The Washington herald., 1921-08-21
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NEW YoRK. Aug. 2o.-H. T.
Webster Is the Apollo Of Park Row
the male Lillian Russell Of the
cartoon crowd. He's over six feet
tall and when he goes TO his Office
in the New York Tribune Building
newsboys gasp: Gee, look at Jim
woolworthg" webster's cartoons do
much to maintain the pace that
Dana set for the Sun-now Mr..
Munsey's Herald. They are also
syndicated from coast to coast.
He was born in Tommyhawk.
Wis. not far from the birthplace
Of his friend sinclair Lewis, whom
he calls "Red"-despite the fact that
Lewis is Americas foremost novel;
list just now. Tommyhawk is due
south of Sank Center where Lewis
first exhibited the biggest freckles
in captivity. Back in Tommyhawk,
Webster Is still called that Webster
boy"-and IL you have lived in
means.
His first sign of genius was when
single handed he broke every win
dow in the planning mill. When the
police force called that night at the
Webster, home, removed his hat,
coughed alphabetically and told
Mrs. Webster the horrible details
the oulprit was en- route West with
breech-loading gun and thre pies
neighbor had set out to cool. He
was gone an entire half day.
His cartoons-"Thrill that Comes
Once in a Lifetime" "Life's Darkest
Moment" and all the other delights
of the Stone Bruise Age-are the
observations CLEANED in his own
boyhood. He understands boys and
dogs and the small town. He has
been called the Mark Twain Of car
toonists by critics and when you
mention II to him he begins to blush
from the heels UP and It takes some
time for q healthy blush to encom-
pass him.
Webster begins working on his
cartoon about 10 o'clock in the
morning. perspires an hour, smokes
several big black cigars, curses the
luck that made him seek such a
profession and by lunch time his
total efforts total zero. After lunch
he goes through the same perform
ance and then one of the boys call
up to say that Gal is going to have
little session that night-50-cent
limit-and he dashes off the cartoon
In thirty minutes and goes for a
walk in the park with his dog.
"ebster's first cartoon job was in
Denver. He worked there six entire
weeks. and at the end Of that time
ne had bunch that the editor was
going to FIRE him and quit. He beat
the editor by three hours. From
Denver he moved eastward to Chi
cago, where he told editors of his
great triumphs in Denver. To prove
to them that he was a cartoonis,
he rubbed ink on his hands. He got
a Job on the old Inter Ocean. and
for five or six years his cartoons
were first PACED in that paper.
Then one day Harry Brown, who
was editing the Cincinnati Post,
came to Chicago and invited Web
ster out to lunch. He had had no
warning whatsoever and took him
to the Auditorium Hotel and handed
him . menu and paper and pad
Webster copied everything on the
menu including the date, and at
o'clock, when Brown had another
engagement, he was still eating.
Brown decided that the only way
to get even was to take him to Gin
cinnati and he hired him. Webster
remained there several years send
ing new office boys out after
buckets OF editorials, wallpaper
stretchers and wopplechoke wam-
puses, drawing cartoons in lighter
moments. Then one day he came to
the office with . suitcase and lit
out for the Orient. He went around
the world-spent all his money and
landed in New York a year later in
his customary state, i.e., broke. The
Globe first employed him and then
he went to the Herald. He is a con-
tributor to Life and knows Charles
Dana Gibson well enough to call
him Charlie.
He is still pretty much the boy.
He thinks he's a poor cartoonist. |
which Is one of the reasons he is the |
greatest He likes to be praised
even IL It brings the blush. And. |
o. yes, the initials III. T" stand for |
Harold Throckmorten, which ex-
posture probably ends our many