The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-11-19
A DT1Y.

Asked the seal with aspect awesome.
Yes, my child" her mamma replied:
But look out for the mare clausum"
1t must be admitted however. that
even in this country there are produced
pictures and puns which betray a sad
inconception Of what humor is. Thus:
This melancholy specimen with accom-
panying picture has appeared. I'm infinite
variation, any number of times during
the past fifty years. To call Il fiat
would be insulting 10 a prairie. To palm
off second hand goods as new is just as
reprehensihle I'm a humOrist az I'm a piano
dealer. Even pacity OF ideas is no excuse
for that counterfeit Wit which manufac-
lures one theme into a hundred Jokes"
or pictures.
But this is a legitimate way OF treating
a new theme after old methods. provided
the effect be good. Thus. I'm the rhymes
above quoted, there is nothing brilliantly
original The same lines have been par
odied before. only the adaptation Of the
words TO the picture and both 90 an event
OF great transient interest made the result
a success.
It is this quality OF harmony through
out that makes the genuine humorous
production. The picture alone may bee al
most ordinary. the words accompanying
Il net particularly bright. but il the two
together make a fash of wiz the object
aimed at is achieved. A superb cartoon
with weak sentences beneath il Is spoiled.
So is "A brilliant paragraph when the artist
fails 10 do IL justice. Pictures should not
merely caricature types with which every
one is familiar II there be no action In
a drawing il would be a mere dummy,
adapted 10 any kind of letter-press
An artist recently had this 20 illustrate:
'Algy: Wesinald, what did you say,
you know, when you were presented 20
the Prince OF Wales2
Reginald: Why. dear boy. the first
thing 1 did was to apologize for the
American Revolution"
IL would have been commonplace to
depict a pair OF young American swells
in Characteristic attitudes. To make the
score colonial dlnng-room wherein
lackeys were removing a painting OF
George Washington and substituting for
IL one Of the Prince OF Wales was both
artistic and harmonious.
Are cartoonists true to life? is some
times asked That is, are their portraits
ike the orignal2 As a rule. yes. 4 well
known anecdote made Garfield say that 1t
was a convenience TO be universally carri-
catured, for it resulted I'm general familiar
ity with ones personal appearance. The
CO mic artists are no hatterers but they are
faithful. Queen Victoria Is probably as
adipose in real life as She is in "A funny
picture, and the race track gambler has
equal justice done him.
There Is such a thing, too. as honesty
to be considered in connection with this
work. The humorous with pen or pencil
may not ethically allow his talent 10 be
debased into an instrument for the propa-
cation OF error. IL there be no conscience
IN MS work, our modern satirst is merely
an LA a. nfHF ~ On On fH..sE.
make people laugh like clown I'm a
circus. We are not perhaps, so rigid IN
this respect as they are I'm Europe. But
the artists there seem TO lack the wealth |
OF ldea winch we show. They are salts
fled 10 make perfect works Of art. We
like 10 have our pictures tell a story. |
However 10 is difficult perhaps presumpt- |
tuous, Tor Americans TO sit in judgment |
upon their fellow workers iu other coun- |
tries. French humOr is fol Frenchmen |
German Wat Tor Germans, ana our Fun mas |
uat briskness and breeziness which |
makes Il reflex OF our life So the |
Englishman who styles our humor |
national calamity merely shows that he |
does not understand us.
\ defeated statesman once pointed 70 |
r political cartoon with the remark: |
That picture defeated me for congress" |
II a true history Of American caricatlre |
IS ever written the mOmentous influence |
il has had In politics will be worth long |
chapter. Let any citizen analyze his inn |
presslons OF our public men and assure |
himself how far the cartoons he meets |
win IN his books and papers are recpOnsi- /
bic for this Impressions No wonder a |
candidate for Office once bought up and /
burned every copy OF a paper cartoouing /
him that came into his district before his
had a chance 20 see 1t. Occa-