THE CHRONICLES OF 'PUNCH.'

Evening Star, Issue 9888, 27 December 1895, Page 4

THE CHRONICLES OF 'PUNCH.'

[From Oor Special - Correspondent.]

London, November 8,

The exhaustive, and in places somewhat exhausting, history of ‘Punch’ which Mr Spielmanp, the well-known art critic, has been engaged on for the ast three years is at last complete, and brought out with copious illustrations in Cassell’s best style, forms a sumptuous and, on the whole, entertaining volume. It sounds ungrateful to say that ruthless sub-editing would have rendered it even more readable, but such is the case. Mr Spielmann goes unnecessarily into detail, and at times becomes exasperatingly diffuse. Here, however, are a number of extracts, which give a fair idea of the best parts of the book. They were culled by the ‘ Westminster’s ’ paste-and-scissors man:— THE PATERNITY OP ‘ PUNCH,’ The birth and parentage of ' Punch ’ have hitherto been shrouded in some confusion, and it is only natural that there should have been considerable difference of opinion on the matter. Anybody would be glad to be known as the originator of ‘ Punch,’ and claims for his paternity have been set up for Henry Mayhew, Mark Lemon, Joseph Last, Ebenezer Landells, and Stirling Coyne; and also for Douglas Jerrold and Gilbert k Beckett. These several claims Mr Spielmann has carefully examined.and has come to the conclusion that the idea originated with Landells, the wood engraver ; Landells and Henry Mayhew were certainly the founders—the former concerning the idea of the paper which was presently established, and the Utter developing it, according to his original views-founding the tradition of personality of “ Mr Punch,” and converting him from a mere strolling puppet, an irresponsible jester, into the laughing philosopher and man of letters, the essence of all wit, the concentration ofallwisdom, the soul of honor, and the fountain of goodness and the paragon of every virtue. Of the first number 10,000 copies were sold, and the proprietors regarded the fact as “ ten thousand proofs of public sympathy and encouragement.” EARLY VICISSITUDES. Success- was, However, by no means assured. Th& public bought the first number, but they were anything but- unanimous in its praise. Mrdsatte, R.A., ; tella of one gentleman he saw in an omnibus, who, after looking gravely through its pages, tossed it aside with the remark: “ One of those ephemeral things they bring

out. Wba’tlaßt a fortnight I ” Again Mr Frith dworibM how. hftTlog Allen of for oMHR ’number} he lor the numbeJl|||®e ,-. If his idol had drawn anythifag for it, man replied “ What paper, sir ? Oh, ‘ Pupoh yes, I took a few of the first number,. but it a no go. You see they pulled it about a good deal, so I wanted to see what it was like. It won’t do; it’s no go! ” But threatened papers, like threatened men, often livh long, atad after ‘Punch’ gOf itib&r the hands of Messrs Bradbury and Jjjvona, who commenced publishing with ft' the * Almanac,’ it sqpn, left all difficulties behind. THE ‘PUNCH’ DINNER TABLE. For over half a century the * dinners have been held—the staff coming together once a week—and Mr Spielmapo gives many interesting particulars concerning these gatherings. ‘Punch’s’ first dining room was in the Crown-Inn, Vinegar yard. The present “ banqueting hall ”is in Bouverie street, and in the room are a number of relics more or less associated with leading contributors. The table round which the guests sit is described by Mr Spielmann A 9 not of much , account, the tPP< being of plain deal (pace Thackeray’s ‘Mahogany Tree’), and oblong in shape, with rounded ends. But its contents render it a treasure among treasures:—

For at this table nearly .every man upon the. staff has, from the day It was made, sat and carved his initials upon it with a penknife when officially elevated to ‘Punch’s’ peerage. As each has died his successor has taken his place, and he has cut his initials or his mark o'.ose by those of the men who occupied the place before him. There they are, staring at you from the table like so many Abecedarian skeletons at the feast; and if you take a furtive and hasty peep from the doorway, and lift the green protection cloth, you catch sight nearest you of a “D.M.” in close company with a beautifully-., cut “ W.M.T., 1 ' and a mouogiammatio leech* inside a bottle, flanked by aJ. and an L.; and you gaze with'deep interest on the handiwork of them, and of the rest, many of of whom have' oaived their names, as on that table, deep into England’s roll of fame. The dinner now takes place at seven every Wednesday evening ; about half-past eight the cigars come on, and then the editor, who always presides, invites ideas and discussion on the subject of the following week’s cartoon. When the “b'g cut” has been decided on the legend has to be settled. Then the title and legend are written on a piece of paper and handed over to the cartoonist, “ It was at this moment that Shirley Brooks used to throw down his knife to ‘ cut ’ any further discussion, and after that symbolic act a more desultory conversation bn the other men’s work would follow.” THE GLADSTONE DINNER. ‘ 1 Very few but the regular staff have even attended a 1 Punch ’ dinner, but outside dinners are occasionally given, as when “Toby, M.P.” invited the members to meet Mr Gladstone. Of this gathering a funny incident is told : “Moonshine,” commenting on the event, declared with malicious good, humor that “it is said that ‘ Punch ’ has been entertaining Mr Gladstone We don’t bel eve a word of it, as we can’t believe that ‘ Punch ’ ever entertained anybody! ” The obiect of this fair hit, tho editor of ‘ Punch,’ sought out the epigrammatist, in the belief that here was a new humorist whose services he might employ. He, however, who might have enlightened him, wrongly believing that the motive of the guest was le.s friendship than resentment, declin d to gwe the desired information. But Mr ‘ Punch ’ appropriately avenged the insult by subsequently absorbing it as a joke of his own by the hand .of Mr Reginald Cleaver.

