The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-01-21
The Growth of Jokes.
A HISTORY OF POPULAR wITT1CIsMs.

An article in late number of the
British Quarterly Reeiec gives an in
sight into the history OF many wtticism,
that have become famous, as well as di
vulges the process of manufacture through
which many excellent jokes have had to
20 before their authors could pass them
oifas spontaneous.
"Wit' it says, sis not always so spon.
taueous as it appears. '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
his jokes, and to his Imagination for his
facts, went through many changes be-
fore it came out in its present briliancy.
The following are some of tho earlier
forms of the wtticism lie employs his
fancy in his narrative, and keeps his
recollections for his wit when he
makes his jokes you applaud the accuracy
of his memory, and It's only when he
states facts that you admire the flights of
mis- Imagination
wit is an evergreen, and jokes of
great antiquity are continually appearing
as new. We can trace the sentiment
contained in the well.known lines
For he who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day
to Desmosthenes, who, when he fed from
the rabblc, and was reproachcd for it,
said that he that flies might fight again.
"Thc germ of Douglas Jcrrold's joke,
that it was better to be witty and wise
tnan witty and otherwise, is to be found
in little book of 'Conceits,' published
in 1859. In the same work is the ever
green joke of the man Gun, who, having
been charged by judge for tale-bearing,
was desired to give good report in fu-
turc
lord Lyndhurst used to say to Lord
Campbell, when he wrote his Lives of
the Chancclors,' that he added a new
pain to death. The original of this wit
ticism can be traced to DR.. Arbuthnot,
who styled the infamous publisher, Curll,
one Of the new terrors of death. Cicero
classes Pompey among those who are sue
amaRteS sine rirali, and we often hear
the same term of expression used to de-
scribe some vain man. Mr. Rogers re-
latcs that when Porson was told that DR..
Prcttyman was left large estate by Mr..
Tomline, who had only seen him once,
he said : 1T would not have happened if
he had seen him twice Porson ap-
parently borrowed his idea from the old
cpigram;
"'I owe, said Metius much to Colons care;
Once only see he chose me for his heir
True, Metius, hence your fortunes take their
rise;
His heir you were not had he seen you twice.
Peter Pindar gave new point to an
old Jest when he said that if he had not
been a good subject to the King, his Maj
esty had been good subject to him.
Scaliger tells Of proud man who, having
quarreled with the Queen OF Navarro,
was ordered to quit the kingdom immedi-
ately, and replied That | can do in
very short time This has given rise to
the following modern version: A prince
Of Italy, whose dominion was Of small ex.
tent, ordered person out Of it in twenty
four hours. The prince has been liberal,
for can quit it in haitian hour, answered
the banished man.
Wit is sometimes involuntary, and
amusing anecdotes often gain their point
from the nairete of those to whom they
relate. 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 something herself,
and she cried out If the parritch pot
gangs at that, what will the kali pot
gang for p
IAN American minister was once
preaching about heaven, and to show the
absurdity of Swcdenborg's ideas drew a
graph; picture Of the Swedenborgian
heaven, with its beautiful fields, fine hors-
cs, cows, and pretty women, when in the
midst of the glowing description, one OF
the sisters went into raptures, and shout
cd, Glory, glory, glory This so dis
comfted the preacher that he paused,
when an elder sister cried out to the
shouter, Hold on there, sister you're
shouting over the wrong heaven =
ut is thought by some to be an ad
vantage to the teller Of good stories to
keep n solemn countcnance himself; but
Charles Lamb classes among his Popular
Fallacies' this-that "a man must not
laugh at his own jest, and says; We love
to see a wag taste his own joke to his
party, to watch quirk or a merry con-
ceit Pickering upon the lips some seconds
before the tongue is delivered of it IfI
it be good, fresh, and racy, begotten of
the occasion it he that utters it never
thought OF it before, he is naturally the
first to be tickled at it. and any suppress
sion Of such complacence we hold to be
clowni-h and insulting"
How To MAKE Coon SoUps.-Buy a
knuckle of beef or veal. Have the bone
well cracked in small pieces. Put it in
a closely covered iron pot For a medi-
um knuckle, add five or six quarts Of cold
water (by using cold water you will Sc
cure ali the juice. whereas in hot water
half the juice is retained in the meat.
Let it come to boil before you add salt
and pepper; then season to suit your
taste, and if agreeable, put in a small bit
OF red pepper. Put the pot on the back
part of the stove after it commences to
boil and keep it gently simnering all day,
then strain it from the bones and meat, |
which are now worthless, into a jar kept
for the purpose Never throw away bones
that are left from baked, boiled, or roast
meat of any kind or such as are left from
steak, oultry, anything-if they have
not been put on the plates; dried or girls
y bits of meats-all may be used to pre-
pare stock for soup; and, in large fam
lily, sufficient may be CLEANED, that would
otherwise be thrown into the swill,to keep
stock on hand for weeks, without buying
a bone for that purpose alone. When the
otooly j. etr.ipal cot in tho callar IN .nnl |