"PUNCH'S" FIRST EDITORIAL STAFF.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7697, 21 March 1887, Page 3

"PUNCH'S" FIRST EDITORIAL STAFF.

Jn speaking of the early printing history of Punch at Whitefriars, in IS4I, the editor of tho Press Netes, who worked as a compositor on the first nninbev, gives the following interesting particulars,: — " Mark Lemon wjis the editor, Mr Horace Mayliew was the sub-editor, and Mr Henry Mayhew, a most original humorist and caricaturist, was what was termed the ' universal joke provider and snggestcr.' He would stand beside the compositor while he was working at his case, and closely watch every movement of his hand in picking up each letter. He said he could not make out how over the compositor could, keep the alphabetical order of eacli box in his memory. So to master the mystery he set- to work and learned the boxes for .himself, and would often find amusement, when waiting for a proof, in setting up a few lines, very slowly at first, but shifting the com-, posing rule, and thoughtlessly laying down the stick tho wrong way, generally upset all his work, and so he gave it up in despair. Mr Henry Mayhew was very clever in creating and roughly sketching out many of the small column illustrations, anil would write the witty inscriptions for them. These would then goto the artist, who sketched out the idea and so completed it. Most of the inimitable small cuts in the first few volumes of Punch are of his invention. He was always sketching and taking rough notes of everything he saw. The great John Leech called him his indispensable Jackall, or broad-grin provider. "The various manuscripts of these several writers were as different as their individuality. Mr Lemon, tho editor, wrote a fair readable hand, while Mr Douglas Jerrold's copy was perfectly microscopical ; lie would fill a small Bvo foolscap page so closely that it made a column of Punch when set up in type. It was read and re-read by him before being given to the compositor, so there was hardly anything to do in his proofs. Mr Gilbert A'Beckctt was a most peculiar writer. He would lay hold of a leaf of small-post quarto paper, and, by beginning at the top of the left-hand corner, would scrawl away in ft very large hand till be reached the bottom right-hand corner of it, all the lines being in r. triangnlar direction across the paper, and when this was set up it would make .about twelve lines of matter. He was one of those writers whose thoughts rapidly preceded his pen, and he had to scribble away hard xnd fast to keep up with them. " On Satnrdays, after the number had been left for press, the editors, artists, and proprietors used to meet at dinner, either xfc the private residence of die firm in Isouverie-street, or, if the company was unusually large, at the Sussex Hotel in Lho'sain'e street. Such a brilliant gatbering'of literary men and persons connected with the fine arts seldom took place at any jiie time and place. Besides Mark Lemon, ihe Brothers Horace and Henry Mayltew, Douglas Jerrold, and Gilbert A'Beckett, . ;he writers, there were the nrtisls— John ueech, John Tenniel, G. Dv Manlier, ' Phiz," tind occasionally George Oruickihank. This latter celebrated artist, howsyer, did very little for Punch, but he used o sketch for the ' firm and -some of the vriteis. Sometimes Charles Dickens vonld join the "company when lie bad rasinesa that way, as would also Harrison Unsworth, Shirley Brooks, Tom Hood, he author of the " Ingoldsby Legends," md lastly the firm themselyes, Messrs iradbury and Evans, who were always •cry popular with the Punch staff of vriteys, It was a great intellectual treat 0 have to attend upon any one of his company on business matters after linner was over, and to be able, !ven if only for a very short time, to isten to the lively and witty conversation vhich used to delight the whole of them. Donglus Jerrold was always %)}& rin«eader in " anything of this' sort, and Ins low of wit and spirits, after lie had taken 1 (e\v glasses of generous wine, \vas prp r 'erbial? At times be would niake those vhom he assailed wince again with his fitter sarcasm ; and on other occasions he vould eat the whole room in a roar with me of his witty remarks by way of a oast, such as on one occasion when he Iraflk success to Punch, by observing hat 'lie would never lack spirit while he fad suchgood Lemon- aid. 1 These meetnge often lasted till the small ljoiirs P" innday morning before they broke up. Lfter nearly forty- five years haye passed ince the happy, pleasant meetings here ecorded took place, it is indeed sad to ay that not a single individual of these rilliant assemblages is now alive — all lave been swept away by ■ the ruthless and of Death, and very few, if any, of lie printers who were then connected ritli the work, besides myself, are now live." ___ ■