One of the best-known of our cartoonists is Mr. John Tinney McCutcheon,
of the _Chicago Tribune_. He is one of a comparatively small number of
cartoonists who have studied art and understand the principles governing
it. Many have not had this special training, and must rely entirely upon
the clever idea represented and the natural skill which they possess.
Besides this preparation Mr. McCutcheon is a graduate of Purdue
University, Purdue, Indiana. He has traveled around the world, and seems
to have qualified himself for his work in an ideal way. An eyewitness of
the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish War, he sent a detailed
account to the _Chicago Record_ which was one of the “most notable
events of journalism in connection with the war.” He also visited many
places in the Orient, in the Philippines, and was with the Boer Army in
Africa as correspondent for the _Record_. In 1900 he returned to Chicago
as political cartoonist for this paper, but later accepted a position
with the _Chicago Tribune_.
Mr. McCutcheon is also an author, having published _Stories of Filipino
Warfare_, and several series of cartoons in book form, as _Boy in
Springtime Series_, and others. As a lecturer he has proved very popular
in Lyceum and Chautauqua courses.
It is interesting to know that the dog appearing so often in his earlier
cartoons was first introduced merely because there was a space in his
picture that needed filling. The same thing happened several times, and
when later he made a cartoon without the dog, people wrote and asked him
what had become of it.
[Illustration:
By permission of Mr. John T. McCutcheon
_When Newspapers Are Scarce_
]
George Ade, in his introduction to the _Boy in Springtime Series_, has
summed up Mr. McCutcheon’s qualities as a cartoonist in this way:
“Clever execution, gentle humor, considerate treatment of public men,
and wisdom in getting away from political subjects and giving us a few
pictures of everyday life, which is our real interest.”
=Questions about the art.= What is the difference between a cartoon and
a caricature? How did the word cartoon come to have its present meaning?
What kind of a magazine is _Punch_? Tell something of the early history
of caricatures and cartoons. What effect did the invention of the
printing press have upon them? Who was the first American caricaturist?
Tell about Benjamin Franklin and his newspaper. What magazines publish
cartoons now? What is your idea of a good cartoon? What subjects are
usually chosen in newspaper cartoons? What good can they do in the
world? what harm? What preparation is it necessary for a cartoonist to
have? What preparation has Mr. J. T. McCutcheon made for his work? Tell
something of his life and his cartoons.
=To the Teacher=: The lesson may be prepared by assigning subjects to
various pupils as follows:
1. Meaning of the Terms Caricature and Cartoon.
2. Events Leading to the New Meaning of the Word Cartoon.
3. The History of Caricatures and Cartoons.
4. Caricatures and Cartoons To-day.
5. A Good Cartoon.
6. A Good Cartoonist.
7. Of What Benefit to the World Are Caricatures and Cartoons?
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