The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-02
HOW GEORGE ABE
FIRST WROTE SLANG
Had no Idea That It Would
Make Him Famous.
AN ACCIDENTAL MOVE
AN ACCIDENTAL MI
His Venture Into the Playwright's
Field Came About Through Chance.
He Has Been a Writer
From Boyhood.

This is the way George AIDE came to
write in slang:
He had been writing for the Chicago
paper on which he made his reputation
daily column of matter called Stories
of the Street and of the Town" One
day he was hard put to it for copy.
and to take the place of the usual string
of sketches he wrote an account or
church social which he had heard from
the lips of a tough and slangy youth
who had been held up for tickets by
| member of his family. Mr.. AIDE gave
the name of "Artie' to the young man.
The sketch was written with no thought
of fame ahead, but merely to I'LL
| column Nevertheless, the comments on
| Artie were so favorable withal that
"Artier appeared again the following
week, this time slangily giving an inti-
mate picture of a poker game. Thereafter
| the demand for "Artie' was so pro-
nonnced that he made weekly appear
| anees.
These "Artie' stories constituted MI.
AIDES first book being published between
covers in 1896. Six years later a hundred
thousand copies of the book had been
! sold
Mr.. AIDES second book was DOC
Horne" and two years after "Artie' he
produced the Pink Marsh papers, both
selling way up in the thousands and
adding greatly to his reputation, gained
by cultivating "Artie."
gables Were Born.
1t was in 1899, while considering with
his publishers a book to be issued for
the Christmas season, that Mr. AIDE said,
! after stating it to be his opinion that
| the American public took kindly to the
| humor of the up-to-date slang in its most
aggravated form:
my notion is to run the slang OF
| Clark street (Chicago) into the ponder
Gus and archaic mold of fable. That ought
to give a contrast that will jar them
| And so was born the far famed IA
| bles in Slang'-so famed, in fact. as al
most, but not quite, to make the public
! forget "Arte'
more Fables" followed. Then came
| THE Girl Proposition and laughter
| rolled up from every corner of the states.
In quick succession appeared the BOOKS
"People You Know" breaking Into So
ciety," and True Bills" Mr.. AIDES most
l
which the author goes abroad in com
pany with the inimitable Mr.. Peasley of
| Des Moines. 1t was Peasley, who. going
to BRUSSELS, got off at Antwerp and didn
discover the difference until he had gone
| sightseeing all over the town with a
guide book and map of the former city,
admiring everything and Identifying
| everything in due order
Mr. AIDES entry of the dramatic field
| was quite as accidental, or unintentional,
| as his preemption of the field of slang.
A young friend, composer, asked him
| to write the words of a song. Before Mr..
| AIDE was aware of it. the song had de-
veloped into the libretto of a musical
satire intended for amateur publication.
| Henry Savage heard of the piece, at
| once secured it, and-so the world of fun
became acquainted with the joys and woes
of the Sultan of Sulu." This was in
| 1902 Peggy From Paris" followed the
| next year. and in that year also was
produced the County Chairman Two
years ago came the Shotgun and 1.-The
College Widow
First Literary.
Mr. AIDES first literary effort was made
| when he was IL years old. 1t was called
"A Basket of Potatoes" Oddly enough,
| 1t was in form of fable, and 1t saw
| the light of day in the Gazette" of Kent
land, Ind. where Mr.. AIDE was born.
| While at Purdue university, where he
| graduated in 1887, Mr.. AIDE wrote for the
university publications and was univer-
sity correspondent for several city papers.
After leaving college, he worked on two
| newspapers in Lafayette. the university
town. In June of 1890 he went to Chicago
| and got a job as reported on a Chicago
| paper at $40 a week
Less than ten years later he was gath
ering in the dollars by the thousands.
81, tan Of ha hat haze
poured in on him as result of writing
slang to suit the popular fancy. Mr.. AIDE
has purchased an extensive farm near
| Brook, Ind. Here he spends a good part
of his time. And though he delights to
loaf on the farm, still he sees to it that
it brings him in per cent on the money
invested. He calls his acres-some 900
In number-Hazelden Farm.
Mr. AIDES parents are living in Kent
| land. They will soon celebrate the Seth
anniversary of their wedding