Reminiscences of a Raconteur, Between the '40s and the '20sHam, George H. (George Henry)
History
Reminiscences of a Raconteur, Between the '40s and the '20s
Ham, George H. (George Henry)
Canada; Ham, George H. (George Henry), 1847-1926; Journalists -- Canada -- Biography
There were some pretty bright boys who graduated from those schools and
made a name for themselves in the world. John Dryden became Minister of
Agriculture for Ontario; Johnny Bengough, who was always handy with his
pencil, evolved into a great cartoonist and published _Grip_ in Toronto;
Hamar Greenwood, who had a great gift of the gab, went to England, was
knighted, and appointed Chief Secretary of State for Ireland; Jack
Wetherall went to New York and achieved position and wealth as an
advertising manager for Lydia Pinkham, whose female pills are peerless
and unparalleled (so he says); Dick Blow became mayor of the town; Jim
Bob Mason—his name wasn’t Jim Bob, but that’s what we called him—went
to the States where his son, Walt Mason, I am informed, is making a
fortune writing popular prose poems. D. F. Burke (we called him Dan)
went to Port Arthur, and when he died a few years ago left two widows
and a big estate, thus distancing most all his old comrades in worldly
good fortune. Dan got a charter for the Port Arthur & Hay Lake Railway,
and used to be chaffed over its construction equipment, which
jealous-minded people like ex-Mayor George Graham of Fort William and
myself said consisted of a mule and a bale of hay, and that when the
mule had eaten all the hay, both the charter and the mule expired.
George Dickson was one of the prize pupils and afterwards became
principal of Upper Canada College, and Billy Ballard won equal
distinction in educational work at Hamilton. George Bruce was a model
pupil, entered the ministry, and afterwards when I heard him preach in a
Presbyterian church, I felt like giving him three cheers. Danforth Roche
was a stolid scholar in the school, but when he struck out for himself,
he had the biggest departmental store north of Toronto, at Newmarket,
and was one of the most enterprising and extensive advertisers in the
Province. Joe White is town clerk at Whitby, and a mighty good one. Abe
Logan went to the Western States and accumulated a fortune. Frank
Warren, who recently passed away, stayed at home, entered the medical
profession, and became mayor of the town. Frank Freeman, who belonged to
the Freeman Family Band, consisting of father, two sisters and
himself—real artists—is still a musician, and I came across him
leading the orchestra at Tom Taggart’s big hotel at French Lick Springs,
Indiana, a couple of years ago. Fred Lynde went to Madoc in Hastings
County, and was successful in the mercantile business. George D. Perry
is manager of the Great Northwestern Telegraph Co., and his brother
Peter a successful educationalist in Fergus, Ontario. George Ray went to
Manitoba and became reeve of a municipality. Bob Perry became a C.P.R.
representative at Bracebridge, Ontario, and his brother Jack is a
well-to-do resident of Vancouver. Jimmy Lawlor is in the Government
service at Ottawa, and Tommy Bengough is one of the best official
stenographers in the employment of the same city. The Laing boys became
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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