The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-27
BRET HARTE on "AMERICAy HUMOR.,

Bret Harte delivered his lecture on american
Humor" last evening in ASSOCIATION Hall, 1t being
one OF course OF lectures given under the aus
pices OF the Mercantile Library Association. The
hall was well filed by an intelligent and apprecia-
tive audience. Charles S. Arthur presided and
introduced the lecturer to the audience Among
those on the platform were Wilson G. Hunt,
William Remsen, James Boorman Johnston, s. r.
Comstock, Alderman NJ. C. Ely and other prominent
citizens.
II there is anything in the world OF humor that Is
intensely SUI generts 1t is what Is technically
termed american Humor.n 1t has no counterpart
in any other quarter OF the globe. It ts indi-
genous to our soil. Its boisterous phase springs
literally out OF the wilderness-from the back
WOODS OF the West rather than from the more
renned and cultivated circles of the East. To the
ia1ter are we ihueoted Ior the more genial phase
OF American humor-the merry lines of Oliver
Wendell Homes, for example, or the once pitbv
pungent and spicy newspaper paraprapbs OF
Colonel Green, OF the Boston Post who with the
late George d. Prentice, of the Louisville journal.
was one of the fathers OF the sparkling phase of
American journasm-lttle gems OF wit and satire.
encased, as 1t were, in settings Of kindness and
common sense. While In the West the broadcast
humor is encouraged, in the East outside OF Ger.
tain charming circles, 1t is dangerous to be funny
Plainly speaking, there Is more blarney than
humOr in the Plymouth Rock OF New England
which has been no. inapty termed the ''blarney
stone OF America" To go back couple OF GEN.
turtles, some people might think there was some-
thing excruciatingiy funny-tOrturing joke at the
stake, as it were-In the treatment Of the Quakers
and witches by the early Puritans. But the run
OF the thing, II any. was all on one side
the poor victims could not realize exactly ''where
the laugh came IN" Besides, the treatment Of
these unfortunate creatures was not purely
stroke OF American humor. The idea was bor-
perhaps-just as we nowadays import the
London Punch or Jady or Fun, or any other OF the
so-called funny papers OF the British metropo-
lis. But, passing from this unpleasant
theme OF an unpleasant era. we come TO the
epoch when American humor Is q recognized
feature in all genial and social cote les when such
humorists as Mark Twain, Aremus Ward, Josh.
Billings. Petroleum v Nasty and many others Of
tons In the temple OF Comus, have brought into
its present shape the fabric OF American humor
much or IL being quarried from the rough in the
prmeva funny formations OF the West
Mr. Aarte commenced by asking Il there was
ceeded TO mention tie different English wits Of the
last and present century and compared them with
true humor never changes-merely conforms to
the age and condition Of people. The
first efforts efforts , Of American humor were in
man, Judge Halliburton, author OF sam Siick,u
Slavery in the South was the means of much
national humor and pathos The disciples OF
burnt cork and Fosters melodies, sold Folks at
Home" &c, were cited as Illustrations. He dwelt
at length the productions OF Lowell
Orpheus C. Kerr the Danbury Ne,rs man, Petro,
leum V. Nasty, Artemus Ward (ol whom he said
that he was accepted in England as representa-
tive ofthe American iterate aboriginesj, OF WASH
lngton Irving, Cooper, Colonel Thorpe, OF Texas:
SUIT Lovengood Whose humor ran over in practical
jokes, Judge BALD win, Of Alabama. He referred
to the case OF John Phoenix, OF the san Diego
Herald who, being left In charge Of the paper,
everything generally by his humorous articles. or
Mark Twain he SAID that he stood alone as
the most original and thoroughly American
representative OF American humorsts The
lecture occupied about three-quarters OF an hour
in its delivery, and terminated so abruptly tnat
some OF the audience thought it was second
edition OF Charley Brownies ("Artemus Ward'O old
lecture OF "One Hour in Afrlca,n with not a word
about Africa in it, But perhaps the reason that
there was little interesting matter in the lecture
about American humOr may be ascrbed to the
fact that the lecturer considered the field too
barren las he intimately for profitable cleaning.