The times., 1898-05-01

land. il is illustrated with reproductions
Of the work of du Maurier and other ar
lists whom he knew, and is written, of
course, In the genial and flowing style
with which 'Trilby' made the world IA
miliar. It deals simply with English il
Illustrators Of newspapers and magazines
precursors and contemporaries of the
artist-author himself.
liz begins with one of his characteristic
reveries, evoked by the name of john
Leech. The serious, whimsical, almost
sad face Of the great English illustrator
Of the hfhes looks out at the reader from
a fuIl-page portrait the size Of a cabinet
photograph. It is the face Of a man who
never took his humor seriously tor any
thing else, for that matter, who did not
often smile, yet whose smile must have
been Of rare sweetness; d man Of very
tragical mirth:' q paTadoNical genius.
There is nothing in his face to suggest
the professional humorist; he rather
seems a grave lawyer, with much reserve
force; the kind Of man to whom children
cling. though he never talks down TO
them: I'm whom women trust, though he
IS not lady's man; and whom men
choose for a friend, though he is as far
fellow well met. Du Maurier says of his
funeral:
Il was the most touching sight imaginable The
grave was near Thackday s. who had died the
year before. There were crowds Of people Charles
Dickens among them; Canon Hole. a grea; friend
Of Lccch, and who has written most afectcnatcly
about him, read the service; and when the coffin
was lowered into the grave John Millais burst in
10 tears and loud sobs. setting example that
Was followed all around; We all forgot our man
hoo nd HTTT /
neral In my time where simple grief and afcc-
tion have been openly and spontaneously dis
PLAYED by many strangers as well as friends
not even in France, where people are more dem
oustrativc than here No burial in Westminster
Abbey that ] have ever seen gave such an i'm
precision Of universal honor. love and regret.
Whom the gods love die young He was
only fortE-sIX!
And this funeral scene took place in sto-
teal England
A Characteristic comment is this from
du Maurier:
Il ever there was square English hole, and
square English peg to fit 1t, that hole was Punch
and that peg was John Leech.
The wav in which everyday people really be-
have in absurd situations and under comIcally
trying Circumstances is quite funny enough for
him; and II he exaggcrates little and goes be
yond the absolute prose OF life in the direction
Of carlcature, he never deviates hairs breadth
from the groove human nature has laid down.
There is eXaggeration, but no distortion. The
most wildly funny people are low comedians of
the highest order, whose fun is never forced
and never falls; they found themselves on fact,
and only burlesque what they have seen in actual
life-they never evolve their fun from the depths
OF their inner CONSEQUENCES; and IN TINS natural
ness, Tor me, lies the greatness OF Leech. There
Is nearly always a tenderness IN the laughter
be e1cites, born Of the touch Of nature that
makes the whole world kinl
And he goes on for long, delightful
rT-r s-1 ss-s. g.F ri of
this master Of English art, until IL makes
Us Of later generation feel a personal
and poignant regret that We didn't know
leech ourselves,
Then he goes on to deal with Charles
Keene. whom one feels he does not love
as he did Leech, though considering his
art even greater Ia certain lines. he
draws this subtle distinction: Leech'
dra wings reached the national heart. like
Eolkslieder but failed Of translation;
while Keene's art, more correct in itself
IS fully as popular on the Continent as in
England. but never became as dear 10 the
BritOn as did the work Of Leech. He also
makes this thoroughly Gallic statement
un-English in its subtlety and its Wis
dom:
Charles Keene IS seldom satirist. His nature
was too tolerant and too sweet for hate. and that
makes him bad and somewhat peTfunCIory hater
He tries TO hate ATTY, but he can I, for he draw:
ideal ATTY that surely was. and thus
his shaft misses the marx. When You hate
and can draw, you can draw what sou hate down
70 its minutest detaiis-beJter, perhaps, thar
what you love-so that whoever runs and read,
and looks al your pictures hates with you.
From these two great predecessors du
Maurier passes 10 his own work, with
the winning modesty that always char
Bcterized him. It takes q very great man
10 know how TO be great-to be natural
and unaffected in talking Of himself.
Many great men have altogether avoided
talking Of themselves. preserving on that
most Interesting subject a stiff silence.
Other great men have been possessed of
& restless egotsm which refused 10 let
any one else be talked Of. Du Maurier
understands how 10 talk OF himself with
truly Partisan grace-as If he were
neither any more nor any less interesting
than others. a subject Of no special mo-
ment. yet having its interesting points
which can be touched on 10 the profit
Of the company. Possibly nobody but du
Maurier could have written a book IN
which one-third Of the contents must OF
necessity be photographed and ir
which he must recognize the fact Of his
own greatness, and have accomplished
the task in so dainty a fashion. T9li. IS
the way in which he introduces himself
Ones self Is person about whom one know
TOO much and too litle-about whom we cal
ones self too high, sometimes thut less Ire
ouentiyJ TOO low, according 20 the state Of on
digestion. our spirits, our pockets OF even th
Weath hCT-
In the present instance ! viii saw an tho goo
sf myself ! can decently and leave az the r4tln
10 YOU u IS inevitable. however unfortunate
msy b. for me. that J should be compared wit
Iny two great predecessors. Leech and keeHe
whom ] have just been comparing 10 each Other
WheH John Leechs mantle FELL from his sAoul
der ID found that the garment was ample q
Cloibe The uaEe-iness Il more than one successor
Then he goes on TO describe how. at tn,
death Of Leech. the illustrator work IN
Punch became specialized, and the 20.
ntical cartoons went 10 one man. the If,
Of The shops and streets TO another, the
fox-hunJing tradition TO a third. and 10 dJ
Maurieg fell the lighter social satire H'
says:
To me were allotted the social and domesti
dramas. the nursefy, the schoolr0Om, The din
tng and drawing rooms, and Croquet lawns o! 10
more OF loss well l-to-dg. ] particularly tOl
not 20 try 10 lie broadly funny, but 10 Uudcrtak
The light and graceful business. like jeun
premier. ] was, IN short 10 be the tenor,
r6thor the tenorin0. Of that little company io
which NE. Punch beats time with his lmmort.
baton. and 10 warble in black and white sue
melodies as ! could evolve from my contemplate
Of the geHtleT aspect Of English life, whil
Eeene. with his magnificent, highly y-tTained bass
aEng the comic songs
And then he says, In one Of those littl
reveries with which his friends are IA
niliar:
sam Weller y sou reoolloct was fond Of pool
nes> and virtue" ] - agree with him! ! adoI
them i-fh especially in women and children.
only aisl thai the virtue WAS easy 10 dra'
a thc gDotiness
Incidentally, he mentions. a little late
on mar the original Of the famous
8iaurier women-Trilby, and The Duches
Of Towers. and all the blissful bevy q
chem fhaf auDea red ia the pages O