The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1905-08-19
COLONEL wATTERSON MAKES
REPLY.

Long harassed by the pointless puni
of the pert photographer on his fond
ness for mint juleps and his love for
life of sybaritic ease, Colonel Henry
Watterson, of The Louisville Courier.
Journal in particular and the South a
large, has at last entered such vigor.
GUS disclaimer of any habits save those
of the rigorous simple life that he ha:
set the effete East a-talking and his
own State cachinnating mernly. These
spineless jests, which have served to fill
out the stint of many hapless penny
a-liner. have, of course, been in the best
of good humour; but we are not sur
prised that they are beginning to pal
on the Colonel and that he should use q
convenient opportunity for pancturine
some hoary delusions.
This interesting operation occurred az
Colonel Watterson was landing on Ame-
rican shores after prolonged European
jaunt. BY way of parenthesis it may be
said that ihe aforesaid jaunt has profted
the readers of American nev spapers
almost as much as the tourist himself,
The Colonel has always borne reputa-
ton for cayenne and vitriol when he
aims his pen at frauds or shams, but in
his letters from the other side he has
developed the quaintest, most charming
vein of genial and gentle philosophy it
has been our fortune to encounter in
some months. His mind and tempera-
ment, seasoned by long life Of versa
tile observation and wide experiences,
was just in that peculiarly receptive
mood necessary for the one who would
leisure1y study the customs and people
and places of historic interest in the old
world. His comments have been char
acterized by naivete, in places mel
ancholy sweetness, and withal a whole
some poetry and optimism, which have
caused them to be widely copied in the
United States.
1t was not, therefore, surprising that
when he set foot on his native soil, his
memory charged with placid reminis-
cence and his spirit aglow with that
tender patriotism likely to grip the nor
NAL American at this hour, he should
have been unspeakahly irritated when a
New York reporter showed at him an In
ane query for his mint-julep prescrip-
ton! The man of ordinary disposition
would probably have lost his temper and
indulged in personal satire-at which
game the Colonel is said to be past
master. But he also happened to be a
newspaper man. He rcafi- ed the straits
to which the "boys" are sometimes
driven in search of copy, and be also
detected a chance to transhx some OF
the ancient fables in more or less active
circulation.
One by one he took up the stories
concerning his personal habits, and in a
fatheIly manner declared that not only
was his acquaintance with mint juleps
of the vaguest description, but that his
tastes generally, as related to the use OF
stimulants, were of the most meager
nature. He did no. affirm that he was a
-totaler; but he did lampoon, in his
kindly. chuckling way, the idea that he
was never happy or inspired unless
somewhat Influenced by the product OF
Kentucky stills or mint-beds. "If
were that sort of man," he asked per-
tincntly, chow could l be in such hale
health at my age, able to do as good a
days work as the next man and with
my mind more active than at any period
in my career ?'' Regarding the intima-
ton that his interest in journalism was
spasmodic, he declared that the manag-
ing editor of the Courier-Journal could
tell different tale. Night after night
he declared, he had remained up unit
and o'clock the succeeding morning
''putting his paper to hed". News
paper men know the toll, fatigue and
patience involved In that operation, and
they are not likely to charge the mar
who faithfully follows such course with
desultory interest in his profession.
The further count that most of hit
time was spent in club circles, Golone
Watterson met with equal pith ant
logic, leaving his interrogation in no un'
certainty. In fact, 1t may be said tha
he completely acquitted himself OF the
somewhat faoetious accusations whict
have long been associated with his name
and revealed personality somewha
different from preconceived tradition
With true Kentucky courtesy, however
he wound up she inquisition and disser
tation by giving the feverishly scribb
ling reporter what he had origlnall,
asked fora mint julep prescription
We can imagine that he had accepted i
in a different spirit from the one il
which it was requested.
The Golonel's revelations will proba
bly, work little change. in current opin-
ion, since the latter has been too firmly
established by the humorous ibels o
many years. But we do not anticipat
that his popularity will he at all i'm
paired by any possible Developments
that also is too firmly established by tn
Colonel's own genial nature and irides
cent pen.-Atlanta Constitution.
G. M. Bankston, Grand Dictator 0
@bo Cronl o1c~o "a ua11r ~