Manchester High School - Somanhis Yearbook (Manchester, CT)

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32 SOMANHIS. EVENTS ed a most scathing criticism which would have made a less conceited person abandon the field of writing. Mark Twain's first appearance as a speaker, the beginning of a life-long series of triumphs on the platform, was at a printer’s dinner in Keokuk. He was elected “governor” of a mock legislature. In his speech none of the politicians escaped ridicule. On another occasion when asked to make a conundrum, he said, “Well, why am I like the Pacific Ocean?” Several guesses were made but he shook his head. Someone said, “We give up; tell us, Mark, why are you like the Pacific Ocean.” “I don’t know,” he drawled, “T was—just—searching for—information.” His autobiography is a very interesting collection of incidents which he chose to tell at random. ‘They are told in his own whimsical informal fash- ion which none can imitate. The more recent humorists term themselves “Columnists”, as their writings appear first in newspaper columns and magazines. Not always do they produce literature of high merit, but they do recognize and represent present day humor. Montague Glass portrays the Hebrew as an American business man. His success in discovering and developing this field of humor may be accounted for by the fact that he is descended from an old well- known Jewish family. His “Abe Potash” and “Morris Perlmutter”, types among which he grew up, are classics. George Ade must be mentioned among the original American geniuses for his development of slang into a highly cherished medium of expression. From his contact with modern civ- ilization he has made an interesting contribution to literary history with his “Fables in Slang.” Ring W. Lardner has a dialect of his own. He seems to combine a mixture of all the arts which the earlier humorists used. Like many American humorists he served his apprenticeship in newspaper work. His reputation for “You Know Me, Al” stories is growing. Almost every possible phase of humor has been developed by some author or other. George Fitch contributed the best book of college humor thus far produced. Irvin S. Cobb’s “Speaking of Operations” has stamped him as a natural-born humorist. John Kendrick Bangs was one of the few literary artists of his time who expressed humor oratorically. He became the most notable humorous lecturer and after-dinner speaker this country has ever known. In speaking of humorists, women are almost invariably left out. It is true that there are few American women who have entered the field; but Ruth McEnery Stuart, in her quaint writings of the negro South, has shown her gift of humor. Anne Warner appeared at just the right time to heighten and continue the tradition of American women as humorists. Her work, mostly character sketches, is an incomparable part of our general tradition. Humor offers a varied and extensive field of endeavor. This literature has been so rapturously received by an over-strung people during the past decade or two that it shows signs of over-development. But, with the serener general outlook, this phase will disappear, and the literary value of humor of a higher quality is bound to increase. Stella Adele Lincoln POLITICAL PARTIES AND THEIR PLACE IN AMERICAN HISTORY One of the greatest critics of democracy, Sir Hon. Sumner Maine, once asked this pertinent question: “How can a democracy make up its mind?” Obviously, it cannot determine, as an individual can. It is incapable of

