New-York tribune., 1921-11-27


4ee-Hatuisn1 has done much to further t
critics, should next turn their attention to
these lbeous anecdotes.
That wit ard humor are now held in scant
esteem by substantial, serious minded citizens
of the class that were once appreciative read
ers of the greatest American humorists is evi-
denced by the fact that whenever they are
asked to contribute money to the establishment
of a weekly journal they stipulate that it shall
be conducted by persons devoid of wit. No his
torian, unless it be official of the Ameri-
can News Company, can furnish complete
list of the ventures of this description that
have been started in New York and have failed
during the last half century, nor can any
fnancer estimate the amount of money they
have cost their backers / can name four
whose loss in the aggregate has amounted to
S2,000,O00. Yet in that time, only FIVE weekles
PUCK" Life Judge "Town Topics
and "The Literary Digest" have achieved any
think like success. Three of these weeklies were
contained much genuine wit in its early days.
"The Literary Digest succeeded because it
created a new field and filled it admirably, and,
after all, originality is the blood kin of wit.
Colonel Harvey, who printed much rather
venomed satire and some very powerful
tocns in his "Weelly,' acquired an influence
that enabled him to pick the choicest plum out
of the diplomatic basket when Mr.. Harding
was elected, and, as has been recently testi-
fed by Mr.. Tumulty, came near to getting the
French Embassy during the Presidency of
Mr.. Wilson.
1t would be hard to mention any great
minds that not under the control Of some
one who, if not himself creator of wit, at
least appreciated its value. 1t is impossible
TO estimate the strength of London Punch"
in molding British opinion, and the same
may be said though in lesser degree, of
'Harper's Weekly during the days of Mast
and of "Puck' in it's prime. When Mr. Tweed
offered the Harper cartoonist large sum Of
money to betake himself to Europe for holi-
day. sremarking piteousy, "My constituents
can't read, but they can all look at pictures"
he not only paid a splendid though involun-
tary tribute to the power of wit but also
coined an epigram of matchless wisdon-one
that seems to have been forgotten by those
who ought to remember it.
Yet, with these facts staring them in the
face, our men of affairs our statesmen and
our politicians, are all blind to the enormous
power Of ridicule as weapon in the warfare
against ignorance, bigotry and that form of
lethargy WHICH is New York's besetting sin.
1t is the submarine, the poisoned gas and the
tank rolled into one. For this Hee-Hawism
and kindred vices are to large extent
sponsible, for to the serious mind humor sug-
gests only the clowning of musical comedy or
those stockbroking peasantres that leave
sore ribs behind them. That the proper en-
ployment of wit through the medium, of either
pen or pencil is really learned profession
does not occur to them The only callings that
command general respect are those followed by
the few who have enjoyed special training, and
to-day every man is his own humorist
1t was in the Office of "Puck" that first
learned something of humor as profession,
and / remember that that journal of influence
was frequently derided by the unthinking, be-
cause of what they called it's ''silly tendencies"
as evidenced by its publication of so many
Jokes of the "acrobatic school," as we used to