"Heaven for the climate, hell for the company"

[Joel S. Berson]

At 3/28/2011 08:34 PM, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>Joel S. Berson posted on the topic "Heaven for the climate, hell for
>the company". Here are some relevant cites:
>
>Cite: 1885, Proceedings of the National Conference of Charities and
>Correction, Twelfth Annual Session Held in Washington, D.C., June
>4-10, 1885, Judge MacArthur speaking on June 10, 1885, Page 500,
>National Conference of Charities and Correction.
>
>Judge MacArthur speaking on June 10, 1885 (I think):
>
>The effect of that paper reminded me of an anecdote relating to Ben
>Wade, who was once asked his opinion on heaven and hell. Well," said
>Mr. Wade, "I think, from all I can learn, that heaven has the better
>climate, but hell has the better company."
>
>http://books.google.com/books?id=AEw0AAAAMAAJ&q=%22hell+has%22#v=snippet&
>
>
>Emery A. Storrs is another candidate for credit. Here is a cite in 1886.
>
>Cite: 1886, Life of Emery A. Storrs: His Wit and Eloquence by Isaac E.
>Adams, Page 795, Hubbard Brothers, Philadelphia, [G.L. Howe, Chicago].
>
>A young man once approached him with, "Mr. Storrs, pardon me, but you
>are a man who has thought much upon all topics. I wish to ask you for
>your opinion of Heaven and Hell." Fixing his keen eyes on the
>enquirer, Mr. Storrs answered "When I think of the beauteous
>descriptions of the abode of the saints, and when I recollect that
>many noble witty, genial souls have died 'unregenerate,' I must answer
>you, sir, that, while, doubtless, Heaven has the best climate, Hell
>has the best society."
>
>http://books.google.com/books?id=BgI9AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Heaven+has%22#v=snippet&
>
>
>Some quotation references credit J. M. Barrie of Peter Pan fame, and
>it looks like he did use it in 1891.
>
>Cite: 1891, Good Words edited by Donald Macleod, The Little Minister
>by J. M. Barrie, Page 60, Isbister and Company, London. (HathiTrust)
>
>"Maybe you've ower keen an interest in the devil, Tammas," retorted
>the atheist, "but, ony way, if it's heaven for climate, it's hell for
>company."
>
>http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101076425279
>
>In the previous message I mentioned 1884 as the date for a citation,
>but that date was based on a quick scan of information that proved to
>be inaccurate from GB.

Well, don't take it too badly, Garson -- your 1885 and 1886 still
both antedate the YBQ's Mark Twain.  And you've added three more
claimed coiners -- Ben Wade, Emery A. Storrs, and J. M. Barrie -- to
my six.  I prefer Mom.

Joel


>Garson
>
>
>On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 3:24 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      "Heaven for the climate, hell for the company"
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Having seen this recently via Alex Beam (Boston Globe), having liked
> > the notion of the "company" ever since Shaw's "Don Juan in Hell", I
> > decided to see who has said this.  In the first 30 Ghits, I find
> > Dante, Machievelli, William Blake, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, and
> > Mom credited.
> >
> > Both Beam and the ever-reliable YBQ say Twain, the latter finding it
> > in Notebook, 1889--1890 and the former quoting it accurately.
> >
> > But I do not find quite this characterization in Don Juan's
> > disquisition in response to Ana's "But if Hell be so beautiful as
> > this, how glorious must heaven be!"  (The Devil relinquishes his
> > defence of the Lower Place to Juan's eloquence.)
> >
> > Joel
> >
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> >
>
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