Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-25
THE WIT OF THE IRISH.
The Race Has Difficulty to Refrain
From Joking.

the English and Scots humorist usually
laughing at his subjects and the Irish
with his. In Dickens novels, for in
stance. and in those of Mr.. Barrie, the
peasant personages say their humorous
things in wooden inconsistencies of
their humor. but what character in any
Irish play or novel says a humorous
thing-other than a bull-uncon-
sciously? Il joke wi deeficulty,' says
the Scotsman; but the difficulty with
the Irishman is to refrain from joking.
Hence I think one characteristic of
Irish wit and humor-its lightness of
touch ana tread. 1t needs but a light
touch to strike a match on prepared
surface. and the r''"facn cf the Irish
mind is always PREPARED Iof Joke.
Some time ago a friend of mine asked
Dublin corner boy why he was star
ing intently after an old gentleman
who was tripping up Grafton street
with all the jaunty elasticity of youth.
whats the matter with old gentle
MANI" whats the matter wild him?
Look at the walk of him. Begor! he
only touches the ground in an odd
place. In right of his Celtic blood the
Irishman. in his wit and humor es-
pecially, never walks with the ponder
Gus policeman's tread, but only
touches the ground in an odd place"
l cannot resist quoting here similar
comment made on seni1e agility by an
old beggar woman which the late
Father Ryan overheard in Harcourt
street. The Catholic dean, a septua-
genarian, broke off a conversation with
Father Ryan in order to hurry after
and catch a passing train, to the
amazed admiration of the old beggar
woman. "Yerrah. look at the ould
DEAN she cried, more to herself than
to Father Ryan, ''skippin' about like
a new-married flea!'' If 'the ould
dean" had been a protestant dignitary
her comment would probably have been
as caustic as that of another old Wo-
man whom LIE Fanu, the noVelists
brother. overheard in Stephens Green.
Archbishop Whately, who delighted to
shock conventions, was sitting ana
swinging on the rails which fence the
green opposite his palace, playing with
his dog, when two old Catholic ladies
approached. That's the archbishop
whispered one to the other who think
ing it must be the Roman Catholic
archbishop, exclaimed. rapturously:
.'Ah, the dear, darlint man! AS inno-
cent and as playful as q blessed lamb.
Wkereupon her friend angrily eX-
planned, It's the Protestant arch
bishop" to the instant changing of the
tune of her companion who snorted,
THE ould fool"
And here I may note significant con-
trast-explicable Observation-Disclosures
popular and literary Irish wit ana
humor. Literary Irish wit and humor
being those of the Pale and of the as
cendancy class, are sweet-natured,
whereas popular Irish wit and humor,
being those of a people who for CEN
turtles have been suppressed, are sar-
donic, says Richard Ashe King in the
Taller. "Pasquinadc" is a word which
dates back to q day and to city IN
which suppression was pushed to the
last turn of the screw, and 1T IS prop
ably to the character of their history as
much as to their own character that
the Italians owe their just reputation
of being the most sarcastic people IN
Europe. 1t is even more to the chafac-
ter of their history than to their own
character that the elasticity Of popu-
lar Fish wit and humor is due.
Nhv otherwise should irish literary wit
and humor have the singular merit of
good nature? Singular since nlnety-nlne-
hundredths of all the recorded wit or tEe
world is ill-nature i Is preserved by us us
friend to the poet, whose tongue cut IKE
sharp razor u hear, Mr. Rogers tnat you
are in the habit OF saying very ill-natuIed
things" Perhaps So madam replied the
poet But. as you hear, L have a very
weak voice and if l did not say lima
tured things nobody would hear me II
is the ill-natured things which, ike DIS
eases. are propagated while the good-na-
tured are no more infectious than health.
1t is much to its credit, therefore, that
Irish literary wit is sWeet-natHred, 10y
of English comedes-the comedies OF the
Kestoration--of Con9rove, Wycherley,
yanbnrgh Nth One exception 1hn! 81 LAW @
HaZitt ''of all the dramatists of the Res-
toration alone makes us laugh from pleas
ure, not from malice The same critic
again, after saying of Sheridan's school
| for Scandal that lit was the most fin,
| ishcd and faultess comedy we have,
| adds Besides the wit and ingenuity OF
| this play there is a genial spirit OF frank
| ness and generosity which does the heart
| good" How sweet-naturcd, too, the hui
NOR of Goldsmith and of Dick Settle. ny
the way. it is comedy OF steele thilt
| lecting from it an ideal Specimen OF nu-
NOR Here it is:
| In Dick Steele's The Funeral what a
ranges the mutes in the order of the for
| lornness of their conference.-the most
| lugubrious looking near the coftn, the
turns to give the place of humor near the
corpse to his premier knight of the rueful
countenance he finds to his disgust his
countenance rueful no longer. You in
fernal scrolndelr' he exclaimed, Don t
| | take You out of n great mans service?
Didn't give you the pleasure of receiving