Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-10-16
Anew OF THIN.
Three Glasses Of Jokes and Speci-
mems OF Each. or
Fine Fun, jolly Jokes and Bully
Blunders.

Fine Fun, jolly Jokes and Bully
Blunders.
"a little wit is rellshed by the wisest
meD," is sentiment the truth of which is
generally admitted, although 1t is too fire.
quently taken as the excuse for thrusting
upon US the veriest trash and nonsense.
The supreme egotism of fools gilds their
imbeciie efforts to their eyes, and they
wonder that the world don't laugh. Their
vapid froth would never be recognized as
wit, and yet it has disastrous effect, for it
has brought true humor Into disrepute.
Hence most writers, says a brilliant re-
viewer in the British Quarterly, seem to
consider the collection of jests as deroga-
tory Office; and doubtless it Is so, when the
work is undertaken as 1t usually is; but
surely we need not be ashamed to do
what was done by Julius Caesar,
Tacitus, and Lord Bacon. There are fe y
greater mistakes than the supposition
that wit Is frivolous. Most great men,
even if not witty themselves, have been
anxious to listen to that which could break
the thread of their serious thoughts; they
have been eager to hear and see whatever
would make them laugh.
Wit, humor and fun, though frequently
confused, are each distinct. Wit requires a
good head, humor good heart, and fun
good spirits. Wit will rise to the highest
flights, and fun may sink to the lowest
depths. The word wit has many significa-
tons, its original being the Anglo Saxon
verb meaning to know, and thus it was
formerly synonym Of wisdom; and we
should not forget this sense, because
the highest wit is wisdom at play. Here is a
bubble on the double use of the word, Per-
ron observed to the duke of Mantua, who
said that the jester whom he retained in
his service was fellow of no wit or humor,
"Your grace must pardon me, think he
has g deal Of wit who can live by trade he
does not understand"
Amusing anecdotes often gain their point
from the naiUete Of those to whom they re-
late.
SIR WALTER SCOTT
Tells how he was at country sale and
bought an old piece for five and twenty
guineas. This price much astonished an
old wife, who was looking to buy some
thing herself, and she cried out 'If the
parritch pot gangs at that, what will the
kali pot gang for2"
1t is thought by some to be an advantage
for the teller of good stories to
KEEP A SOLEMN COUNTENANCE
Himself, but Charles Lamb classes among
his popular Falacies" this-that ga man
must not laugh at his own jest" and says:
We love to see wag taste his own joke
to his party, to watch quirk, or merry
conceit, Pickering upon the lips some sec
onds before the tongue is delivered of it..
If it be good, fresh and racy, begotten ofthe
occasion; if he that utters it never thought
it before, he is naturally the first to be tick
led at it, and any suppression of such CON-
pliance we hold to be clownish and insult
ing.
IMPROMPTUS
are often polished by the midnight oil; thus
Sheridan's celebrated description in the
house of commons of Dundas as one 'who
generally resorts to his memory for bis
jokes, and to his imagination for his facts
went through many changes before it came
out in its present brilliancy. The follow
ing are some of the earlier forms of the
witticism: she employs his fancy
in his narrative, and keep his recoliecs-
ion for his wit" 'fWhen he
makes his jokes you applaud the accuracy
of his memory, and tits only when he states
his facts that you admire the flights of his
imagination" Sheridan, at public din
ner, was Unexpectedly called upon to say
grace, when he acquitted himself as fol-
lows: "What, 40 clergyman present?
Thank God for all thingsl" This is a much
improved reading of very old joke, but
Charles Lamb attributes this version to q
friend of bis.
The germ of
DOUGLAS JERROLD'S JOKE,
"That it was better to be witty and wise
than witty and Otherwise is TO be found
in little book Of sConceits," published in
1859. In the same work is the evergreen
joke of the man Gun, who, having been
charged by a judge for tale-bearing, was
desired TO give good report In
future. How often do we find the
circumstantial story of a man that
gave his friend some old wine in a small
glass, and was told that it was very lit
tie of its age; now Athenaus tells this of both
Phryne and Gnatbena. Small glasses had
always been obnoxious to large drinkers;
Nicholas Bacon, told a friend who gave
him some wine in small glass to tie a
long string to it, for be expected to swal-
low it some day.
AN ANECDoTE OF EDMUND KEAN
Forms companion picture 20 the above.
The manager of Scotch theatre, where
Kean was playing "Macbeth," offered
him some whisky in a very small
glass. "Take that, Mr.. Kean, it is the real
mountain dew that viii never hurt you,
sir." NO." said Kean, ''that I'll De sworn, it
wouldn't-ifit were vitEiol." These old jokes
with new faces corroborate the saying that
nothing is so new as that which is forgot
ten. Lord Lyndhurst says of Lord Camp
bell when he wrote his HLives of the Chan
cellors," that he had added new pain to
death. The original of this witticism can
be traced to DR.. ArbuthnOt, who styled
the infamous publisher, CURL, one of the
new terrors of death.
CROSS READINGS,
In which an amusing result is obtained by
the junction of dissimilar extracts from
newspapers, were once much the vogue.
Here are two or three by their inventor,
Caleb Whiteford: ''Last night the Princess
Royal was baptized-Mary, alias Mol
Hacket, alias Black Moll." ga certain
eommoner will be created peer-a greater
reward will be offered" 'A fine turtle
weighing upward of so fbs-Was carried
before the sitting alderman" A
printers blunder in a Paris evening
paper few years ago makes an amusiI 2
cross reading. "Dr. X has been ap-
pointed head physician to the Hospital de
La Charite-Orders have been issued by the
authorities for the immediate extension of
the CENT terry of Mont Parnasse. The works
are being executed with the. utmost dis
pstch". The ever ingenious American edi
tors have just invented succinct mode Of
stating fatal occurrence without details,
and leaving the end to be inferred.
We give a few specimens: GA man
Of New Hampshire the other day ate Of
teen dozen raw oysters on wager. The
silver trimmings on bis coffin cost Sl235."
"John Smith in Nebraska, said he could
handle a rattlesnake the same as a snake
charmer. The churlishness of the under
taker in demading pay in advance DELAYED
the funeral four days" "a circus-rider in
Texas tried to turn three summersaults on
horseback the other day. The manager
sent back to New Orleans the following day
for another summersault man.
"Few men would attempt to dry gun
powder in the kitchen stove. A man in
Canada did. His afflicted family would be
glad Of any information as to his where
aboutS." ga man warned his wife in New
Orleans not to light the fire with kerosene.
Her clothes fit his second wife remarkably
well.n
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