New-York tribune., 1907-01-23
4 PENITENT HUMORLST.

Now that Mr. T1llman has been forgiven, we
hope that the Senator from South Carolina will
keep his solemn promise never again to be
funny. II is a praseworthy resolution. Moth
ing became the Senator's brief career as
humorist as his remuneration of it. Humor
from Senator Tillman was too heavy demand
on the public aertness When makes a joke
everybody says. why, that's just like A T. and
laughs. for everybody knows that IL is joke
and a good one it is AS. and has the hallmark
Of true humOr. But when B, laying aside his
habitual manner of fortnight seriousness. es-
says merry jest everybody is panied and fails
to understand it, and feels as If he had been
smitten In the face with piece of imperti-
nence. The Senate was long-suffering and pa
tient under Mr. Tillman's many exhibitions
of verbal vitriol throwing. and merely said In
a weary way, That's only Tillman" but when.
abandoning his habitual role and yielding to
the present day temptation to lack Of serious
ness. Mr.. Tillman undertook TO be funny" the
Senate was amazed at his effrontery and rose
man and rent him.
public man is like public service corpora
ton; he has a franchise TO do one thing, and
for him TO attempt TO 90 anything else is TO
court punishment. Mr.. Tillman has a franchise
to be vitriolic "I believe / know how to be
bitter" he says. II have a reputation of being
able to use vitrlOlic language" For him to set up
without warning as a funny man was violation
OF his franchise. We can imagine man making
Mr.. Tillmans minstrel speech amid boots OF
understandable gayety If he had had that fran
chise, that privilege; for every man is a priv
.leged character: but he must be true to his
character; he must observe his privilege. Bit
terness is Mr. Tillman's privileged character,
not fun. Fun from him is an afront. The
public mind has something better to do than to
attempt TO follow swift shifts from bitterness
% q av apIO nln fTlD
to ask It to understand a man IN any other than
his privileged character. for character we must
have as the great interpreter. With It's light.
when we are puzzled. we say, THAT is A there
fore It Is joke; or, THAT is b; therefore 1t
is vitriol." Mr.. Tillman cracks a joke and
everybody whips out q knife, feeling that the
unintelligible thing must be an insult OF ex-
traordinRry venom. 1t is his privileged char
Rcter which makes things so easy for your
reputed humorist When he opens his mouth
smiles begin to wrinkle In anticipation that
It is humor everybody knows without intellect
ual travail. for his character is his guarantee
and establishes for him road of least resist
ance 10 his auditors risibillties Mr.. Tillman
must remain true to his privileged character or
suffer. and give pain.
We are not surprised at the prOmptness Of
Mr.. Tllman's pardon. Fellow feeling is the
surest form Of compassion. and everybody, eX-
cept the privileged hunorlst-and ne some
times tries TO be serious with disastrous results
has undertaken TO be funny and failed. How
often do we hear that agonized cry, "Oh, only
meant It as joke!" 1t is as common and as
moving as the old excuse, "Oh didn't know it
was loaded" 1t is similar. too. The wOuldbe
humorist does not know that he is loaded; does
not know that, when he fires, his heavy charge
OF seriousness-his character-will be sent upon
it's destructive way. when all he intended was
TO explode the blank cartridge Of fun. The
excuse. Il only meant 1t a joke" is wrung
from deep contritlon, for it is a painful con-
fessiOn OF failure in the dearest Of human
aspirations. We can feel only sympathy for
and suggest only encouragement to the re-
formed humorist Of one misspent hour OF jest
ing. resolved TO sin no more. Let Mr.. TillmaD
stick to his privileged character. His bitterness
we are Injured TO. understand and make proper
allowances for. His humor is devastation and
plague.