The Portland daily press., 1867-03-08
Pleasing Miscellany
Yankee HuunOr.

The London Quarterly Reuieao has an article
on the peculiarities of Yankee humor, from
which we take the following: @
We will not propose to define the nature OF
humor, nor to discuss, metaphysically or philo
sophically, the difference betwixt wit and hu
NOR; but aswe shall have to use the term
with some distinction of meaning, We may in
dicate by few examples the sense In which
weunderstand and use them When Curran
was asked by a brother lawyer, "Do you see
anything ridiculous in this wig?" and he re
piled, "Nothing but the head! that was wit
And when Scott describes the inmates of Gle
ikum Inn, in "St. Romans Well" who thou eht
they had seen the ghost of a murdered man, we
get humor, the root OF which lies far deeper in
human nature. He says the two maidens took
refuge in their bedrooms, while the hump
backed position fled like wind into the stable.
and with professional instinct began in his ter
ror to saddle horse. This was bis most nat
ural refuge from the supernatural a touch OF
humor at which we smile gravely, if at all
When Hood describes fool whose height OF
folly constitutes his own monument, he calls
him
.ff. ga column of iop
lighthouse without any light top" sB
That is wit. But when Chaucer describes the
fox as desirous of capturing the cock, and try
ing to flatter him into singing by telling him
how his respected father used to sing, and nut
his heart so much into his song that he was
obliged to shut his eyes, and by this means
gets poor chanticleer to initiate his father and
sing aud smut his eyes also, whereupon
the fox pounces upon him-and bears him off.
sort of shut eyed humor quite irresistabIe'
Again, we have wit when Jerrold defines dog
matism as 'puppyism come to maturity. .
But we get at humor when Panurge in his
awful fear of shipwreck, cries. "Would to
heaven that were Cd dry land with 1--WE pre-
sumo to make quite sure of his footing) Some
body kicking me-"
The strokes of wit that are the most delight
fully SURPRISING are often the most eyanescent
A flash, and all is over. You must be very
much on the qui 0i0e TO see by its lightning. or
you may find yourself in similar predica-
ment to that of the poor fly which turned
about after his head was off, to find it out Not
so with humor. 1t does not cut you short II
is for keeping it up" Wit gives YOU a nod in
passing, but with humour you are at home.
Wit is a later society birth. Humor was from
the beginning. There are persons who have a
sense of humor to whom the pranks of wit are
an nimpertinence The true account of Sidney
Smiths joke respecting the necessity of fre-
pdhaiag Scotchman is that the Scotch have
the pdlokiest appreciation of humor, but do
not so plentiiully produce or care so much for
mere wit.
The Yankee character is, in itself, an exceed
lngly humorous compound. The Yankee Will
make "a living out of anything and everywh ere
His ingenuity is just the most certain lever
for removing difficulties and obstacles from
his path. 1t has been remarked that if a Yam
kee We're shipwrecked over night on IN un-
known island, he would be going round the
first thing in the morning trying to sell mans
to the inhabitants. Put him., says Lowell
ION Juan Fernandez, and he would make a
spelling book first and salt-pan afterwards"
a long hard warfare with necessity has made
mortis In mt trailing he is tfe very iGearna
ton of the keenest shrewdness. He will be
sure to do business under the most adverse
circumstances, and secure profit also This
propensity is portrayed in the story of the
Yankee Pedler:
Reckon couldn't drive a trade with Won
to-day, Square, said a genuine specimen of
the Yankee peddler, as he stood at the door OF
a merchant in st. Louis.
81 reckon you calculate about right, for Won
can't noways,
"Wall, guess you needn't git huffy sbeont
1t. Now, here's glnooine razor-stropsI, wuth
two dollars and a halt, you may hey ,em for
two dollars -
Il tell you don't want any of your traps, SO
you may as well be going along.S 'I59
Wall, now, look here, Square. I'll bet YOU
five dollars that if you mrke p.e an offer for
sp spone ese welhey nchsna trade TRAD y YET
none" s'Now,' says he, chaffingly, I'll give
yora sixpence for the strops." .ss.ssss..
@They're your'nr' said the Yankee, as he
quietly pocketed the stakes. "But continued
he. after a little reflection and with burst OF
frankness, 81 calculate jokes joke; and il
YOU dont want them strops, I'll trade back
The merchant looked brighter. "You're not
so bad chap, after ALL" said he. Here are
your strops: give me the money" 'rhere it
isl said the Yankee, as he took the strops and
handed back the sixpence. "A trade is a trade
and bet is bet. Next time you trade with
that ere siXpense, don't you buy razur-strops.
The Yankee, however, unlike the jew OF
Greek, has a soft place in this hard business
nature; there is blind side to this wide-awakt
character; he may be "bamboozled' through
his better feelings