The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-22
4 CANADIAN HUMORIST
ON AMERICAN HUMOR

A YEAR and a half ago. when ste.
~ phen Leacock. the Canadian hui
4 morist. was In New York. he
was interviewed for THE Sun and
brought TO task about, some Of his state
ments n a current magazine article on
American humoris,s. Mr.. l.eacock ad-
mitted at thai time that he had never
read any Of the works Of q Henry. ~"
promised to go HON and read q.
Henry.
He kept his promise. and one OF the
hes, essays in his new book '~serious).
ESSAYS and Literary studies Lane
is entitled The Amazing Genius OF q.
Henry" 1.-THE time is coming. let US
hope he SAYS. "when the whole Engl sh
speaking world will recognize In O.
Henry one Of the great masters OF
modern literature" ,
hut Mr.. I.eacock has nan n kind
word TO say for American humor. In MS
book he includes that essay which kicked
vp that runfpus n year and "A half ago.
He makes us. however. quite proud OF
our humorous literary history. lie says;
"Wonderful as II civil cation is on
its material and practical SIDE II Ials
short as yet in regard to literature" ana
g~eneral culture Of the standard OF IN"
~reat nations OF Europe. Yet IN this
relative literary sterility there has been
ono salient exception. n this "Xcep-
ton has been found N the province or
humorous writing. Here at any rate
American history and American life
have continuously reflected themselves
In a not unworthy literary product,
THE humorist has followed and de-
picied the progress Of our Western civil'-
cation at every step. benjamin FRANK
I'm has shown us the humor or YANKEE
commercialism and Pennsylvania picty-
the odd resultant ~ the ~juxtaposition or
saintliness and conpmoiI sense irving
has developed the humor of early I,utrh
eettlement-the mynheers OF tr Hud.
son Valley, with their long pipes and
leisurely routine Hawthorne presents
| the mingled humor and pathos OF Puri-
, tanism Hans Rreit,nann sings the
ballad OF the later Teu'on: the
Mexican war and the slavery contest
| oliver Wendell Holmes the softer side
OF the rigid culture of Boston Mark
Twain and Bret Hartc bring with them
| the new vigor of the West. and AT
the close Of the tale the saRacious MI,
Dooley appears as the essa iSt or the
Irish immigrant. and "A brilliant groun
of up to date writers-the Ades. the
Adanses and the Twins Of our con-
temporary journalism-boldly chaliense
comparison with their predecessors. No
very lofty literature Is this perhaps, yet
faithful and real of it's kind. NOR" truly
and distinctively American than any
thing else produced upon the CONT
nent.
LET me turn to the more immediate
consideration OF American hunor as
such and inquire what special sources OF
contrast and incongruity, what particu-
lar modes OF thought and expression
might well be e~ngendered In American
life and reflected in American Writing
Perhaps the most evident and the most
far reaching factor In the question IL
the circumstance hat We Americans are
"A new people. divorced from the hadi-
tons, good and bad, OF European me
and are able thereby to take a highly
objective view OF European IDEAS and
institutions. our freedom from the
hereditary and conventional view has
Enabled u writer's to take an outside
view of things and to discover many con
trasts and incongruities hidde from the
European eye. We have been able to
view the older civilization from a
distance and to Judge It on It's merits
The objective vlew--the deliberate In
s,stsnce In judging things as they are
and not as hallOwed tradition interpret'
thcm--forms the essential idea OF much