The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-09-05

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The genuine, inimitable funny MID 3 g.
,uliar to our soil. Here he isfound in most
perfect. development, with all his distinctive
Tie fact b - SitaleSa a. ii
IS indispatable that We Americsus, while Ne
ere the most speculative, toiling, and COM
busting people on the face Of the
sarth are, at the same time; the drolIest, the |
most original and appreciative Of humor,
he readiest to laugh and the most inyeterate /
testers. Because "Punch' IS an Engfish
publication, and because the 6 Pickwick Pa
pers" and the sfCandle Lectures" are the /
works Of Englishmen, We mustnot infer that I
John Bull il at all naturally jocose. As o I
people, generally, the English are aingular-
" stolid. There il no positive hilarity about |
them. A dreary spirit Of heaviness, sort
ofperpet ual tsblpel devils pesS Ades all they
say and do. Their jokes are solitary abor-
lions, their Righteousness far fetched and
fictitious, and their wit suicidal. 1t rSlPs
out Of asluggish stream, difficult to fathom.
You never know when phlegmatic Eng
lishman means to provoke laugh. His
face viii be stern and sad asif he WIS
afraid he was too stern and undigni6ed.-
There is no more effervescence in his nature
than there is in thepale ale which he idolises
SO fondly. He win discourse very 6uently
on grave question; expatiate earnestly on the
straw materials; load you down with accu,
INFLATED statistics, hut never make your
laugh He Is ike his symbol, the king Of
beasts, always sober and fierce when reused.
The Frcnchman, now, is just the reverse
His wit, or rather vivacity-for the French
are not really witty-is sparkling and per-
enniml. He Is yolssile, mercurial, ephdmer-
al. With an odd knack OF accommodating
himself to all possible circumstances, he is
always lively and gay. Brilliant bonmots
and sharp repartees are his necessities. His
conversation is scintillating D his cherished
champagne. This is what gives to the sa-i
loon and assembly-room talk OF Paris that
peculiar raciness which so perplexes foreign
ers, and especially the Englishman.
But still we must be considered the humor-
Gus people. We need not refer to the anna
zing and inexhaustible fund of fun, motley
and grotesque, which is necessarily difused
through our newspapers and magazines. :
Every American journal has its funny man,
every sheet its column of wit and humor,
knick-knacks or fun iottings. Every one of
our lecturers say droll things and even Amer.
loan preachers are sometimes unable to
check their mirthfulness. Every circus has
its jolly grimacing clown-the wonder and
delight II side-split crowds. Think Of the
ways, with faces besmeared with burnt cork,
who open their mouths to such fearful ex-
tent.
You will always find one Yorick, at least,
in every crowd. You meet him on the steam
boat frightening timid folks with mysterious
hints as to the insecurity Of the boat, and
the dreadful thinness of the boiler; on the
forward deck, spinning nnsparingly jocular
warns to grinning and shaking bystanders;
saving deep things to the cap'en,' with nu-
merious slv winks and quizzical gestures
The son Of Menus will be in the cars, pok
ing all the babies, singing strange ditties,
deluding ignorant travellers, blinking at all
the girls, waking up all the sleepers, putting
iuexplicable questions to the conductor, get
ting out at every station and returning with
curious articles of food, and becoming the
con6dante and bosom friend Of everybody
On the train. He goes with every excursion
throwing himself into ludicrous position,
saving saucy things to the girls, cajoling the
bows, performing startling feats of strength
without the slightes. necessity for so doing.
lie is one of every street crowd. If some
unfortunate is being conveyed to the lock-
up he will hover in the rear, putting entire
~ inappropriate and absurd interroga.tories,
and casting ironical reflections on the po-
Hceman, to the inaaming OF that inspired
funstionary. II horse has fallen down,
he viii be on hand with ridiculous suggest
ions as to the proper method BY which to ell
evate the PROSTATE brute. 's
If tits a rough and tumble fight, he will
. hryo mr.
aging hints to the combatants to 'go in'
and give each other ''fts." If an apple
stand has been upset, he will put the mer-
chant Of the highway into distressing hdgets
by pretending to pilfer the scattered stock.
II your hat is seized by sudden wind, and
you are compelledto give chase, he will in
cyitably be on the sidewalk urging you to
run faster or throw brick att. If, through
infelicitous circumstances, in the shape Of
treacherous ice or orange peel, you should
sprawl on the ground, he will be grinning |
ut YOU on both sides, and soliciting you to /
come to him, that he may pick you up: You
never go to the theater without seeing or
hearing him. He sneezes loudly at critical
points in the progress of the play, and makes
tauntins observations about the actors, and
initiates the elocution ofthe statge. At the
concert he sdistorts feathers in sympathy
with the singers. If they are laboring
among the upper notes, his eyebrows will be |
unduly elevated; if in the lower register, the |
corners of his mouth will be drawn down.
When the orchestra is playing, he IMPROVE
ses accompaniments with his feet, on the
lower rounds of the bench. You meet this
cornical fellow at every party, conyulsing
people in corners, walking with exaggera-
ted steps, handing refreshmets with fearful
airs, pressing ladies most glibly to play or
sing. Well, who wouldn't be a funny fell
low, rather than dullard, driveller, or
ninny? Who wouldn't rather be the ''life
Of a party" than miserable, grumbling,
heavy incubus--a dead weight, a ''stupid,"
bore ?--.fhitadelphia Journal. xTs