, 1874-12-11

Lccturo By Bret ENartc OFT Its uroxytl
| n1iu ChuractertHtiCs.
Mr. Bret Harte, tho American humorist, gay,
q lecture yesterday oyoniug at tho now Earwol
Hall. on ''Thc Progress Of American Humor.
Inc hall waB filled throughout. aud, though ths
audience was not loudly lcmonattatiyo. it CAV,
qn,ot aud uuaqnivocat aigna Of n thorough, M
| preciatlou Of tho lecturers renarhs upon Amer.
icau huinor.
In opening his lecture. ho snid that there were
many peoplo who doubted thai there really OK
istcd that which might properly DO styled Amor.
ican humor. but considered that 1t wau
merely q continuation OF tho old-school
Engllhh humor. Iu connection with this idea,
he related atory to the audience. Sometime
ago' III tho Ear Wcst. ho WAS riding Oh o coach
with eome fslends, and together they discussed
sLio norris nnd peculiaritlos Of Bome Of the old
English hunorists. Whom his friends doparted,
tile driver Of tho coach asked him, "What wero
you talking nbout, sir, TINT made you all hugh
10 much? ?" Tho lecturer informed him that tho
carly English hnnorIsts was tho topic OF con-
versatlon. "Wo!l." said tho driver "iudging
by the way yon laughed, should lavs thought
Son ~. were laughing ut Hotno funny men," =
T.. Iha loctlror said that he would try to Bhew
tha9 what waH known aB American lumor was
,foaity noth.ng but modern llumnr that Sir
Hicliara Steele, had llo bcpn born In tho United
otates, would hayo developed into Danbuly
Neios man, and TINT Ind Bailey boon born ip
London anl cotcGted at Temple Bar In tho time
o. '5sr Htcbard Stoelo, ho would have described
tAo l'lnurullu pocnliarica Of Loudon juat i'll tho
!nahher TINT tLat hu1noriHt did. lac fashion OF
tfNo t! nnnlor Neyer clangod; but II thoro WaH no
tluo American h,l!nor, there VAL truo American
Improvisation of humor. II anything, the Amori-
cuss "oso TOO promo to laus. oy0 over ttoir mis-
4oEtnnci fAoy must not 10 Serious, no matter how
iiaso tho oceaalon. as an Instance Of this, tho
leetiircr told Btory. Some ysars ago Ao was
IlasnS alons tho scrraB, aut loat LID wny 6utl-
ooh!S no cn'no aurosh . darlt-browed, heavily
aluIea, Notwithstanding stranger, whom io |
"ol'ia hayo avoided II possible but, ne That was
got to lo done, lie approacned hitu aud aaAcl Of
hin tho roal to tElu camp. Tho henyily-aru,od |
stranger guided him to tho Bpot, aud 6cgulled
no road with ono or two worry amusing |
'torios, ono OF which Ao had just be-
5uh Wien tha croas.ronl leadng to tho
lamp oatno III view. Ills guide acoonl-
'Anlod him, In order to finish Ills atory,
Tlliol1 was extremely humorous III tH nature to
within 4 sliort dlHtEnoa Ut tue eaMp, ind then
lenaeLod. On arriving among bis friends the
octuros 'saa Ratonslloa to find that Hhoril's
'osso waa on AAnl III searoll Of II nototl deanpra-
70, Wlloso dissertation, Bi,pplloa by tAon,, tonti-
lsa Alln undoubtedly With tbs nun who Ind, tn
rAor I to hn!al hiH story placed himself wlthn
W y. yards Of hta doadly eMolnies.
iAe lecturer alluded 10 ArtoInuH Ward an tho
rst of Ainetican huMor!Bts Who litl not look to
'nglnnd for model for his writings. Bsroro
IN Tine tho literature OF America waB oyon |
'ore aactont than c0ntcmrorsncone literature
Eng!ana. Ey'n Irving ssiod to reproduce .ha