Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-03-25
WOES OF A COMIC EDITOR
Eelicitously Set Forth In a Very
Distinguished Symposium.
Editor runner of "Puok," Mr.. Gregory
OF Judge" and MIR. MotcaIfe Of
"Life" Give Inside Facts About
Humorous Journals.

|
| Up to 1876 no humorous journal hat
managed to establish itself in thi
country for what may DO called a gen
teel permanence." This was not FOL
want of trying-tho list OF failures NJ
to 1871 was we'll over hundred
Thousands of dollars-hundreds Of
thousands, indeed-had been spent in
the endeavor to bestow n punch
upon America. All that had been ac-
the facts that America did not want a
punch" and it cost money to learn this
simple truth.
No doubt their imitation OF foreign
model told against tho founders OF the
hundred and odd humorous journals
that died prior to 1871, and for this and
other reasons it came about that craft
after craft was launched upon the sea
of popularity, only to sink into the
depths OF oblivion. Some OF them were
well manned; some were not. All
shared the same fate "Punchinello,"
Vanity Fair and Mrs. Grundy" left
something OF RIP le behind them as
they went down but that was all. The
ripple was unremuneratiy0.
But in 1877 a paper camO out, which
was not copy of foreign model, and
the originality of its appearance
attracted popular attention, and
held it long enough to make good Its
claims to favor. That was enough.
When the conservative public once ac-
cepted the new idea, 1t became conscious
OF that "long felt want" OF which il
had never before been sentient. There
was room for the humorous journal
and that room has been pretty we'll oc-
cupied by Puck" from that day to this
During these twelve years four or five
other journals of similar character
have won success In the city of New
York alone, and but one humorous
was really worthy OF the
failed. And that one failed
only because the capital of its founders
vas more in brains than in cold cash
Ind in their case, brains could not pay
he printer
PUCK has grown with the times. 1t
,egan its existence at time when
americans were earnestly asking each
ther what in thunder dado was. At
hat time the literary and artistic ma
erial 1t had 10 draw on was meager in
he extreme. Outside of the artistic
taft of that first paper, (which at one
ime consisted OF one solitary man,
here were but five or six artists In New
York City who devoted themselves to
he business of drawing comics" As
o literary matter, there was certain
upply from the professional para
rraphers and funny mem; but these
mainly chronicled acrObatic mishaps-
90 often their highest flight OF humor
vas sketch OF a gentleman who, re-
urning homo during period Of house
leaning and general devastation,
topped upon cake Of soap at the top
II fight OF stairs. and descended
to the bottom upon bis
pine, settling down eventually IN o
,ail OF water. The gentleman's name
vas generally Hoopenhammer, or the
ike.
But all that is changed to-day. A host
II bright young mon and women make
heir living out OF the papers whose
Unhappy predecessors could not even
make a living for themselves. The lit
,rery and artistic quality of their work
9 graduated by far higher standard
han the humorists OF the cake of-soap-
,ail-of-water variety over dreamed Of.
They draw on human nature for their
and they seek for humor In
he actual life about US. In this growth
md change lies the promise OF their
performance Ii. c. BUNNER.