, 1874-07-25
"Josh Islllings', In English.

F{VH Eh5 44QIHHU t9peCEt{GT.
Educated Americans ofton expross Bo1ne aston
ishment ut tho liking displayed by tho british
public for tho American "hlmorists," men ii,
whom they say they tind littlo except some COM
Monplaco oxsrayagancc aud mucl, bad spelling:
which made Ill luulenso hit, aud exercised q per
manent influence on public opinion, they do. not
ne are told. gonninoiy admiro.nny Of tho comic
productions Englishmen and 80 racy.. TAoy pre-
lor Ms. Lowelfa serious poems. which, sweet "a
they aro, will scarcely live, to tho :" Bgolow
paporS," which will last long ns their tllaIoot
romans intollgibo acarcey estimate Leland at
English valuation, wouaor at tho fuss nado
about Marx Twain, and hold Artemus Ward to
are In their way moro humorous than the En-
gtish, aud as thoy produce thcso professional
AumpristB, this want Of appreciation OF them
would be bard to understand. or oven to admit,
whom arc full OF racy hunor which the other
half Reem uAahe to comprehend. No mover
ulot a Scotchnlan yot-we hayo iriod tile expcri-
mont Several ti,nes--'Sho fully onjoyel Artemus
Ward, ar understood why tho absurd inoongruity
OF bis savings with the shrewdnoss embodied in
his thous made EngliBhuou' ahako with laugh
tor auch aB 10 English Aumor seemed in a1iY
equal degroo to provoke. Thoro must bo two
publics ID Auorica, juAt "a there are in Scotland
aud Que Of them doBpiAey the laughter which tho
othor enjoys. Ono cause Of tho contempt is, We
suspect, the articiatity into which all hlmorieta
who trade on their humor aro apt to fall; another,
tho wearineas Of Americans Of the ahraw1 aay-
ings ia which mucll. OF their huinor is embodied;
and third, tho Iroposteroua u8a Bamo Of the
comic aphorists mako Of bad spelling. Arsomus
tho absolute difference between tEo nlothod
OF conjuEatng ONO expected and tho mothod
ho tried exciting Of itsolf the Houso of in
conEruity, which ia the lrst cAuso Of laughter;
but his imltatora have lost lin art auoh as it was,
es'ls hssnee!f "josl, B'liings" his % Entirely.
CHANGING to take up tho book at railway sta
run that "Joah Billings" wit and hun,or wns,
oil the whole, tho most coutomptibly vulgar
tsa8h lae had eyor hati in his hnna; WORSE by
many degrees than tho worst failure OF tho old
!.oudon COMIC sohool; quito a. bad, Ia tact, al
bling ,ou Lls llands and lifting with bis feet a
Wlto hat with mourning ornpo all round 1t.
HAyns however. to travel furthor, aud no other
book boiug ut hand, lie tried to read it steadily,
ous fact: "Josh Dlll1ngs" il tho ulchnamo Of
cated with the mind, II one could imagine such
q mind, Ut Diasontlng sylnoy Smith. lla has
not Ut course, the full power or tho witty divine;
lie has injured such power na ho bag by using it
up, apparently, as no guess from hiH dodication,
to earn hia broad, aud his topios aro uau-
ally inferior; but lo has in high 1ogroo
tho powor Sydney Smith rosaoaHod of say
ing odd things which,, like common proverbs.
enIbody ip iine tl,e experience Of agoa or tho
reasoning Of lilo. Ia can do nothing olso.
essh s as1os lossoa on IL poitts y sn tho one fss ls
poasessos IL ayorlaid by hia own or. lla original
publishers folly, TIL it IL almost invisible, llaf
OF tho book IL rubbish, tho more arogs Of lais
bettor work, oookea nl', ,wo sltpposo, for mar
kot ,yhiel. lad enjoyed solno of Ills racor uid-
tics. aud l,<- kopt on hoping fur Aomo moro long
after the supply wnA exhausted. About . tont4
is made up 'ot woak p!atitules. aud about q
| twcuheth Ut Christian Ilaxitna Of the mo8t eay-
agsly orthodox typo, .uhioh sesm uaually, With