The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1884-02-23
THE KINDLY JEST.


There appear to be two great divis-
ions of humorous wit: the repartee and
the practical Joke. Both these have an
aggressive character. To begin with
the repartee-it is usually slap in the
face.
A few years ago, the country pos
sessed a great master of repartee, MIR.
Douglas Jerrold. Specimens of his
style still survive in the memory of his
contemporaries.
A mediocre writer, employed on the
same subject as himself, says: '.You
kno>v, Jerrold, you and are rowing in
the same boat.
Eyes, y replied the wit, "but not with
the same SOULS.
Another inferior artist is eating soup
at the Gasrick Club. He praises 1t to
Jcrrold, and tells him it was calf-tail
soup. "Aye," says Jerrold, extremes
meet -
These are strong specimens, but take
milder ones; still the aggressive char
acter is there.
Pecuniary calamity overlook friend
of Mr.. Edmund Burke. Another friend
went to console him, and, like Jobs
comfortcrs, told him 1t was ali his own
fault ''How could you be so unfeel-
ingP" asked Mr.. Burke, when he heard
of it.
''Unfeeling, sirr' says the other.
t'Why, went to him directly, and poured
oil into his wounds"
"Oil of vitriol," says the statesman.
Of course l need not say that a thou
sand examples of the kind are to be
found in literature.
The witty Voltaire recedcd with adj
mirable deXterity from good nature into
wit. He permitted himself to praise
some gentleman rather warmly. His
nearer said ''Ihis is very good of you,
for he doesn't speak of you with any re-
spect; quite the reverse"
''Ah!" said Votaire, "hatnGpln EST
errare;" probably we are both of us
g mistaken.
Il An observer of witty men and theiI
sayings summed the matter up as fol
l. lows: DtSeur de 60n-motS, mGNudis car.
ac'ere.
Even where the wit is without per.
sonality, it does not always lose its ag.
gress.ve character. See how the per
sonages in the ''Sehcol for Scandal
expla'n why wit and good-nature are SC
seldom united. 1t is not bitter, but still
bit is biting.
j Now go from this to the practical
: Joke, which is always an attempt at hu
3 Hmor. Dissect the pract cal joke. Egot
q ism and poverty of real wit temp
81 30 re dull fellow to infict moderate
n pain upon another, keeping well out o
ls It himself; and his being out of it, an(
I'D he other beng in it, makes him fee
shlumorous; and this really favors thu
sol harrow theory of Hobbies of Malmesbury
That daughter arises from a-glorying il
ourselves at some superiority over on
keighbors. The dull humorist in thi
ty1e chips bristles and strews them il
t th9iS friends bed, or makes him up wha
% ID called an apple-pie bed-a wonderful
er y Drrupt on of cap-a-pie. Meantime hi
NV ed IS all right, and his heart reioices
9s9e2nit One of these humorists put skeleton
Ito young ladys bed, down il
Worcestershire, then retired softly ant
waited the result, with the idioti
II. buckle of a dull dog who has strayet
. ITO humor The result was, that tn
= tdy fell screaming to the floor; wa
"a kken up insane, and ended her days il
4 Hmad-house. Another such humoris
a httoned down the matches of a small
81 kading- Vessel in the Thames. Smok
as created somehow in the hold q for
= 1t by what Cause) the crew, cons ST
IT.; o OF four poor wretches, tried in val
AtSH escape. Their very crieswere stifed
81 1.-the next day their smoking corpse
: Pam re recovered, grim monuments of
hela hp'd fellows humor.
AE&olomon has observed that Natur
sMhtains tremendous animals. Az tn
AID of the list he places a couple, viz
:is,p9 Dear robbed of her whelps and an il
- hted fool. Leaving these two terribl
NO atures to figure cheek by iOwl in tn
non 3E9i 4 red page, | beg the third place for
Is sen h man or woman trying to be WITTY
.,r,,,,l Tow all this is not absolutely nece'
yste1 h. Its more difficult to say witt
oi1sl-. - entity thiHgs-than W tty and il
seed red things. Yet it is W thin tn
g n y er of the human understanding.
= Young lady walking in her garde
e saopls sydney Smith, pointed out to hi
rRoIr Everlasting pea, reported 10 blOssoi
Atifullv, "but," she said. I'VE hay
---~4r been able to bring it to perfe
-ERTn =" ssThen." said the ndly wi
tisemss me bring Perfection to the pea,
,e ,' 70 :, SO led her by the hand to a clos
se'" ection of the flower.
kulon. a famous mimic of Lou
rs time, took off the King as well
objects. The King heard of it, al