The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-24
FASHIONS IN HUMoR

a 1umOr is the most transient or liter aFy forms The jest which -titi1lates leaves the next unsmiIing and un- moved. Of course, the basic prin- cirles of humor are as old as the hills. As Mark Twain said, there are but seven original jokes in the world, but the adaptation of these to modern needs necessitates a constant f1uxation in form. Every new invention brings in its traiIa flock of neW jests-new, that is, to the casual eye, although they are but the old jokes freshly saaven and wearing the latest in liter ary garb.
 For such reasons as these, the cen tenary of Albert Smitha which falls today, means nothing to the present generation of fun-Ioving humanity. A few old men and women will indulge in tooth1ess smiles at the memory of the merry quips and jibes with which Albert Smith once convulsed them with laughter. but even such as these would probably derive little joy from a perusaI of his works today The fashion in humor has so changed that one of the most popular hunorists of i sitx years ago is now passet and almost forgotten. The staff of Punch will ob- serve the hundredth anniversary of the ] man who helped to make that pub1t- cation the most popular of English humorous journals, but to the world at large Albert Smith is but a name. \ Smith was born on May 24, 1916, at Chertsey, Surrey, England, and died from an attack of apoplexy on May z3s 1S60s the day before his forty fourth birthday. His passing caused universal regret, for he was one of the most popular men in Great Britain, and had large following this side ! Of the Atlantic. He delved deeply in to the vein of humor then in vogue, but his work. like that of most hum ontstss was ephemeral.
 Equally transient has been the work offfA6 great majority of the popular wits of nineteenth century America. Nova Scotia Jurist who was one of the pioneers in the development of a pecu- !Iiarly American type of hunor, con lvuIsed a multitude with laughter, but who cares now for Samuel Slick of lSIickviiIe ?'a ssJosh Billings whose centenary will fall two years hence, is A11ov chiefly sremembered as a pioneer in phonetic spelling. David Ross Locke, who made the name of Petroleum V. iNasDy2 famous. is well nigh forgotten
 Artemus Ward, Eeba Smith, Bill Nye. John Phoenix O. K Philander Or James M. Bailey, the Danbury News Man, and many others who added to the joy of living a generation or two ago, have now passed or are passing into the vale of oblivion. George ". Peek, who died recently. lived to see ..Peck's Bad Box copsigned to the
 dustbtn edf hterati4EA
 That scentIlry is a red letter one which produces one or two more
 humorists who have written not for the day, but for all time. The humor-
 fist whose works are to endure must
 be a philosopher as well as wit
 Mark Twain was the conspicuous ex- I ample of this type of humorist in the nineteenth century, and while he, too, wrote much that will pass. we may be certain that much of his work will l stand the test of stiFae. zsAs for the
 others, weaSwe 7the44l, one and all, a debt of gratitude They held aIoft the torch of humor, as others are now do- ing, and so helped to make life sweet
 CT and saner.
 Albert Smith. keen humorist of Punch, we shall not celebrate your birthday by reading your works, but
 we honor your memory. We are bet ter and happier today because our grandsires laughed long and loud at -Four jests.