Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-08
Tale OF the Master OF the "Pifle,
the BeHman, and a Fotuous Beaver
Parable in Ingenious Symbols With Key to Its nterpre
tation Unauthorized ignificant, Which Rivals THE
Hunting of the "Snark" in Its Satire and Wit.

The author of "The Master of the
Piffie,' in his preface, says that ne
cannot escape an Acknowledgment.
of his debt to the late Lewis Carroii
for much of the machinery and SYM
bolism of his work. He adds ina
THE Master of the Piffie,p like Inc
Hunting of the Shark" is an attefnp.
TO provoke serious political though.
under cover of nonsense verse
If the author had used the word Bur.
llesaue," instead of nonsense verse
he would have come nearer the mara
Mr.. Doyle's verse is not nonsense
but keen political irony, and IN qudiles
ranges beside some of the master
pieces of burlesque. From the DAYS ot
Aristophanes such attempts as tnal
of The author to reform political con
ditions, to call attention to demagoglc
Wanting, or to excite ridicule ana
throw into strong relief peculiarltles
and affectations of governments, anu
to lay stress on incongruities, oddltles
and absurdities of individuals, nave
exercised the brightest minds, the
liyliest pens and the inspiration Oh the
highest genius.
In respect to the work of Mr., Doyle
the author deprecates the idea that ne
should be held as sponsor Tor any
unauthorized Interpretation of his sa-
tire, and he declares that all such IN
terpretations are at the readers FISK:
But the reader, when he hears OF
the Beaver. with "head fossilif rous
and fat" of the Bellman, who, with
the Beaver, as "the Crab and the
Crawfsh" came forward to dance
meticulous Mexican waltz, OF the
Boojum, who, lin searching for
dubious Rivers of Doubt that he
may take a Third Cup of Coffee,
cannot fail of interpreting the bur
lesque after his own fashion as IN
tended to expose bombast and insin-
cerc- rhetoric, sham virtue and all
hypocrisies any more than the
Athenians could fail to see the dema-
gogue Creon under the guise of the
sa l1e age-seller. or Socrates in the
figure in the balloon, graVely study
ing the heavens.
Further, one might almost swear
that there could be discerned that
sad Dove of Peace" now so homeless
and forlorn. bereft of her nest,
perched on the bow of the good ship
"Piffle,'' as she lies "in the blight of
the bay, with her colors afloat at her
peak and, purely bedight, in daz-
zling white, adorned with fine yell
low streak"
But now, to confirm the reader in
his "unauthorized' Interpretation, let
the Five Screams which precede it.
1t will be admitted that almost, ii
might be said to have been borne of
some of that glorious inspiration to
which the "Secchia Rapita" and the
Rape of the Lock" owe their form.
Listen then, to the kick" addressed,
as it is. to the American citizen
'Tis said, at his worst, King Charley
the First
Demanded but this of his nation:
No Christians or Jews should dissent
from his views.
And he should control legislation.
THE fathers who founded this nation
of ours
(To prevent usurpations and trea-
Established : coordinate separate
powers
For good, sound and permanent
reasons"
"Old Man Knowall tits clear, was
buried last year
And unless you'd be laid on the
shelf
AS citizen gay of this great U. S. A.
Do some Unwaitful Watching,
yourself"
Thus, from the foregoing. it would
seem that the curious student of this
burlesque has a key to its meaning
of significant and potent utility. The
"kick' is frankly acknowledged by
the author as his own work. We will
now let the reader hear from the
Bellman and the Beaver, the latter
quite worthy to have been enshrined
in some of the brilliant satire of
Butler, or in the role immortalized in
the Dunciad.
Let us take the Beaver first as he
shrieks in alarm at the idea of
"Boojums and Sneers.''
You may rouse me with Grapejuice
or rouse me with squills.
May move me to laughter or tears:
I'll still have passion for poems and
pills
And horror of Boojums and Sneers
MY Personal mien, toward 1915
Is modest. receptive and free.
If the Boojum should fling his Hat
~ hn ri 1o