I was much affected by the internal troubles of the Punch family; I thought that with a little more tact on the part of Mrs. Punch and some restraint held over a temper, naturally violent, by Mr. Punch, a great deal of this sad misunderstanding might have been prevented.

Edmund Gosse
About This Quote

This quote is from a letter written by Sarah Bernhardt in 1887. She was writing about a performance she saw by the Punch family at the Adelphi Theatre in London. At that time, the Punch brothers were involved in a long-standing feud. In her letter, Sarah explains how she was very concerned for the well-being of the Punch family and was wishing that things could have been handled differently.

She goes on to say what a great talent each of them has and how she would love to see them perform again soon. The part about Mrs. Punch and Mr.

Punch restraining their tempers is interesting because this idea came much later after their feud had ended. Mrs. Punch and Mr.

Punch both considered themselves identical in every way and depended heavily on each other to help them achieve their goals and reach their full potential as an act. Sarah, however, did not hold back her opinion about how things could have been done differently.

Source: Father And Son

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