National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-17
Art CuItnrs-Car1cature.

From remotest ages ridicule has been q weapon
sharp as the tWo-edged sword for the rebuking Of
unpopular Innovations Never since the time OF
Aristophanes has comedy been spiced with the
sarcasm which he so skiIlfully handled, and the
satirical odes ot"Archiochus" were 90 bitter that
Committed suicide rather than sustain the OBJ.
loquy he heaped upon them. An extravagant
statement, but something worth, when We con-
slider how the tried souls Of Greeley and Ames,
in our own time have fallen, weary Of the strife,
under the opprobriOus assaults Of remorseless
caricature. Nor were these alone in their sensl-
bfffty thereto. Neither Burke nor the Duke of
Norfolk were inyulnersble to its thrusts; and
the first Lord Holland, we are told, was brOug hit
to terms by Hogarth, who informed him unless
the addition Of a tail and other appendages to q
famous Wild-beast man.
Although from modern art critics and from Ar
istUtle We gather that caricature, as speciality,
existed in the Greek era, it could never have bee
afaYoTite with the polished Athenians for with all
its uses and abuses its popularity must ever EVIL
power is well pronounced in the words Of an emil
nent scholar, 'thAt good caric9tures Of Cesar,
Marc Anthony and Cicero, If unearthed from Her
eulaHeum, would give more accurate knowledge
of popular estimation than all history can un-
fold" While the deeeiving power is not more
clearly shown among US in this day-not even In
commercial dishonesties nor social cruelties than
in the abuse OF caricature-there is yet q moral
beauty in life like Cruikshank's, graphing ever
with the 1end Of oppression and want, which his
Caricature as q political weapon dates from
the latter part Of the fifteenth century: q power
effective in the Reformation, and later employed
to check the rapacious vanity Of the Grand
Monarques. But among the English speaking
people Of America, as the mother country, has
caricature found its congeuial soil. 1t is q crude
but pungent teacher in politics, complimentary
to the hustipgs and the ballot. GIllray, the great
father OF carcature found in the reign Of William,
with its factions Of Wing and Tory, High and
Low Church, Jacobites and Republicans, beau
tiful theme for his mastery hand, and later, the
South Sea accompany and its attendants. Monopo-
lies was prolific source for his successors. Aud
during the reign Of the Georges cariosture is
said to have excelled the press in influence.
Doyle, who after o long interval succeeded GILL
ray in this special art, is the chaster model for
those who in our own time would exert an hon.
cred influence in checking abuses. The effort
should be to raise the standard Of q medium 80
powerful. This may be done without derogating
in any wise from its efficacy, for caricature In our
own 0aY is degenerating into gross distortion,
insulting inferority Of mind and defects Of body,
invading the privacy Of home, aggrayating what
was before uneouth; and although an aeknoWl-
edged nuisance, pandering 70 lower appetite IL Is
permitted, through license Of Government and
love Of freedom, to ride rampant among our most
sacred private affairs and cherished domestic re-
lAtions. NJ. Z. g.