New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-28
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Do MAURIER AND HIS COMRADES ON
PUNCH"

SOCIAL PICTORIAL SATIRE "Reminiscences
sbs Past Generation By George du Maurier.
With Illustrations. Duodecimo PIP l". harper
& Pros.
The writing of artist upon artists promises
chiefly to be technical but 1t was characteristic
Of the late George du Maurier that he could not
write or draw In a purely technical spirit ana
this little posthumous volume or his remains
more Of a testimony TO his personal feeling than
a collection OF pure criticisms Leech anu
Keene. whom he discusses before venturlng
unon some winning comments on his own part
In the history Of Punch" were first his friends
and then his artistic colleagues To kno"
them he tells us WAS TO love them. Ihey
would have said the same Of him. Ana now
swiftly this purely personal feeling leads him
10 the true definition Of Leech's talent "other
men have drawn better" he observes: deeper
grander nobler. more poetical themes nave EN-
ployed more accomplished pencils even IN black
and white; but for making one glao can 'hiih
OF no one 10 beat him" This is better than the
most scientific art criticism. 1t goes straight to
the point Having noted the point. we may turn
TO Du Maurters portrait of his friend
The keynote Of his character socially seemed
TO be self-effacement high-bred courtesy. never
failing consideration for others. He was the
most charming companion conceivable. naVlns
intimately known so many important ana Ceie-
one would never have guessed from anything
he ever looked or said that he had made whoie
nation. male and female. gentle and simple. oid
and young. laugh as II had never lauShed ne
fore or since for a quarter Of a century He was
tall thin and graceful. extremely handsome, or
the higher Irish type. with dark hair and whisk-
ers and complexion. and very light graylsh-Dlue
eyes: but the expression of his face was habitu-
ally sad even when he smiled. In dress. bear
ing manner and aspect he was the very type of
the well-bred English gentleman and man Of
the world and good society. never met any one
70 beat him in that peculiar distinction OF form,
which. / think. has reached its highest Euro
pean development in this country. Thack-
cray and Sir John Millais. not bad judges and
men with many friends. have both said that
they personally loved John Leech better than
any man they ever knew
II Is interesting 10 note Du Mauriers observa-
ton that like many true humorists Leech
was OF a melancholy temperament keene also
had a melancholic strain in him. as one would
Judge from his gentle. Quixotic aspect. as Du
Maurier describes IT, but 1t is a curious fact
that Of the two men Leech was the severer
satirist; curious because Keene had a far better
control of his art than Leech and yet softened.
fdealized his characters. One would have ex-
pected that the surer hand would have reported
the foibles of the British cockney with greater
truth We come back TO Du Maurers en-
comium upon Leech's ability TO make the world
glad Keene had similar power. and his
choly. He was seldom a satirist. remarks Du
Maurier His nature was too tolerant and too
sweet for hate. and that makes him a bad and
somewhat perfunctory hater. He tries TO hate
ATTY but he can't for he draws an ideal AIRY
that surely never was, and thus his shaft misses
the mark: compare his AIRY to one Of Leechs
snobs for instance" Yet Du Maurier is strong
on the question of Keene's ability to do any
thing he pleased with his pen when 1t came TO
matters Of pure execution. quoting with evident
relish the remark Of a celebrated French painter
on the subject He is a great man, your
Charles Keene" said the foreigner; me take a
pen and ink and bit Of paper. and wiz a half
dozen strokes he know 'ow to frame gust OF
wind Du Maurier adds that Leech might
have framed the same gust Of wind. just out OF
the sheer force Of his natural instinct but he
admits that Keene alone had this certainty OF
execution-this consummate knowledge OF ef-
feet"
Du Maurier inherited Leech's chair at the
famous dinner-table Of Punch" and filled his
place upon the pages Of the journal. with what
success we all know He is himself. of course.
extremely modest in touching upon his own
work but nevertheless this part Of the book is
almost the most interesting. The following
passage gives a charming idea of the manner in
which he began:
particularly told not to try TO be broadly
funny. but TO undertake the light and graceful
business, like ''jeune premier" l was, In
short, to be the tenor or rather the tenorino. or
that little company for which Mr.. Punch beats
time with his immortal baton. and 10 MARBLE in
black and white such melodies as could evolve
from my contemp latons Of the gentler aspect
Of English life, while Keene with his magnff-
cent highly trained basso sang the comic
songs
San Weller, we reminded. was fond OF
"pootiness and virtue" The artist adored both
qualities. he says. and even corcluded tfat
"pootness' was almost Virtue" in itself AT
any rate. he pursued It with unfailing enthusi-
asm. and his life work was. we need hardly
point out a work Of remarkable daintness,
gentleness refinement. charm. In these dis
cursive pages he tells about II as he tells us
the adventures Of the people in his novels with
an air of confidence and good humOr that, like
his "pootiness." seems almost a virtue in itself.
Il is so endearng The book is admirably Illus
trated II is one more precious addition TO the
shelf upon which. in every library. the genius Of
this man is held in honor.
ETEVrC KILLED m TIE EYpIOSTOE