Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-02-28

We do not now aiiude to the stock
broking financier or the farmyard steer,
but to the apparent congruity and real
ncongruity" of ideas populariy sup
posed to be characteristic of the Irish
mind. In 1902 there was published,
by Richard and Maria Edgeworth, an
Essay on Irish Bulls" which was
handled by Sydney Smith IN the Edin-
Jugh ReUie,g. The object of this re-
markable work was TO prove that the
practice of ''making bulls" Is not more
imputable to the Irish than TO any other
people and the manner in which the
authors set about it was to quote ex-
amples of bulls produced In other coun-
iries. a singular way of reasoning the
question For, as the racy reviewer re-
marks, "there are goitres out of the
Valois, extortioners who do not worship
Moses, oatcakes south of the Tweed.
and balm beyond the precincts Of Gil
lead. If nothi lg can be said to exist
pre-eminently and en- uphatlcally in our
country which exists at all in another,
then Frenchmen are not gay nor Span
iards grave or the gentlemen OF the
Milesian race remarkable for their dis
interested contempt of wealth In their
connubial relations" We have said
that to accredit the Irish with this pc
culiarly embarrassing talent Is the re-
suit OF nothing more than popular sup
position !; but it is, of course, probable
that there is some foundation Tor a
character so nationally maintained, how
ever much it may be enlarged by fame.
Sydney Smith Is the author OF the above
definition of 'bull, ;" and he points
cut, with some show of reason, that q
bull Is the very reverse of wit. For as
wit discovers real relations that are not
apparent, the bull admits apparent re-
lations that are not real. The pleasure
arising from wit proceeds from our sur
Prise at suddenly discovering two things
to be similar in which we suspected no
similarity. The pleasure arising from
bull proceeds from our discovering |
two things TO be dissimilar in which a
resemblance might have been suspected. |
Louis XIV, being extremely harassed |
by the repeated solicitations of a vet
eran officer for promotion, said, one
day, loud enough to be heard by the |
subject of his unintentlonal compliment |
THAT gentleman is the most trouble
some officer l have in my service '
THAT Is precisely the CHARGE" said the
veteran, (which your Majesty S enemies
bring against me-" An English gentle
man, says Mr.. Edgeworth IN a story
cited from Joe Miller, was writing let
ter LII cotfee-house, aud perceiving
that an Irishman, stationed behind him.
was taking that liberty which PaImenlo |
used with his friend Alexander, IL
stead of putting his seal upon the lips
of the curious impertinent, the English |
gentleman thought proper to reprove
the Hibernian, If not With delicacy, at |
least with justice. He concluded wit
ing his l5tter with these words IL
would say more, but a blackguard Irish
man Is reading ovel my shoulder every i
word that l am writing" ''You lie, you
scoundrel p roared the self-convicted |
culprit. Now, with some force of logi-
cal acumen, Sydney Smith points out
that the pleasure derived from the frs.
OF these stories proceeds from the dis
covery of the relation that subslsts be-
tween the object he had in view and the
assent of the officer TO an observation
so untriendly to that end. In the first
rapid glance which the mind throws
upon bis words, he appears, by his ac-
qulescence, to be pleading against hiR-
self. There seems to be no relation be-
tween what he says aad what he wishes
to effect by speaking.
In the second story the pleasure is
directly the reverse. The lie given was
the readiest means of prov
ing his innocence and really the most
way of establishing his guilt.
There seems for moment to bea strong
relation between the means and the OBJ
Iect 4; while, in point of fact, no irrela-
ton can be so complete. What connec-
ton is there between pelting monkeys
with stones ami gathering cocoanuts
from lofty trees ? Apparently, none.
But monkeys sit upon lofty cocoa-nut
-rees, and monkeys are initiative ant
mails. Wherefore, If you shy up peb-
Dles at the monkey, the observant mon
Key will heave the cocoanuts at you.
This scheme of gathering cocoanuts Is
IS witty as the method of procuring
auSudi1ilu phIIOtS DJ slONtiF Ndlhllb
'ound and round the base of the trees
n which they are perched till they top s
Die down with sheer giddIness in trying 4,
% keep you in their eye. Both these
would be still more witty If they did J
lot also appear very useful for, as t
sydney Smith observes very truly, '-the {
dea of utility is ever inimical to the
dea of wit. There appears, on the i
contrary, to be some relation between |
he revenge of the Irish Rebels against c
banker, and the means which they
ook to crafty it-by burning all the l
Iotes OF his bank which they could lay i
Iands on; whereas, of course, they {
ould hardly have rendered him more 5
ignal service, In these cases OF bulls, i
ractical and verbal, there is an appar-
ent congruIty and real incongruity of
leas. In these cases of wit there is an
pparent incongruty and real rela-
ion.