The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-05-06

Dickens TO reproduce external traits that
rally yirtaons poor children and artisans. his
be "A obnoxious rs Eugene Sues idealised pre-
letaires In encouraglng the miserable alacy
grow out OF harsh social relations. ignorance.
and want; or that the working classes are In
state y nrnsm ,s Mheren n' every one Is CARING
for every ono else. and no one for himself"
v.
or tho multitude cf clover men who from the
days Il Barrow and Hobbs to our own; have
bnmor none have said brighter or keener
things than may be found In the observntions
M Evans s,s H Wn s %s
call to mind how rich arc her novels in com
rnet and cleaning sentences IN telling meta,
in epiframmatic turns q Expression tha, often
wit. in firm and happr strokes that flash
ont tho trn,n from, a. DARK irs and ntnty
mind-wc cannr. hut scan with lively cnrios-
ity the ioruuius and suggestions In which
h%r HT" e.ss Of 81 III y S as
several Of her most noteworthy remarks upon
@ tTy nsT d1 m. ,ss '5 Im yrr
who have forgotten 70 credit tn" contributor to
n" :jn n.tc With ,hsir anrronra-
q tic ssssy ia ]ae.tGn; she , 5sminds " .or
y
icr, growth than wit. and 4 is IN accordance
Wih III; ,srl,or grow,h thai IN. mo re, "i
rore nearly allied 10 the ratiotnntivc intellect.
49, Humor is chiefly rertr-rnnt ve and do.
any other law ii nn its own fun'as,ir viii; or il
fit, about lis" u will-o'- 'h--w ap. amazing MS
10y s whi,mI'n " dnsd ~ WI Is rn an
dors not MAKE pic,urcs u is not funtH-tic: hut
it detects AN un-,sprc'ed ann1cy. .r ~Mcscsts |,
y startling or conioundine Inference; she .
,imc;'y perc"iiv.i ,hat ''.he eject pr"aused on
u by some w'rrisius is closely nkin 10 the
siIca prolucrd by subu" reasoning. which iays
open fa'lncy absurd,y, and there are per-
sons whose de ight in such regs"ning always
wit with ratocination is the more Obvious IN
deals less with words and suirrnciali,irs than
with the essential qualities OF Uing-. Some Of
J"hnson's most admirable w!t'iciTms con, in
the suIcest ION 81 AN anal ~ which immed'ute-
ly eXpo.rs tho lesurdi,y Of I'm action or promo
sition. and i i. only their ingenuity c9nieen,..
soai,,g raised % a higher eo,r,r. On the OF hor
proportion as it associates Itself with III sym
ptths.ic -moti ans continually passes into po-
be- S called led pr ~ poets poets- Bt WIN she tins i
Clearly recognizes that this. tn" current con-
cont"mrla'e humor only in IT, modern sub,l-
mated stage. she lIsrnrns also that II very dif-
f.rcnt account must be =iv"u II its origin and
rnthvia NOT the parent. hu, tho fost"r mother
~ humor although tn" spread Of al'ruis,n is
| age Hobbies wns right therefore SO 'nr a. tho
coars" types " huuor which he must bc hold
he " m"in t" that they "prcnI NOT S t"
SYMPATHY. but TO the apposii. i,"ling
Ts TN, %y s. sn rhd j. made Rs read @.
| that some confusion as 10 the nature Of
hnm9r las been created hy IN" lnct that thoso
| who have written most elOqu ,nty on II have
| dw"it almost csc usyely on its higher forms,
and have defined humGr, in general A.
| the spnDntisic presentation OF inconcru-
a Genni,on " lc6 oniv, arpli.s, 10 its lHter do
exist with q great deal Of barl,arism. ns W. SEQ
in the middle ags-; but the strongest flavor of
symrahy. but more probably from triumphant
!" aspy hi bn dn ns M nSr n to
| ture can ENJOY them: Strange as the sehealnSy
may seem 'hc original p.ren,a,s,s Of that
philosophy and fe"linr. which constitutes
modern humor v%s nrohab'r the cruel m.ckery
rnemy-such IL tho tendency Of things toward
| the good aud beautiful on this, earth !" And
then follow Some ndmiruble determinations
| and antith-ses: Probably the reason why
high culture demands more comIliet. harmony
with. its moral sv'npathiss in humo- than in
wit IL. that humnr is in its nature more prolix
that 1t has not the direct and irresistih'n
takes Us by vi"enco Quite indspsndentIy '| Of
| our predominant mental d'apositi ION: hut hu-
mornprronchcs us more deihIrnt"iy and lenyes
while coarse and cruel humor has almost dis
nrp'ar.d from contemporary literature. COARSE
lncerotins, personality; il III. shock of the
| moral taste: Hence. too. it is. that while wit
nnnnatci hs1"r.diy ,n's. di@tna;on nS' are
! deity drawn. md many m author that we
sn%w OF would ,. , have Looked back on the per.
| that deems It's offspring incnpab.e OF improve
m"nt; bnt neil, her here nor in her novels does
! Gc0r.r Eliot b"trny trace of literary vanity
! AZ nlj times her single object seems to b" to
| discover and Hnmmunica'" n" precise truth.
| In the instance before ne she hnstens 10 inier-
| pose thu cnveat tnat. rs is usn. with dcini-
| lions and class Ar.tionS. this distinction be-
s"nt thu ~ actual " fn" Like ali o,Gsr SPECIES '
VII and hnmor OVERLAP and blend with each
5 cthnr. Their nrc bnhs mots Ike ,many OF
| hyhrds. W. hardly know whether to call them
witty or humorous; conitrariwise there ara
which. like Vo!airc's Micromagns.' Would
," more humorous II they were not 50 spark
tion and satire that We gre OBLIGED to call them
witty. We. rarely md wit nntcmpered by
or S ws na wh@u n i Sn #, yin ,ha
highest degree IN the same mind. as IN Shake-
| Mrphistnrheiean. in m"n who have no relish for
nnmor whose no., lung Do never w crow ike chan.
u plTcnlhesis shat the Same conjunction has
been frequently embodied on George Elot's
| canvas, ns. FOR example,, in the figure Of Mrs.
| Po,srr. On the other hand. 1t j. conceded by
| Miss Evans That broad faced. roll lex ing humor
| needs tn" refining influence of wit. Indeed IL
| inny he said that there is no really hno writing
IN nv, which W's has not IN Implicit II not an eN-
surface 1t may never hame out into u with
cism; bu, it helps to give nigh mess and trans
| pnrcncy i iinparts the flavor Of mind 1t warns
! OF from flights and Congregations which verge
ON the rd.cuous-in every gr1Te Of writing it
! preserves u man from sinking into tho 0eiu'e
! rtnMrur; And 1t is eutnrntly needed for this
| office IN humorous writing: for, as humor has
| no limits imposed on II by its material. no law
| but Its own eNubernnre. IL Is apt to become
! rr"posterous md weari-Omn unless checked
| by W.T. which is tho enemy OF AL monotony. of
al, lenEthin"ss. OF al eNagseraton."
Passing from abstract discussion to concrete
| illustrations Miss I,nnS would recognize in
| tho typical Frenchnlin aud the typical German
the nearest apron hes made by nature to u
| comrete analysis in which wit is "a thoroughly
exhausted OF humor as possihle and humor is
~ bare rs possible Of wit. Thus ".,Volaire, tho
| int"nseSt example OF pure wit. fails in most Of
| his irtions from his lack Of humor." while. on
! tho other hand. Jean Paul. the greatest of
/ .nF Fnn Ia l.l..