Mr. Shaw began writing for the literary weeklies, and even now writes
a half column or so of his quaint paragraphs for the New York Weekly.
His almanac and other books have been published through the house of
George W. Carleton, New York, and have had a wonderful sale. It is
said that Josh has made at least $100,000 by his writings. It has
been stated that his uncouth manner of spelling was adopted, in the
first instance, quite as much through fear of his ability to spell
correctly, as through the wish to be odd. He avoided criticism by
intentional and habitual misspelling. He is by nature a philosopher,
and the experiences of his whole life are classified in his mind, as
illustrations of this or that quality of human nature.
Soon after he became famous in the walks of literature, Shaw entered
the lecture field. He became at once very popular, and drew large and
cultured audiences in the East and West. His last lecturing tour of any
length proved very profitable to him. He lectured on The Probabilities
of Life, which was divided, as he says, into twenty-four chapters. The
hand-bills announcing this lecture read as follows:
“Josh Billings will deliver his new, and as he calls it, serio-comic
lecture, on ‘The Probabilities of Life’ (perhaps rain, perhaps not).
Divided into twenty-four cantos, as follows: A Genial Overture of
Remarks; the Long Branch Letter; Human Happiness as an Alternative;
the Live Man, a Busy Disciple; a Second Wife, a Good Risk to Take; the
Poodle with Azure Eyes; the Handsome Man, a Failure; Short Sentences,
Sharp at Both Ends; the Fastidious Person, Fuss and Feathers; Patience,
Slow Poison; What I Know about Hotels, a Sad History; the Flea,
a Brisk Package; the Domestic Man, a Necessary Evil; Answers to
Correspondents; Jonah and his Whale; Marriage, a Draw Game; Mary Ann, a
Modest Maiden; the Mother-in-law, one of the Luxuries; Proverbs, Truth
on the Half Shell; the Mouse, a Household Hord; the Life Insurance
Agent; the Caterpillar, a Slow Bug; the First Baby, too Sweet for
Anything; Sayings of a promiscuous nature. And much other things.”
Shaw’s advertising dodges have all been of a funny and striking
character. The following lines appeared on a postal card that was sent
broadcast during the winter of 1877:
‘Josh Billings and the Young Man. Young man, don’t kry for spilt milk,
but pik up yure pail and milking stool, and go for the next cow. Yures
affekshionately, Josh Billings. For sale or To Let. Price Neat, But
Not Gaudy. Contemplating a trip to California during the winter of
1877, I will read my old and venerable lecture, ‘MILK,’ before any
association who may desire to hear it. The ‘Milk’ in this lecture is
condensed, and will keep sweet in any climate.
“Your cheerful friend,