Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-17
A FUN MAKERS ANNIVERSARY.

1 Il
celebrated its twenty fifth anniversary
by a souvenir number that in itself
strides made in pictorial printing and
cartoon work and the growth of the
comic paper within the time that has
elapsed since Puck donned the cap and
bells. This souvenir issue contains the
best effort of the jester OF today and
the highest art of the comic illustrator
in black and white. Its cartoon in color
represents an up-to-date Puck finish
ing the last lap of the twenty five year
journey in ar automobile amid the
plaudits of the various types it's artists
have used to stir the risibilities of it's
subscribers. The cartoon is an object
lesson of the advancement of the car
toonists art, and when compared with
the earlier work of the publication is
particularly impressive.
Puck and its contemporaries and
congeners have grown into their place
in the periodical field within the last
quarter of century. Up to that time
ment devoted to the humor of the day,
and the crude illustrations badly drawn
and still more poorly reproduced iii
cheap wood cuts attracted small atten-
ton and less laughter Instead of the
keen and pungent paragraphs to be
found in every newspaper of renute, the
humorist of that time sought the foun-
dation for his fun in drunken men who
failed to find the keyhole or found too
many, in stovepipes, house cleaning
troubles and soap upon the stair. This
merry making was broad and often
verged on vulgarity, but much of it was
funny. and all of it popular. Still as
the people read and the appetite for
true humor grew and refined. there
came change. The paragrapher with
his keen observations and caustic wit,
took by right of conquest the place of
the buffoon. The entertainer pushed
the clown aside and American humor
ceased to be horseplay and became the
most pleasing and pungent in the
world. To this happy condition of af-
fairs Puck, Judge and the contempor-
aneous comic press have contributed
their share, greater share without
doubt than is due to any other class of
Great as the growth of the humorous
publication las been, that of the daily
press is infinitely greater.
The tentacular wires of it's telegraph
service have crept into the most remote
portions of the globe to search out and
sort the happenings of the entire world
for it's subscribers breakfast table or
his evening easy chair. In mechanical
excellence it exceeds the average hook
of the Cos. The size of the
present newspaper and the amount of |
composition requisite to fill /
is columns would be revelation to the
lead and gone printers of the old |
line. Presses that multiply copies of |
he daily issue faster than the eye can
,ount and circulations unheard and T
lndreamed of in their time would
maze the publishers of a few decades
,ast, il an excursion could be ar
anged to bring them back to earth
or an observation tour.
When the elder Bennett issued the
irst number of the New York Herald
n May 6, 1885, it was four page pa
,er with four sixteen-inch columns to
he page The headlines and pyramids
o familiar to modern newspaper read
RS We're entirely lacking. OF course
here were no telegraph reports. A
teamboat explosion near Albany
therein number of passengers We're
atally scalded, was clipped from the
Advocate and occupied
erhaps three inches of space. Forty
light hours after the explosion occur !
ed the Herald was unable to give the {