The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1889-01-25
PUNSTERS.

A story Is tOlu OF man VINO Suller-
ed severely from ague, which neither
medicine nor charms could alleviate,
but, being advised to devote himself to
punning, became so interested in the
pursuit that he speedily laughed him
self into robust health. However this
may be, it cannot be denied that a
hearty laugh, even at the cost of bad
pun, is no mean thing in itself, and
has often been known to be of inesti-
mable service at the crisis of serious
malady. And this reminds us that
even death itself will not always cure
the joker of his darling habit. A ply
sician visiting one of the brotherhood,
who was in extremis, apologized for
being late one day, but said he had been
to see man who had fallen down a
well ssDid he kick the bucket, doc
tor groaned the punster. Again,
the story is told, if we remember
rightly, of Theodore Hood, who, as he
lay dying, incased in mustard peultices,
was visited bya friend, to whom he re-
marked: PLENTY Of mustard, my boy,
but very little beef" DIR. johnson
held that all punsters were men of su-
perfcial attainments: but even he was
compelled to admit that a punster pos
sesses power like that of candle over
the moths. No matter how serious or
edifying the conversation may be, the
punster comes along, throws his bomb
she'll among the company, a general
peal of laughter diverts the converse
ton into another channel and the fun
ny man carries off the palm. This is
very annoying for the serious man, but
the frivolity of human nature is such
that a good joke will always ride rough
shod over the wlsest aphorism. But,
on this side, the punster must beware
of overriding it. The joker who. hav-
ing had his dull brain stirred with
half a bottle of wine, fires off pun af-
ter pun, and who will make it his bus
ihess to twist every other word or SEN
tence into some stupidity, alike execra-
bic in taste and utterly devoid of wit,
is an abortion that all men shun.
An occasional and we'll timed sally
of wit gives zest to conversation, and
it is welcomed accordingly, but the
thrusting of the unwelcome pan upon
us in season and out Of season, creates
a feeling of nausea SO great that it
prompts us to kick the offender, be he
ever so intimate friend. In these
frivolous days the punster meets with
more toleratlon than he did from our
forefathers. They had little but con-
tempt for those who were always on
the alert to seize upon everything that
would give them a chance of exercis-
ing their wit in the transposition of
words. If young people ventured to
sin in this fashion they were rebuked
for their frowardness, and if the of
fender were old he was reminded with
dignity that of all the race of fools the
old fool is the most Objectionable
Herbert, in his s.Church Porch" thus
rebukes the would-be funny man;
wi,,s an unrulv engine wildly striking
Sometimes a friend. sometimes the engineer:
Hast thou the mack pampcr it not with liking;
But II thou want Ii, buy it not dear.
Many affecting wit beyond their power,
Have got TO be \ dear fool for an hour.
The derivation of the word pun has
never been satisfactorily traced. DR..
johnson himself was in doubt, as he
says: II know not whence this word
Is to be deduced to pun is to grind
or to beat with pestle; can pun mean
an empty sound like that of mortar
beaten, as clench, the old word for pun
seems only a corruption of clink ?"-
Aristotle wrote grave disquisition on
them, and Addison tells us that Cicero
''has sprinkled several of his works
with them.' Moreover, they have in
all ages been used by men either to get
them out of dilemma, or to obtain
some favor by means of this species of
pinchbeck wit, which they could not
otherwise obtain. 1t has even been
said that "a certain Bishop Andrews
once turned notorious sinner into the
way of repentance by preaching HIM a
sermon running over with puns. But
these instances of the virtues of pun
are rare indeed. The Puritans hated
them, but the bishops were notorious
ly addicted to them. So likewise were
the lords temporal. Even good Queen
Bess was said to be very proud of this
accomplishment, although the only
sample of her majesty's wit handed
down to us is slightly elephantine.-
''le be burly, my Lord of Burleigh,"
said Queen Elizabeth, ''but We shall
make less stir in our realm than nv
Lord of Lester" Shakespeare, it must
sorrowfully be confessed, was
most inyeterate punster, and here
comes in ling III the Shakspere-Ba-
con discussion which may be useful to
Mr., Donnelly. Lord Bacon, it is well
known, was much addicted to punning,
and often playfully declared himself
a descendant of 'Og, the King of
Bashan. We say no more.