The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-06

II ie strange how seldom we derive
any real pleasure from anthologies
And. still one In inclined 70 believe
that when man possessing aound
common sense and good taste picks
out the best passages by the best
writer's the whole ought TO be more
entertaining and valuable than a sim
pie book by g. single author In which,
necessarily. more or less Interesting
passages follow one another, and In
which. Of course. not everything can
possibly be included Nevertheless
such q book. which by no means con-
sists Of examinations, leaves far more
pleasant impression than even the
most carefully compiled anthology.
The collection OF poems sketches
ana fragments, which the witty and
brilliant Pierre Mills has Just publish
ed consisting OF carts Of the works or
the most prominent French humor~
ista. forms an exception from TINS
rllis II In not only entertaining na'
exceedingly instructive, historically
and pSychologtcaliy.
In well formed introduction Pierre
Mile defines the work hnmortss. He
points out the time tahout Is3ob WREN
the French adopted the Ensiisn e&.
preston "humor' in a sense different
from the English, and tFwells on the
inclination of the French noV"lists
70 mix the different genres together
ara illustrates the history OF french
humor during the nineteenth century
By spiendfdly chosen excerpts from
more than sixty writers.
Compare lively few If these. nave
written exclusively %sa-asI At!ssaornAs
things, but even the most serious CT
them have occasionally wanted 10
make their readers laugh or 10 pre-
dura satire without bitterness and se~
companied bv a smile From prhfsi-
calIv reasons dramatical workz nave
heen left out with the exception OF
very few scenes Condeah@d tales IN
prose or poetry and old songs ana
humorous poems predominant
Strange though II may sound NO
fra gments have charmed NE as mach
as those by victor Hugo. he Ia the
writer whom one would think of laN.
of all In connection with witty sha
toeular Frenchman. And sun thtle
Ia No poet whose verses approach MS
in witty humor, last M all thoss %
the professional humoYasts
And what a splendid poem: "Ad-
vics to Lovers" 1t tells the story
Of poor man-eating giant who
fell in love with fairy and who had
to wait for her once, when she haa
gone out. The fairy had DeaunYnl
little boy and, when the giant fst4
nothing to do ne quite nccfdentafts
viva llowed the boy. Great exotic
msnt when the lady returned Have
Won not seen my pretty little boy
she asked IT have eaten him, ne
replies. And the story snds With this
moral: That was stupid of him. You,
who are trying to please do not eat
the child when you love the mother
In the same year as Victor Hugo
the once famous Commerson was
born. whose aphoriems were consid-
AIRED masterpieces. and whom con-
noiseur like Theodore de Banvflie
considered immortal. but whose name
hardly anybody knows now. He was
witty In the same way a6 his con-
temporary Saphir In Germany. He
knew how to twist words In strik-
ing manner. and HIS wit consisted In
puns which we cannot see anything
funny In at all
Far more brilliant and witty than
he was his contemporary Leon Coz
Ian. southerner, probably a. Jew.
whose Tempest in the teapot" was
pIayed at least ton thousands times
ut Theater Francois and In the pro-
vinces, and who has written many
charming brief definitions OF famous
men. like this one OF Chateaubriand: