The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-07-23
DOWN-EAST WIT AND HUMOR

The gravest animal is the ass, the
gravest bird the owl, and the gravest fish
the oyster. It is the fools only who are
serious. Gravity is often the very essence
of imposture. Gravity of demeanor is no
test Of mental capacity. There are people
who think they are pious when they are
bilious. Most Of you can call to mind
persons who never make an attempt at
mirth. I have some as invinclble as the
old lady at Concord: "Have you given
electricity trial for your complaint,
madame" asked the minister, as he took
tea with the old lady. ''Electricity?"
said she. swell, yes, 1 reckon I have. I
was struck by lightning last summer and
hove out. of the window, but it didn't
seem to do me no sort Of good.
On the morning after the first delivery
of this lecture in Massachusetts town the
driver who was taken me to the station
said to me: "That was pretty tol'rable
good what you gave 'em up to the hall
last night. I haven't seen nobody that
didn't like it but old Deacon Fry, and he
never likes nothing. He said it might
be we'll enough for light minded folks,
but he thought there was parts on it
dreadful shallow" The principle of
mirth is not deep one, but it is as in
nate in the mind as any other original
faculty we possess. More sayings and
incidents provocative of true mirth can
be found nowhere than in our Nothern
states on all subjects. We are apt to find
only what we look for, and this peculiar
wit often has to be explained to people
IN good set terms.
once heard man cnquired Of in a
shop as to the health of his wife.
''Oh, WE'LL" said he, "she's pretty poor
ly; she don't seem to get no better at all.
She has been sick about seven years, now,
and the doctors don't appear to know
what to make Of it; but she kind o'hangs
along and it is a great trial, declare, I
do wish she'd get well, something y
But the other party gravely acquiesced,
and neither of them saw anything funny
in it.
Frequently the speaker has no ade-
quate conception Of the force of his own
remarks. ''I'm kept so busy with this
big estate my brother left me,'' said a
sharp Yankee lawyer, II declare, some
times almost wish John hadn't died." I
remember having read, in a letter from a
touristin our northwestern states "a des-
cription Of the difficulty of shooting the
rapids of one Of our northern rivers and
the slow process of polling up stream
again. Two of the settlers undertook tc
dispense with the usual boatmen; the
boat was upset, and the two adventures
were swept rapidly down the river.
tall, gaunt shopkeeper ran down the pier
crying, "Save the red-headed one! Fol
heavens sake, save the man with the rec
head!' This started the people to work
and they saved him. The tall, gaunt maj
waited to see that life was not quite ex
tinct, and then turned away with the re
mark, II wouldn't have had that mar
drowned for considerable. He owe
EN- sixteen dollars" e'.Well, there
something in that,'' said one of the DO,
ISLANDERS. II expect a man don't know
how valuable he is In this world till b
owes somebody some money. Then folk
wants to know where he's goin'." A stag
driver in the white mountains, when ask
ed what he thought of the Notch, replied
wen, l was born around here, you know
and don't mind it so much. But if
should 60 down to New York, I recko,
likely I'd gawk around considerable nv
sell" Violent contrasts are common t
Doth wit and humor. None Of the NOR
acute writers on mirth vary much from
this idea: The most exhaustive definj
ton has been given by DR.. Barrow some
times the wit Of thing ]ieth in the pa
alluslon to known story sometimes til
wrapped up in dress of humorous EXPIRES
sion; sometimes couched in bold forr
of speech or in acute nonsense; sometime
in affected simplicity; sometimes from
crafty resting, but oftener from-on
hardly knows what" But we may get
more distinct idea from the remark {
Hazlitt; Man is the only animal in tn
world who laughs, because he is the onl
one who can see the difference betwee
things as they are and things as he know
they ought to be- During the existene
OF the Dorr rebellion in Rhode Island, IL
leader of the insurgents drew up his me
on the summit If a hill noor pro1; dono