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SOMANHIS EVENTS 31 nights when it was safe for the people to travel. It is the belief and hope of the National Educational Association that by 1930 enough of these Moon- light Schools will have been established to wipe out the entire stain of illiter- acy from our society. Thus the mountaineers are facing a great change. Everywhere civiliza- tion is pushing into the mountains. Large enterprises are being installed; the timber, minerals, and water power are being put into use. Along with all this will come schools, newspapers, industries, etc., and soon the moun- taineer will be in line with human progress. Viola May Johnson AMERICAN HUMOR AND HUMORISTS Humor is defined as the faculty of discovering, expressing, or appreciat- ing the ludicrous or the incongruous. There are various types of humor, according as the author of it intends to be facetious, malicious, subtle, or merely entertaining. Spoken humor usually appeals more vigorously, be- cause the inflection of the voice helps to carry the point; yet literature is not entirely lacking in those who have been clever enough to write for the enter- tainment of others. American history, poetry, fiction, and drama were fairly well established among us before American humor appeared at all; and naturally too, for the early colonial life was too hard to provoke much mirth. The earliest humor- ous work which appears as a classic now, was the sayings of “Sam Slick,” a Yankee clock-maker. It was quite natural that the Puritan austerity should challenge the irrepressible Yankee wit. A subtle humor, never boisterous or caustic, is found in Washington Irving’s works. Benjamin Franklin might also be mentioned for the kindly, though crude humor shown in his proverbs. In fact Benjamin Franklin’s humor was the first which was recognized as such in this country. The first American humorist of nation-wide fame was Artemus Ward (1834-1867). He achieved his humorous effects through the use of the Yankee dialect; and crude grammar and spelling. He was accustomed to say the most absurd things with an air of great solemnity, and his unexpected turns and ridiculous puns used to set his audiences into unbounded gales of laughter. He would say, “Africa is fames for its roses. It has the red rose, the white rose, and the negroes.” Often he would give such sound advice as, “Always live within your income, if you have to borrow money to do it.” The lectures of Artemus Ward, in book form, present his best sayings; but do not now excite the mirth that they did when the lecturer's personality made them the best of their kind. Mark Twain is the representative American humorist by right of the quality and quantity of his writings. He was born in Missouri in 1835— under a lucky star. Almost everyone has read his “Jumping Frog” story, which is a prime example of his humor. When this story was published in the French paper, “Revue des Deux Mondes,” under the title of “la Gren- ouille Sauteuse Du Comte De Calaveras”, the translation amused Mark Twain so much that he translated it literally, into English, which made a second Jumping Frog Story. In criticizing people Mark Twain always went right to the point. He was once asked to write an introduction to a book; which he did, but as the man for whom he wrote it liked high-sounding words and phrases, he revised the introduction, substituting for Mark Twain's simple but correct English, flowery stereotyped expressions. When Twain read the revision, he return-

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SOMANHIS EVENTS 33 originating any idea. It can only approve or disapprove of the ideas sug- gested to it by individuals. If Pres. Coolidge says, “Let us lower the Tariff,” the people may, by electing him to office, express their approval of this policy. They could not, however, have originated it apart from the sugges- tion of some individual. If a democracy is to function at all, then there must be some mechanism by which it may express its approbation of men or measures. This might be done in case of questions of policy, by submitting them directly to popular vote; but this method cannot be easily applied in all matters. It does not at all solve the problem of the election of officers agreeable to the people, for the purpose of carrying on the government. In order to do this, political parties are a necessity. Elihu Root, in his book called “The Citizen’s Part in Government,” sug- gests a fine illustration of the truth of the last statement. Let us suppose that in your state there were no political parties and that each voter went to the polls and voted simply for the man of all men in the state whom he considered best fitted to be governor. It is clear that the number of persons voted for would be very large. Even if one candidate received a plurality, his votes would still be small in proportion to the total number of votes cast. Probably, the great majority would have preferred some one else to the man elected under this system. It would be impossible for him to claim that he represented the people and would be no assurance that his policies would meet with their approval. In other words, the very purpose of democ- racy would have been defeated. A way in which this can be avoided is by having those persons who holds views in common to club together to support a particular candidate pledged to their views. The result is a political party. To proceed with the illustration, before the next election, men interested in certain lines of business or holding certain opinions on procedure, would convene and deter- mine to whom their votes for governor would go. Naturally a candidate of some one of these groups would be elected. The third election would see group merging with group, men giving up some part of their opinions for the sake of the whole. This process would continue until there are two major parties. When this stage has been reached, a candidate of one of the parties may express the general ideas of a majority of the people. There- fore it can be said that not only are political parties necessary to the opera- tion of a democratic government, but that there are normally two great major parties. This does not necessarily mean that there must be only two parties; for there are at all times small groups of men who, holding a particular view which they consider of immense importance, will not unite with either great political party. If, therefore, parties are inevitable and indispensable, no matter what defects may appear in their operation, they cannot be regarded as either good or evil. They are to be looked upon as is any other necessary mechan- ism of government. If they seem to be turning out bad results, the only and proper course is to endeavor to discover and remove the cause of the evil. Parties are the means and not the end of political activity. The history of the political parties in the United States begins in those differences with regard to economics and taxation which, soon after the middle of the eighteenth century, began to muddle relations between England and her colonies. The foundation of party spirit was the question as to whether loyalty to king or loyalty to country should come first. Those who adhered to the former were the prosperous and aristocratic people of the colonies ; those who held the latter view were of smaller wealth and of lower station. The distinction was like that which existed in England at the same time between the Tories, who were partisans of the crown, and the Whigs, who were decidedly against the Tory policies. These names were imported