Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1872-02-01
The Political Influence Of Humor in
America.
The London Spectator says:
rnariCaps hova ot inost ono

Americans have Mt least one genial
OF all the differences between society
there and society here, we do not know
one more striking than the political
power which, across the Atlantic, hu-
NOR appears To exercise over the
masses Of the people. We have moth
ing Of the kind left in England. \
stroke Of political humor is, indeed, oc-
casionally appreciated, and Individual
statesmen have sometimes benefited
or suffered from cariraturc, but the
English require 10 see fun in order to
be impressed by It. The Judgment of
Englishmen on O'Connell was distinct
Is affected by III. B.s drawing OF him
a. the Big Bcggarman SirJ. Graham
never quite got over the Little Dirty
Boy : and LOr dJohn Russelps intu-
cnce waned from the day Punch sketch
ed him ~ the small lad who chalkcd
up No Popcry " and then ran away in
fright. The ideal Of him in the British
mind as the man of undaunted pluck,
who would cut for the stone or take
command Of the Channel Fleet, suffer
cd from the drawing. But since the
DAYS Of the Anti-JacObin and Can
ning's Needy knite-grindcr' we can
hardly recall a song, or a story, or 4
bon mot which has exercised an lmpor-
tant influence on politics. The art Of
political squibbing seems itself to have
disappeared, for We DO not allow that
the Battle OF Dorking' comes within
that designation.
II is different, however, in America,
where humor has very often of late
years had high political or social effect,
has brought certain truths home 10 the
popular mind as nothing else could.
By far the most formidable enemy en-
countcred by President jackson in his
war on the National Banks was the
man whom it is said he refused on his
death bed to forgive. Scba Smith, who
published Major Jack Downing Sc
ries Of letters full Of true Yankee hui
NOR iankee as distinguished from
western-humor spiced and favored
with keen intellectual insight. The
'Bislow papers with their humorous
scOrn Of slavery and of wars for its
extension, were most important con
trbution to the Aboiitionist5' cause, as
was the song about John Browns soul
to which the north marched TO the con-
quest Of the south. There is no mean
ing in the humor OF that song, but
there is in its form. and in the tune
which accompanies it, and it kept the
link between abolition and victory in
ccssantly before the minds both Of SOL
dierv and people. Lincoln's humorous
savings, more particularly his remark
about swapping horses while crossing
streams and his rebuke TO the pcrfer
via abolitionists who were pressing
him to 90 too far ahead of the national
sentiment, Il don't know, gentlemen
that | ever received deputation
straight from God Almighty before,
had all the influence of great speeches,
as had before his time the really won
derful burst Of glowing fun in which
Senator Hale. sitting in his place be-
cause he was too fat to stand, repudl-
ated the annexation OF Cuba. That
was speech. no doubt, but it was the
humor in 1t, and not the eloquence,
which destroyed the formidable order
OF the Lone Star.
Bret Harte's Heather Chinee' had
distinctly modified the popular appre-
citation of the Cinnamon, and helped
To beat down the previously threaten
ing dislike felt to them in Massachu-
setts-where they are competing with
the powerful Order of St. Crispn, the
great political Union of Shoe-makers,
which returns one-third of the State
House of Representatives The New
York papers declare that much of the
recent victory of decent citizens over
the Tammany Ring is due to some
practical jokes issued, by an artist
named Mast. in Harper's Weekly, a pub
lication not very commendable to Eng
| lish ideas, but of vast circulation and
clean of pecunlary corruption. We
have not seen these drawings, but the
consensus of New York opinion about
them is complete. And we believe
that the new book which has just APP
| peared, st. Abe and his seven Wives
will paralyze Mormon resistance to the
policy of the Washington government
far more than any amount of speeches
in Congress or messages from Presi-
dent Grant, by bringing home to the
minds of the millions the ridiculous
diabolic side Of the peculiar institution,
its opposition to all the higher, yet
more common instincts of the heart.