The New York herald., 1921-10-02

MI alone!" paraphrased
George du Maurier,
when his English editor protest
ed against his doing illustrations
for an American magazine. 1t was
a witty answer, yet sometimes won
der if du Maurier, for all the noise
his "Trilby" made, will not live by
Punch alone. Certainly there are
parts of his "Peter Ibbetson" that
are good enough to keep an authors
place among the immortals. But
man who helped to make the great
English weekly built himself into
time-resisting structure. History as
well as art will keep him from obliv-
ion. Punch assembled the most
spontaneously creative group of
draughtsmen of the nineteenth CEN
tury in England. More than that
Punch was England-a truer figure
of the nations character than the
traditional John Bull.
The first two volumes of "Mr.
Punch's History of Modern England"
(Stokes), by Charles l.. Graves. have
just been issued here. Two more
are to follow some months hence.
Some day history will be studied
from books like this. There is more
truth in them than in most of the
formal texts which children try in
vain to learn by rote. These car
toons, with word of explanation
from the teacher, would print the
meaning of historic situation in
delibly upon their memories.
In opening these volumes anybody
who loves the work of Keene and
Tenniel and Linley Sambourne and
the rest of them is pretty sure to
think of any such collection as
picture book Well, there are pic
lures. But they are used rather as
illustrations of the text than as chief
exhibits. The book really lives up
to it's name. 1t is a history. And
the subject is treated with great
breadth and wisdom.
Punch has filled two roles in one.
being not only clown but serious
and sometimes amazingly savage
critic. Mr.. Punch is always re-
: ferred to as a real parsonage. And
he is shown by turns as jester, cham
pion of the peoples rights, corrector
of faults and follies, satirist of the
Crown or it's Ministers.
Tom Hoods Song of Shirt" was
published here And though 1t
stands out by it's unique power of ex-
preston, it was only an incident in
the papers long campaign in behalf
of the poor. No chance was lost for
holding up in damning contrast a
needlewoman's wage beside the pro-
vision for some useless retainer of
royalty.
Harsh sentences on juvenile de-
linquents and plebeian offenders un-
ing act, the harrying Of vagrants, the
treatment of destitution as a crime,
are constant spur to Punch's re-
forming zeal. the trial Of a
starving woman for the crime of
stealing a fagot worth a penny; the
prosecution of two children. aged six
and twelve, for picking two handfuls
of peas while walking in a field
through which there was a path, and
the sending of the elder boy to gaol
for fourteen days in default of pay
ment of fine of Cd. and 13s. costs:
sentence of six months imprison-
ment for stealing a crab worth Is.
3d.; the fining of a man 5s. by his
vicar because his child, aged nine,
had sold halfpenny worth of sweets
to another child on Sunday-which
reminds Punch of Herod and the In
nocents."
Punch's attitude toward these
things reminds us of Mark Twain's
magnificent Indignation in The
Prince and the Pauper." Indeed
Punch and Mark Twain, with an
ocean between their modes Of express
sion, had a good deal in common, at
heart. For at heart the humorist is
the most desperately earnest Of men
In him the wounds of his fellows
are an incurable hurt and his laugh
ter is the echo against the rocky
face OF life of an accusing bitter
cry.
The extraordinary value of this
book lies in the fine balance of judg-
ment. 1t tells the story of this run
ming commentary upon English puj-
lie affairs and upon the manners Of
the people. And in the telling II
points out the places where time has