New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-26
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
cOIrTuERN HUMOR.

no as5 Houghton, MihiIn Co.
AR Wat,erson offers in this neat compilation
<ecord of by gone day, OF race whlch mas passo"
from life into history with its bashiul love man
ipgs its rough Jokes it's fights races ba,hecues anu
ramp meetings. He has not attempted 10 Vrescu'
an encyclopedia Of Southern wit and humor' pu''
as he himself declares, series OF character'suc
n,ctures taken from the most graphic chfohcleIS vi
the neither side of Southern life in the early Gays
before the war; There remain but few sources Vi
iotimate acquaintance with the queer characters
and oueerer customs of that fastfadlhg ''iho' ""u
anll and coarse as most Of its humor seems now !"
is worth while perhaps to retain wha' ma. 70 Wv
dav valuable contribution to the social history VI
rsoo and RAMON TO which the Civil War brought
..ro,,a cnanges Mr. WatterSon has selected repre-
,.ntativ, extracts from Georgia Scenes from
a,,;or Iones'sD accounts of his courtshlp ana
travels and fiom the sketches OF DaVy CfocAo''
Uncle Remus and other Southern compositions ol
nm odd or a humorous tone ana he mas added u''elS
Genial introductions and comments
Ola.time Southern hunior, as described IN this
vo,nne. smelled somewhat too generously OF
vbiske,.and tobacco, and shone with too lurid
radiance through successful piece OF coarse cunning
and vulgar rascality The atmosphere when per
yades most Of the earlier sketches is that oil larce
rather than of comedy. And It must be sald tilat
the fun is not always funny, more IMAM n"ll "a ~
hoi,g in situation instead of in character. 1t Is
the borse-play OF the tavern the race-courSe' INC
gambling aen and the country frolic the huinor oI
= rr.,c Fieldmp not that OF an Irving. IN thosc
A.. tho iolliest conyive could hot raise laugh
ith the anil story or suit LOvingoods sunday
shirt OF that of the harp of thousand suhes' ouV
in the adventures of Captain Suggs OF the lai'a
poosa Volunteers there is tinge OF world wlde
scouudrells,n of the Barry Lyndon sort that added
IN its provinca! color gives something OF vitality
20 This sunny and venal swash- buckler" Inc
nlacid ease. the gayety of heart with when DC
ernet,ates his swindles serve to carry OF niue
of the coarseness of his traits and ms surronhu-
ir,s II is hardly family reading, however.
Major Jones is not Quite so much OF a vulgarlan as
CAPTAIN Suggs perhaps but he is hOpeessly 1arclcal
instead of humorous.
Mr.. Wattersons quotations from Judge Badwins
alYrsb Times" first pull lished nearly thirty wears
oco Give some pleasantly suggestive pictures CT GER
tain phases Of Southern life in slave-holding days
he description of old Major Willis NorlnIey ana
his family ought not to be forgotten:
Uo belonged to the old school of Nirginlans.
Nothing could have torn him from the virginia ne
loved, as Jacopi Foscari. Venice, Dnt tne afiyihg
of his eldest daughter, Mary, 10 agthtlemah OF
Alabama The Major was something between; or
made of about equal parts OF, Uncle iO0y ana MI
Pickwick. with slight nav0rcI MI: hIca" peI
IL was fbe soul of kindness disini erestedness and
hospitality Love to everything that uad lile IN IL
burned like a flame in his large ana benlgnaht soui
A. flowed over in his countenance, ana gi0weu
.E.mnob everv feature and moved every muscle in
The frame il animated. ! he MAJOR IlVed Freely
was rather cOTpulent and had not eah Ihlilg On
bis the negroes, the dogs the horses the
cattle the very chickens. wore an air OF cOlpuIeht
complacency, and hustled about with goOu-nu-
mored roundty There was m3re iSa eId a ~
vet mn n dozen Irish fairs The Majors vile lad,
from long lilo of affection, and the practice OF me
same nursuits and the indulgence or inc
,o feelings ans, tastes got much like him that
She seemed a fem nine and mode at edition Oh MN
self Four daughters were all thht reinaneu III 'Ie
familv-two had been married ot-and tney had
81 son The Girls ranged from sixteen 10 twenty
fwo-fne hearty, whole soued. wholesome, cheer
mi iaSsrs with constitutions to last, ami HOW OIL
shirts like mountain springs; not ID utles Dut
good houseN ife girls, whose open commentaries
aud neat figures and rosy checks aud laughing eyes
aud frank and cordial manners MADE them' AT
lone abroad on horseback or on foot, at the piano
or discoursing on the old English BOOKS OF W ashihg.
