Show 1 I I Little Sketches of I II Modern A Authors thors I I j P PALMER ALM R cox Palmer Cox creater creator of or the mischievous mischievous mis mis- chievous honest little Yno iho annever are an never neve cruel ruel never repeat a n pran prank and who have amused millions of oi children died on July 24 at his him home borne Brownie Castle at mit G Granby anby near Quebec at the age four eighty Though he was a bachelor Brownie r Castle Ca tle is an frame house houst of many rooms children from anywhere anywhere anywhere any any- where were always welcome there and he had Lad many visitors Over s a million copies of his Brownie books books books' have be been n sold and The Century company now carries on its lIstI list lisi eleven Cox titles all of which call for frequent In addition addition addi addi- I tion to his books bools he achieved a s a. a Brownie play In three acts which was extremely successful I Like Lik De Dc Morgon he was almost an old man before ho he made his first great success Most of his life be before before be- be I be-I fore that was the career of ot a misfit mis mis- fit fIt fIt tn an n artist trying desperately to force himself into business mis-I mis But fame lame and fortune did finally iome to him and came as a result of i work that he loved His III life Ufe reads a good deal like mee that of a fairy fairer tale I he a giant of ot over six feet was I rescued and placed in a position I of happiness by the tin tiny Brownies I And he was always loyal to them I things I never made them do shabby and loved them to the last I BORN IN CANADA Born in Granby Province of ot QueI Quebec Quebec Que Que- I I bec beck Canada In la a Scotch community community I Scotch parentage in 1840 he dutifully got through the local ocal I schools including an academy and andI andset andset set out to make his way In the Ule I world His fingers wanted to draw but the prospect was not promising He Ho had no art training he was compelled compelled com corn to make his own living and North America fifty years ago was not quick to recognize Its own artists artists artists art art- or to encourage them Young Cox went to Springfield Mass and then to Ontario engaged as the vague record has it it in mercantile mer mner- cantile pursuits but he was not a success So he moved on Finally and he went to California hoping fearing tearing that there he would become so wealthy as the result of ot mercantile mercantile tile pursuits that his fingers would stop itching to draw funny Pictures with and his mind stop playing tinkling jolly rhymes A DAY LABORER He was a a day laborer doing carpenterIng carpentering carpentering car car- and probably anything else that might be offered to a 11 ayoung ayoung young gl giant n with no money no profession and no influence But somebody with eyes did see some things things' he drew and told him to stud study lIe He attended some sort of or art clas classes es' es esat at night and after a occasionally rhymes Western while he lie was doing cartoons ana and new newspapers first as a volunteer and then as a salaried man lIe He Jumped from coast to coast and set himself himself himself him him- self up in iri New York as an Illustrator for tor Other funny pictures tor doing first peoples peoples' text Ho He used the Brownies Brownies only only a few of them them for for that purposes But here he knew was wag something distinctive and he wanted to develop i it as his line St. St Nicholas the magazine that has hall st carried the first work of so many artists and writers encouraged him to do his own rhymes to tg accompany I I his own pictures The success of the Brownies was Instant They captured the world first from the pages of ot St. St Nicholas and then from his books which followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed at Intervals for over thirty years Palmer Cox was a It moralist unashamed unashamed un un- un- un ashamed He taught morals to children while he amused them He lie had a definite code of t conduct for tor his Brownies The old maker laugh in his later years as he he- saw Naw the comic stripe gaining popularity so fast regretted that too often otten the Juvenile characters were made to do doI I cruel and shabby things to get RNo a R- laugh No Brownie would ever do that ho he said often otten while he followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed the antics of ot some barbarous I little moron In a low-class low st strip ip I |