The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-08

1
PRODUCTION by Arthur symons. (The
Outing Publishing CO
This book is dedicated by the author
ITO all those human beings who, like
himself, have come under the spell of that
will-o' -the-wisp, Die Ferne, the disap-
pearing and fading Beyond, who, like my
self again, are doomed sooner or later
to see the folly of their quest, Die Ferne
receding meanwhile farther and farther
away from their vision. 1t is the way of
the world says the philosopher. That
my fellow dupes in the fruitless chase
may all become sweet-natured philoso-
piers in the end. is my earnest wish and
prayer"
Josiah Flynt was born in 1869, and
| raised at Evanston, suburb of Chicago.
and his father, Mr.. oliver Anterior Will
lard, who died when Josiah Flynt was
only 8 years old, was the editor of Chi
cago daily newspaper. OF course
"Flynts" name was Willard. but for
some reason or other, this boy and man
in his wanderings over the face of the
| earth, took the name of Josiah Flynt,
which he used in association with peo-
pie of all sorts and conditions. as well
/ as in his writings.
Those familiar with the magazines some
| few years ago will recall the stir created
| by the publication in McClure's magazine
and others of series of articles dealing
with the underworld, from the standpoint
of a real vagrant, signed Josiah F1ynte
! 1t is generally acknowledged that Fiynt
was responsible for the introduction of
the word graft" into book English 1t
was a word of the underworld and he
lifted it to the upper light The articles
In McClure's magazine in which he ex-
posed police corruption were also the
first important examples of modern
undertaking. When the article about
graft in New York was published the
Powers that Be- that he attacked in
the metropolis were loud in denunciaton
| of Josiah Flynt. They, the police, swore
roundly that they would make 1t hot for
Flynt when they caught him, and the
daily press announced that he was to be
arrested and compelled to make good his
statements But Flynt disappeared. He
| had habit of disappearing in answer to
the call of the disappearing and fading
beyond; the police did not find him and
it was some time before he came back
to his old haunts.
| There was reason to think that the po-
lice were only ''bluffing" There was also
reason to believe that Josiah would have
been able to make good" had he been
caught and examined by police tribunal,
nevertheless he hid himself In obscure
lodgings in Hoboken.
When F1ynt's father died, in 1877, leav-
ing Mrs. Willard, Flynt's mother, with
four young children on her hands, Josiah
was years old, and even to read from
him as he tells 1t himself. he must have
| been a very trying child" They simply
couldn't keep Josiah at home. He was
| placed at one school after another, from
all of which, including coICse, he would
disappear. This disappearing business he
| explains, so far as he can, for 1t always
was something of q mystery to him as
| well as his family, by insisting that there
was something within his personality
| that responded to the call of the beyond.
| At times he was able to resist this call,
| but not often Flynt also tells that his
| mother before him had to a degree had
4 +his feeling of wanting to go relating
l that at times she had told him that at
the sound Of the whistle on a passing
| train It was difficult to resist the calling
| of something to be on the move any
| where, nowhere in particular
SO that this book a human document 1t
| really is tells the story of this Josiah
| Flvnt a near-hero, a near genius In MS
line
From college he at last succeeded In
| getting away permanently; he had peen
caught two or three times ana brought
| back before his final and successful es-
| cape. and then began his eight months
tour of the road As boy, Flynt admits
| that he could not distinguish between
| meum and teum SO soon after his run
\ away from college he was arrested ana
| sent to the Reform School of Pennsylva-
MIA for stealing a horse and buggy. FROM
| that refor1natory F1ynt made his escape
| 1T px
after eight months of it he took passage
| abroad from New York as a coal-passer
! IN the steamship E1be. which the reader
| will recall was sunk not very long after
| wards; F1ynt was crossing TO JOIN MS
! mother and sisters, who then hVeo IN
1 Berlin He Joined his family there, en-
| tered the Berlin university in the latter
| eighties. and for time peha'eu hiihSeil
| quite respectfully.
| While Flynt devotes good part OF MS
| hook to his relatives. he does not go INTO
! details sufficient for the reader to realize
what a superior woman Mrs WIZARD
his mother, must have been: she unoer-
| stood her son perfectly, and 10 her tnat
| son paws deserved tribute partly, put the
| -e.dsr can see between the lines what
Great woman Mrs. Willard must nave
| been or Is vet for that matter TOT sue
;s still living. F1ynt remained at Berlin
| for some time, taking frequent TRIPS. IL
q true from his STUDIES at liio uiifoi'ity'
] but always so long as he remained AFTER
| he had reached 81 years of age, he was
| struggling to overcome his desire Tor the
| bevond. as he calls 1t, with hopes OF
proving himself worthy of his mother
and sisters.
| Through his family 1t must nave peen'
although in his book it is not well ex-
n,ained. Flynt was able to meet most
| of the prominent people wherever ne
went. 1t is true that his own personality
soon won these people over to him. arter
meeting them, but it must have been
through his family that he was able TO
become acquainted with people like Ar
thur Symons by a letter from the formers
sister. .,,o
Soon Flynt became known as an autnor-
,tv ON the underworld. For English pup
lications of note he began to write ana
he was sent through Russia at one nne
as a correspondent for a New York news
paper ..,, +..,
ON one of his trips with Fellow tramp.
| he called upon and had a talk with lbsen;
| the description of this visit to lbsen forms
| a most interesting portion OF my Lire.
When In Russia Flynt visited the great
Tolstoi and remained at the great Rus
SLAMS country place as a guest for some
| fen DAYS. Flynt gives a most interesting
| account of Tolstoi. Of his life ON the
| .,is ,aap,ino Inconsistencies. fncOn-