The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-21
OLD.TINE Wit AND ORATORY.
LESS Fun FOR THE PIBLIC mar
CENTURY .iGO.
4 bank President VINO Was rum! Man
OH the Sly-Josh Biilinss's Reputation
I,liSht e1i--ten. Jim CRAIG q Famous Wit
Public speakers We're Public Drinkers.

Public speakers We're Public Drinkers.
I An old-timer who listened not long ago
to Mark Twain al club dinner in this city
! and who laughed at Simeon Ford's wit
was talking afterward to one Of the Com
mittee on Entertainment and among other
things he said:
| -You people have SO much of this sort
of feast that | question whether YOU APP
preciate it. All you have To do when you
want to get together is 10 press the button.
| "You ge, tired and you I'll up your rooms
or homes With clever people, unique enter
| tain,nents. and the cares which iniest the
day YOU know tho rcst. ii is not strange.
perhaps, when you think of it, that We were
not quite 80 frequently entertained or
amused forty-fve years. ago We were
fewer, we were scattered, and maybe we
were easier pleased because VIC did not
have our entertainment on tap
| "Why, do You know. We used to rely on
| the almanacs for our jokes? We used to
keep aln,anacs on the centre tables for orr
guests. When the conversation Jagged and
the company began to look az the clock
| on he shelf some one would pass the
almanac and we would have some fun.
"The home newspaper had no department
of humor. IL joke crcpt into the columns
|, was credited to the almanac. Some Of
| the editors, used to get advance copies of
| the almanac and play scurNy trick on the
druggists by printing the jokes before the
druggists got their. consignnants.
Occasionally home genius unloaded
homegrown fun on the editor But there
| was not so much of the homegrown article
then as now. do remember one, but he
| did it for pure fun.
He was u banker too--Cul. A. NJ. Saxton,
presjden, of he first bank Of nv town.
He was the living image of Mr.. Pickwick.
He wrote occasionally iunny pieces for the
old st. Joe Gazette long before the Re
| ballion.
"For long time the people thought
the editor wrote the pieces. and he was
always asked to step up and have some
thing when he was IL sight don't remem-
Der how il came about, but il was finally
learned that Col, SaAton wrote the pieces
that gave the paper it, boom.
Then the people got to going to the bank
silent and as far away in his looks as the
Sphinx. Then he quit writing for the
paper, because he said it hurt his business
to be known as IA funny man.
"occasionally the papet. printed the
him. Artemus Ward. Josh Billings puzzled
the public for while. We didn't know
whether he was funny or ignorant.
But he struck 81. Joe with a lecture.
The editor of the Gazette reported the lecture
straight away, spelling correctly. and the
public decided that Josh Billings was no
wit His reputation was frostbitten In
our town.
"Once year We had a one-ring circus
come to town. The Gdset'e editor always
had seat down b. rle ringside. and When
ever the clown said anything the e-litor
jotted it down on a paper he held on top of
his stovepipe hat and We had circus jokes
for several weeks after
A little later young lawyer came to
town who afterward attained national
reputation rs politician. wit and after
dinner speaker That was Gen. Jim
Craig.
He was a member of the lower house
of Congress; afterward president of the
Hannibal and ST Joe Railroad and he Ire
came close friend and adviser of Lincoln
But before Craig got TO be so generally
known he became famous in his town as
n wit.
Whenever he sat in front of the old
tavern in the afternoon of summer dav
the crowd assembled To hear him tell stories.
I've seen the street congo ,,ed with team
sers and draymen listening TO him, and
the business men in the vicinity would
willingly lose customer in order TO go
over and hear Gen jim traigs Jokes.
But funny mon began To be- more nuner-
Gus; newspaper wits began TO increase.
and Gen. Craig began to grow old. Not
understanding his ability as n lawyer and
railroad manager. his reputation rested
on his irimitable wit. Although wit and
humor are abundant to-day. and in de-
inand. ] verify believe that If Gen, Craik
should return to earth he would have a
batch of stories of the undiscovered ccun-
try that would cause him to take first
place in the list
The after-dinner spcaker of the time
of which | speak wa unknown. There
were banqucts and public occasions. but
the speakers were either ponderous or
Of the spread-eagle make. The popular
speaker was permitted to tell an anecduto
but he was expected 10 raise his hearers to
the skies, and funny stories do not have
that effect.
II do not think you have any better
orators to-day than We had then, but you
have soberer lot. You don't often see
n speaker in these days who is under tho
influence when he is on his feet. Blu, there
used to he an idea that speaker couldn't
sway his audience until he was about three
and threo-uuarters sheets in the wind.
zone of the greatest stump speakers Of
that day in the West was Col. Nat. &. Clai-
borne He was one OF tho swayers |
have been telling You about
Whenever Maj waS to SPEAK platform
was erected on the out side of the building
that contained the biggest saloon in town.
A punch bowl as big a. was tub would
be filed and showed up Ia tho window
where il was handy.
Ma, stood wher" he could reach back
and get dpperfui whenever he began to
sway. II was the custom of the times.
! reckon il wouldn't do to-day But then
Won can have ora,ory oftener than we had
1t, jus, as you can have wit whenever you
want il,