Just because MR. PUNCH is eminently representative of all our national
characteristics is he something of a good old-fashioned Philistine
in his domestic circle. We find him, in his notions of home life,
distinctly partial to the cosy comfort that is associated the world
over with "The Englishman's Castle." He enjoys the delights of his own
fireside, the pleasures of his table, the society of his womenkind, the
casual visits of his friends, no less, and perhaps much more, than the
formal functions to which the phrase "At Home" is also applied.
"Mr. Punch at Home" is in a sense the complement of "Mr. Punch in
Society." It touches on musical evenings, dances, the social life
generally, but more particularly the domestic side of it--the servant
difficulty, the humours of the kitchen and the butler's pantry. It
gives glimpses of home life in the country as well as in town; among
the poor as well as among the rich; in flats and lodgings as well as in
suburban villas and the mansions of the West End.
John Leech dealt largely with the servant girl trouble, but as many
of his jokes were topical and have lost most of their point with the
passing of the topic, and as others have an old-fashioned air with
them and are not so smart or so pointed as those by later artists,
preference has been given to the moderns.
[Illustration: Mr. Punch]