The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-05 00:00:00

AMERICAN HUMOUR..

The Spectator of last week has a letter under this head-
ing from its correspondent " Yankee." That remarkable
writer, for renzarlcabls he certainly is, disputes the conclu-
sion arrived at by British writers—" that there is a distinct
American' type of humour or of wit." " A somewhat
thorough examination and comparison of the writings of
the humorists of the Old England and the New has lel
me," says " Yankee," " to the conclusion that there is no
notable difference between them, and none at all which
is not the slight differences in dialect; for instance,
the rustic Yankee and the Cockney, the Negro and
the Irish, and in the circumstances of the writers.
The difference is not in spirit but in mere form,
and subject-matter. The discovery of a peculiarly
American wit or humour, I cannot but regard as attribut-
able to that rather fidgetty craving on both sides of the
water for that wonderful new American' coming man or
thing. When an American trait of humour must needs be
found in the use of the numeral 4 instead of the preposi-
tion for, because such disrepectful treatment of an august
numeral is a manifestation of the American' lack of re-
verence (which criticism I have seen in ono of the articles
upon Artemus Ward), I am confirmed in my opinion that
the 'Americanism' of our humour is found only because
it is sought with such sensitive expectation. For the
truth is that this 4 is merely the result of an attempt to
make fun by painfully sought out blunders in spelling.
If it is humorous to write 4 instead of for, how
much more humorous and how intensely American'
it would be to write about the 42de of our soldiers
and the lied bread of the Hebrews ! Much of our Yankee
humour is based upon exaggeration. So is mush of Shak-
speare. When Falstaj says that he is a man of continual
dissolution and thaw ;' when Benedick says of Beatrice that
'if her breath were as terrible as her terminations she
would infect to the North Star,' what did they do but
exaggerate, like a pair of Yankees as they were ? English
humour, particularly that in which you and we have a
common heritage, is full of such exaggeration."
If the British writers compared notes with Yankee
there would be found to be little difference in their opi-
nions on this subject. Humour is humour all the world
over, differing in a few characteristics, which Yankee
terms "mere form and subject-matter." But that form and
subject-matter just makes the difference, which gives a pretty
broad stamp of nationality. When people talk of " Irish"
humour the picture tho imagination conjures is a distinct
one. So it is with "Negro" humour. So with "Cockney,"
which brings up the likeness of Sam Weller; and with
Yankee humour is associated in British minds some such
character as " Sam Slick." The national idea may be
wrong, but the notion is got hold of and kept. This dif-
ference the Yankee doesn't dispute, and we believe it to be
all that British writers mean.
Exaggeration, the ridiculous and strikinzly absurd con-
trast, are the main elements in humour. '7Yaukou" gives
some illustrations. " One of the most characteristic mani-
festations of this exaggeration, carried to the utmost of
whimsical extravagance, is the story told by a Yankee of
a very powerful machine, invented by a friend of his to
draw teeth. It was tried upon one man, and the tooth
wouldn't come ; 'cause yo see his teeth was sot drefful
tight inter his system. So they tied hire inter the cheer,
en drawd, en drawd; en anthill had to come; so they
drawd his hull 'natorny right out ay him, en loft his flesh
in a heap in the cheer." Wo sometimes act out a humour
that is somewhat peculiar. A Mrs. L. ll (the story is
true) mistaking the meaning of the maxim, that taxation
without representation is tyranny, and declaring that she
is unrepresented, because she has no vote, refuses
to pay taxes. She is ordered by the county autho-
rities to appear on the highway by proxy or in per-
son, which she does, bearing a fire-shovel, to the
great disgust of the road-master. Consequently, much
disturbance between Mrs. H— and the county autho-
rities, in which, it being of a verbal nature, she has the better
But the tax will be collected by a process of law if neces-
sary, and Mrs. H-- will be allo wed the free use of her tongue,
and of her fire-shovel in their proper places, for this is a
land Lot of law aza of liberty. Wile/9 14 A kind of

humour not uncommon here which prepares a trap into
which a victim is suddenly precipitated. It is merely
variety, of what you and we both call " sell." One of our
stump speakers some years ago at a meeting, where it was
a great point to conciliate the Irish vote, was led by his
love of a good thing to peril his party and himself. Ile
had been handling the native American party very
roughly (in earnest), and then went on—" Who dig all
our canals ?—lrishmen. (Applause.) Who build our
railroads P—lrishmen. (Great applause.) Who build all
our gaols P—lrishmen. (Tumultuous applause.) Who
fill all our gaols?—lrishmen. Tho descent into tho trap
was so sudden that the speaker escaped by precipitate
flight before the rush at the staging." The nation which
produced a man that could act thus must have a strong
vein of humour running through the national mind.
There is certainly nothing American in this act. An
• EnglisErnan might have been driven by an uncontrollable
impulse to do the same thing. " There is another
kind of humour so called which is hardly humour,
and which consists in strange comparisons, not
really witty, but laughable for their mingled oddity and
aptuess. A short time since two young ladies well known
to me were holding high converse over the virtues of a
certain new dress, "And does it fit well ?" asked one.
"Fit? As if I had been melted and poured in." I was not
present, but I know as well as if I were that the girl of
seventeen said this with no particular intention of being
funny, but merely because it occurred as a good way in
which to express the admirable set of her gown. And
thus, without intending or knowing it, she took her place
among "American humorists." We consider this an
excellent illustration of American humour; a style of
expression, and mode of thought peculiar to America. It
may not strike people accustomed to it, but it does strike
strangers very forcibly.—Anglo-Atnerican Times.