New-York tribune., 1921-09-25
Mr.. Pomch's Doubly Graphic
History Of Modem England
Annals of Fourscore Years, With Apt Com
tnents, In Prose and Poetry, Caricature and
Cartoon, Hunor and Pathos

mora than humorous. It could tell US,
with Dogberryan sapience. that Goats
Is Dogs and Rabbits 10 Dogs and SOS
Parrots; but this ere 'Torts' is a In
sect"
But 1t could also hrst publish to the
world Hoods supremely pathetic "Song
of the Shirt" 1t could convulse Us with
George du Mauriers pictorial traves-
ties OF aesthetic asininities, and it could
chill the heart with tho grim and
CHASTITY General Fevrler," or touch the
highest dramatic note OF which art was
capsule in dropping the Pilot"
In both pictures and text 1t has al
ways been the purpose Of punch" to do
something more than to tickle tho mid
rtff and to provoke outlaws. 1t has
aimed TO chronicle passing events and
phases Of human life, in politics, indus
trys society and the arts, truthfully and
dispassionAtely, and always and above
all humanity. And that means that they
are to be depicted and commented upon
With temperament as continually chang
ing and 90 widely changing ~ the
character Of the objects shemsslvss.
Al ens time there IL call for
xoIlaekfn9 and unctuoua humor At
another for hsart-vxfnging pathoss
nov for gentle satire, enjoyed and wsl-
coined By lts butt, and nov FOR biting.
scathdng irony, shrivcling tts object
with utter shame; hero for light and
playful banter, and here for tho most
austers thunderings Of olympus--or of
Sinai.
We should doubt II from the filss of
any other publication, however seri-
ous, the thoughtful reader could OBJ
tain 30 Just o view Of British affairs.
and largely Of the affairs Of the world
as from the pages Of "Punch." There
is often exaggeratlon, Of course, but
It Is the palpable exaggeration the
well-fulfilled purpose Of which is not
to deceive but to emphasize the truth.
There Is an interpretative insight into
the soul Of things which at times seems
almost uncanny, but which almost IN
variably Is not only accurate but also
quite convincing Of its accuracy. There
is foresight, too, that places Mr. Punch
among the prophets. Notice, for ex-
ample, Tenniel's famous cartoon of
fifty years ago on the German evacu-
alton OF France, carrying away the
billion dollars Of brigand ransom. A
nero humorist would have been con-
tent to show Germania scuttling out
with the swag, and France hewailing
her loss. The greatest cartoonist Of
his age, In q dual group Of classical
simplicity, showed the one, arrogant in
mien. halting In her departure to say:
Farewell, madame, and tf''-- and
the other, with crowned head still un-
bowed, responding coldlys "Hai We
shall meet aga!n!" And In tho accom-
panyinc vsrses, "vae Victis!" were
the significant words, addressed to the
''--- Ere threescore more years have
sped,
The woe thou vork'st thy sons may
feel"
We have said that "Punch's" inter
probation OF affairs was almost inNa-
riably accurate; almost, not quite
Perhaps the most striking exception
OF all was most readily explicable and
even excusable. In the days Of our
Civil War In both cartoon and text
Punch" occasionally lampooned Lin
coin and displayed q hostile animus
against the Federal cause. That is not
to be denied, and no attempt to conceal
it is made IN Mr.. Graves's transcript
of "Punch's" history. II is only the
mcrest justice, however, to recall that
IN this the English paper was merely
taking it's cue from some of the fore
most American-and New York
prints. Not Punch" not "Bull Run"
Russell in ''Ths London Times" no
even Mr.. Beresford Hope in that "Sat-
urday Review" which we used to call
"The Saturday Reviler," was as unjust
as untruthful, as malignant, as inde-
Gently brutal, as some Of the leading
journals Of this metropolis, nor as per
sistent IN hatred Of Lincoln and in en-
nifty toward the Union cause. On tho
other hand, We should travel far afe'
to find another acknowledgment Of er-
ror as complete and ungrudging as that
which "Punch" made in the case of its
judgments Of Lincoln, nor did any
American journal print a moro SYM
pathetic and impressive eulogy Of the
martyr President than did 1t. The lines
of that self-called "scurril jester" have
ever ranked with Whitman's "My Cap
tain" and Lowell's "Commemoraticn