The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-02-03
G.
National Humor.

National Humor.
It is strange that there is character
even in Jokes. A Scotsman, it is said,
has no humor-he is a mere matter of
fact man and the Celts, in particular,
have an utter hatred of jokes, and viii
not suffer the least approach to making
them the subject of them, especially on
the part of strangers.
Even the Lowland Scot deals more in
the defensive line than that of attack
Lieutenant Lismahago, having his atten-
ton drawn to some rhyming hits at his
country scratched on a window-pan
admitted they were very cutting, THAT is
By being cut in the glass, but that he
thought they might be made more per
spieuous with the help of wet dish
cloutl This is wit, but wholly defen-
siye, and when dragged out.
Paddy is more ready either for attack
or defense and from whatever cause it
is, he is certainly very apt to heighten
the laugh by losing stitch in his argu-
ment-vulgarly, making bulls. There
is no place where, in inns, &C., you see
more abundance than in Ireland A per-
son remarking this in the way of compli-
ment, was told, in answer, BY native,
"I'n tell you what, sir !! you'll see moth
ing bad IN Ireland, but om of it,
meaning, that all the ills reported of Ire
land were merely reports, but expressing
it in a way at once distinct and ludicrous.
The Irish are so sensible of this natural
failing, that one of their best writers,
Miss Edgeworth, wrote a regular essay
on Irish bulls; and Saunders showed the
patriotic simplicity of his character, by
proposing that the book should be added
to the library of an Agricultural Society.
with the view of improving the breed of
Scotch cattle
The Englishman, satisfied with his
country and himself, is apt to indulge in
jests of a varied description but he is
often more rude than witty.
The American seems to add the self
satisfied qualities of the Englishman to
the wildness of the Irishman. His jokes
are thoroughly American-entirely of a
new character, and not to be mistaken
He hits fearlessly at his own country: in
this he resembles the Englishman. There
is a wild f1ightiness in his exaggerations,
that seems to us to resemble the eseapades
of Paddy; yet he is so apt to feel sore
when attacked, that it is impossible not
to think he has some drops of the Scot in
him. This is his style of exaggeration ::
:" There is fellow down east so tall that
he has to use ladder to share himself"
This has no parallel but in the best jokes
in MunchauSen. That redoubted person
coming to river too broad or too deep to
be crossed by leaping or wading, was
completely at loss at last it occurred
to him that he was very strong, and that
he had pigtail, when the affair was set
sled; "he seized himself by the pig tail,
and .tung himself across !'
Jonathan often drolls on his misfor-
tunes. A body of creditors waiting upon
their debtor in Jail, a man of unusual
strength up to the period of his imprison-
ment, found him now so a0eak that he
could not raise a single pound! Talking
of lady, he often finds her so fine as to
be of no airthly use! Of another lady's
accomplishments, they were such a load
that she fairly broke down under them!
and the same of a gentleman's arguments,
they were SO weighty. One lady makes
the tea SO strong, that it takes strong
hand to hold it while being drunk -
Another makes it so weak that it can't
carry the flavor.
An Irishman, seeing his horse losing a
race, shouted out in ecstasy, that he was
" driving them all before him p Jona-
than's horse is in general so swift, that it
beats it's own shadow some lengths; or
pursues fash of lightning round field
and beats it; or runs away from his own
tail !! If he beats man in any way, he
is not satisfied with saying SO, but che
beats him all to almighty smash p or
"walks into him like steamboat into a
foam ;" or, like flash of lightning in
to gooseberry bush !" In short, there
is rhodomontade about Jonathan's wit
"a true bullet and gouge" style, indi-
eating at once his independence and his
coarseness. He talks of his heart as ga
bit of pluck !'' as if hearts were only Civ
en- to fight. He will depreciate his own
people. OF his country generally, when
his spleen is excited but defend them
with equal bitterness if deprecated by
others. An American and Englishman
walking out together, the American had
pointed out an infnity of objects, in the
hope of little praise; but they were all
exceeded infinitely by similar objects in
the old country. At last it rained and
thundered as continents only can; and
upon this occasion the style was magnii-
cent even for a continent. They were
almost stunned and drowned. "There p
said Jonathan, in tone of contemptuous
triumph; "have you anything in Eng
land like that !''-.Scotch Paper.
Little Thorns.
The sweetest and the most clinging