Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-06-11
Anlauruns department.
The Soul of Wit.


acteristic of many happy retorts.
What could be more crushing, more
grimly witty, than the reply attributed
to Talleyrand on an occasion when a
certain notorious parsonage, i'll and in
great pain, said that he was suffering
the torments Of the lost. Swiftly came
the wicked retort, "Deja"-already?
OF a different complexion, but equal
ly exemplifying the soul Of wit, was
the reply, which has been attributed to
various painters, to a questioner who
wished to know the vehicle with which
the painter mixed his colors. DIR. John
Brown tells the story Of Opie. Pray,
Mr.. Opie, may l ask what you mix
your colors with?' said a brisk di-
lettante student to the great painter.
With brain, SIR was the gruff reply
and the right one"
Single word replies, more or less wit
ty, says the London Globe, are fairly
common. A patient whom the famous
DR.. Abernethy had advised to take a
walk on an empty stomach calmly re-
piled, "Whose?"
A recent example was the answer
of the late Dean Hole to a boring
Cockney fellow traveller on the Great
Northern railway. What comes after
Ttchin?" 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 Jerrold.
It, will suffice to recall one. whats
going on?" said bore, stopping Jer-
rold in the street. ~ am" and the
speaker suited the action to the word.
Akin to this was the answer Of John
Wesley to the clustering swaggerer
who pushed against him on the path,
with the insulting remark, Il never
make way for fool" Il always do"
said Wesley, quietly stepping aside
and then placidly pursuing his way.
Brief and witty was the reply of a
Catholic cleric to an opponent in argu-
ment who had declared his disbelief In
purgatory. You might go farther and
fare worse" was the ecclesiastic's part
ing shot.
The wit of more than one of DR..
Johnson's crushing retorts was en-
hanced by brevity, but examples are
too familiar to be quoted. johnson
came down like sledge hammer on
Scotland and things Scottish. Less ia
miliar, perhaps, is the retort In which
a Scotsman scored. An Englishman
in ScotlaId d was abusing the country,
complaining Of the state Of the larder
and wondering where he could get less
to eat.
II could tell ye place whaur ye
wad get less" said Scot, who was
listening to the TRADE. where's that?"
asked the other.
"Oh, just whaur an Englishman's
beeni" said the Scotsman dryly.
Brevity as the soul Of wit is ex-
empl.fied in many popular sayings.
Wit is by no means an inevitable in
gredient in proverbs. Many Of them
are Of doubtful sense, and some are
foolish, yet there is certain spice.
The definition of proverbs by Howell
as Sayings which combine sense,
shortness and SALT" is in the main
true. Though truth may be altogeth-
er absent and wit barely perceptible,
yet there must be a certain salt, "
which gives life and SAVIOR to the say
ing.
1t would be difficult to find sayings
more telling than some Of the shortest
such, for instance, as 'Forewarned,
forearmed," Extremes meet" or the
ancient Inter malleum ct incudem,"
(Between the hammer and the anviD.
Many sayings which in English are
short were briefer still in their orig
inal classical form.
That the soul of wit was exemplified
most strikingly among the Greeks is
only what we should expect. 1t is cur
ious to remember that our word Ia
comic" 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, IF I enter Laconia 1 will level
your city to the dust" they made the
famous reply, IF"