“BANG WENT SAXPENCE.” It will perhaps surprise many people to learn that probably not 1 per cent, of the jokes sent into ‘Bunch’ “from outside” are worthy either of publication as they stand, or even of being considered raw material for manipulation by the editor or his artists. But some noted expressions hod an outside origin, and “Bang w’ent saxpence ”is one of them. Those words, which have passed jnto the language, issued from the lips of a visiter from the neighborhood of Glasgow : It was Sir John Gilbert who heard it, and’ repeated it to Mr Birket Foster while they were seated resting from their Itbois of “hanging” in the galleries of the Ro>al Water Color S -ciety, On the private view day that followed, Mr Fo-ter tried the effect of the joke on two ladies whom he accompanied into Bond street to lake tea; and as they exploded with laughter ho concluded that it was good enough for his friend Keene, to whom he-thereupon sent it. The immediate success of the joke, Mr Spielraann says, was amazing; and Mr Foster was therefore the more surprised and amazed a year afterwards to hear a young “ masher” calmly inform a barmaid serving on the Brighton Pier that he was the originator of it and that he possessed the original drawing! ,

ANOTHER HISTORIC JOKE. But “Bang went saxpence” is not the most popular of 1 Punch’s’ jokes. Mr Spiolmamn awards the palm in this respefit to the lines ■’ Worthy op Attention. Advice to Persons about to Mabry—Don’t. This mol appeared in * Punch’s Almanac ’ as long ago as 1845, and it is doubtful whether any line from any author is so much quoted. It was based upon the advertisement of a well-known house furnisher of the day, and was longsupposed to have been sent in by. au outsider. All sorts and conditions oft men have been credited with its authorship. MrSpielmann himself has conducted somewhat extensive inquiries on the subject, ..and* has Anally succeeded in solving the mystery. The line simply came in the ordinary way from one of the staff—Henry Maybqw. The idea of the oft quoted drawing of MrFurniss now used as an advertisement^-* 1 1 used your soap two years ago—since then T have used no other”—came, however, frdtrian anonymous correspondent, and a point Of interest about it is that Charles Keene was deeply offended by it at first, in the belief that it was intended as a skit upon himsel F , for which, of course, there was no foundation.

THE MAID’S FIRST EFFORT.

As an instance of how conventional the originals of some of;'. Punch’s ’ jokes are, Mr Spielmann tells a good story of a contribution made by Mr Andrew Tuer In 1889 appeared a picture entitled ‘ A New Trade,’ in which a country maid, on being asked what her last employer was, replied “ He kept a vicarage.” The circumstance bad actually taken place in MrTuer’s own; house. When the number appeared the legend was.read out. to thi maid, and it was explained. to her that it washer jokp. She showed no enthusiasm, hot even appreciation; but on seeing the others laugh, sue said, with perfect gravity, yet still with hopeful perseverance: “ Well, I must try and make some more.” It is interesting to note that to Canon Ainger, among many others, Mr Du Maurier has often been indebted for jokes. GREAT MEN AND ‘PUNCH.’ Mr Gladstone on more than one occasion has paid ‘ Punch ’ a warm compliment, and a story is told of a tribute which was once paid to our contemporary by Lord Beaconsfield. A visitor to Hughenden was attracted by a clever sketch of the then Prime' Minister, who had been depicted as Hamlet v s I was smiling at the picture (he saysj, which I may add was a cut out of ‘Punch,’ and framed, when the Prime Minister entered, and, finding me gazing at the sketch, Lord Beaconsfield said: “Yes, that is one of the best caricatures of me that has yet appeared) and, strange' to say, the artist has neither presented me with donkey’s ears nor cloven" hoofs.lfeel Very much flattered.” Lord Beaconsfield took an interest in all the caricatures that appeared of him, and at the time he died-he mm several hundreds in his possession.