Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-03-22
j he Humorous Letter.

The Humorous Letter.
The Tribune recently printed IA Lon
don dispatch concerning the recent per-
sonal encounter between Mr.. Whistler
and "A 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 Mr.. Whistler was IA versatile liar
and an accomplished coward-or re-
marks 10 that effect. Upon this, the
dispatch informs us, Mr.. Whistler adj
ministered 'some rather severe blows
on Stotts head"-we suppose if that
able newspaper man, Mr. John l.. Sui
livan, had been reporting it, he would
have said that Whistler "got Stott's
head in chancery and thumped his
brain-pan 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 attending the case, and
claiming that the measures he had
adopted would prevent in future men,
bers OF the club being made subject to
insults" Mildly speaking, we should
say this kind OF treatment, diligently
pursued, would have tendency TO dis
courage insults. Especially if Mr..
Whistler kicks hard.
What will strike the average reader
I. 4,
Gus letter" feature How much it
soothes the feeling Of man who has
had a number OF rather severe blows
administered TO his head and been
kicked out of room to learn that his
opponent is explaining matters in Thu
morous letters" it is hard TO guess If,
however, there are to be any humorous
letters at al, clearly the gentleman who
remains in the room must furnish them
tho 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
possibilities 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
usefulness of these light and graceful
epistles will be clear TO everybody. If
two men have n belligercnt meeting
anywhere let the victor write humor-
Gus letter telling all about it, and the
injured one will doubtless come out and
say he feels better. The soothing pow
er of the humorous letter, when applied
to a broken head has never, perhaps,
hal h., Ia,
the future, instead OF duels and bitter
animosities. we may have only the hu-
morous letter and peace. 1t is quite
possible, if those eminent Kentucky
practitioners the Hatfelds and McCoys,
had tried the fanciful and humorous let
ter instead of the blunt and plain-spo-
ken siX-shooter and the cold and disa-
greeable doublc-barrellcd shotgun, all
bloodshed might have been avoided.
The dream Of universal peace may yet
be realized through the humorous let
ter.
Should the humorous epistle succeed
in private life, why could ii not be eX-
tended TO public matters? After Bis
marct. for instance, has bullicd our Mr..
Bayard for some time. and. a. we say.
kicked him out OF an island. he might
write humorous letter and smooth
the thing over. Would it not perhaps,
be good time for Mr.. Bayard himself
TO write a humorous letter about the
Haytian affair?-he has got that for
midable 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 hum
orous letter comes TO be fully recog-
nized.
But it Is probably better not to ex-
pect too much of il till we see how Mr..
Stott takes it. 1t hardly SCENE as if
it would be a particularly successful
pacifier. We can only wait and see how
il works in Stott's case, and if he seems
to like it. il can be tried further
Texas Siftings.