The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-09-11


out significance. With true moral great
ness, he rose above the thraldoln of custom,
and in everything that he did, said and
thought, lie seemed to bc an incarnation
OF common sense.-BaLtimore San.
~--
lfrom the Philadelphia Evening Journall
An Essav Upon Fun.
HE FUNNY +. :NT.-Tho genuine
inllnitable, funny man is peculiar to our
soil. Here lie is fonnd in most perfect dc.
velopmcnt, with all his distinctive iLiosyn-
crascs. The fact is rs strange rs it is indis-
putablc that we Americans, while we arc
the most speculative, toiling, and CONNER.
cIal'y bustling people on the face of the
earth, are, at the same time. the drollest,
the most orig ginative and apprcciative of
humor, the re.diest to laugh, and the most
invcteratc testers. Because "luncll" is an
English publication, aud because the Pick
wick Papers" and the "Caudle Lectures"
arc the works of fEnglish.ncn, we must not
infer that John Bull is at all naturally 10
cose. As people the English are singu-
larly stolid. There is no positive hilarity
about them. A dreary spirit of hcavincss,
sort Of perpetual "bluc devils" pcrvades
all they say and do. Their jokes are mel
anclloly abortions, their righteousness far
fetched and factitions, and their wit suici-
dial. 1t rolls out in a sluggish stream, diff
! cult to fathom. You never know when n
phlcgmatic Englishman means to provoke
IA laugh. Ills face will he stern and sad, as
if Ire was afraid he was too frivolous and un-
dignificd.
There Is no more cffcrvcsccncc in his ma.
ture than there is in the pale ale which he
lolizes SO fonlly. lie will discourse most
tluently on grave questions expatiate ear
ncslly on the "raw materials" load YOU
down with accumulated statistics, but new
er make you laugh. lie is like his SYM
hol, the king of beasts. always sober, and
fierce when reused. The Frenchman, now
| is just the reverse. His wit, or rather vi
vacy, (for the French are not really witty }
is sparkling and perennial. lie is volatile,
mcrcurial, ephemcral. With an old knack
of accommodating himself to all possible
circumstances, he is always lively and gay.
Brilliant bon mots and sharp repartees are
his necessities. His conversation is as
scintillating as his cherished champagne.
This is what gives to the saion and assem-
bly-room talk of Paris that peculiar raci-
ness which SO pcrpleXcs and fascinates for.
eigncrs, and especially the English. This
spirit perneates French writings, and gives
them that indescribable pungency which it
is impossible to initiate.
| But still we must be considered the hu-
morous people. We need not refer to the
amazing and inexlaustible fund of fun,
motley and grotesque, which is inccssant-
ly ditiIused through our newspapers and
magazines. Every Journal has its "flnny
man" every sheet its column of "wit and
lumor," "knick -knack," or "fun- yottings."
All our lecturers say droll things, and even
our preachers are sometimes unable to
check their mirthfulncss. Every circus has
its jolley. grimacing, tumbling clown-the
wonder and delight of side split crowds.
Think Of the wag', with faces besmeared
with burnt cork who open their mouths to
such: fearful extent, and make such extraor-
binary facial contortions, aud perpetrate
such stupcndously funny sayings. But off
thestage, out of print, and beyond the pre-
cincts ofsaw dust, among the great mass.
es Of the people, this funny element is de-
velopcd. You will always find ono Yo-
ssick at least in every crowd. You meet
him on the steamboat, frightening timid
|
curity of the boat, and the dreadful thin
ness Of The boiler on tho forward deck,
spinning unsparingly jocuIar yarns to grin
ming and shaking bystanders saying deep
things to the "cap'en," with numerous sly
winks and quizzical gestures. The son Of
momus will DO in tho cars, poking all the
babies, singing strange dittics; deluding
travellers, blinking at all the girls, waking
up all the sleepers, putting inexplicable
questions 10 the conductor, getting ont at
every station and returning with curious ar
ticles Of food, and becoming confidante
and bosom friend Of every body in the train.
He goes with every excursion, throwing
himself into lutlicrous positions, saying sau.
cy things to the girls, cajoling the boys
performing startling feats Of strength with
out the slightest necessity for 40 doing. lie
isone Of every street crowd. If some un-
3Sstunate is being conveyed to the lookup
lsa will hover in the rear, putting entirely
inappropriate and absurd interrogatories.
and casting ironical reflections on the po-
licernan, to'tl,s inflaming Of that inspired
| functionary. 50
j IL house is fallen down, he will be on
Il hand with ridiculous suggestions as to the
7 proper method by which TO elevate the
/ PROSTATE. lfitis arough aud tumble fght,
/ be viii be infusing zest to The exercises BY en-
couraging hints to the lcombatantst to Ago
in" and give each other s.6ts.n il IN ap-
pie stand has been upset, he viii put ths
nlcschsnt Of the highway into disircssing
shdgets by pretending to piifer the scattered
stock Ify your hat IS ssissd by q sudden
q gisd, and yen aro colppeiied 20 give shase,