New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-12-31
SKETCHES OF LECTURES.
Tire Riiicria -
~ FAzX BENJAMIN.


luus After 4 few prefafory remarks, expressive Of
his thanks ior The honor conferred upon hin b. the
citiEens C. Brooklyn inviting him to spear before
them oree more. be remarked that Wordsworth hal
most happily described prosaie as one in whom
there wss TO spsrk Of the ideal and the besutifu
Do A pr.Ia-suse BY a rvsr'. brIn.
ysi,5s qrnl--os- wa 10 him
And u yea uothiag more
But ssi the lecturer. there are some who
Ed ;oa-res y trees. books IN rz1-ns brooks
se.Eons u stones. and good n everything
Allrnen Of thar class VINO look upon the beau
tiiul flower BY the wsyside worthless weed. and
regard the lofty mountain only ugly obstruction
to the building Of a railroad But It may be possible
on the oter hand for to have too keen sense Of
the ridiculous msy he doubted whether this IL very
desirable You very sp, to people snd things in
distorted light. You discover something funny and
feel strong desire laugh. when you know to be
your bounden duty to cry and you are often placed in
positions where you impressed with spirit Of rever
ence, bu. are strongly inclined to smile. The more
keen your OF the ridiculous the more inclined
Will you be to laugh at very common occurrences AL
often does the ridiculous force tsef on the rravest
mind, al unawsres. Thus an enecdo,e is told of
clergyman who while in the pulpi; praying CHANGING
10 open bis eyes, discovered two boys in the gallery.
with very red hair and fast asleep while the other
being awake, holding his hands 10 his companions
head. az if warming his hands Such exhibition OF
the ridiculous could not bat force itself upon the mind
OF the minister and he obliged to stop his prayer
1t was Rochefoucaui who said There is something in
the misfortunes OF best friends that peases US
have wife who dearly loved her husband
with laughter at his humping his head the edge Of
the door. Laughter ! have seen dutiful children
laugh Themselves almost into FITS at their fathers miss
ing his chair and sitting the hoor-as did just
Lsusbterl ION taking his seat at the desk, Mr.. B.
had the misfortune to let down upon the floor owing
to the upsetting Of the stool have seen people at
church unable to restrain their mirh at the sight ola
Bit of court plaster which had slipped from the fore
head down to tie extreme end Of the pastors
Laughter But 1--WE enjoy these trivial misfortunes
of our nearest iends how do luxuriate the real
miseries Of strangers in whom we have no interest
Funnier than any joke, more supremely ridiculous
than any misfortune was the ineden. relative to the
gentleman Of color" who left NewYork on a West
ern tour, and finding himself in Buffalo without any
thing to employ his time, thought he would send
tcegruphic dispatch back home inquirng of his part
ner az to their business. He sent this message How
is thingsf' To this interrosatory hs partner mme
dihtely replied Things is fine" Laughter Rest
ing on this. he in no very good temper when he
returned home and found his partner had sold out all
the goods pocketed the money shut up the store and
run OF with his wife We ourselves as 9th
ers see us Three chimney sweeps, says Hazlt,
happening to meet at Lncolns Inn Fields, laughed at
each other till they came near dying In cities, the
Of the ridiculous of by constant a,trion
Let big fat man slip upon the ice and you may be
that those bystanders who laugh a, him strangers
because the citizen has become accustomed to such
sights When the swine bad the freedom OF the cay
they used TO be the occasion of quite much fun as Ia
Tho.
pected and the nost obstinate ieats and exploits on
Broadway
A porty female was sailing slowly along Broadway in
all the conscious dignity OF city edressed out with
her slks and sans her ribbons and aces her white kid
gloves &C, &c, and looking like representative OF
Conssntinope, Judging from her sublime Porte when
all Of sudden ehe found hersel sitting upon The back
Of fine large porker, who came hurrying round the
corner OF street and firmly she seated there
that she was treated grauitous ride OF whole block
before beng thrown from her Penl1us position ,i
she piled by the bystanders No the sense OF the
ridiculous oyerruled all feelings of pity compassion
Crdsus Ia said to have laughed to death at seeing
donkey hises Ptiable sights, also not unirequent
y suggest the ridiculous Thus the depth OF sadness
10 behold fellow being drunk and rolling in the gutter
But how ridiculous when on going up TO him, and ask
ing him how he got there he replies; 81 made an ap.
pon,ment TO meet man here" Laughter. friend
Of mine passing g house where there was funeral,
stepped up lrshmsn and asked him If he could in
form him who was dead The lrlshman replied III
Chhhot c@hety ooy' Shf O@e P'~'N'' '-~ $500
Thu, how absurd appear. through the medium OF the
ridiculous, ell the numberess itenesses OF life Os
tentaon tself il ridiculous 1t wears gold rings and
satns and brocades and laces and diamond breaspns,
(which are suspected to be paste has box at the
Opera TO which II goes every night though bored by
the music carries rare bouquet, rather big, which
il present 10 lady in the next box IL has alorgnette
which il levels on the already discovered stars, or
searches the house for other uminares II always goes
10 church Sundays, rain shine, and reads prayer
half eagle plate with loud
ring But while OstentatiOn thus lives wrspt in the
mantle Of It's own selhshness, is always absurd Peo
pie laugh at it. And bysndby, when IL dies it Is car
RED 10 Greenwood by avery magnificent hsarse, fol-
lowed by any number OF carriages with crests on their
tops and lveried iootnen behind, and is there en-
tombed aud its poor remains rises costly and
beautiful monument, with inscription which the spec
taior does no stop to read, but pronounces-"W What
ridiculous ostentaton"
Much OF the ridiculous may also be in various
other departments of life Look of the Critics
OF our day Lock az some OF the criticisms in the re-
views where the writer desires 20 display his own tai
ents rather than give idea Of the work upon which
be is wrting-nakns the author mere hook from
vhich 10 suspend his corruscaions Thai criticism
il vtry absurd IN which the critic judge his author by
his own standard Of thought or style Think Of Or.
johnson finding fault with the writings OF Addison Is
Il very difficult sometimes for one writer TO discover
the brilliant genius of another The modern system OF
puSery is very silly Nevertheless, you cannot make
good book cut OF poor one; This systum OF you
tickle me and III tickle you will not answer now.
The lecturer in this connection spoke of a man with
whom be was acquainted, who thought himself poo,
because his rhymes published IN The weekly papers
occssonsIy And he also thought himself very
fashionable men, because he went to the opera, dressed
in the hight OF fashion and visited Saratoga once year
Nevertheless his very the laughing stock OF
all who knew hun. The lecturer hsd also heard OF q
youpe lady who regarded herself Of the resdyto
bedied for kind--one who considered herself the
mink OF perfection and the lender Of fashion, who
IN reality extremely instructive as 70 be liked By her
orr az To all such mistaken moTtas he would recon-
mt nd the lines OF Burns:
20 wsd some power the giftie gle them
To see themselves as Ithers SEE them;
FTvsi frse many snier free them,
And fooish notion"