which display themselves preposterously, or so as to excite derision rather than sympathy.

Representations of real emotion, in the display of which there is no violation of taste or good sense, fall under the head of the pathetic, to which, consequently, the humorous is opposed. These two kinds of writing are much heightened in effect by being presented in contrast; a fact of which writers of fiction often avail themselves. This constitutes the chief charm of Dickens' novels.

309. The subject of humor is character: not everything in character; not its graver faults or vices; but its peculiari ties, its foibles, caprices, extravagances, anxieties, jealousies, childish fondnesses, and weaknesses generally,—its affectation, vanity, and self-conceit.

One who possesses a talent for the umorous finds the greatest scope for its display in telling familiar stories, or acting a whimsical part in an assumed character. Even the mimicking of minute peculiarities of pronunciation, or grammatical faults in discourse, is admissible in the humorous production. The object is to expose the weak points of the individual under description; and these are often best set forth by entering into the minutest details. Even over-acting, if not immode rate, contributes to the entertainment of the picture.

§ 310. Humor is not, like wit, sudden and short-lived; a brilliant scintillation, which flashes forth, and is then lost in obscurity. It often extends through entire productions; and, indeed, forms the staple of comic writing in general. Buckingham justly says of comedy,

"Humor is all. Wit should be only brought

To turn agreeably some proper thought."

Novelty, moreover, is not essential to humor. Its truth. fulness to nature prevents it from being tiresome; and it endures readings and re-readings, which would make mere wit absolutely disgusting.

emotion fall? Of what fact do writers of fiction often avail themselves? Of whose works does this constitute the chief charm?

§ 809. What is the subject of humor? In what does a talent for the humorous find the best field for its display? How are the weak points of an individual often best exposed? What is the effect of over-acting?

§ 310. How does humor compare with wit in duration? Of what does it form the staple? What does Buckingham say of its use in comedy? What prevents humor from being tiresome?

§311. In every literature, humor has been employed, to a greater or less extent, in the lighter departments of composi tion, as a means of pleasing. Cervantes, perhaps, in his Don Quixote, has carried it to a greater degree of perfection than any other writer. Into English literature, particularly its dramatic compositions, it enters largely. Shakspeare, Gay, Farquhar, and others, have used it with great effect.

It is to be regretted that English comedy has not confined itself to pure and legitimate humor. To the discredit of our stage, obscenity and ribaldry are too often allowed to take its place. This can hardly be attributed to a lack of natural refinement. The cause seems rather to be that the first great master-pieces in this department of literature, written in a licentious age, were stained with gross indelicacy, which subsequent authors, with this precedent before them, deemed it necessary to imitate. With obscenity, humor has nothing in common.

§312. The aim of humor is simply to raise a laugh. When there is an ulterior object,—that is, when it is sought by means of this laugh to influence the opinions and purposes of the hearer or reader,-then humor becomes RIDICULE. In this case, a keener contempt of the weakness under review must be awakened than in the case of humor.

Ridicule is to argumentative composition what the reductio ad absurdum is to a mathematical demonstration,-a negative, yet satisfactory, way of arriving at the object proposed. It may be effectively applied to whatever is absurd, and, in a measure, also, to what is false. When sober argument would be too dignified and formidable a weapon to employ, ridicule may with propriety take its place. To a certain extent, the same foibles feel its lash as are open to the more genial attacks of humor. It goes, however, a step further; adding to the former category, ignorance, cowardice, profligacy, and dishonesty. Great crimes are beyond its sphere. To raise a laugh at cruelty, perfidy, or murder, would be intolerable.

§ 311. In what departments of literature is humor extensively employed? Who has carried it to the greatest perfection? What is said of English comedy? What seems to be the cause of this?

§ 812. What is the aim of humor? When does humor become ridicule? What feeling is in this caso awakened? To what is the relation between ridicule and argumentative composition compared? To what may ridicule be applied? When may it with propriety take the place of argument? What are beyond its sphere, and why?

8313. The attack of ridicule is, from its very nature, a covert one. What we profess to contemn, we scorn to confute. Hence, the reasoning of which ridicule is the medium must be carried on under a species of disguise. Sometimes the contempt itself is dissembled, and the railer assumes an air of arguing gravely in defence of what he is exposing as ridiculous. He affects to be in earnest; but takes care to employ so thin a veil that one can easily see through it and discern his real intent. Such a course of reasoning is known as irony, and it often constitutes the most effective way of dealing with folly and falsity.

We have a brief specimen of ironical ridicule in Elijah's address to the priests of Baal, who were endeavoring by sacrifices and prayers to draw a manifestation of power from their false god:-" Cry aloud: for he is a god: either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awakened."

EXERCISE.

