n. It is the greater pity, for even the lightest
of his verses have the true ring and, according to some, much of the
vigour characteristic of Mr. Rudyard Kipling's work. Mr. Arthur
Armitage, too, was for many years a contributor. Being a solicitor in
practice, he kept his identity a secret. He was always known to the
Editor and Proprietors as "Mr. A. Armstrong," and up to this present
publication he never revealed the levity of his youth. His first
contribution was "Marriage Customs of the Great Britons," which was
inserted in the "Pocket-Book" for 1855. After writing regularly for this
offspring of _Punch's_, Mr. Armitage was, in 1861, specially invited to
contribute to the paper itself on topics political, social, and
commercial--only a satire on "The Baby of the Papal States" (Louis
Napoleon) being rejected, on the ground that, were it inserted, war with
France would be inevitable. On Mark Lemon's death Mr. Armitage ceased
his connection as an "outside regular," and five years later reprinted a
number of his most amusing _Punch_ verses and articles under the title
of "Winkleton-on-Sea." Frederick Gale--better known as "The Old Buffer"
and as the great cricket authority--wrote a short series for _Punch_.
Then Mr. Walter Sichel, since the beginning of 1892, has contributed
some prose and more verse, such as the series of "Men who have taken me
in--to dinner," "Lays of Modern Home," "Inns and Outs," as well as
"Rhymes out of Season," "The Diary of an Old Joke," and the original
"Queer Queries." The late magistrate, Mr. Hosack, too, contributed
several sharp police-court sketches; and "Arthur Sketchley" had a
capital story to tell, but spoiled it in the telling. Even H. J. Byron,
contrary to general belief, tried his hand as a _Punch_ contributor, but
he was somewhat dull. He admitted, in fact, that he wanted to keep all
his fun for his plays, and so starved his _Punch_ work of its legitimate
humour. Mr. Arthur E. Viles's verses on "Temple Bar" (December, 1877)
may be mentioned, and Mr. Leopold Godfrey Turner's name must not be
omitted. But, of the contributors of trifles, a number must remain
anonymous--as, indeed, many do from choice; inevitably so before 1847,
when it first became the practice to enter up outsiders' work in their
own names. And among these occasional contributors the present writer is
proud to range himself.

In looking at the literature of _Punch_, we become sensible of a change
not dissimilar to th