The Harvard Lampoon.

Over ten years ago The Lampoon was established as a regular publication. The paper had a character of its own, distinct from that of any paper ever published. It was an original production and soon made its way to popularity and fame. Its editorials were keenly humorous, and its jokes and "binds" were fresh and original, having few "chestnuts" among them. The pictures for the first few years were rough. The artists took less care with their work than those who came later, and the process of printing, etc., was more crude than it is to-day. Nevertheless the pictures as well as the reading matter stamped the paper as the Lampoon, and then when the red cover was adopted the paper had still another distinguishing mark. The pictures of Attwood, called "Ye Manners and Customs of ye Harvard Students," which appeared first in the Lampoon, were afterwards published in bookform, and some illustrated plays by Robert Grant also, which since have appeared as books, were first enjoyed by the readers of this paper. The work of these men, together with that of Mr. Wendell, our present instructor in English, and others, gave the Lampoon the distinctive character it had. The paper was improving greatly in Attwood's time in respect to the work of its artist. The outline work of Briggs, and later the "double pages" of Purdon, showed vast improvement over the work of the early artists. The work of Mr. Stewart was undoubtedly the finest that ever appeared in the Lampoon, and it is probable that a good many years will pass before work of equal merit will appear in the paper.

In the latter part of 1886 the Lampoon began to degenerate. It began to lose that distinctive quality mentioned so often, which is hard to describe, but which one feels to exist the moment he begins to look through an old issue. The editorials began to be flat and vapid; the jokes harder and harder to see; the bright verse more and more scarce. The double page and then even the full-page pictures disappeared and small society pictures with jokes (?) that would fit any one of them equally well, were substituted instead. Finally, to complete the destruction of its ancient character, the Lampoon's cover was changed into a cheap copy of that of Life. In fact, the whole paper is apparently aiming to reproduce a Lampoonized edition of Life, its style of pictures, its jokes (?) and its clippings. Why the Lampoon, which was the father of Life, and in former days was conceded to be its superior in originality and wit, if not in the execution of its pictures, should now turn about and remodel itself after the pattern of its offspring is a puzzling question. It has been said that the changes made will induce a larger sale outside of college, and that the Lampoon's pecuniary difficulties demanded the change. However, why it is more difficult to find sufficient support for the paper now than it was ten years ago when the University had not nearly as many students as it has now, is difficult to see.

The paper is a college paper and should retain its character as such, and not aim to be a cheap copy of a paper that has no more originality or excellence than is found in Life.