The New York herald., 1870-11-16
BOSS TWEED,s EPIGRAM.
''You Know How II Is Yourself'-The Origin
Of the Expression and How It
Came Into Use.

the Anglo-Saxon mind, ana particularly the
AngloAmerican portion OF It, Is very fond OF srong
terse and pertinent sentences especially II they are
susceptible OF being construed Into wide and va
riable significance
No expression for the last twenty years has taken
hold Of the popular mind 80 quickly as this one Of
'YOu KNOW HOW 1T Is YoURsELF.'
SO soon as 1t reached the puollo ear 1t at once
adopted into the great family Of idematic American.
isms; nor win II be likely to be ousted from Its
place for the next twenty years. And this Is how
the expression orignated:-
EVERYBODY IN NEW YORK
has heard OF the amount OF responsible and multi
farious duties performed by the Hon. william
M. Tweed, the chairman OF twenty committees,
besides being engaged In a hundred other various
and important matters. '-.
OF course man occupying his position has every
day multitude OF visitors at his onice near the City
Hail. Some desiring Instructions in regard to mat-
ter OF public Importance, others to solicit subscrp-
tions, ana others again present their claims the
appontnent TO some petty ocial position or ''snc.
cure" II Mr.. Tweed was not blessed with the
patience OF Job he would burst out occasionally; but
who ever heard OF hm getting into "tantrums," as
tne honorable Horace IL said to do semi-0nco In. q
while.
We'll, one morning Captain Boyle, the well known
DllardlSt thought ne would do himself the honor OF
CALLING UPON THE "GREAT COMMONER,n
and as the Captain was ushered into his presence,
Ing TO some unfortunate patriot the impossibiity OF
granting his request closing the interview by saying
In confidential tone and with peculiar nsaIue6 Of
expression. "You know how 1t Is yourselfn as8
rhis sublime tribute to his experience and cxecu-
tive capacity at once won the PATRIOTS heart, and
he readily responded with an Asserting nod anu
drawled and c0mplacent "Ye-e.cs,n that he did
know how 1t was, meaning that he appreciated the
difficulty under which the great man lab0red aud
he respectfully took his leave. II was now
CAPTAIN BoYLEs TURN.
HIS business was or personal nature, relating to
some political matter. During the CONVERSE
ton, which lasted, perhaps. ten minutes
or SO, Mr.. Tweed frequently itcratod the words
In slow, measured tone. "You know how It is
yourself,n laying great stress sometimes upon the
nrst word Of the sentence, sometimes upon the
second. then, again, upon the third ana often upon
the last word, .yoursclf," according TO the mean
Ing he wished to convey. AT last, Captain Boyle
says he dropped to H." and after courteousy
thanking Mr. Tweed fer according hlm the inter-
view he departed from his sanctum
During the day he amused himself by frequently
repeating the expression IN conversation to his
friends Among others was
DAN BRYANT,
whom ne got "the laughn on, and who did not
drop TO lC' for some time When he did 'dropn
nc took hold OF 1t, for 1t pleased him, and tn night
anu on suOsequent evenings he repeated " often in
his stage wittcismS at mis- minstrel hall, in the TAM
many building on Fourteenth street. Now 1t is IN
nearly everyb0dys mouth, from Maine 10 Alaska.
1t has even crossed the Atlantic to England, and ID
repeated by tho nobs and sn0bs OF her metropolis
thus, "You know low 1t Is yourself.n