Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-03-29
POWER OF RIDICULE.
EXAMPLES OF THE FORCE OF THAT
KEENEST OF WEAPONS.


Shaken, oratlons Ruined and Many Re-
forms Instituted by Well Timed shafts
From the Mouths of Clever Men.
There is a story Of an astute old French /
lady of the last century who, when her son |
was setting out On bis travels ito see the !
world, j." babe him beware amona other dan |
gers of the 'raillery" of Partisan society |
aud of the mob" in London. Ridicule has /
always been very potent weapon, and "to |
appear ridiculous" with a capital RI was |
the dread Of all who aspired to be social |
successes in the fashionable circles of the |
past. Even Addison and Horace Walpole F,
shrank from such fate. Many a cause has |
been injured 10y well timed ridicule The
eighteenth century author who wrote of
the supposed result of "A Stuart restoration
and chronicled the fate that befell my
little Jacky' after he had touched one Of
the plaids Of the Life guards Highland
ers, of course Sin Hyde park" was said to
have done as good service to the govern
ment las a troop of ilorse' by his coarse
pleasantly.
There Is IA story that AZ of the late
provincial elections the friends. of the can
didate who appeared likely to come in al
most unopposed issued an appeal to the vot-
ers to poll for --- and the flowing tide"
The opposition canyasseTs promptly printed
underneath. vote for and damn the
flowing tide'-a sentence which so amused
the electorate that a number of voters for
sock their own color to vote for that
sharp witted chap" It is a well known
story how Burke's tragic action in finging
the dagger on the floor of the house of com
mons was turned into pathos by the cruel
orator who arose to remark, THE gentle
man has brought US the knife, but where's
/ the forky'
/ There is a story Of the eccentric vicar of
Morwenstow, Mr. Hawker, once attending
! a religious meeting about the time of the
"Oxford movement" at which one speaker
waxed eloquent Regarding the evils of
sacerdotalstH," and declared amid much
applause that he would never, never be
priest ridden Mir. Hawker quietly scrib-
/ bied the following lines on slip of paper
and handed them to the excited orator;
Thou ridden ne'er shalt be by prophet or priest;
I Balaam Is dead. and none but he would choose
thee for his beast.
The unfortunate speaker rose no more
that evening
1t was by the force OF ridicule that frivo-
lous Partisan society successfully cOmbated
the proposed reforms Of Louis XNI's pru-
dent minister "Silhouettes' were intro
duced as examples Of the economy which
could only afford scraps Of black paper in
stead of portraits, aud in 20 other ingenious
ways the proposed financial reforms were
Laughed out of court The Partisan pop
ulace is still marvelously apt in giving a
ridiculous aspect TO any political situation,
as the clever toys and pictures which APP
pear like mushrooms on the bOulevards
after any political crisis abundantly prove
Many an eloquent speech has been ruined
by sarcastic epilogue. DO you doubt
my evidence, my lordy' exclaimed wit
ness to a judge who had seemed to cast
some doubt upon his exact veracity. why,
l have been welded to truth from my child
hood "
YES, bHt the question is, how long have
you been widower,' was the dry retort.
The eccentric Cornish vicar Mr. Hawker)
was wont to allow his church to remain in
somewhat picturesque untidness--a neg
lect which scandaliZed a new and very zeal
Gus curate, who one day brought a wheel
barrow, filled it with all the remains Of
Christmas decorations, odds and ends of
matches, etc, which lac had picked up in
the church, aud then carted the whole to
the wears door
Il 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. IF you
will kindly seat yourself on the heap in the
barrow ! will see that the whole is speedily
carted away"
How sad is clerical intolerance" sighed
a worthy dissenting lady. do you know,
the clergyman in my parish actually OBJ
tYa.fFf .
shall be too happy 10 bury you all, " was
the reply, sometimes attributed to Sydney
Smith, sometimes to another clerical wit
"E'en his failures lean TO virtues side, ~
quoted kindly apologist of somewhat
: unpopular public character. YES, but the
, misfortune is that he has never gone over, u
! was the cruel comment
Ridicule has often effected what grave
! arguments failed to accomplish. IL is q
well known story of Lady Eleanor Davies
the seventeenth century prophecies, who
: discovering that her name contained an
I Imperfect auagram of Reveal, o Daniel, "
r. became extremely Troublesome with heI
} political predictions, until an astute dear
J ''shot her through with an arrow from her
own quiver" 10y demonstrating that her true
| anagram was Dame Eleanor Davies-nevel
; so mad lade" This discovery effectually
| quenched the seer's zeal. Ridicule being
SO powerful weapon, it is not wonderful
that its use is often fercely resented. Chill
dren and even animals are very sensitive
to being laughed at. -
An intelligent dog is quite aware when il
is ridiculed and resents the indignity. The
= records of the Puritan meeting houses in
9 New England are full of records of penal
ties inflicted for mistimed hilarity. In 175I
one Deborah Boys paid shillings for tn,
crime Of laughing ia the meeting house,
and lad was fined 10 shillings for a sim
liar misdemcanor bHt perhaps this was not
his first offense. Making wry faces" drew
4 down punishment on boy at Andovel
g about the same date.-London Standard.
An Unnecessary Announcement.
2 One oSthe melancholy but unnecessar,