e was as much beloved for the goodness of his heart as he was by
the city editor for the goodness of his grammar. Once upon a time
SPIFFKINS had the opportunity of trying his hand at dramatic criticism,
and adopted a startlingly new system, which consisted simply in telling
the truth. The consequence was that his newspaper obtained a great
reputation for high moral tone, and lost all its theatrical
advertisements. Even when SPIFFKINS wrote an original American comedy of
"contemporaneous human interest" (and which had had a previous run in
Paris of five thousand nights), and that comedy was brilliantly rejected
by a manager, SPIFFKINS never went back on his system of telling the
truth. Weaker critics would have let up on that manager lest it should
be thought that they abused him because he refused their plays. But not
so with SPIFFKINS. _His_ moral courage was too heroic to resort to so
mean a subterfuge as that, and to this day that manager believes that
the reason SPIFFKINS abused him is because he refused his play!
Sometimes SPIFFKINS threw a little light on subjects that were generally
misunderstood. For instance, he said that NILSSON was a "charming
mezzo-soprano," and declared that "RIP VAN WINKLE" was a more delightful
translation from the French than had been seen for many a day.
Occasionally SPIFFKINS eked out his salary by writing letters to the
provincial press. In this respect he was invaluable, because his letters
contained, about things in New York, information which never appeared in
the New York papers; so that when a Philadelphia family takes the
newspaper which SPIFFKINS corresponds with, that family is fully posted
upon everything which might just as well have happened here as not.
SPIFFKINS is too real a gentleman at heart to be much of one in
appearance. If his boots and manners are equally unpolished, I know that
his heart is in the right place--just where his pocket-book is; and if
his linen is dirty and his face unshorn, I feel certain that his soul is
clad in immaculate spiritual lawn, and that his better nature is shaved
close.

* * * * *

[Illustration: THE MODERN "OLD KING COLE."

He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his Fiddlers three,
Von BISMARK, Von MOLKIE and Von ROON,
For a merry old monarch was he.
]

* * * * *

HIRAM GREEN TO H. WARD BEECHER.

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