The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-07-07
Wit in Quotation.

s!sts OF the witty use of quotations. "A
quotation may be apt, yet not witty
but ii is impossible for II witty quota
tion not to be apt. Some persons seem
to have swallowed but not wholly as
simulated two or three dictionaries OF
quotations, so full are they of"extiac,s
from the best authors :" aud although
their mass of illusions and quotations
are frequently apt and to the point,
they yet fall short of being witty. No
writer ever succeeded in making use of
so many quotations as Brahatn, of "In-
goldsby Legends" fame. Hood, per>
haps, comes next and many examples
can be found In the writings of Sidney
Smith, Theodore Hook, Byron aud
Others. Curran the brilliant Irish adj
vocate, also made use of many witty
quotations. a stock of good quotations
and knowledge of the instances in
which certain uncommon words or
phrases have been used are frequently
of much service. Thus, when All all
vocale was arguing against the use OF
the word "minstrel," and urging tina,
before his ciicnl could be called by that
term it must be proved that several
persons played together, the Judge
made him collapse by askIng: "Then
what about Sir Waltz Scott, Lay OF
the Las, Minstrel ?'" Al n dinner given
by AN American banker a few years
ago, ,sssomebody asked Lord III oughtou il
he would take his duck rare. s.RAre
rare!" said his lordship; ''now, there
is another of your Amer.canisms which
make it 50 difficult to understand you.
Aud, pray, what do you mean by
\ tai i") 4 ~ a fno irfnut nj ito
out from the other end OF the table
owe mean by rare, my lord, what
Dryden meant when ne wrote: Roasi
me quickly AN egg, and see that II be
rare" Every one tiAtters himself
that he understands the Euglish lam
gunHc If only .he can express his
thoughts with tolerahle clearness. But
this is n popular error. Lord Houghton
should have known that the word
''rare," in the sense of underdont, was
frCqueutiy used tn Eitnabettiuu htera-
| ture, and to this day it is to he heard
| in many parts OF England, from York
| shire 10 Devonshire. Credit Is due to
the American who 40 quickly and
! enec,unliy responded to his lordship
and at the same time taught him
good English word. Scott, too, once
distinguished himself in " somewhat
| similar manner. a fellow scholar OF
hls nn being asked "What part OF
| speech is 'with:' answered, "a subs
s:anuv"." Thc rector, after II short
pause, thought it worth while to ask,
SIS with ever Il substantive bat all
were silent until SCOTS turn came.
He instantly responded by quoting n
! verse ot III" Book Of Judges: "And
Samson said unto her (Dcli!ah), il they
bind nc with seven green withs that
were never dried, then shall be weak
and be ns anulher man" Readers of
| Lockhar,'s admirable biography Will
| remember That there are also several
other similar stories told OF Scott, and
all of these are characteristic, ingenious
and illustrative of his fertility Hf re-
source. An Interesting phase of wit in
quotation Is seen when certain we'll
known phrases are happily used under
| different circumstances from those
with which they are usually associated.
Thus, a professor OF the Edinburgh
University, having asked Christopher
North for the hand of his daug hter
Jane, Christopher fixed IA small ticket
TO Miss James chest and announced
his decision hy thus presenting the
young lady 10 the professor, who read, ,
t"With the authors compliments" )"
Witty, also, was the letter addressed
to the owner Of Il pair Of clogs which
had been lefi Al The Office 81 the Cen
fury Magazine, New York. "D Dlnr
madam" the editor wrote, "wiihoui
expressing any opinion aS to ihe lit
erary merit Of the accompanying nrii-
Clcs, permit US to say that we think
them unsuitable tor insertion in our
magazine" Everybody remembers
Huud'5 witty metanOrphosi5 Of the ma
tuuni unthem, "a pint Of beer among
four ti Us" Sttii better was the line
IN nH advertisement written by II. J.
! Byron at ~ tim" when there was much
disturbance IN Liverpool regarding the
booking fees AT theatres ''On with
the bob SO much Tor booking 'cm.'
Biblical quotations are frequently used
wittily. Although many persons nat
should not be used for the purpose, M
exception can bG taken to the rctOrt %
the man WHO, on entering II barber
STOP, at oucc seated himself III tht
. chair and, in response 10 heexpH-tu tula
uDns Di the customers, quietly retDrich
eve are told, 'ihr last shall br first ,
Sydu"y Smith, again, III reply I,
, I,tuGSrcr's invitation to him 10 sit 70
, his portrait, exclaimed, in aliusiun 1
the wcll-knnwn animal painter
, ability: "Is thy servant a dog that b
) should do this thing" Several witt
scriptural quotations are credited I
% isi4nop BtDtutiptf bncp when h