The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-10-13
As to Italian Hunior.

Mr. William Dean Howclls In the October
number of the North American Review
publishes the first OF two papers az interest
from literary point OF view, entitled AN
Italian View OF Humor." These two papers
arc professedly a review OF hook Of
humor by paola Bcle24a, but they make
as matter Of fact an interesting and ex.
haustive essay on the humor Of the world
In Mr. Howells genial style the compre.
hcusiyencss OF Senior Bcllezzas book as
well as the comprchonsvcuess Of humor
throughout the world is suggested by the
following paragraph:
"slgnor BellcgEa treats 10y precept and
example, In series of aftecu chapters OF
what humor Is and Is not; OF the essence
OF humor: OF humorous wisdom, OF humor-
ous Illustrations taken from Dickens; Of
humorous scnshility; OF the ugly phases ~
humor; Of humorous motives. OF tho whims
/ OF humorists; Of the psychology OF the
humorlst; OF the humorous Wow OF ship,
! wreck earthquake, misery, famine aud
4 cannibalsm; of mad aud anomalous humor;
/ OF grisly humor, concerning murders, sui.
| cldes aud executions; of humor IN art; Of
/ the balance Of humor In modern literature;
OF the classic home OF humor In all these
! chapters he practices such sane restraint
In the selection OF his proofs that he can
rarely be accused OF what may be called
Lombrosoism; but, when accused he can
not be wholly acquitted Of II. This Is not
so heinous In IA countryman Of Lomhroso's
hut 1t Is something to warn the reader OF
and II will he well TO weigh the evidences
which Signor Bellegga nccumulatos with
such a generous, l VIII not say indiscrim
mate, hand
certainly he can not he blamed VIII
profusion, with weak prodignty whlcl
Is finally not hospitality, in providing OK
umples NJ humor from the writings Of hii
own people. lie not merely coufe5scs hu
he protests with groHns and sighs OF re
lection that there Is no humor In th'
'Divlna CommcdIa, as some italian critic
seom fondy to have claimed; and apparent
~ he docs not ind 1t To his scheme 7,
dwell long upon tho BcrnesQuo poets, win
wore uuqucstionnbly among the earliest %
the modern humorists, though We now I'm,
II as hard to laugh at Bcrul and hriosto
and Pulci, and the author of the Rape o
. the Buckct as we do Of Shakespeare whc
Shakespeare means to be funniest. II
draws most upon AlanZoni and rightly, as
think every lover OF humor VIII own, J
recalling the delicious character Of Do
{, Abbondlo Ia i Promiss Sposl;' but h
scarcely does Justice to GiustI, among IN
modern poets or TO that school Of conf
dramatists who hourlshod In Italy betwee
. 1853 and 1878, and who preceded the rea
isuc novests, whom again ne is hardl
Just TO- ! could have wished MISC that 1
his chapter on humor In art. he could hnv
found Il n his conscience or his modest
TO touch upon the rise aud spread Of cont
Italian journalism, In which / am sure h
would have found matter 10 convince bin
thar he was Understanding Italian humo
This humor, I'm its comic journalistic ayataI
IL too apt TO form Itself upon the bronc
humor which In motive Is npt 20 be 3
nasty In every sense, so mean, so cynica
I 80 sancous, II Is for the most part
putrcsccnt simmer around tho ruins OF III
seventh commandment, but | doubt II It
the true expression OF Italian humor
doubt for that matter II It is the true e!
preston Of French humor. but think
r inther the ready convention Of the hume
p ists, lust as with us q bleak and hard
p pcssimism concerning marriage for none
q and the broken engagements OF summit
4 girls is the refuge OF our hard pushed ca
p toonists At any rate, from very casui
! and cursory knowledge of tho comic Italia
Y journals, ] have the sense Of somethin
4 sweeter. which l fancy also moro native