The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-30

lightly or bitterness. or of anything save
klndliness and Overlooking good nature:
In his later books his humor was less
boisterous. yet in all. even in his purely
historical writings. it is ever present. II
shines through al OF his earlier sketches
low, golden and cheering. 1t is the very
soul Of such sketches THE Stout Cen
tleman" and such tales as The Legend
OF Sleepy Hollow" II Is useless to quote
from these perfect NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
American has not read them over and
over?
Irving is the greatest of American hui
morists. His tenderness, his deep pathos.
his quick wit his spontaneous humor.
unite in combination rarely found any
innate friend. declared of the History
OF New York" that when compare IT
with other works of wit and iIumor OF
similar length l find that, unlike most
TO the conclusion without WEAKNESS or
safety, SO unsought. spontaneous, self
suggested are the wit and humor.
His humor not only tinged his writings.
but overlooked in his delightful CONVEX
sation." Warner declared it to be "the
richest piece OF native humor that the
said, Il know OF nothing happier than
this work in our language"
TO leave the writings of Irving, with
their graceful. leisurely movement, their
sunny humor, their tenderness and SYM
pathy and real pathos; their kindly satire.
their dreamy, contemplative spirit. their
mild melancholy. their Indian summer at
mosphere, their picturesqueness and ro-
nance, TO leave this and turn to the
great throng OF humorists and wits that
have filed the century with their voices.
is Ike leaving some old medieval castle.
with its dreamy romance, its traditions
OF pageant and revelry and merry Jest
ers. its far-on tragedies and comedies-so
far on. indeed. That the present seems
the blaze of the circus. with Its painted
clowns and Its brass band. Yet among
the American humorists there Is a little
Pauiding. who was an editor Of "saims.
gundi." and who wrote much in the vein
OF "knickerbockers History; Donald @.
Mitchell. full OF sentiment. often really
pathetic: George William Curtis. the
kindly satirist OF the "Potiphar Papers"
and Charles Dudley Warner. the biograph-
er Of Irving. are the leading figures In the
little group.
OF these Warner deserves the FIRST place
as humorist. His graceful sketches.
with their refined touches and their per-
feet art stand at the head of one small
Twain were long neighbors in Hartford.
yet In their writings they stand a whole
world apart. No two authors could be
more perfect antitheses. Warner was cul-
tured and seif-restrained: he was seldom
Witty, and never coarse: he was leisurely
and finished In his style, and his humor
Is like a delicate aroma that pervades his
roar as he reads my summer in a Gar
den" or Backlog Studies" but one feels
on every page that inward smile. that
warm glow about the heart, that kindly
true humorist alone can give. II is i'm
possible to do justice to a real humorist
with a quotation.
We have a cat a magnificent animal
OF the sex which votes tbut not a polecaD
so large and powerful that IL he were in
the army he would be called Long Tom.
He Is cat OF fine disposition. the most
= xr<r~Gn aIa IL.
away I'm cat. and a splendid hunter He
spends his nights. not in social dlssipa-
tion. but In gathering In -ats, mice. flying
squirrels and also birds When he frat
wrong, and tried TO convince him while
he was eating IL that he was doing wrong
for he Is reasonable cat and understands
pretty, much everything except the bi-
nomial theorem and the time down the
cycloidal arc. But to no effect The KILL
ing or birds when on, to my great regret
and shame.
THE other day went 10 nv garden "a
get a mess Of peas. had seen the day
before that they were Jus, ready 10 ptck
How ! had lined the ground. planted,
ing thought IL was they had All In bodied ouS fnr
mel When ! went to pick them / found
the pods all splint open and the peas gone
The dear little birds, who are 80 fond OF
went into the house. I called Calvin
tthat IL the name of our cato. I petted
lawn l lavished upon him an enthusiast
tic fondness, I told him that he had no
fauit: that the one action that I had
called a vice was a heroic exhibition OF
regard for my interests. I babe him TO
ana do likewise continually. 4 now saw
how much better instinct is than mere
unguided reason. Calvin knew IN he had
put his opinion into English dnstead ~
his native Catalogue Il would have been
You need not teach your grandmother 10
suck eggs.
Warner was q kind OF iatt.r-sav I,,,,y
without his early exubefance and without
MS mild melancholy. He delighted in fhe
creamy romance OF the Orient. he had a
dencate vein OF pathos and q warm hu-
man heart that went out to every man
as his brother; he had a ely vein OF safirs
that was wholly without malice. ara
withal he possessed a true sense 81 Inc
ridiculous. that. fused with nj. ather
qualities, produced humor Of IN. ms,
genuine kind. In the words of rrnferxoos
MS books bear rereadfug which h ths
proof OF thslr quality In the caaa ~
many books OF comic intention a sfnxI.
glance takes In the profrered iokess ~.
wit Is exhaled and the pages are heres.
forth a. stale as exploited conundr,,,n.
The works OF the true humorl~t r.n.s.
thetr freshness. and like cur authnr'.
garden, though often fraverssf .ra 49,.
and fragrant with zach uear a.. ~