The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1907-08-07
VERY SOUL OF WIT
FAMOUS REToRrs CHARACTER.
lied ~ sREvlTY.
Stories Of Noted Men Who Were
Quick 10 Seize W On opportu-
nifty to Make .
Joke.


acteristic Of many happy retorts. What
could be more crushing. more grimly
witty. than the reply attributed to Tai.
lyrand on an occasion when . certain
notorious parsonage. III and in great
pain, said that he was suffering the
torrents OF the list. Swiftly came
the wicked retort: "Deja"-already?
OF different complexion, but equal.
ly exemplifying the soul Of Wit, was
the reply, which has been attributed to
various painters, to a questicner who
wished to know the vehicle with which
the painter mixed his colors. DR..
John Brown tells the story OF Opie.
"'Pray, Mr.. Opie, may ask what
you mix your colors within said
brisk dilettante student to the great
painter. with brains, SIR was the
gruff reply--and the right one"
Single word replies. more or less
witty, says the London Globe, are fair.
ly common. A patient whom the "a
nous DR.. Abernethy had advised to
take walk on an empty stomach
calmly replied: "Whose?"
A recent example was the answer Of
the late Dean Hole to q boring Cock.
ney fellow travelling ON the Great
Northern railway. What comes after
ItchinY" asked the bore. "Scratchin,"
came the swift retort, and thereafter
the conversation tagged.
Many brief and telling replies are
laid to the account OF Douglas Jer.
rold. It will sufIice to recall one
What's going ONT" said q bore. stop
ping Jerrold in the street. II am"
and the speaker suited the action to
the word.
Akin to this was the answer OF
John Wesley to the clustering swag.
gerer who pushed against him on the
path. with the insulting remark: II
never make way for q fool" II al.
ways do" said Wesley. quietly step
ping aside. and then placidly pursuing
his way.
Brief and witty was the reply OF q
Catholic cleric to an opponent in ar.
gument who had declared his disbe-
lief In purgatory. you might 60 far
Their and fare WORSE" was the eccles.
iastic's parting shot.
The wit Of more than one of DR..
Johnson's crushing retorts was en-.
HANGED by brevity, but examples are
to familiar to be quoted. johnson
came down like a sledge hammer on
Scotland and things Scottish. Less ia.
miliar, perhaps, Is the retort In which
Scotchman scored. An Englishman
in Scotland was abusing the country,
complaining Of the state OF the lard.
er and wondering where he could get
less to eat.
II could tell We a place whaur We
wad get less" said the Scot, who was
listening to the TRADE. where's
that?" asked the other.
"Oh, just whaur an Englishman's
been!" said the Scotsman dryly.
Brevity as the soul Of wit is exem.
plified In many popular sayings. Wit
is by no means an inevitable ingre-
dent in proverbs. Many Of them are
OF doubtful sense, and some are fool.
ish, yet there is certain spice. The
definition Of proverbs by Howell as
Sayings which combine sense, short.
ness and SALT" is In the main true.
Though truth may be altogether alb.
sent and wit barely perceptible. vet
there must be a certain salt" which
gives life and SAVIOR to the saying.
1t would be difficult to find say.
ings more telling than some of the
shortest-such. for instance, as Fore
warned. forearmed." Extremes meet. /"
or the ancient Inter malleum ct In.
cudem' (Between the hammer and the
anvil. Many sayings which in Eng.
lish are short were briefer still in
their original classical form.
That the soul OF wit was exempli.
fed most strikingly among the Greeks
is only what we should expect. It is
curious to remember that our word
"laconic" preserves the memory of
the reputation for conciseness of
speech borne by the people of one part
OF Greece-the Laconians or Spartans
When Philip OF Macedon threatened
them. III ! enter Laconia / will level
your city to the DUST" they made the
famous reply: If"