Show O 0 s s e 0 GREAT MENT KNOWN A AS S M A S T d M OF I 1 HUMOR I 1 U M 0 K thomas corwin who died in 1865 was of the most famous states men of his day for more than thirty years he occupied prominent official positions having been governor of ohio member of both houses of con gress secretary of the treasury and minister to mexico on his deathbed he said pathetically after all the public honors I 1 have received and all that I 1 have done in the world I 1 shall be remembered only as tom corwin the joker was like our chauncey depew a funny man whose witty sayings more spontaneous than those of chauncey were quoted far and wide no matter how high and dignified were the places to be occupied he was always called by the undignified name of tom another instance in which a tunny funny man has failed to receive his full meed of fame Is that of the late charles godfrey leland a great philologist and a scholar versed in many languages and literatures le I 1 mi land translated much from foreign tongues and was especially happy in versions of heine s poems which in his hands retained the strength grace and beauty of the originals but he was chiefly known as the author of the hans breitmann ballads writ ten in pennsylvania dutch a per torrance tor for mance which gave him worldwide fame and is a masterpiece of grotesque humor leland s other books poetry and mystery of dreams minor arts the gypsies cal education etc are comparatively but little known john hay ilay our secretary of state Is better known by his humorous little breeches than by bis his elaborate state papers thomas dunn english after all his years in congress could never escape being chiefly known as erg the author of ben bolt a sentimental ditty of his callow youth the very mention of which in later years raised his ire to such a degree that his fellow congressmen took great delight in quoting from it just to tease him |