The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-25

tears. not laughter. To evoke our
smiles the artist who would touch us
with tramps jest must fling moraliz-
ing and preaching tn the winds and
play the theme for what there's in it.
That reminds me of Henri Berg
sons insistcnce upon the immortality
of laughers. Laughter has no
greater enemy than emotion" he
writes. The slightest bit of sympathy
or pity kills the tendency to it IN
stantly. Indifference is its natural
milieu. Dams une societe de pures
intelligence" he goes on. ION ne
pleurerait proba Element plus. mails on
rirait peut-ctrc encore thereby agree
ing with George Meredith and myself
This IL not in the least the same as
saying one must be cruel before one
can laugh. which readers of Bergson
understand better when they reach the
later assertion that laughter is
corrective" agent always being un-
consciously administered by society
But Meredith and Bergson both
| agree that the comic muse deigns to
appear only in enlightened communi-
ties: so the paucity of humor noticed
in such a display as that We are now
discussing can only be blamed upon
the public in general. Speaking. Of the
infrequent appartion Of the great
comic poet Meredith writes
"A society of cultivated men and
women is required wherein ideas are
current and the perceptions quick.
| that he may he supplied with matter
and an audience
with still greater severity he con-
| tinues and as he does not specify
which "giddy community" we need
not assume in our contrition that he
looked this way. THE semi barbarism
of merely giddy communities and
feverish emotional periods repels him:
and also state OF marked social in
equality of the sexes"
Upon the whole RerCson rather
| than Meredith may be recommended
to the American salon Of humorists
for purposes of study. Meredith. one
! Of the wittiest appreciators Of modern
! life himself. is naturally somewhat too
subtle and difficult for beginners,
| whereas BerGson, coldly. scientifically
unhumorously Analysing humor. is
just the thing for adult inquirers.
principally because he catalogues with
| French thoroughness all the known
mirth producing agencies. starting
with the eXcruCiating individual who
tumbles inadvertently upon the side
walk. His reasons why and wherefore
need not be taken too seriously, but "
the examples he well pordered by our
salon members the exhibition of next
year cannot fail TO raise the outlaws
OF success.
| In year or two IL may even arrive
at wreathng the faces of the erudite
with smiles: the smile being the higher
test.
All Of which goes to prove that the
fechleness of the Salon of Humorists
n the year 1915 is its best excuse for
being. The art needs incubation,
that's clear. BY putting itself and US
on record in this way nv very shame.
we'll strive to educate ourselves up 10
something better
The promised exceptions | must
make to he general dulncss are those
of Boardman Robinson. II. f.. Crowley
and Alfred Fruch. 1t is also neces-
sary to oNonerate George Bellows
from charges of vulgarlty IN his 'wo
drawings of the Rev. Billy Sunday.
These are litcraiistic studies Of oar
) now famous parson. he being sppar-
cJ,ly his own hurlesQuer.
The Boardman Robinson drawing Of
the Board Of Education Is the best
thing of the Salon: best drawing and
hest satire. The Alfred Frrch carl
catures Of well known d-rors ar,
) clever and Mr.. Crowley's little ANNA
fantasies are refined and playful.
The Autographs of the English
Scncfcdcr club. of which our JOSEPH
Pennell Is president. and watch ar,
, now upon exhibit on in tho Goupi
> Galleries. arc of a quality to eNr.t,
. che enthusiasm Of amateurs. Indeed
, some of the amateurs arrived upor
t tho scene of action in advance Of The
= reviewers for good wine needs n,
{ ! bush: and Fitzroy Darlington. WI
2 seems to regard New York as "A m2r,
q shipp ne port for Boston, wake 4 of
. with a great portfolio of excellent i'm
= pressions destined for the Boston Nu
= scum.
Q While the exhibition Of the Senc
. fielder club does no; announce III
= swimming into our photographic firma
o mcnt of any great new Goniuses. no
: even any startling activities Of thos
s already cnsconccd there. it maintain
such "A fine Level of aChi v7mcnt an,
, good taste that one gets nothing hri
pleasure from a tour of the rooms.
q There Is no special sign of
movement going on among the-
e British artists, flags are not h.ir
waved nor battle cries being shouto
for any new cult. which is a p.;y. 70
) movements in art are an education