New-York tribune., 1873-02-11
WIT HUMOR, AND LRONY.
-. :. NJ rur nEy. JOHN WEISS.

,vcrupr py THE REV. JOHN WEISS.
Tbo socond of n series of Shakespearean lee
,, as dcl,vered az Robinson Hall. In west s1teehtn
AZ last night by the Rev. John weiss Oh W.T. huihoi'
and Ironyp There was very icspoo'''io "uui0nN0
prcsent and bursts OF laughter were Hequen'' i"e o
turer s a shakespearean enthusiast hhu' rs may oo
hrved toward the close Of the following abstract OF
lecture ranks Shakespeare next 10 'no Di'io "S '
or inspiration and Improvement;
An nure wit ia born In the Imagination, bnt only
IN that capabty of 1t TO see our point where TWO lh
concruous things may meet But the poeuc biinlo III
wolves moro than that; 1t is born OF the lnmost Nay
which must overflow, spill itself upon nature, appro
pirate her. senseless as she may seem ana hcapape
rejecting our subetes OF mind and heart often there
- somethine very noble and tender In this process OF
macuation which converts surprise into emotion, as
when COleridce says:
Meilinks II should have been impossible
Not TO love all things ~ voTh 50 allied allied; AL, -,
Is slnmberng her instrument"
The impression OF surprise which perfect sime pro-
duced is transferred from the understanding back to the
imagination, before the former can venture to be
amused But sometimes the surprise fingers there long
enough 10 have a narrow escape from smiling; as when
Sir Thomas Brown finding that midnight has overaken
him at his desk says: ITO keep oar eyes open longer
were to act the antpOdes" His wakeulness is not only
like the antpodal day, but dramatizes IT, and this is
simile that imparts the shock Of II.
professions and apply to persons have all the character
Of wit farmer saws OF a meager and unequal speech
that IL was "prety scattering" abiding to ground
crops that grow unevenly An ironounder VIII say OF
speech that was all passion, that Notwithstanding
| (" did MT make a weld" Miners In the West use the
word color for the purest gold In the ground one
OF them remarked OF a man who had been tried ana
found worthless, have found him out clear down 10
the bed rock; but can't even raise the color" Ere
| %
as the lopceseared horse they saw as the cars
hang ia a iaded horse; and Nantucket captain w1en
asked his opnion of livery rhetorical preacher said
| "he's a good sailor, but bad carver"
The poetry Of Doune, CowIey, aud Others easily fur
nsh examples of sniles which stop so short Of beauty
that their aptness only serves to raise smile when
! Sir John Sucking describes lady:
"Her feet bens'th her petieos
little stole IN and out"
we casually glance toward the pantry. man being
suddenly walked at and told that the ship was sink
ing cried "Don't disturb me- I'm only passenger, tell
the captain This betrays the marks OF manufacture
at Yankee mill but the grst genune as In the story
of person who delivered load Of hay that fun OF
stones TO increase the weight Glow came all these
stones on ita" "Wal-Tm sure I dunno" "Then
guess nobody knows" See, here" do recollect that
coming along drew pretty close to stone one WALL LORD
Dundreary SAYS Sam always calls me MS DrOther De-
| cause neither OF us ever had sister"
The mind uses irony when gIaVey sales an opi3n Ion
moral purpose Of showing It's real dissent IRON the
opinion. II must therefore be done win ls rek rom
the purpose IT, that IL may not pass for an acques
cence in an opposite sentiment 10 may be done so well
o o dpcSie even the elect and perhaps the ordinary
mind complains Of irony wanting In straightforward
ness The pleasure Of irony arises from contrast be-
tended and tins pleasure is heitcned when observe
the contrast between the pure soul VINO means noDly
| and his speaking as II he meant 10 be ignObe.
| In the Old Testament there Is an instance or irony
when the priests of Baal called on his name 9nt there
was reply, and Elijah suggested that either ne l'
talking or he pursuing or he Is on journey or per
! adventure he sleepeth and must be walked" But me
priests had all the prosalc shgleness OF lglOIa Ih'
| and went scartying themselves with knives iOr
| lapcets as If Elijah had not already et1ther blood.
| II we wched to tnd passage from irony TO humor
should have to look for 10 IN cases Whefe sOouatue
assumes the positive attribute OF impartiaity because
humor IS kind OF disposition 10 adopl tne "hoe M oi
human nature all It's distinctions tolerate all us
uirInities and assemble vice and misery 70 receive
ratons OF good cheer Two Hebrews nave oeen .ccVou
| within few years, 10 be Mayors OF London,
They were members OF the Synagogue and might have
appointed Rabbins for chaplances, they pursued
the Old custom which was not however or iogd -ti,
gencv appointed clerCvmen OF the Church Of England
and regularly made all the usual CONDITIONS ior Shiis
tan purposes, including the customary one 70 the So
| cietv for the Conversion Of the Jews.
! Hced 6v Mr. IowfI where Brunette Lattini fingers
under the burning shower 90 recommend his IssorO TO
tboi n sdt,de for his little work not as IN Field
! ing's case after il, hut his avn damnauon.
In Burnss address 10 the devil he Is OF opinion that
that nersonagc cannot take much pleasure torment
ing poor devils like him. Besides If anything is the
matter with him, il Is all the fault OF the devils own
trick which so nearly ruined everything sim, ne
fesses TO a fellow feeling for the devil Why can't he
mend bItl Burns hates 20 think Ot hell Tor the deVs
own sake. But as Shakespeare says: THE devil knew
NOT what he did when he made man polite; he crossed
himself by it, and cannot think but IN the END the VII
! lanies OF man will set him clear"
! Shakespeare may be everywhere extensively used
without being mentally possessed. We need a shak-
! speran piety Formerly the Bible and copy OF JO-
sephus or some prOtracted commentary, stood within
reach Of household, and the leaves were turned by
Religion herself who found her meaning in every
text II the volume Of Shakespeare could attract
paty loyal that, Religion would lind in him, too,
! her counterpart.
But we do not read Shakespeare yet in spiritual faith,
as Bibles are pOndcrcd for that cOnseCrated Murt
we have prOcssOrships OF ShakcpcdT 20 instruct the
youth and inculcate this natural pety Rather let
every household accuse its Indifference and endOw
hearts make him widely felt and uu0ersOOd.
There Is sweetness and light, wisdom and conscience
| and sefknOWedge slumberng below those covers