The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1867-03-29
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SAMPLES OF YANKEE HUNoR.

6A1fLbo w 1AnAhb Qu1Vn'
We will not popose 10 define the nature
Of humor, nor to discuss, metaphysically
or plilosopoically, tho differences between
wit and humor; but rs we shall have to
iso tho terms with some distinction Of
meaning, we may indicate by few exam.
pies the sense In which we understand and
use them. When Curan was asked by .
brother lawyer, "Do you SEQ anything idic.
ulous in this wig7" and he replied, "Noth-
Ing but the head I" that was wit And
when Scott describes the inmates OF Cleik-
um Inn, In "St. Romans Well" who
thought they had seen the ghost Of . rnur-
dered man, wo get humor, tho root Of
which lies far deeper in human nature. He
says the two maidens took refuge In their
bedrooms, while the humpbacked postill.
ion fed like wind into the stable, and with
professional instinct began In his terror to
saddle his horse. This was his most nat.
ural refuge from the supernatural; touch
Of humor at which we smile grnvely. if at
all. When Hood describes a fool whose
height Of folly constitutes his own monu.
ment, he calls him,
"a column Of fop,
Alight-houss without any light atop"
That Is wit. But when Chsuccr Describes
the fox rs desirous Of capturing the cock.
and trying to fatter him into singing by
telling him how his respected fnther used
to sing, and put his heart 50
much into his song that he was obliged to
shut his eyes, and by this means gets poor
chanticleer to imiinte his father and sing
and shut his eyes also. whereupon the fox
pounces upon him-and bears him of; a
sort Of skut.yed humor quite irresistible.
Again we have wit when Jerrold defines
dogmatism as puppyism como to maiuri.
ty." But we get at humor when Panurge,
In his awful fear Of shipwrcck, cries.
"Would to heaven that were on dry land
with 1--WE presume to make quite surS Of
his footing) somebody kicking me-"
The strokes Of wit tina, arc the most de-
lightfdlly surprising are often the most ev.
unescent. A fash, and all is over You
must be very much OH the qui vive to see
by its lightning, or you may find yourself
in a similar predicament TO that ofthe poor
fly which turned about after his head was
of, to find i out. Not SO with humor. 1T
,oes not cut you short. It Is for "kecping
!, up" Wit gives you nod In passing,
but with humor you are at home. Wit is
a later societary birth. lIumor was from
the beginning. There arc persons who
have sense Of humor to whom the prunks
Of wi. are an imperinence. The true ac-
count Of Sydney Smiths joke respecting
the necessity Of tnepanm,ng a scotchman
Is that tho Scotch have the pa,ckisss aPpre-
citation Of hu,nor, but do not 20 plentifdlly
produce or care % much for nero wit.
The Yankee character Is, In ITSELF an cx.
cecdingly humorous compound. The Yam.
kee will make living out Of anything and
anywherc. his ingenuity Is just tho mos'
certain lever for removing difficulties and
obstacles from his path. il has been 70.
marked that ia Yankee were shipwreckod
over night on an unknown island, he would
be going round tho first thing in the morn
ing trying to sell maps to the Inhabitants
aPut him." says Lowell ION Juan Fernan'
,lez, and he would make a spelling-booI
first and salt.pans afterwards" A long
hard warfare with necessity has made him
ono of tho hand,est, shiaics,, thrifiiest Of
rnorials In trading he Is the very incarns-
ton Of the kccnest shrcwdness. He will be
SURF 10 do business under the most adverse
circumstances, and secure q profit also.-
This propensity Is portrayed in tho story Of
tho Yankee Pe.ller:
aReckon could't drive trade with you
to-day. Squire, said q genuine specimen OF
the Yankee pedler, as he stood at tho door
ofa merchant in 81. Louis.
n reckon you calculate about right for
you can't noways"
"Wall,l guess you needn't git hufy
'beout il Now, here's a dozen ginooine
uxor strops, wu,h two dollars and . half,
you may have 'cm for,wo dollars"
'licll You ! don't want any Of your traps,
70 you nigh, as we'll be going along"
avail, now, look here, Squire. Ill bet
YOU five dollars that u you mako mo an
offer Tor them ere strops, well have trado
yet" '.'
"Donc," said tho merchant, and no stak.
cd tho money. SNOW" says he, chatting
| ly. alrl give you sixpcnsc for the strops"
They're your'n!" !"aid the Yankee, .
hs quietly pockefod the stakes '"Bu',"''
continued bs. saer . liiile reflection and
with burst frankness, II calculate q
jokes joke; and ifyou don't want them
strops, IN trade hack" Tho merchant
looked brighter "You'ro not % bod .
chap. uflsr slL'' said be. 1Here arc your
stups, give mo tho money" There Il
b." said the Yankee, a he took the srops
and handed hack tho sixpcnse. "A trsde .
trade and a bet b bet. Next time you
,r,ds with that Gro sixpsnce, don't you bay
razur.strops" =.
The Yankee, however, unlike the 'sw
or 0toek, hss 4 sOR p'sce 10 th's bsrd o"s'-
nss nature; shsp i blind side 10 this
wido-awaks ehsncser, bs may b "6am'
boosled'' through bis better seeInp. z,
Paw a. Assr 0ssicsss. Ths psyoi ths
oscsn Of the resolsf army on IL prsssn.
-. G,,<;r~ 49, Nakovu. Q~a pe>>k