Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-11-12
n1sH VIZ AND HUnoR.

try. Collections Of Hibernian jokes
and puns, bulls aud blunders, can
easily be made, aud the lrishuan
holds his own In Jest. books from Joe
Millern downwards.
II is not the less true that the Irish
In their own land are dull and mel.
anchoIy people. I am mot speaking
of the upper classes, but cf the masses
Of the population with whom trav-
eller comes In contact. The witty,
rollicking stage Paddy 10 no whore to
be seen In real life. Whether it be
from pressure Of poverty, or from
brooding over rcal or ianeied wrongs,
or from climate, or from whatever
cause, tho spirits seem weighed down
as by double density Of atmosphere.
There 10 . waking up under unusual
stimulus, 10 or whisky or -nghsing,
especially at the time Of fairs aud
elections, aud at those strange combi-
nations of religious and secular pur-
pose, the "Patterns," or Patron
Saints festivals. But when the ex-
citement 10 over the normal condition
of imdoleGt quicsccnce returns.
In the country this is painfully ap-
parent. even more than in tile towns.
There are few Of the holiday gather
ings, or rural sports, which in our
dullest districts maintain the name Of
"Merric England" Hurley matches
(hurley bciug tho Irish equivalent OF
English ''hockev" aud Scotch shinty")
are the most notable n.tive amuse-
ments, few ot the laboring class car.
ing for cricket and other games COM
mon to the two islands. Dancing in
its national features is represented in
ihe Irish jig, a unique aud character
istic performance. The dance music
is lively enough, but the majority OF
native airs, apart from dancing, are
of sad and plaintive kind. When
Hayden heard some Of the Irish mel.
odies, he said it was the music of an
oppressed aud sorrowfuI nation.
Nor is this dullness confiued to the
poorest classes. There may be jovi-
ality enough at the couyiyial board.
but the popular literature is surer
measure aud test OF character.
"Zosimus," the "Punch" of Ireland,
is the drearicst publication that ever
was issued as q comic paper. Num-
bcr after number may be searched il
vain for JOKE which would find adj
mission to the stupidest of the Lon
don comic tapers. The very title
page is lugubrious, with the leading
figure of the blind old beggar, will
scroll and wallet. That such paper
should represent the national comic
press is notable fact. mention il
in 10 spirit Of depreciation, but rath
err of praise. Men OF letters have
other work now than in the day
! when they maze sposs rvr si.Sss-oP
pressors. There is room fora nation
al illustrated paper which, nigh
become a power i'll the British press
Meanwhile comic literature Nigh
surely have q better representation il
ireland.
The Irish themselves do not CLAIM
peculiar wit SO much as Others CLAIM
it for them. have o:te noticed ell
ucated Irishncn express pity or dis
gust at their own lower orders, whe
by words or acts they aInuse strail
gers. What an English travelle
thinks smartncss, All Irish sentlema
would regard as impudence, from
beggar or from q car-man, for in
stance.
There is all old story of an Irisl
man being given a ride in a sedan
chair, frcm which the seat and bottoI
had been removed. On being aske
how hc enjoyed it, lie said it was III
commonly like waikiug, o..ly
Knocked his shius badly. An Iris
holman, new to London. told hi
i, people that he had fine wages all
easy labor, for he had only to carr
. bricks up q ladder all day, aud g
o boy" at tie top did all the worl
Such is the drift of many stories tol
about lrishmcn, the laugh being {
. their ignorance or thoughtlessnes
:. not ut any wit in what they say.
r Sydney Smith said it required
5 surgical operation to get joke into
i Scotsman. 1t nigh, now be said wi
q far more truth of Irishmem. A cul
II Gus proof of this occurred when NJ
d Lowe made his notable speech la
v year at Glasgow. In speaking OF Ii
q land, ant the desire Tor home rul
V he told an amusing story of the Ia
:. Irish pa. n:nent, how they had be-
y dinimga, .cl's Bath, an establis
is mcnt su II by the House, al
|; the floor s.ving away, by design
.e misa,ap, the whole of the member
a government and opposition, foul
l themselves plunging about in I
N water. Every one saw it was joe
8. lar illustration of Irish politics, a,
ct the room echoed with laughter. n
d so when the report crossed the Cha
H. mel. A solemn Irishman wrote
g, long letter to the Times, the burd
h. OF " hich was that Mr.. loves sto
ir could not be true, because cit do
ir not appear that the Irish parliaine
he ever gave any grant to DR.. Achu
ut for his baihs!" Another solel
TO Irish,nan replied, proving by extra
IL from the inmates and resolutions
as parliament that from 1878 to Il
of various sums were voted, in the
ter year to the amount of fl100.
turned out, after all, that Achn
was no Turk, as he had pretend
s' but an Irishman who had kept up
as deception on his countrymeni T
ne serious manner in which the Ir
ne papers discussed Mr.. loves je
e. illustrates well the fact of the gene
:" dullness aud absence ofhumor ame
= the Irish Of our day.-[Leisure Hou