New-York tribune., 1920-05-30
Some I humorous Short Stories
Anthology Shows That Quality of American
Hun1or Does Not Improve With Age

"The Angel Of the Odd" (As4A proves
again that Poe. for all HIS ingenuity
and witchery. could not write humor-
Gus story. Poe's comic efforts seem to
have been written according to q sci
entiflc formula. In his serious stories
his genius for color and verbal magic
overcame his mechanical plot construc-
ton, and the results are for all time,
but his lighter pieces are without in
spiration, and were 1t not for the glory
of Poe's name they would not be known
to-day.
Eliza Lesle's "The Watkinson Eve
ming" (1S46) is a really entertaining
satirical sketch of social climbing in
early New York. With all its crudities
o. style, the story is good enough to
arouse an interest in more of this
lady's work. George William Curtis's
"Titbottom's Spectacles" OS56) is
prettily written, but it is neither
humorous nor short story, and
Edward Everett Hale's "My Double;
and How He Undid Me" GS59) CON
tains good farce idea spoiled by too
essay-like a manner of narration
Oliver Wendell Holiness "a Visit to
the Asylum for Aged and Decayed
Punsters" 1S6D is g sorry stringing
together of bad puns.
Mark Twains overrated but breezy
jumping Frog story (1s65) is the
first genuinely funny piece in the
book. Mark Twain was not a great
short story writer. His humor de-
manded the open spaces of the novel
for its finest Towering, The somewhat
rigid structural requirements of the
short story cramped his spirit. and
The Jumping Frog" was his closest
approach to anything in that form. We
regret that Mr.. Jessup could not have
included Mark Twain's memorable YER
sion of literal translation of this
story from the French. "The Jumping
Frog does not do justice to Mark
Twain's genius. but probably it is the
only Mark Twain story that could have
been used in this volume.
ton is ''The Nice People," by Henry
Cuyler Bunner 1890. Here is the very
human situation of honeymoonine
couple posing as old married folk ex-
pounded cleverly and sympathetically.
There are spasmodic attempts to revive
interest in Bunner, but we have vet to
realize that he was one of our greatest
story tellers. Frank R. Stocktons "The
Bu!lerP Podington Compact" (18o7 is
an outmoded bit of fooling, and Bret
Harte's Colonel Starbottle for the
Plaintiff" (1901), despite its robust good
humor, already is "dated" O. Henry is
represented by "Thc Duplicity of Har-
graves" one of his best stories although
we think that "A Lckpenny Lover"
would have been better selection for
this volume. The real surprise of the
anthology is Bargain Day at Tutt
House." by George Randolph Chester,
which reveals the creator of Walling-
ford as a satric farccur of the first or
der. Scenario editors please take not ice
The last three stories in the book are
/ OF no great consequence, although Grace
/ MacGowan Cooks "a Call" is rather ar
appealing child story. The late Charles
+. Van Loans "Starlight and Moon
shine" humorous story that outranks
any of his tales of sport and motion
pictures, might have had place in the
volume, and Louis Graves "The Big
Bristle Slugger,' one Of the best base
ball stories ever written, would have
added to the American and humorous
qualities Of the book. However, it Is
footless to quarrel with Mr.. Jessup's
selections. The editor set himself one o1
the most difficult tasks conceivable, arc
if we must disagree with many of Ids
choices on the ground that they show
| American humor as the humor of th,
| deacon elder colonel -massa dialect order
| at least we may admire his tenn orit t,
| and his enterprise
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