The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-01

done, and his future depends practically
upon the Punch diners, for no editor
has ever invited a new boy to join the
Wednesday banquet without taking the
sense of the table A Punch" man is
supposed TO be not only a writer of comic
copy, but a "clubbable fellow" He has
to dine some fifty times a year with the
same colleagues. Moreover, as he has to
help in the designing of cartoons he must
have his moments grave as well as gay
And now 1 come indeed TO the Serious
side of a comic paper. 1t had its serious
side when John Tenniel doyen of those
who now sit Ground the Punch" table
produced that magnificent creation, The
British Lion and the Bengal Tiger and
the score of splendid drawings that were
reproduced in ''Punchs" jubilee cartoon
The comic paper had its serious side when
Tom Hood sang the Song of the Shirt"
when Douglas Jerrold denounced the in
EQUITIES of the poor law system, and when
Thackeray exposed the follies and little
ness of society in the Book of Snobs''
Speaking generally, il seems to me that
for the last twenty years our comic pa
pers have had their serious side more to
the front than in the decades that pre-
ceded them. The polish satire that made
the keen thrusts of the earlier numbers OF
THE Saturday Review so amusing has
ACNNANiS SAHptdhNh III ulIeI quarters. but
Punch holds its own, and so far as ]
am aware Is not troubled al this moment
by rival And here ] may suggest as
another aspect of the serious side of a
comic paper that the remuneration of the
professional humorist is certainly satisfac-
tory. There are, strange to relate not
very many who seem to possess the quail
tication necessary TO writing a quarter OF
a column of comic copy or TO putting on
MOI fNnvrs Inc, -
is the case the market for humorous liter
allure will not be overstocked, and jokes
viii not be labeled like poultry. Cheap
to-day" Looking at the humorist from a
point of view free from mercenary con-
| sideration, l should say his duty is 20 at
| tack systems, rather than individuals. I
know that the four editors who have been
| connected with punch" have made this
! their rule OF life and as the result shows
with remarkable success.
During the last fifty-seven years
Punch" has only twice been sued for H.
bel, and in each instance through misad-
venture. 1t may be that greater latitude
| is allowed to the professional Jester than
to other literary folk, but it is certainly
| the case that when the Journals are daily
fun of actions for libel, Punch seldom
nay, almost never, appears in the list
| Possibly it may be that most OF the writers
| AoA uAlCu nave Deeu connected with tine
bar, and looking round the table at the
present moment, seven-elghts of the liter.
airy contributors are barristers. OF the
| four editors three were lawyers
A comic writer nowadays usually passes
! has apprenticeship on the staff of the
Granta, or as an occasional contributor tC
the Isis or the j. C. r. II was wont to bt
said that journalism could only be used a.
walking stick and never as a crutch
| But times have changed, and the man who
| has received an education fitting him foi
useful work, either as a lawyer, a doctor
a divine, or a scientific soldier or sailor
| can now find sufficiently lucrative employ.
ment as a journalist. The comic papers OF
century ago show us that too frequently
| the wit of their contributors resembled the
bludgeons of the bully. Now, and perhaps
this is really the serious side of a comic
| paper, the satire Of the hour is used an tho
cause of the weak and oppressed for the
protection of honor, as in the days of old
| was the rapier of the gentleman