New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-07
WANTED, A COMIC PAPER.

lntIc ndfc bccu many auomPto Nv NOhhN J"uihonosa
in this country but Of them Except those Of such
moderate pretensons place them out Of the pale Of
rstcass humorous literature have achieved permanent
success and none of them have deserved it. 1t is well
to consider the causes Of these failures and
to point out, possible how may be achieved
We deny that Americans are deficient in that sense
Of the udicrous which is part Of Anglo Saxon life
which, in England is SO natural part that every man
in every grade Of society is regarded as bore who
wants it, and the very phrase with thousands, even
among educated men, for not fndinga thing acceptable
Ia "seeing no fun" in it. When Dickens doubted our
capacity for humor, pronouncng our temperament "of
8" q dull aud gloomy character" and only cOnceding
shrewdness Of remark and certain csstiron quaint
ness" to the people Of New England, the unparalleled
popularity of his own works among us might have cor
rected him. Waving discussion of the question, in it
self by no means complimentary to national appro-
bstiyeness we sha suppose it settled in our favor
Now 10 what has been offered Us, and then TO what
we want.
Nearly all of the attempts mentioned above have fol-
lowed the Punch model not only in shape, size, and
general appearance has been done TO such an
extent that the very aspect Of these limitations is sug
ges,iye Of faurebu also in the various forms Of hu
NOR. wit irony satire, and burlesque rendered popular
by tlAt periOolChl, 10 OWoc Survives
ebrity, and all this, too, to the extreme Of seryiy
Extinct, ust up dead and buried shapes of Cockney
oeularity have been revived revamped resurrected,
and sported until the American Punch" of the day
or hour looked like tie forlorn ghost Of its British pro-
totype or If made up Of it's rejected contrib ltions
localized by the addition of little transatlantic slang
Fungoso, in comedy of Ben JoDsons, who initiates
the fine gentleman dress but always has the NORTH
ia ona anti ahead
resembles these productions. They had-and have
worse faults toowant Of honesty, TRUTH courage, and
humanity.
When Punch was born and baptized over Q
bowl Of the liquor of hs name, in the Shakespesres
Head Tavern, Wych street, the now famous Fleet
street Jester, after his first struggle for existence,
coon began to manifest the pluck that was in
him. He assaled abuses, attacked wrongs, defended
the right took decided and unmisakable position in
defence Of IT, There was no miserable non-eommttal-
lam about him. DO half hearted and wbolecowsrdy at
tempts TO serve God and the devil in the breath
Still less was there any pimping and psndering to
wrong any connivanee at it by civil speech toward
its inctors or aectation Of putting them
ON par with its avowed enemies. Punch spoke out
frankly and fairly being in those early days much more
democ ATTIC in the honest Of the word, than now
when the reaconary feeling following the great rev.
dictionary failures ofisiS is distinctly perceptbe in his
pages as throughout English society. Indeed, his con.
tinuous ridicue, both of pen and pencil, directed
against Prince Albert was said TO have provoked so
much resentment the part Of the Queen that sho
proposed interference to prevent the artist Doyle, sup
plying two fiescoes to the pavilion at Buckingham
Palace. Every way The London Cka'tvGri worthiy
Represented liberal thought and progress politics, and
the sunny side of commopsens in its lighter features
Our American failures reversed all this or nearly So
While savshy copying form and fashion, they never
recognized else were too mesn and mid to adopt
the principle. They distrused the honesty and sim
cerity Of their audience, and addressed only It's
sordid and selfish impulses. They were, In
politics, Pro-Slavery, avowed or LATENT in one
case arraying the most intelligent and moral oil
the community against them, in the other provoking
contempt and indifference. And II Is TO this class only
that counensnce and permanent support Tor an enter
prise of this kind mus. be looked for in the nature of
hpgs for wit and humor the play of intellect, nor
have they been probably prostuted to base ends
When an unlucky brbe turned the course OF Gilray
the caricaturists humor into an unnatural channel ne
instantly became dull and only popular with the party
which had bought him. These publications fought on
the side of the strong againtt the weak or ike Cow
Chrom in Scotts " Fair Maid of PERTH" for their
own hand" only, and that in a shor-sighted sense,
spirDg forlorn ridicule at all who did otherwise, or
who were in earnest in the everchanging never ceas
ing contest between good and evil. And, being in
thoroughly false and despicabe position their attempts
at amusing seldom rose above medocnty and were Of
ten below contempt.
What wonder, then, that they Iniscarriedl Their
success would have argued badly for the intellectual
and worse for the moral caller of the community. Ca
paciiy may command respect, even when allied 70 I'M
scIupulousness, but dulness with mean and vicious
proclivities is ntolerable.
Now, frst-cass comic paper must be, from the OUT
SET uDnstakaby liberal in politics. Ignoring this IN any
attempt of the kind, is simply sinking 70 secondFse
preepsons But politics in the United States hinges on
Slavery. irving TO speak Of one without anuslon "
The other recalls the proverbia performance OF HAM
let with the mart of the Prince Of Denmark left ou'
We want Hamlet in, every bit Of him. Think OF tne
IONS scope open to comic journal OF TINS for
+, r,u.t assume decided ground aquesion OF suen
vital interest to humanity both white and black mere
ia an exhaustless subject for the honet Q,
bumor, wit satire irony and rdcue In al 'neir Varsa
forms in country upholding and extending slavery
while protesting 70 be democratic Hardy aeoate IN
Congress, or political document or newspaper Dus
il full Of suggestions. The dullest OF men can per-
eeye the point of stropgly-telipg carcatare, when
he might turn away from carefully elaborated edito
rial Emerson in Of bis lectures tells story of
Bank Presidents argument with regard to some ques
ton Of public policy, tthen considered conclusive, be-
ing entirely destroyed by Methodist descons utter
arce Of the word "fddlestcks,7 when the laugh was
loud sgainst BIN. How much more, them the force Of
ridiculs when pointed by justice and humanity
We might sasily indicate, in detail, the vulnerable