Morning journal and courier., 1892-11-16
1axed eloquent regarding the "evils of

waxed eloquent regarding the "evils of
sacerdotalism, and declared, amid much
applause, that he would "never, never be
priest. ridden" Mr.. Hawker quietly
scribbled the following lines on q slip Of
paper and handed them to the excited ora
tor: "Thou ridden ne'er shalt be by
prophet or priest; Balsam Is dead and
none but he would choose thee for his
beast" The unfortunate speaker rose no
more that evening. The cruel wit of the
gallery deities has often ruined play on
Its first night. There is story of
French sacred opera In which one of the
actors sang an air commencing Glamour
q vaincu 10th" The writer of the piece,
shabbily dressed as authors are often wont
to be, occupied a conspicuous place in q
stage box. A wicked wit amid the audi
ence chose to interpret ''s vaincu 10th"
ill-attired drsmatist, cried aloud, "QuM
en- donne une pauteura" Roars Of laugh
ter drowned the singers voice, and the
piece never recovered this fatal witticism.
It was by the force of ridicule that frivo-
lous Partisan society successfully comba-
ted the proposed reforms of Louis XVI.'e
prudent minister. ''Silhouettes" were in
troduced as examples of the economy
which could only afford scraps of black
paper instead of portraits, and in twenty
other ingenious ways the proposed fnau-
cial reforms were Laughed out of court"
The Partisan populace is still marvelously
apt in giving ridiculous aspect to any po-
itical situation, as the clever toys and
pictures which appear like mushrooms on
the boulevards after any political crisis
abundantly prove. Even in the days of
the Terror, a Paris mob was susceptible to
the power of a witticism; as clever able
proved who, when the Infatuated crowd
was dragging him, la lanterne, coolly
asked, "Whyl to make the light burn
more brightlyp The mob laughed aud re-
leased their victim.
Many an eloquent speech has been ru-
ined by sarcastic epilogue. "Do you
doubt my evidence, my Lordl' exclaimed
witness to judge who had seemed to
cast come doubt Upon his exact veracity.
"Why, have been welded to truth from
my childhood" 'Yes; but the question
Is, how long you may have been a widow
err" was the dry retort. The before
kerr was wont to allow his church to re-
main in somewhat picturesque untidiness
"a me- lect which scandalized q new and
very jealous curate who one day brought
barrow, filled it with all the remains of
Christmas decorations, odds and ends of
matches, etc., which he had picked up in
the church, and then carted the whole to
the wears door. "I have brought you all
the rubbish have found in your church, }"
said the curate reproachfully, expecting to
utterly shame his careless superior. "Not
all" was the quiet reply; eff you will
kindly seat Yourself on the heap in the
barrow will see that the whole is speedi-
ly carted away"
\ T. ~. = 4.
a worthy dissenting lady; ''do you know
jects to bury usa" "Come to me then. I
shall be too happy to bury you ALL" was
the reply, sometimes attributed to Sydney
Smith, sometimes to another clerical wit.
''E'en his failings lean to virtues side,"
quoted kindly apologist of a somewhat
unpopular public character. Eyes, but
the misfortune is that he has never gone
over" was the cruel comment. Ridicule
has often effected what grave arguments
failed to accomplish. 1t is q well-known
story of Lady Eleanor Davies, the seven
teenth century prophecies. who, discover
ing that her name contained an Gmperfect)
anagram of "Reveal, oh Daniel" became
extremely troublesome with her political
predictions, until an astute dean "shot her
through with an arrow from her own quiv-
er" by demonstrating that her true ana
gram was ''Dame Eleanor Davies-never
so mad a ladie." This discovery etfectual-
ly quenched the seer's zeal.
Parodies have injured many a poem or
treatise, and sometimes even usurped the
place of the original literary productions
In popular memory. A modern essayist
records that he can recollect the parodies
of "Proverbial Philosophy" which ap
peared in the Saturday Review better
than Tupper's own lines; and, perhaps,
Swift's reflections upon Broomstick, u
and on "Seeing DR.. Carlton Feel Dogs
Pulse" are better known than the "Boyle's
Reflections" which Swift thus satirized
Ridicule being 30 powerful weapon, it il
not wonderful that its use is often fiercely
resented. Children, and even animals,
are very sensitive to being Laughed at. y
An Intelligent dog is quite aware when
1t is ridiculed and resents the indjgnity.
Ths records of the Puritan meeting
houses in New England are full of REQ.
ords of penalties inflicted for mistimed
hilarity. In 1866 one Deborah Boys paid
five shillings for the crime of Laughing
| in the meeting-hous and a lad was
fined ten shillings for similar misde-
meanor; but perhaps this was not his
first offence. "Making wry faces" drew
down punishment on a boy at Andover
about the same date. Even after this
lapse of time one feels some sympathy
for the hardly dealt with Jonathan and
Susan Smith," who in 1855 were fined
five sbillings each and costs, because
"they did smile" in the meeting house.
Probably these young folks were lovers,
and exchanged furtivs nods and winks
during fsermon time;" which the stern
preacher chose to interpret as casting
ridicule in some of his ''twenty- second
1iasn or tfwapt 10 fbirdI;oo op1y
cost Deborah Boys five shillings and no
costs to laugh outright, it seems little
unjust that mere ''smiling" should have
proved SO expensive an amusement to
Jonathan and Susan; but there may have
been "aggravating circumstances" in
their case which have not been handed
down to u.s.