New-York tribune., 1907-11-21

tion Of the anxious stranger. Can you tell mo the
way TO Central Park?' by saying can,' and
walking The Englishran listened seriously.
gravely, and then he said: Now. don't you know.
IL seems TO me that man was rather rude Now
that EngHshman did not lack humor. but his per
ception or 1t was ob1terated by his sense OF cour-
tesy. I thought 1t fine; liked him for IL, but-I
liked the story. too
Women. we know are often accused OF not pos
sessng huEnor, but it IS only that their hunor IL
frequently submerged in other qualities. I
took a woman to Gillette in The Private Sec
retary.' All through the play the audience laughed
uproariously ar the secretary. who Is the butt OF
the other characters. always IN absurd predica-
ments. But the woman with me could not laugh.
1t was not that she had no humor-she had an ex-
quisite sense of humor-but she could not bear to
see. even in play, a human creature made Tidicu
Mr.. barry described the different ways speakers
have OF making the audience one" One lecturer
I know he said. does il by telling a stock story
he has. which he introduces with the words That
reminds me- One day asked him if he wasn't
afraid that some time he might be unable TO md
anything that reminded him OF that story. Don't
you know, he said. it's not necessary that
that story should remind anybody OF anything?
You talk as If you thought people went 70 lectures
TO be logical It's like thinking tnlke- has gcL
TO stick TO his subject Nothing tires people so
much as to have you stick to your subject WHAT
my friend meant was that nothing holds the at
tention like uneXpectedness- 1t is OF tho chief
factors OF American humOr- The actors who have
held the masses understood the worth OF thar
quality OF unexpectedness-"
Mr. Barry dweIt on the woes OF actors and play
wrights whose audiences laugh at the wrong place
Among the thirty or forty writers know he
said. 'one or two have got their plays staged and
have known authors sit IN the wings the
first night in perfect terror, because they knew
that if one person CHANGED TO become hysterical
and start q laugh during serious scene that
laugh might ruin the play
I'VE all know how tiresome the people are who
insist on spinning out their funny stories when
are longing TO tell ours although aren't quits
so frank, perhaps. In expressing our opinion
well known actress whom Glanced to be
standing one night she waited in the wings
for the conclusion Of the act which Drefaced her
own. She didn't know any one was within earshot-
The fools! she muttered The fools! Why don't
they hurry?
The speaker paid his respects briefly to the oppO-
nents of simpIided spelling. They make me feel
he said that there is lack Of the sense Of hui
NOR in America. after all Is there anything sacred
in our spelling? The incOngruity is not IN the
changes. The incOngruity is between our present
spelling and our speech Artemus Ward was the
first "a realize that
Howells Mr.. Barry declared. is perhaps our
finest hIEnorist but people often do not know
when HoweIlS Is making fun Of things To Illus
trate Mr.. Barry read from HOwells's short story
of the girl who sends her lover away 70 the Cuban
war the scene between the girl and the mans old
mother after the mans death in battle Inat.
Mr Barry said, lis exquisite satire upon war
and he added war viii never go until the nu-
naorists get afr t. The reason IL has devastated
the earth long. believe. IS that hunorsts gen
orally have regarded it as sacred and nave Iet u
alone
large number OF guests attended yesterdays
meeting. The president OF the society. MIS-
Charles Gilmore Kerley, presided Beters ana
after Mr.. Barry's talk there were songs oS Ars-
Thomas Gilbert BOlleS