However, my concern is not with the tragedy of these
draughtsmen, but with the specific forms taken by their humour. Some
of them deal in a broad spirit with the world-comedy, limiting
themselves to no set of funny subjects, finding inspiration in the
habits and manners of men and women at large. `HE WON HER' is the
title appended to a picture of a young lady and gentleman seated in a
drawing-room, and the libretto runs thus: `Mabel: Last night I dreamt
of a most beautiful woman. Harold: Rather a coincidence. I dreamt of
you, too, last night.' I have selected this as a typical example of
the larger style. This style, however, occupies but a small space in
the bulk of the papers that lie before me. As in the music-halls, so
in these papers, the entertainment consists almost entirely of
variations on certain ever-recurring themes. I have been at pains to
draw up a list of these themes. I think it is exhaustive. If any
fellow-student detect an omission, let him communicate with me.
Meanwhile, here is my list:--
Mothers-in-law
Hen-pecked husbands
Twins
Old maids
Jews
Frenchmen, Germans, Italians, Niggers (not Russians, or other
foreigners of any denomination)
Fatness
Thinness
Long hair (worn by a man)
Baldness
Sea-sickness
Stuttering
Bad cheese
`Shooting the moon' (slang expression for leaving a lodging-house
without paying the bill).
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