The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-03-17
., Irish BulIs.,,

;,E' N.,, Irish Bulls. @ ~ 81
We do not now allude to the stock
broking fnancier or the fsrmyard steer,
but to the apparent congruity and real
incongruity" 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-
durvh Revie,O. The object Of this re-
markable work was to prove that the
practhce 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-
cries. A singular way OF reasoning the
question For, as the raoy reviewer re-
marks, "there are goitres out of the
Valois, extortioners who do not worship
Moses, oatoakes south Of tie Tweed,
md balm beyond tho precincts OF Gil
lead. if nothi lg can be said to exist
pre-eminently and enphatlcally in our
country which exists ut 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 moro than popular sup
position but it is, of course, probable
tIlut there is some foundation for q
character SO nationally maintained, how
| ever much 1t may be enlarged by famo.
Sydney Smith Is the author OF the above
"A INIT, H>,,I L.
out, with some show OF reason, that y
bull is the very reverse Of wit. For as
wit discovers real relations that are not
apparent, tho bull admits apparent re.
latlons that are not real. The pleasure
arising from wit proceeds from our sur
prise at suddenly ydiscovorlng two things
to bc simllar in which we suspected no
similarity. The pleasure arising from
u bull proceeds from our discovering
two things to be dissimilar in which
Resemblance might have been suspected.
Louis XIV, being extremely harassed
by the repeated solicitations of vet
Gran officer for promotion, said, one
day, loud enough to be heard by the
subject OF his unintentional compliment
-"That gentleman is the most trouble
some officer have in my SERVICE"
THAT is precisely the CHARGE" said the
veteran, (which your Majesty g enemies
bring against me-" An English gentle
man, says Mr.. Edgeworth in q story
cited from Joe Miller, was writing a let
ter i'll coliee-house, and perceiving
that an lrishman, stationed behind him,
was taking that liberty which Parmenlo
used with his friend Alexander, in
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 writ
Ing his letter with these words CT
would say moro, but blackguard Irish
man is reading ovel my shoulder every
word that L am writing" "You lie, you
scoundrcl u roared the self-convicted
culprit. Now, with some force of logi-
cal acumen, Sydney Smith points out
that the pleasure derived from the first
of these stories proceeds from tho dis
covery OF the relation that subsists be-
tween the object he had in view and the
assent Of the officer to an observation
so unfriendly to that end. In the first
rapid glance which the mind throws
upon his words, he appears, by his ac-
qulescence, to be pleading against hin-
| BULL LHC1c ScoLuS " Uo uO ie,uClOu De-
! tween what he says and what he wishe,
to effect by speaking.
In the second story the pleasure is
directly the reverse. The lle given was
apparently the readiest means of PROV
ing his innocence and really the most
etfectual way of establishing his guilt.
There seems Tor moment to boz strong
| relation between the means and the OBJ
Ject while, i'll point of fact. no irrela-
tlon can be 80 complete. What conncc-
ton Is there between pelting monkeys
with stones AMI gathering cocoann;s
from lofty trees Apparently, none.
But monkeys sit upon lofty cocoa-nut
trees, and monkeys are initiative AMI
mails. Where fore, it you shy up peb-
bles at the monkey, the observant mon
Key Will heave the cocoanuts ut you.
This scheme Of gathering cocoanuts Is
rs witty as the method of procuring
Australian parrots by slowely walking
round and round the base Of the trees
in which they are perched TIL they top
pie down with sheer giddlness in trying
to keep you in their eye. Both these
would be still moro witty If they did
not also appear very useful for, as
| Sydney Smith observes very truly, ':the
idea OF utility is ever ininical to the
idea OF wit There appears, on the
| contrary, to he some relation between
the revenge Of the Irish Rebels against
banker, and the means which they
took to crafty it-by burning all the
| notes OF his bank which they could lay
hands on; whereas, of course, they
| could hardly have rendered him more
signal service, In these cases of bulls
practical and verbal, there Is .,l uppar-
rent congrulty and real incongruity of
ideas. In these cases Of wit there is an
apparent incongrnty. and real reia-
| ton.
Wonderful leo Caves,