The first extract given below illustrates humor; the second, ridicule. Let the student point out their distinguishing features; and, as an exercise in punctuation, let him supply such points as are omitted.

THE LANGUID LADY.

"The languid lady next appears in state
Who was not born to carry her own weight
She lolls reels staggers till some foreign aid
To her own stature lifts the feeble maid.
Then if ordained to so severe a doom
She by just stages journeys round the room
But knowing her own weakness she despairs
To scale the Alps that is ascend the stairs
My fan let others say who laugh at toil
Fan hood glove scarf is her laconic style
And that is spoke with such a dying fall
That Betty rather sees than hears the call
The motion of her lips and meaning eye
Piece out the idea her faint words deny.

§ 818. What is the character of the attack of ridicule? How must the reasoning of which it is the medium be carried on? Sometimes, what does the railer scem to be doing? What does he take care, however, that the hearer or reader shall discover? What name is given to this species of ridiculo? What is said of its effect? Repeat the quoted specimen of ironical ridicule.

Oh listen with attention most profound
Her voice is but the shadow of a sound.
And help oh help her spirits are so dead
One hand scarce lifts the other to her head.
If there a stubborn pin it triumphs o'er
She pants she sinks away and is no more.
Let the robust and the gigantic carve

Life is not worth so much she'd rather starve
But chew she must herself ah cruel fate
That Rosalinda can't by proxy eat.-YOUNG.

THE PROFOUND WRITER.

By these methods in a few weeks there starts up many a writer capable of managing the profoundest and most universal subjects For what though his head be empty provided his common-place book be full And if you will bate him but the circumstances of method and style and grammar and invention allow him but the common privileges of transcribing from others and digressing from himself as often as he shall see occasion he will desire no more ingredients towards fitting up a treatise that shall make a very comely figure on a bookseller's shelf there to be preserved neat and clean for a long eternity adorned with the heraldry of its title fairly inscribed on a label never to be thumbed or greased by students nor bound to everlasting chains of darkness in a library but when the fullness of time is come shall happily undergo the trial of purgatory in order to ascend the sky.-SWIFT.

LESSON XLVII.

FIGURES OF ORTHOGRAPHY, ETYMOLOGY, AND SYNTAX.

§314. FIGURES are intentional deviations from the ordinary spelling, form, construction, or application of words. They are arranged in four classes; figures of orthography, figures of etymology, figures of syntax, and figures of rhetoric. Though admissible in both prose and poetry, they occur more frequently in the latter.

§315. Figures of orthography are intentional deviations from the ordinary spelling of words. They are two in number; Mi-me'-sis and Ar/-cha-ism.

§314. What are figures? Into what classos aro they divided? In what do they most frequently occur?

Mimesis consists in imitating the mispronunciation of a word, by means of false spelling; as, “Well, zur, I'll argify the topic."

Archaism consists in spelling a word according to ancient usage; as, "The gret Kyng hathe, every day, fifty fair Damyseles, alle Maydenes, that serven him everemore at his Mete."

§ 316. Figures of etymology are intentional deviations from the ordinary forms of words. Those most used are eight in number; A-phær/-e-sis, Pros/-the-sis, Syn'-co-pe, A-poc-o-pe, Par-a-go-ge, Di-ær'-e-sis, Syn-ær/-e-sis, and Tme'-sis.

Apharesis is the elision of a letter or letters from the beginning of a word: as, 'bove, for above; 'neath, for beneath. Prosthesis is the prefixing of a letter or letters to a word: as, adown, for down; bedecked, for decked.

Syncope is the elision of a letter or letters from the middle of a word: as, e'en, for even; ha'penny, for halfpenny.

Apocope is the elision of a letter or letters at the end of a word: as, th', for the; tho', for though.

Paragoge is the annexing of a letter or letters to a word: as, vasty, for vast; withouten, for without.

Diaresis is the separation into different syllables of two contiguous vowels that might unite in a diphthong. This fig ure is usually indicated by placing two dots over the last of the separated vowels. Thus, aëronaut, instead of æronaut; cooperate, for cooperate.

Synæresis is the condensing of two syllables into one: as, walk'st, for walkest; hallowed, for hallow-ed.

It was formerly customary to make the participial termination ed a separate syllable; as, lov-ed, drown-ed. This practice is still adhered to by some in solemn discourse; but, in common pronunciation, Synæresis

§ 315. What are figures of orthography? Name them. In what does Mimesis conBist? In what, Archaism?

§ 316. What are figures of etymology? Mention the principal ones, observing that an acute accent in each case denotes the syllable that receives the stress of the voice. Define them in turn, and give examples of each. In the case of Apheresis and other figures that consist in elisions, what mark must be employed? How is Diaresis indi cated? What termination was formerly made a separate syllable? What is the prac tice at the present day?