The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-18
SHELDON AS FUNNY MAN
Preacher Author Reads an
Original Humorous Story.

While the Rev Charles NJ. Sheldon
is usually too busily concerned with
the serious affairs of life to indulge
his humorous propensities in story
writing, his ability to be funny and to
make fun is undoubtedly as far beyond
that of the average alleged humorlst
as his skill at writing successful re-
ligious novels SURPRISES the efforts of
most other authors in that field. AT
the entertainment for the benefit or
the new Central Congregational church
building last night Mr. Sheldon took
his revenge upon the present day his
torical novelist in a short story entitled
"a Hysterical Novel;
John Sterling and his wife were the
two characters. Sterling was engaged
in writing a novel in which he proposed
to draw a true picture of life in Brazil
during the time of Dom Pedro. and his
anxiety for historical accuracy led him
10 the slaughter of large number OF
his characters during the opening
chapters. AS far as he had gone the
book presented a really sanguinary
aspect, when the author fell suddenly
into a long and serious illness. AS she
sat by her husbands bed the young
wife conceived the idea of finishing the
story and sending it. to a publisher. AS
his illness was protracted she had OPP
portunity to carry out the project, with
the surprising result of an Immediate
acceptance of the book on a 10 per
cent. royalty basis. By the time her
husband was well enough to bear the
shock she was in possession of the
first presentation copies, and she
handed one of them to him with an
explanation of its appearance.
In a moment her husband was en-
gagged in hurried examination of the
pages which his wife had written.
With a Mortified exclama ton he read
la passage. 1t described a dramatic
scene in which General George Wash
ington, president of the United States,
stepped from the timber and demanded
the surrender of Dom Pedro, threaten
ing to turn on the X-ray and expose
in the pocket of the Brazilian a treaty
in which he had treacherously sold
out" his own cOuntrymen. In another
chapter the book described the episode
of the partition of the Turkish empire,
in which all the powers of Europe as
well as Dom Pedro and Cyrus Leland
of Kansas, with his machine, took part.
Except for the sultan, personally, this
affair had a very happy ending, it be-
ing concluded in about twenty min
utes, the Dom setting sail for America
after having welded the daughter of
a British nobleman.
Garry Nation was introduced into the
Brazilian court at a moment when the
merrymakers were at the point of drink
ing toast. In the course of the last
six chapters Mrs. Sterling had revivifed
the six OF eight people who had been
carried off by war and pestilence in the
earlier part of the book and she was
entirely successful in bringing the
novel to happy conclusion. SO sue
cessful was she that the publishing
house filed an immediate order for any
further stories of the same character
that the author might create. The
novel soon became one of the six best
sellers but the shock to the author
was such as to neartr cause a relapse
and the injury to his instincts for his
torical accuracy was only balmed by
the immediate large income from the
royalties.
Miss Margaret Birdenia Henry gave
two reading numbers upon the pro-
gramme. Both of them enabled her to
display her usual Evolutionary skill.
Throughout, the entertainment was of
an exceptionally high order. Miss
Charlotte Parkhurst and Miss Mary
Harrison gave a piano duet as the first
number Vocal solos were presented by
Miss Lumina c. Riddle. Mrs. G. P
Grimsley. Mr.. David Bowie and Prof.
E. B. Conant Miss Lucelia B. Clarke
played a SOLO Hungarian Rhapsody
on the violin, besides playing the violin
obligatto for the vocal numbers. Miss
Florence Morton and. Miss Anna Marie
Nellis were accompanies. Mrs. W. A.
Harshbarger played a piano number,
Gottschalk's THE Dying Swan