Carnegie, Andrew, 1835-1919; Industrialists -- United States -- Biography; Philanthropists -- United States -- Biography
After seating themselves, the stranger said he was part owner in a
gold mine in California, and explained that there had been a dispute
about its ownership and that the conference of partners broke up in
quarreling. The stranger said he had left, threatening he would take
the bull by the horns and begin legal proceedings. "The next morning I
went to the meeting and told them I had turned over Josh Billings's
almanac that morning and the lesson for the day was: 'When you take
the bull by the horns, take him by the tail; you can get a better hold
and let go when you're a mind to.' We laughed and laughed and felt
that was good sense. We took your advice, settled, and parted good
friends. Some one moved that five thousand dollars be given Josh, and
as I was coming East they appointed me treasurer and I promised to
hand it over. There it is."
The evening ended by Mr. Arnold saying:
"Well, Mr. Shaw, if ever you come to lecture in England, I shall be
glad to welcome and introduce you to your first audience. Any foolish
man called a lord could do you more good than I by introducing you,
but I should so much like to do it."
Imagine Matthew Arnold, the apostle of sweetness and light,
introducing Josh Billings, the foremost of jesters, to a select London
audience.
In after years he never failed to ask after "our leonine friend, Mr.
Shaw."
Meeting Josh at the Windsor one morning after the notable dinner I sat
down with him in the rotunda and he pulled out a small memorandum
book, saying as he did so:
"Where's Arnold? I wonder what he would say to this. The 'Century'
gives me $100 a week, I agreeing to send them any trifle that occurs
to me. I try to give it something. Here's this from Uncle Zekiel, my
weekly budget: 'Of course the critic is a greater man than the author.
Any fellow who can point out the mistakes another fellow has made is a
darned sight smarter fellow than the fellow who made them.'"
I told Mr. Arnold a Chicago story, or rather a story about Chicago. A
society lady of Boston visiting her schoolmate friend in Chicago, who
was about to be married, was overwhelmed with attention. Asked by a
noted citizen one evening what had charmed her most in Chicago, she
graciously replied:
"What surprises me most isn't the bustle of business, or your
remarkable development materially, or your grand residences; it is the
degree of culture and refinement I find here." The response promptly
came:
"Oh, we are just dizzy on cult out here, you bet."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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