New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-09
guard the people of Brooklyn can have against
the depredations of gangs Of pIundeerS.
THE HUMOROUS LETTER.

Tho Tribune yesterday printed a London dis
match concerning the recent personal encounter
between Mr. Whistler and brother artist named
Stott. 1t appears from this that some words
took place between them during the course OF
which Mr. Stott casually remarked that MI
Whistler was a versatile liar and an accomplished
coward-or remarks to that effect Upon thls'
the dispatch informs us, Mr.. Whistler admin
istered some rather severe blows on oto1s
head" we suppose if that able newspaper man.
Mr. John L. Sullivan, had been reporting H. nc
would have said that Whistler got Stotts head
in chancery and thumpcd his brainpan with the
raw 'uns' After this, Mr.. Whistler kicked Mr..
Stott out Of the room.
The dispatch now goes on to say that Mr..
Whistler subsequently wrote humorous letter
to the Club Committee. giving the facts attend
ing the case and claiming that the measures he
had adopted would pre- vent in future members
of the club being made subject to insults Mildly
speaking. we should say this kind of treatment,
diligently pursued, would have tendency to
discourage insults. Especially il Mr.. Whistler
kicks hard
forciblv however is the d" humorous letter. feat
ure How much it soothes the feeling of a man
who has had a number of rather severe blows
administered to his head and been kicked out
of a room to learn that his opponent is explain
ing matters in " humorous letters" it is hard to
guess If, however, there TO be any humOr-
Gus letters at ALL clearly the gentleman who re-
mains in the room must furnish them-the one
who has been assisted out is in no frame of mind
for that style of correspondence.
Perhaps it is too early to predict the posslbli-
ties of the humorous letter in affairs of this
kind, but if Mr.. Stott comes out smiling to-day
or tomorrow, and says that the letter has Gained
his feelings, and that he is satisfied, the useful
ness of these light and graceful epistles VIII be
clear to everybody IL two men have bellS
erent meeting anywhere let the victor write u
humorous letter telling all about it, and the in
jured one will doubtless come out and say he
feels better The soothing power OF the humor-
Gus letter, when applied to n broken head has
never perhaps been given half the credit due
it, In the future, instead of duels and bitter
amin osities we may have only the humorous let
ter and peace. 1t is quite possible, If those
eminent Kentucky practitioners, the HattcldS
and McCoys had tried the fanciful and humor
GUS letter instead of the blunt and pain-spoken
six-shooter and the cold and disagreeabe double
barrelled shotgun, all bloodshed might have
been avoided The dream OF universal peace
NAV vet be realized through the humorous letter
Should the humorous epistle succeed III pr'Nd'e
life. why could it not be extended TO public mat
ters After Bismarck, for instance, has bulhed
our Mr.. Bayard for some time, and as we may
say. kicked him out of an island, he might write
a humorous letter and smooth the thing over
Would it not, perhaps, be good time for Mr.
Rayard himself to write q humorous letter about
the Ilaytian affair?-he has got that formidable
power in just about the same condition that Mr..
Stott was when he landed out doors Anything
beyond the first attack may be unknown IN war
when the light and graceful humorous letter comes
TO be fully recognized.
But it is probably better not to expect too
much of it till we see how Mr. Stott takes 1t.
II hardly seems as if it would be particularly
successful pacifer We can only wait and see
now it works in Stott's ease, and If he seems TO
like it, it can be tried further.