New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-06-29

TO him in vain. The veteran could not find his
voice, and sat down at last with a broken ex-
preston of heartfelt thanks while the audience
rose. cheered him Justify and sang For he's
jolly good fellow"
The American Ambassador has sometimes
been charged with lack of tact on public occa-
sions, but his instinct was quick and true after
this pathetic episode What the auditors wanted
first Of all was to have the veterans retreat
covered, and this done with skill and good
feeling Mr. Choate began by saying that Sir
John TennieI's modesty was only equalled by
his merit, and that the unutterable emotion
which he had exhibited to them had appealed
TO their hearts much more effectively than If he
mad spoken at learned length and with lumber
ing sound The outburst of cheering which fol-
lowed this preface a proof that the Ambas-
sador by felicitous improvisation had read what
was in the minds of his auditors, and had done
with great tact precisely what every one wanted
him to do. One flash Of genial pleasantly sue
ceeded another as the Ambassador passed light
ly from compliments to Mr. Birrell and Mr..
Riviere to an account of the school for states
manshfp which Sir John had been keeping for
the last fifty years-a school of morals virtues
manners. discipline. politics and principles
There was sarcasm at the expense of a distin-
guished statesman who never read newspapers.
yet kept Punch" as an electric light at the
head of his bed. and presumably put himself to
sleep by it. There was warm eulogy of Sir
Johns work and character. His Illustrations re-
vealed. in constantly increasing degree gentle
ness. kindness and tenderness from year 10
year, for time had only melIowed and softened
him so that when he laid down his pencil he
was dreaded by none and absolutely and de-
votedly loved by all. England herself had mel
lowed with him and grown very much less aloof
than she once appeared to the world.
Grateful "reminiscences of the Punch" car
toons Of the murdered Lincoln and the dying
Garfield were followed by illusions to Sir Johns
illustrations Of Lewis CarrolTs works in which
everybody could find his own picture If he
looked for it. The white rabbit, the caterpillar
the dodo the mock turtle, the Cheshire cat the
jabberwock and the March hare were conjured
with in turn for the entertainment of the com
pany. and there final outburst Of merri-
ment when Mr.. Choate in Alice Through the
Looking Glass" recognized his own portrait
painted by Tenniel. in this description Of the
condition Of an Ambassador burdened by post
prandial functions:
You are old said the youth. land your jaws are
For anything tougher than suet:
Yet you finished the goose with the bones and the
Pray, how did you manage TO do it?"
In my youth" said his father. Il took to the law
AND argued each with my wife
And the muscular strength which il gave to my
Has lasted the rest of my life"
Mr.. Birren. in responding on behalf Of Iitera-
ture. compimented Sir John Tenniel on speech
which made everybody in love with silence
especially silence after such a life and such a
tribute. true to the knowledge of all. Mr.
Riviere portrayed Art as standing hand in hand
with her great sister, Literature. the eternal
friend and comforter of The Duke of
DeVonshire, hiding a yawn and fumbling with
his notes, according to his habit attributed the
success of Lord Palmerston leader OF the
House to his possession Of a strong and genuine
sense of humor. He described Mr.. Gladstone's
humor somewhat peculiar. One cartoon in
Punch had intensely interested and amused
Mr. Gladstone. 1t was published during the
passage of one of the Irish land acts, and de-
picted a party of landlords armed with blunder-
buses and lying in wait behind ditch, to fall
upon their tenants their return from market
AS a prospective Irish landlord, the Duke had
considered the humor grim. In this way the
tribute to the veteran artist rounded out
Many things Were left unsaid His achieve
ments as illustrator were commended, to the
exclusion of serious work, such the fresco
of St Cecilia among the wall panels of the
nalace of Westminster and nobody remembered
that Ruskin of his most ardent ad-
mirers and spoke of him in the same breath
as Tintoretto Full justice done to the
Illustrator and the man. What was left
said was that he had never brought reproach
on the art of caricature. but had dignifed and
ennobled it, Satire is useful only when it is
grounded upon truth. When its edge is broken
bv contact with hard facts. it becomes the dull
tool of defamation, useless as a weapon of Of
fence and harming only the coarse hand that
holds II ]. N. F.