New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-06-30
BADLY MIXED PUNCH"

The retirement Of Sir John Tennie gave rise
to fears that there would be some decline in the
quality of Punch" Mt least as far its chief
cartoons were concerned, and every week now
brings some confirmation of those fears. We
do not refer merely to the contrast In artistic
conception and execution between the veteran
and his successors II was scarcely TO be
expected that there would be at once worthy
successor 10 the great artist whom Ruskin, as
our London correspondent In Saturdays paper
aptly reminded us, compared with TintOretto
But equally marked Is the difference in logical
comprehension and even in knowledge OF ord-
nary facts. A deplorably convincing example
Of "punch's decline in this latter respect
appears In the latest number at hand, that for
June 10 The topic of the chief cartoon is the
Chldren's Country Holiday Fund, most COM
mendable English institution. The artist, Mr..
Bernard Partridge represents the American
Ambassador portrait which might have been
recognizable without the name-as pointing 10 o
group of English children off for holiday and
saying 10 a poorly drawn yet also recognizable
Brother Jonathan that You've been going
around lately showing the Britlshers how to
run their business; seems to me here's some
thing where you might take a notion or two
"from them
4
donable that Mr.. Bernard Partridge and his
colleagues on Punch" are ignorant of the facts
in the case-which are, of course that in the
matter in question Great Britain has taken IA
notion two from the United States. Twenty
years ago or thereabout, when The Tribune
Fresh Air Fund had become successfully estab-
lished and its fame as n most economical and
beneficent charity lad gone abroad throughout
the world various benevolently disposed gentle
men i'm London sent for copies Of it's annual
reports in order TO study It's methods. and a
result Of those Investigations presently organ
lied a somewhat similar work in England And
thus the beautiful charity which Punch" makes
Mr.. Choate commend 10 America for imitation
came into existence. 1t may be, as we have
said. that Punch is ignorant of that fact
Even so. the artist and his colleagues cannot
be held guiltless. because they should have
informed themselves upon the subject before
making such an utterance upon It, an utterance
! at once untruthful and unjust to the United
States
There Is, moreover, this further considera-
| ton, which oggravates the fault Of Punch
| that Ii puts the error upon the lips of the
American Ambassador when in fact that gentle
man not only was not guilty Of 1t, but actually,
in the very speech quoted by Punch - set forth
ment. He began his address with the reminder
that while the English fund had been In exist
ence only twenty years The Tribune Fresh Air
Fund had been I'm successful operation fer a
much longer period. Punch" credits, or
charges, him with saying. however. that the
system is better organized and more economical
| In England than in the United States Surely
| that must ne misquotation. AS for organiza-
tion, we are not inclined TO regard any as much
better than that of The Tribune Fresh Air
! Fund, In which not one cent OF the fund goes
for salaries or office expenses. but every cen,
goes for the expenses Of actually sending the
children into the country. As for economy we
observe that the expenditures OF the English
charity were nearly S. so for each child. while
those OF The Tribune Fresh Air Fund were last
year only 81 76
During the month of June Just closing The
Tribune Fresh Air Fund has sent into the coun