BROWNE, CHARLES FARRAR (1534-67). An American humorist. best known as `Artemus ard.' Ile was born at Waterford, :Maine, April 26, 1534. He began life as a printer in the office of the Skowhegan Clarion, and at 15 was a compositor for a comic weekly journal in Bos ton, The Carpet Bag, to which he made occa sional contributions. lie then became reporter of the ('lereland Plain Defiler. and conceiving the idea of writing in the character of a show man, he began a series of Artemus Ward's Sli ings, intentionally atrocious in spelling. but of humor that soon gained him notoriety. In ISO) he moved to New York. and joined the editorial staff of Vanity Fair. The first of his humorous lectures. "The Babes in the was deliv ered in Brooklyn, and proved so successful that he abandoned journalism for the platform. In 1S62 lie visited California and Ptah, gathering materials for a series of comic• lectures on the Alormons, "whose religion is singular but their wives are These lectures, with a pano ramic accompaniment. attained great popularity
in America. Consumption attacked Browne in 1564, and for two years lie withdrew from the public. In 1866, his health improving, he un dertook a professional tour in England, where lie lectured with very great success for three months, almost to the eve of his death, which occurred at Sonthampton, March 6, 1567. his lectures and humorous writings are collected as Artcmus Ward, His Book (18651; Artemus Ward, Ilis Trarels (1865) ; Ward in London (1567). There is an edition of the Works, with a biographical sketch by Melville D. Landon (1575). Browne's extravagant humor has scarcely held its own with the public, but the genial eharacter of the man and his pathetie fate keep his memory fresh.