Evening star., 1925-01-12
IF LO W E r. S
For the Living
Ring Lardner
19'nss
NV HIGH FULLERTON. :.
BY HUGH FULLERTON.

| One day In 1907 I was in the off1ce
early and a friend named Jacks ap-
peared, accompanied by a tall, dark
complexioned, preternaturally solemn
appearing person who had much the
| look and manner of Rameses ii with
/ his wrappings off. Jacks introduced
tus and Rameses said he was seeking
| job writing base ball in Chicago
| and had worked In South Bend.
"It requires thought" / said. Let s
go get a beer and talk 1t over.
| 'T don't drink" said Rameses, In
tones from the tomb.
You'll make one hell of a sports
writer IL you don't" remarked cas-
ually, the chief requisite of sport
writer OF those days being a cast
| steel stomach.
The effect Of my remark was anaz-
1 ing. The solemn face grew more sol
1 emu and the big, wistful eyes turned
slowly toward his friend as he said:
you son of a gun, you told me to
tell him that"
When we reached the Steuben ]
| learned his name wasn't Rameses II
at all. but was Ringgold Wilmer
Lardner, who has made two laughs
| grow where one grin sprouted be-
fore and who has become one Of the
worlds best known humorists.
! ] hate to use the expression has
/ become" because he always was, only
lat took a long time for the world to
discover how funny he is. Also II
took US a long time to convince
editors. We who lived with him
knew but IL was discouraging bust
ness going around and telling editors.
| This fellow is the funniest guy in
] the world" and then have them put
on panied expressions and try TO be
polite.
We almost lived together for a
| dozen years, around base ball teams.
and 1 learned a lot about him; got
under the mummy mask of that SOL
emn appearing face and discovered
great big, sensitive, loyal boy heart.
| The editors never could see him or
| his stuff. We peddled IT TO most of
| them and acted as press agent for
/ him. They read 1t, looked panied and
| said 1t wouldn't do. Honestly l got to
| thinking / was bit crazy, for after
4 laughing until I was sick at his
drolleries the editors said his wit was
| commonplace and his humor all
| wrong. Then Charlie Van Loan took
| the stuff. crammed it down an unwill-
ing EDITORS throat and Lardner, al
J most In a day, became the most pop
| ular and most initiated humorist in
the country. Now some of the imi-
| tators are initiating the imitators
| who initiated him.
The reason Lardner's wit and hu-
NOR have such wide appeal among
| the people at large is that 1t is so
true. His first you Know Me. AL"
stories were almost verbatim report
! ing of arguments between Ping Bodie
Jacques Fournler and Frank Smith of
| the White SoX worked into yarns
| Perhaps the elevation OF the brows
! of six well known editors who re-
| fused to touch the stories prevented
! them from realizing how keen and
analytical Lardner's insight into men
| and motives is. The finest compli-
ment ever paid a writer was paid
/ him BY Jack Hendricks, now manager
! OF the Cincinnati base ball team.
Jack came to me when Lardner's first
stories were appearing and asked:
Say. who is this big stiff Lardner
who is writing that stuff?"
| 'Why?" l parried.
Well" said Jack, i've a notion to
bust him on the jaw. He has been in
my trunk stealing some OF my old
| letters"
Rings meeting with George NJ.
Cohan is typical of him. a friend
! went to Cohan and said Lardner
wanted 20 meet him. Cohan lodged
For heavens sake keep him away"
| he pleaded. But finally one night at
/ q banquet, HlnS COTneTeO the great
the atricai man. Mr.. Cohau," he
said. slowly and soremnly, "rve been
wanting to meet you for some time
| You've been In the theater for twenty
years. You know everything there
is to know about the theater. You're
the one man who can tell me what
I want to know. Mr.. Cohan, how the
hell does guy get on the water
| wagon?"
him outside, to whom he sent the
following word: GO on home / just
met a live wire. I'm going to spend
the night with him.
Thereupon he became one of Ring
greatest admirers He even tempted d
Lardner TO write play, which was
SO funny Cohan laughed himself sick
and didn't present II.
Lots OF people know Ring; yet /
doubt whether any save a few who
have lived close to him understand
him. He is a very proud, very sensi-
tive fellow, easily wounded, although
few suspect it.
He is very loyal to old friends, and
hates hypocrisy and sham, turning
the point of his bitter satire at those
who deal in bunk and who ring false.
He Is unusual-and likes unusual
people-if they are interesting He
hits our weaknesses and bears down
too hard sometimes on the lancet of
wit, with which he reveals the in
nards of his victims, but II he hurts
us, he is sorry.
Ring is a big, lovable, loyal fell
low, and sometimes, / think, a bit
saddened, because some of his idols
have broken. He has only one habit
/ never can forgive. He used to wait
until after a hard night, and then
order sardines and black tea for
breakfast.
Copyright, 1924