The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-23
From the Boston Globe.

From the Boston Globe.
 ftY THINK we came from Jerusalem"
 Charles Tarrar Browne said once
 in regard to his descent; flor my father was named Levi, and we had a Moses and a Nathan in the family. But" he added, apparently as an afterthought. ~my poor brothers name was Cyrus; so perhaps that makes us Persians.''
 He was born, however. at Waterford, in Oxford county, Me. and the most credible investigation of his genealogy traces him back to Puritan stock. His father was a land surveyor and a jus tice of the peace, but Charles inclina- tions were as far from mathematics and law as his disposition was from tion in the local school where he was chiefly remarkable for his propensities to mischief, but he was obliged at an early age to assist in the support of the family when he left Waterford to seek his fortune.
 Under that peculiar fascination which has drawn so many men who rose from
 
 CTS trade. and became an apprentice in the shop of the showhegan Clarion. published a short distance north of his native village.
 Browne at this time was Il years old, odd. cratic and so overfowing with whimsical pranks that his exploits about the town were carried in the memory of the oldest inhabitants for years after ward, and even now survive in local tradi- tion-
 Az the "devil' of the printing office. he was himself subjected to an endless amount of good-natured buffonery, which none the less was never known to disturb his genial serenity, nor his affected dig nity.
 It has been commonly testified of tho humorist that to see him was to feel an irresistible impulse to laugh, without even any tangible reason in his appear ance. He became possessed at an early date of the cast of mock gravity and stu pidfty that he could later throw at will across his face, with an electrical effect upon his audiences.
  The doleful credencs and the pathetic regard in which he seemed to hold the monstrous absurdities that fell from his lips: and there can be no doubt that the influence of the printing office was one that fostered rather than discouraged this ability.
 with growing proficiency in his trade, Browne left SIxowhegan for Boston, where he secured employment on the l Carpet Bag, humorous miscellany edited by P. B. shillaber, the creator of "Mrs. Burlington"
 1 John e. saxe and other humorists of | the day were contributors whose mat | ter the new compositor set up, while l he dwelt over the manuscript in a sort | of studious exaltation and planned like ventures for himself. At last he wrote an article in an altered hand and | slipped 1t by stealth into the editors i, box. To his great delight 1t was given 1 to him to put in type. That night he | felt himself the greatest man in Bos- ton." and accordingly treated himself l to seat at the theatre and had good time.
 The article-a burlesque on Fourth of July celebration at Waterford-at- tracted attention and much favorable l comment.
 Browne began to apply himself to ths l preparation of humorous manuscript and his career was thus begun. He particularly favored the method of G. H. Derby. who wrote under the pen names s'sQuibob" and John Phoenix. l He was . consistent admirsr of the now | all but forgotten seba Smith. But he l was most notably the interpreter oi | Charles Tarrar Browne. for he felt nc innuence as stSoni1y as h'e ewn. wfiot