54 
Butler—Phases of Witticism. 
England to worship God. “Yes”, says a wit, “and also to cheat 
Indians, and hang Quakers. ” 
When an old man boasts of renewing his youth, a wit says, 
“Youth—and childhood too”. If he contends that there is still 
something of the boy in him, the adfnission is, “Something at 
least of the old boy. ” 
When an admirer of Klopstock calls him the German Milton, 
wits add that he is “ very German. ” 
A Boston Catholic when charged by a Protestant with wor¬ 
shiping images answered, “Indeed I do, but I do not worship 
a cod-fish as you do the image of one you have hung up in your 
legislative hall. ” But when the Catholic labored to convert the 
Protestant, his defence was, “You give my faith too much to 
swallow and my stomach too little to eat. ” 
The more solemn a scene the more ludicrous is its mocking 
counterfeit. A missionary in India as he rose in the pulpit saw 
a boy laughing and pointed him out with words of censure. But 
the boy laughed all the more, and others began laughing. The 
preacher became furious adding indignant gestures to his words. 
The merriment however, ran through the congregation, and 
soon roared out in a universal guffaw. The man of God was 
horrified till his eyes glanced above the sounding board where 
he beheld his own pet baboon. The miscreant had stolen into 
church and lay hid till service began. Then, perched on vant¬ 
age-ground he rose when his master rose, and stood over his 
head mimicking and mocking all his attitudes and movements. 
Antithetic wit here reached its acme, while nobody laughed 
louder than the victimized missionary. 
My endeavor has thus far been to treat of witticisms with 
some reference to their characteristics. 
In regard to their subject-matter they are chartered libertines, 
roving without rein. A few, however, of their favorite sources 
of themes may deserve notice. 
Many smart sayings are based on Holy Writ. In general they 
were not suggested by feelings of irreverence, though devil-wit 
is too common. They arose because no book is so well known 
as the Bible and because its solemn utterances enable antithesis, 
to do its most perfect work. 
