born in Georgia in
1925, where he still lives In Cartersvflle.
Major G. G. Halpine, better known a
Private Miles OReilly was one of the
faaas
birth, having come from Ireland in
1s47. He died in 1865 al the early age Of |
thirty-nine, but another humorist. |
Charles Dudley Warner, born the same |
year as Halpine 1929 nearly reached
the century'send. Hslpine was wartime
writer but Warmers humor f. for all !
time, having In il the essence OF peren- |
nial youth His delightful Summer In !
a Garden appeared i'm 1871, and his !
equally attractive Backlog Studies"
in 1872. He Travelled much. wrote much
and died in the fullness of years and
knowledge.
The decade opening with 1880 yields 2
bakers dozen" OF humorists who ac-
auired worldwide fame, first-on the list /
being j. Proctor Knott. author of the
Duluth Speech" in congress.
lie WAS born in Kentucky. 1880 and
still lives I'm Danville. In 1882 appeared
one who wrote voluminously I'M after
life as q. X. Philander DoestickS. y. n
born Thompson yclept Mortimer. an
alleged humorist who during wartime
had quite a vogue, but who al his /
death lett little that win long outlast
the century
In 1888 was born David Ross Locke.
who gave TO the world the unctuous /
Petroleum V. Nasty of "Confedrit y
Roads" fame. lie swung round the |
cipkle" with President Johnson. of
whom, by the way. he once remarked
that 'it would have been $40 I'm Andy 4
Johnson's pocket IL he'd never been
born" and published "Ekkoes From
kentucky Nasty In Exile" as well
as tender poem called Hannah /
Jane" Locke (Nasby) died in 1855 aft I
er very husy life
The year 1894 was made notable in
our annals il for nothing else by the I
hIrfho ~ tfbatstag Earra. IRv,v.,, . 49,.