["Instead of the many educational extras in our Board Schools,
why should there not be some elementary class devoted to the
development of humour?"--_Mr. James Payn, in the "Illustrated
London News._"]
Why not, indeed? This resplendent suggestion of
Carefully training the humorous sense
Cannot, nay, must not, be burked by a question of
Practical parents, or shillings and pence.
Down with arithmetic, spelling, or history,
Books that are stupid, and arts that are trite,
Rather we'll turn to each novelist's mystery,
Study the volumes our humorists write.
Those who at present look sadly their task upon,
View it with evident hate and disdain,
Much will rejoice when invited to bask upon
Witty romances composed by JAMES PAYN.
Soon for diversion they'll take, and feel pleasure in,
DOBSON for dinner, and LOCKER for lunch,
And will employ what remains of their leisure in
Weekly digesting a volume of _Punch_.
Then, that each young and intelligent artisan
May not be prejudiced as to his view,
LANG will appear as antiquity's partisan,
ZANGWILL will treat of the humorists new.
So, while we thank Mr. PAYN for inventing it,
Chiefly the system will profit us then,
Since--a great fact, though he shrinks from presenting it--
Humorists all will be opulent men!
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