Among the many purposes authors have for producing literature
is that of pure fun or humor. If the writer attempts to
reform by laughing at his people, we designate his work as
satire. With this type of literature we have nothing to do
here, but much literature has been produced within the state
that has for its purpose the laughing with the readers. It
attempts to amuse through affording a pleasing surprise. The
unexpected which engenders this surprise may be that of
situation, of ignorance, or of the mingling of sense and
nonsense in a perplexing manner.
This last means of engendering surprise and the resulting
humor grew up quite largely among writers of the Middle West
during and since the Civil War. It is often spoken of as
American humor. It may be illustrated by a short selection
from Edgar Wilson Nye's Comic History of the United States,
which will show the point of mingling real historical facts
with statements quite ridiculous in many instances. Let the
reader attempt to determine which statements are historical
sense and which are smart or even pure nonsense.
"On December 16, 1773, occurred the tea-party at Boston,
which must have been a good deal livelier than those of
today. The historian regrets that he was not there; he would
have tried to be the life of the party.
"England had finally so arranged the price of tea that,
including the tax, it was cheaper in America than in the old
country. This exasperated the patriots, who claimed that they
were confronted by a theory and not a condition. At
Charleston this tea was stored in damp cellars, where it
spoiled. New York and Philadelphia returned their ship, but
the British would not allow any shenanagin, as George III. so
tersely termed it, in Boston.
"Therefore a large party met in Faneuil Hall and decided that
the tea should not be landed. A party made up as Indians and,
going on board, threw the tea overboard. Boston Harbor, as
far out as the Bug Light, even today, is said to be carpeted
with tea-grounds."
Wisconsin writers have attempted this type of humor. Two of
these whose lives have been more or less connected with the
history of River Falls, are mentioned here. The first of
these labored quite as earnestly to cultivate the serious
side of literature as he did the humorous. As a result his
little volume entitled "Lute Taylor's Chip Basket," is filled
with even more of the quite serious of life's lessons
expressed in poems and essays than of the ludicrous. He
mingled both in his book as a real manifestation of his
philosophy of life. This is the way he puts it: "Fun is
cousin to Common Sense. They live pleasantly together, and
none but fools try to divorce them."
Lute A. Taylor was born at Norfolk, New York, September 14,
1863. He came to River Falls, Wisconsin, in 1856, where he
became editor of the River Falls Journal in June, 1857. He
removed his paper to Prescott in 1861 and called it the
Prescott Journal. In 1869 he became one of the publishers and
editor-in-chief of the La Crosse Morning Leader. In addition
to his newspaper work he held the appointive offices of
assistant assessor of internal revenues, assessor of the
sixth congressional district of Wisconsin, and surveyor of
the port of entry at La Crosse. He died at the latter place
November 11, 1875.
When Lute was eight years old his father died, and the boy
was thrown upon his own resources quite largely from this
early age. The resulting struggle limited his opportunities
for school and academy somewhat, but it revealed to him the
blessings of persistent effort and gave him a sympathy for
the sufferings of mankind. His genial disposition and keen
wit made him see the joyous in life, so that between trial
and joy he may be said to have been a veritable "vibration
between a smile and a tear."
Since so much of his effort in a literary way was serious, it
is thought best to illustrate this as well as his humor. Two
selections are chosen, both from the Chip Basket, which in
its turn is a selection from his newspaper articles. He had
not only the ability to write the extended article, but also
the much more rare ability of boiling down into concentrated
comparisons some of his richest observations. Out of twenty
such quotations just these two are given as illustrations:
"There is a thread in our thought as there is a pulse in our
heart; he who can hold the one knows how to think; and he who
can move the other, knows how to feel."
"A man may be successful as a loafer, and invest less capital
and brains than are required to succeed in any other line."
To illustrate a bit of his humor due to the mingling of
nonsense and facts a few paragraphs from a letter to the St.
Paul Pioneer concerning the city of Chicago are given.