New-York tribune., 1906-10-18
AMERICAN HUNoR ON TRIAL.

The national sense of humor is on trial. Are
we going to apply patent medicine TO the
body polite? Are we going to comfort our
selves with the security of a palpable scare
crow? Are we going to worship at the shrine
Of exposed humbugf Or are we going to laugh?
sense of humor is one Of those indisputable
things whose possession Is the solemnest per-
sOnal right Of every man, dearer TO him than
life or honor. He will grant you that his intel
lect is inconsiderable, his appearance undistin-
guished, his morality undiscoverable, but he
clings TO his sense OF humor as q saving straw
To doubt 1t is to fay him alive, and he will
prove his possession Of It to you by modestly
describing the limitations Of the blessed fac
ulty as II exists in almost every one else Ma
tionaly we are Of the same substance. We
vaunt our American humor, and delight our
selves to think that If it has 8 fault it is on
the side Of excess. It is sef-satisfying to scan
dalize our neghbors by the heart1ness of our
laughter-but are we going to laugh at our
first great national Comic Figure? If not, why
not?
We do not care to argue the point and forttfy
humor with rat1ocination for we never knew a
joke to sit properly upon the tripod Of q syllo-
g1sm. But we shall appeal to antiquity the
sure compurgator of all true humor The Spar
tans were portentously serious minded peo-
pie. Their like is not upon this earth to-day
They had the only original untainted money
They brought up their babies according to the
New Jersey Jungle fashion. They fulfilled the
Hearst ideal Of government ownership of body,
soul and breeches. They never laughed unless
they had to- and so are an excellent authority
On hunor But the man caught with the goods
on" was q national Spartan joke and there
is classic and familiar tale Of a boy thus
caught who let himself be eaten alive rather
than face the Spartan laugh.
Are we going to laugh at our "man caught
with the goods on? Is there more foolish
and ludicrous figure than card sharp exposed
spirttualistc medium proved flesh and blood?
Is The boss buster caught making bosses, or the
trust buster caught making trusts, a whit less
foolish and iudicrous looking? We thought the
real Hearst was real demagogue but does the
sham boss buster. sham trust buster measure
up TO the job? Would real demagogue who
had risen from the Peepul be caught in such
transparent imposture? Is the million Debs-
power candidate only millionaire turned TO
demagogy as rich men turn to art or litera-
ture-a mere d1lettante demagogue2 Could any
thing be more delicious than that-a sham dem
agogue sham OF sham? In the fight against
plutocracy a plutecrat shall lead us; there are
millions in it for him. The Hearst Joke Is as
OLD as Aristophanes, and the world has been
digging laugh at his prototype out OF the orig
inal Greek for two thousand years and more
Hear the Athenian Hearst:
0 Peepuli Has any man shown such a zeal.
Such passion as for the general veal?
Racktng and screwing offenders to ruin.
With tortures and threats extorting your debts.
with q popular, pure patriotical aim
How are we taking our Aristophanic fgure
our first campaigner who has made the COM
plete plunge from the sublime to the ridicu
lousf Just now, with his roachbane and his
Brisbane. he is processing to poison his wav
into public esteem-a comic proceeding cor.
respondent writes that he is puzzled at the
way audiences take Hearst up the state They
neither cheer nor Jeer; they neither laugh nor
weep; they applaud with courtesy. but without
conviction. He thinks they suspect the sneel,-
er's sincerity; that they find no more man ha
hind the spoken speech than behind the canned
speech; dnpan to tympanum or mouth to ear
IT Is all the same. But to us thew seem to ha
tray the uneasy self-consciousness or naon,o
entertaining a joke unaware-or dimly aware
Tor we nave faith in the upstate audienca
Your rural public is leisurely In its sense of
humor; 1t has not been affected by tbs Aur-
ried habits Of this fesunate age II nuts don,,
its Jokes as It does its winters por, for "a
Prospective enjoyment If the correspondent,
could follow the auditors home he won,d bao-
the laugh arriving slow but sure Our civ nuh-
lie should be quicker, having too much rnn
10 get through with TO be thrifty with anv
OF It. We Look for a growing Appreciation q,