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Show MAKERS OF AMERICAN HUMOR 1 "Learn One Thing Every Day" I No. 5. FRANK R. STOCKTON j Copyright, 1913. by The Associated Newspaper School, Inc. I A generation ago our mothers and fathers were asking whether it was the lady or the tiger. The question was illustrated and dramatized, cartooned car-tooned and parodied All this excitement excite-ment arose from a single short story written by a qule-t unassuming man " In Ii ill Iraailii i.. ., t mix ....... tion as a story teller "Tho Lady or the Tiger?" left Its hero in a t rribl predicament A simple choice that faced him would either leave turn face to face with a beautiful young lad or place him absolutely at the men j of a devouring tiger -anti there the story stoped It was a practical joke that found a permanent place in American literature. It is said that at a dinner once given to Frank R Stockton, when the dessert des-sert was placed before the hostess, the amused guests saw two blocks of Ice cream, one modeled as a lad and the other as a tiger. There was tense silence when Stockton was asked which he would have, and he gravely replied, little of both, please." Frank R. Stockton was born in Philadelphia on April 1834, nnel died In Washington. D i , April 20, 1902 He attended Philadelphia public schools, and his first vocation was that of wood engraver and designer r I 4111)11111 'tin I .III. VI 11.11. . , mmm W I He made many illustrations for magazines maga-zines that afterward sought his contributions con-tributions as an author His first employment em-ployment was on a Philadelphia morn-ing morn-ing paper, and while he supported himself him-self as an engraver, he was constantly contributing short articles to his own and oilier papers m ik7J he gave up designing to join the stafr of the New Wk Hearth and ilome A ye-u-later he went over to Scrlbners Monthly Inow the Century Magazine) and in a very short time was mudo I assistant editor of a new maga.ln- j for children that was then being -(,,1, N lished the SI Nicholas Magasine This tiosition he filled until 18S0 Aside from certain famous novels BUCh as "Rudder Grange." which firs, brought Stockton into prominence in ' 879, and "The Casting Awaj of Mrs Leeks and Mrs. Aloahlne." this author 18 ai bis best in his stories for children chil-dren His humor is no less distinctively distinc-tively American than that of Joi Hillings and Arternus Ward and otn-ers otn-ers oi the slapstick school, and yel his style Is simple and quiet Ho I 'bills in a, i extravagant absurdity 0f Plot It is as though his whole story was a Joke on the reader. One seems to see the man s own gentle dellght-lul dellght-lul personality behind the stories he that It Is hard to say how perma- nent a place many of his writings will 1 occupy in American literature- bu' S some of them are certain to survive' His name is almost as well known in 'j England and Australia as in merlca and his novels have nearly all beeii translated into foreign tongues Every day a different human !nt.r cat story will appear In the Standard ou can get a beautiful intaglio -I" product, on of the above plcturV with f.vo others, equally attractive 7,'c , , , Inches In size, with this week's "llL" tor" In "Tho Mentor' a well kent authority covers the subject at ' u Pictures and storiec of the week 1 a ers of the Standard and 7lp P-urcs. On sale at Crgo'W |