New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A WHIMSICAL GENIUS.


,rha hcoks which are made with the SCISSORS anu
he naste not are hardly matter for serious review
however valuable they may I've to future bogra
pbers. Mr. Jerrold's two volumes are representa-
tives of this modern sort of book-maklng ana arc
ns cratic in conception and execution as was 'hei'
subject in opinion and conduct. They present
confused mass of material taken chiefly from DOCKS
and newspapers, and the original anecdotes ale as
rare as plums in the poor mans pudding. HAPPY
would lie the literary life if fae and money migl''
always he found at the cost of so little though
and labor as Mr.. Jerrod's work represents i"'
blunders il may be said i'll passing are SO pau anu
sc many that one must doubt whether 'no 80 ,~r.
had anv revision. The whole biography IN SHOT y
is the most slovenly kind of newspaper WON -,
so busy so peculiar and clever was inc man "'iN
-, :. o,oh,otos that il cannot he other than IN
teresting.
f,o..o crriksbapk was always eccentric
,o,.s or;o;,ol. IN his youth bosterous and bibn-
Ions in his sad old age cheerful quaint and 1ull OIL
emphatic and often preposterous convictions. Ills
artistic powers grew wild and strong III MS obscure
boyhood His father. struggling scotch ar''sV VI
some talent and successful caricaturiSt' IiNou III
London when his two sons were born, anu III tho
busv sordid London streets the fantastic genius io
caricatnre of little George was nursed Ills hlSt
nencuinr was executed in his seventh year. anu
while almost in pinafores he illustrated LOT pay
cb,Idren's penny books comic valentines ana
Twelfth Night characters. The paternal housenoio
was plain but never poverty stricken; and George
when young man eternally falling into scrapeS'
made money enough for his pleasures even when he
was drawing wood-blocks at ten shillings and SIX
hence each. lie could execute two or three III the
conrse of n dav. His home was busy one :
Isaac Crukshank worked at his etchings on "copper"
while his wife colorcd the plates, pressing her TWO
bevs into the service at very early age. lh'S
Mary Crukshank. if hct.tempered, was lrugai
and industrious wife, and an excellent mother'
She used to boast how she had managed TO save "a
thousand pounds, and at the same time To bring up
her children IN GOd-fearing ways laying her manu-
on her Bible she said she knew Jerusalem as well as
she knew Camden Town, sending them regularly
10 the Scotch Church in Crown Court, Dru'y Lane
She WAS trGe too strict and serious, according to
her husband and often when the clergyman IRON
Crown Court was coming TO spend the evening he
would escape to the Ben Jonson Tavern in Shoe
Lane. where he is said 10 have spent more time
than was good for him.
Her boys used to relate. as illustrative of their
mothers Highland temper" that on one occasion
when a tradesman had sent her two bad eggs. she
told them TO return with them and throw them at
the rascals head" This command was obeyed 10
the letter. TO the great delight of the pugnaclous
Youngsters. The two brothers were educated al an
elementary school at Edgeware, but they were very
early cast into the rude business of life
When their father died the two brothers kept on
The house in DOrset-st. with their mother and sister
working together. They had, when that coarse but
powerful artist Gilray, had departed this life the
command of the whole field OF caricature They
supplied nearly all the colored echings on the sub
iects of the time which drew crowds about the
print-sellers' windows In those days the prize
fighter was the popular idol sand the two wild
brothers not only took the portraits of notorious
"bruisers but often themselves INDUCED in bouts
with the gloves. 1t was in a friendly combat with
a distinguished professor Of the art that George
Cruikshank received blow on his nose which with
other gentle taps OH the same point fixed that fea-
ture awry for the remainder of his life. lie did not
go quite unchecked through his lawless youth
Sometimes the strict Scotch mother even went
the length OF castigating George when lie returned
home tpsy in the small hours from fairs or races or
the przering The young man had wonderful
animal spirits and reckless love OF adventure
He trod all the dangerous by-ways of London, and
what he saw therein it is needless to describe to
the lovers of his drawings. He was ever inclined
toward the stage, wishing at one time TO embark
upon that career, and delighted in acting and
actors TO the end of his days. Indeed his
freshness ot feeling and extraordinary vitality
preserved TO him the acuteness OF enjoyment
through an unusually long life and many
troubles One day. Mr.. Jerrold says. while
Dr. 3. W. Richardson was engaged at his
house in llinde-st., with an old patient who
had been away many years in India George
Cnikshauks card handed to the doctor. 1t
must be the grandson, or the son, at any rate of
the great artist remember as boy" said the pa
tient. 1t IS impossible the George Cruikshank Of
Queen Charlotte's tral-tine can be alive" The
doctor asked the vivacOns George to come in. He
tripped H. IN his eighty fourth year and when
the old officer expressed his astonishment George
exclaimed, "Tu show you whether he's alive
With this he took the poker and tongs from the
crate laid them upon the carpet, aud executed the
sword dance before Dr. Richardson's astonlshed
patient
The mention of the sword dance recalls the fact
that the artist hao strong aspirations toward the
military life az toward the stage. lie was pugna-
cious to a laughable degree and magrifcenty ex-
hibted himself a member of the militia. One
day when passing down Ludgate Hill i'll his strlk-
ing uniform OF which tall feather and tight green
trousers were the conspicuous features, he was
laughed at and followed by some men and boys.
He turned upon them, and ring being formed he
soundly thrashci the chief aggreSsor, treating his
second to pot of beer afterward by way of
acknowledges His brother Robert was equally
smitien with soldering. and while sergeant in
the same corps could net resist the qualification Of
paying visit in uniform to the ladies' boarding
school at Bromley. wherein he gave lessons.
Great was tho lluttcring in that dove-coie and on
the following day his further services were
dispensed with by the local Miss Pinkerton.
The military ardor of the brothers had extrava-
CANT outbursts occasionally, even when they were
middle-aged men. George was Tory, and Robert
was a Republican. In 1915 after the fall of Louis
Philippe, Robert called his brother 10 tell him
the glorious news that republic had been estab-
lished in France, and that the Republican legions