Year: 1873

New YORK, Oct. 20, 1878.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD


In your issue to-day yon terminate an editorial
on 'rhomas Mast and his Neglected Genius with
saying, "A man who sings and dances .Shoo Fly,
so brilliantly can do something bettern This in
reference to Dan Bryant, whom You use in illus
tration or the article Aforesaid. II You mean
something better by way OF mere achievement on
his part grant you, but n that something better
includes both his own execution and the results
thereof, l dissent. No person can do any
thing better IN this world than ac-
complish what he aims at. and as Dan
Bryant's aim 10 TO divert and amuse, and as he Is
pre-eminently successful In the accomplishment
OF that aim and "Sh0o Fly" one OF his best efforts
thereto, it naturally follows that Dan Bryant can
not do something better" than sing and dance
"Shoo Fly" unless, perchance, 1t be some other
things In the same line which he does so inmitaby.
Perhaps you mean he might aim at something
better. Well, he might, and he might fan; would
fai, most undoubtedly; for have an abiding
faith in the natural underlying law OF gravitation
that impels people, soon or late, into the very
places they are best fitted to I'LL. 4


Next comes the question as to whether there
can be a better aim than the one OF dlverting peo
pie-aetting them at peace with themselves and
the world; turning the gall ana wormwoOd or the
days distresses into the honey OF unaffected good
nature and sen-orgetlulness, and sending them
home IN better humor than when they left. In
my opinion the man who can do this successfully
ana az the same time respectfully-that is without
ever verRlng on the downright vulgar-Or once
descending to that lower order OF grotesqueness
where the double entendre OF act and speech makes
the better half OF the audience wish they "hadn't
come" and which most minstrels seem to think ts
the soul OF art and w.t. too, that man has not only
done the best OF which he Is capable but the best
or winch any man Is capable-almed at the highest
possible good to humanity and accomplished his
AIM That man ls Dan Bryant Whether this aim was
mtentional or not lS another question; probably
not; FOR as Festus says.-"We neither mean the
not, certain 1t Is that Dan Bryant's re0iIne-
perhaps we had better cali him DR.. Bryant-is q
FAR better one for the cure OF sick souls and bad
tempers than any known to either the phar-
macologst or the liturgist and II half the churches
IN New York were turned into free minstrel halls
with Dan Bryants genus to control and conduct
them all, New York would be far better city on
the surface, and with less crime and misery at
bottom, than 1t will ever be by any other method.
Make people laugh often and heartily by respecta-
by half-hunger becomes less keen, cold less sting
ing pain Of all sorts less acute and the cOntempla-
tion Of crime further and further away with each
repetition OF the laugh.


Try It Oh We In authority, who tax the people to
build places OF punishment for them


Prevention Is better than cure but the trouble
fs to start the laugh. 1t costs something to be
able to laugh as things are at present hence free
other kind Of entertainment possesses the same
merits for the purpose. have spoken thus OF Dan
Bryant-aside from answering your assertiOn-be-
cause he Is the only representative or negro
minstrelsy who holds his profession and mper-
sOnatfOns to the highest standard OF which they
are capable; and repeat that the man who en-
mobiles profession, and at the same time benefits
humanity, has done the best he can do Just Simply
because there is nothing better to be done. Re-
spectfully, S. +. N.