The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-11
The Trend of Thought
 Along Paths Literary
By Aron Nosirrah.

road. We are reminded that in spite of the richness of the topic. including as it does such various examples as Ar temus Ward and Oliver Wendell Holmes no capable student of literature seems to have thought 1t deserving of careful treatment. The field is rich and the instances of humor are very individual scarcely could one assume q more sue cessful task.
 Sir William Besant's Favorite Novel, He wrote: ''I have been invited to write on my fa@orite novel," After telling us that he loves every novel because it Is a novel, except those which are not novels. but only shams,' he proceeds to go over all those portrayals of hu- man life and society as written by many of our greatest novel writers, he states his requirements of a novel-that it must cause him to forget why, to forget everything save the novel; and then he proceeds 10 select Mark Twain's "Huck- leberry Finn.' (not. however. to the ex- clusion of the other favorites). which, he says Is a work of perhaps humber pretentions. albeit a work of genius and work which will live and belong to the literature of the language. The one remark of Besant's critical review which betrays his appreciation is this: 'The note of genius is that it suggests so
 
 and goes so much deeper than the poet intended as he further explains, the book comments itseaf, to begin with, by the humorous treatment of perfectly se- rious situations. It Is unconsciously hu- morous; it is humorous because the mar rator sees no humor in anything. In some places, when an English boy would have rolled on the floor with laughing. the American boy relates the scene with a S0ni1n Indeed from hapinYainp fO end. there is hardly smile. Yet while all the situations He open for sentiment, for moralizing or for laughing, the ac- tors are perfectly serious and perfectly comic.
 Southern Women as Humorists-In that work of careful treatment of which MT. Horwi1i makes suggestion, there must certainly be a place for certain women delineators who have come to be known as occupying, field in American humor. especially their own. Ruth McEnery oc- cupes notable place in. the examples. Her latest sketch in the September Gen. tury. is an instance of what fine deline- ating work she is capable. The young darky fiddler who has purloned trinkete; and other things for his expectant bride has been apprehended and brought to justice. In his extremity he plays. the game of bluffing innocence (as is SO nat ural to this class of criminals), and 8a more natural harangue is seldom feard outside of the real life, Heah's a few little trinkets I picked up hear and dar but I ain't got no locket jedge. I wish to Cord I did have 1t. Of cose I don't reckon I ought to took deeze, but eff you'll look at dem you'll see dey aint gold or diamonds. I did pick up. a watch dat l seen layin aroun loose beggin to be stole one night, but l took it home, an foun out it was pyore gold an so I brung hit back de next morE.n. I don want no bodys riches I'se jes a plauin man, But de fac is, I was rig up right in de midst sech gran. gcn'lamen-- Jedges and lawyers and iuries-an been used to jes jedge-helpin' myse'f 10 any ltIle left-overs. an eff I wouldn't pick 'em up. dey'd give to me. knowed deze heakquality-colleg gong men didn't keer nothir' about sech little thinkers as deze, and I feared dey thought fergit to give 'em to me-dey all so took up wid dey Valedictrums-an-an' de going ladise-and so jest. .Arou Nosirrah.