ton Irvings sketch Book'-a iavorlte IN lhe fanny
ever since it was written,-as entertain " anu as
wall calcula ed to fix solid Impressions on the heart
as any four girls in the country. The only dliIl-
emily was they we're so much alike thaI you Wore
ut IN fault which to fall in love with. They were
All good housewives, or women, rather but MIS-
WoTnley or Aunt WUrmev, as We called her' was as
FAR ahead of anV other woman IN that waV AS coull
Ina found this side of the Virginia boT9et. IL lhei
was ANYTHING good IN the culinary line tlat sht
couldn't make, should IKE 10 KNOW H. no LAY
lived on the main stage-road, anu IL any ucCenllS
dre.sed man ever passed the house after sundowI
he escane1 by sheer accident. The house wa
greatly visited The Major knew everybody, an(
s rer,i, near him knew tie Major The stage
roach couldn't stop long. but IN the h0t sun ne
havs about noon. as the driver tQoted ms norm a
Ibc fen of the red hill. two negro boys stood oppO
,i,e the door, with trays OF the tnest NUT and
pitcher OF cider tor the ieireshment OF the way
farers. the Major himself being on the lookout
With lis hands over his eyes, bowlng-as he only
could bow vaguely into the coach ana LOOKING WISH
fully to find among the passengerS an acqualhtanc
wb0m he could prevail upon to get out and stay
week with him. There wasnta poor neghbor t
whom the Major had not been as good as All insurer
xithont premium tor his stock, OF for his crop; an
from the wav he rendered the service you woul
think he was the party Obliged, as he was
This is not. in any country have ever been in,
money. making business; aud the Major though d
ALWAYS made good crops must have broke at IL lon
noo Inn for the fortunate death of few aunti
after whom the girls were named. who. pasln
their several debts OF nature leit ihe MAJOR IN
means TO paw his less serious bat still welghty OF
legations
The Major. for wonder. being Yrginan, ha
no partisan politics. He could not have. iii
heart could not hold anything that implied wal
fare mon TIE thoughts or feelings OF Others II
voted al the time for his friend, that Is the can
ddate living nearest TO him; regIettlng, gen
orally, that he did not nave another vote lot I'll
other man.
II would have done a Camanche Indians hear
good to see all the family together-grandchildre
rni all-of winters evening WIN gust Oh wv
TO embarIass the manifestations of affection
Such a concordance, as If all hearts were attuned
the same feeling: the old lady knitting in til
corner the old man smoking his pipe opposite
both of their fine faces radiating, in the pauses q
The laugh the jest the caresS, the Infinite sat'
faction within.
II was enough TO convert an abolitOnist to Sc
the old Major, when he caIue home from Ion
tourney of two days TO the county town,-tll
negroes running in Il string TO the buggy, this on
10 hold the horse that one TO help the old man Ou
and The others to inquire how he was and to oil
serve the benignity with which--the kissing of tn
girls and tho old lady hardly over-he distribute
q piece Of calico here plug of tobacco there, or
card Of town gingerbread TO the little snow ball
that grnned around him: what was given bein
but q small part OF the gift. Invested OF the kind
cheerful, rolicking way the old fellow had of civ
Ing il.