fine decorative
qualities of Mr. Aubrey Beardsley's art, though he plainly loathed the
morbid ugliness of much of its conception and detail.

Perhaps no one was more heartily attacked than Charles Kean--"Young
Kean," it was the fashion to call him--probably because between Jerrold
and the actor there had been a serious quarrel. As to this, which took
its rise in the pre-_Punch_ days, nothing need here be said; it is fully
dealt with in the wit's biography. In the words of the present Editor:
"Only tardily was something like justice done to Kean's influence on the
drama of our time, by _Punch_, who had been one of the first to sound
the note of warning about that 'stage-upholstery' which was the first
sign of the growth of realism in dramatic art." _Punch_ loved to
contrast the younger Kean with his more gifted father, and had no
patience with the raucous voice and bad enunciation of the son; but his
sketch of the actor as Sardanapalus (1853), "with a wine-cup of the
period," sets on record one of the most perfect archaeological revivals
that had ever been seen on the English stage. But it was Kean's
"Mephistopheles" (1854) that afforded _Punch_ his chance, for the
actor's realisation was so wide of Goethe's creation that it was a
Frenchified demon, played as a comic character. _Punch_ admitted the
beauty of the production, but said that "as a piece of show and
mechanism (wires unseen) it will draw the eyes of the town, especially
the eyes with the least brains behind them." Kean's performance was
denounced as devoid of life and beauty, but generous praise was accorded
to his newly made-up nose, to which the best part of the criticism was
devoted. "It has the true demoniacal curve," he said; "we never saw a
better view of the devil's bridge." And so, throughout, _Punch_ dogged
Kean's progress. But as time went on, his criticism lost the taint of
personal feeling; and Kean was recognised at last as our leading
tragedian, though to the end he was never accepted as a great actor.

A pretty accurate estimate as to _Punch's_ pet "black beasts" and
popular butts at this time may be formed by the list drawn up in the
paper of those persons whom _Punch_ would exercise his right to
"challenge" if, in accordance with Mr. Serjeant Murphy's suggestion in
the House of Commons, _Punch_ were put upon his trial for conspiracy,
apropos of Cobden. From such a jury, we are told, there would be struck
off, in addition to those names alread