The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-05-12


What Is lI'H'-.lho term "wil," in it,
oldest adjudication, generally implied ~
t'onality, and 50 we un'lr,stand il in its
dc,ivalions "lo w.t." Un knvw,) "h,li wi;
ted, ""willcss," "wiliug,' Ne. In the tim.
Of Dry'lon, IL was expressed fancy. genius
aptitude. Thus tho famous courlct--
Grrnt wits Ia ma,lncss snrcly arc allied,
And thin Partitions d" their bound, divide
is almost IN amrilication OF that 'lino
frenzy which Shakespeare has holncatc,l
and "wi," in this sense is merely II synonym,
OF imagination. Locke, who was con.
tcntcmrorary Of Dryden, defines wit rs
lying most i'll the assemblagc of IDEAS, and
putting those together will, .I',icklcss and
variety, wherein can bc found any rcscrn
biancr or consruity, thereby to make up
pleasant pictures and agreeable visions ii,
the fancy.
The definition Of wit he places in orpo
slt'"n [" Judgment, which ho says, "lics
quite on tho other side" in carefully sep.
aratn" ono lca from another, wherein
can l'c found the least difference, thereby
t" avoid brin. miaic'l bv simliludc and l.v
affinity, to take one Thing for another.
Addison quotes this passage in the Spec,
'at"r, and says: "l'his is about, ! think,
the hest and most philosophical account of
| ,;,l
add TO II, hy WAY Of explanation, tlla,
every resemblance of ideas is not what we
call wit, unless it be such n ono AS Gives
delight and surprise to the reader. These
two last properties seem essential to wit
moro particularly the last Of them"
To come down still later, Du.alI Stewart
endorses Locke, with this addition, that,
wit implies power Of calling up at leisure
the IDEAS which it combines, and Lord
names dcnoninalcs wit rs 4 quality of
certain thoughts and expressions, and
adds: "Ilc term is never applied to III.
action or passion, and rs it'll" to bo an ey
tcrnai Object" Wit, in the modern sense,
l,'s very different meaning.
1Ir 'S'r'ii"m IrYvrx.-It was the Tues
day after Easter, in the year 1889, a ,lav
devoted to the festival Of the Holy Spirit.
Tho inhabitants Of Palermo repaired in
crowds, on that fine summers evening, to
a Village church dedicated to the Object Of
thc days reverence. French soldiers, more
police than soldiers at the time, camo to the
number of two hundred to the f,Mu; with
their usual insolcncc they began to hustle
the men and insult the women, under tlu.
lrctcnco Of seeking for concealed arms. a
French soldier, nmtcl brouct, behaving in
tins manncrtoa y"un" Sicilian wife, was
struck by her husbands sLilclto. The cause
and The result Of the quarrel soon spread
through the crowd. "Dcath 10 the French !"
WAS tho universal exclamation, no sooner
uttcrcI than executed. All the French
wcro killed. The rmor, the passion, and
L:'c cry wcro communicated TO Palermo,
ana iound population but too ready to
echo and embrace it. The French in Pal
.rmo were attacked-solliers, and monks.
civilians. Sicians reminded each othcy Of
Inc massacre of Agosta, where tho French
had put all tho inhabitants to tho sword,
and tho terrible precedent was eagerly fol
lowed. Not only in Palermo, but through
out the 'sland' tho rising bccaais. general,
and with tho samo immediate result, except
al Mossina, which tho French for some ,i,no
defended. According to VILLAIN, four thou
sand French rcrishcl in tile massacre Of
Lhe Slclllan Vespcrs.-E. Il. C,osce.
Et"c Storkimy Club.-Tho celebrated
Mrs. Montague was in habits Of fliondship
with the lirst wits and scholars nf H.. o..o