The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 2: WarWard, Artemus
General
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 2: War
Ward, Artemus
American wit and humor
That wasn't George's stile. He
luved his country dearly. He wasn't after the spiles. He was
a human angil in a 3 kornerd hat and knee britches, and we
shan't see his like right away. My frends, we can't all be
Washingtons but we kin all be patrits & behave ourselves in a
human and a Christian manner. When we see a brother goin down
hill to Ruin let us not give him a push, but let us seeze rite
hold of his coat tails and draw him back to Morality.
Imagine G. Washington and P. Henry in the character of
seseshers! As well fancy John Bunyan and Dr. Watts in
spangled tites, doin the trapeze in a one-horse circus!
I tell you, feller-citizens, it would have bin ten dollars in
Jeff Davis's pocket if he'd never bin born!
* * * * * * * *
Be shure and vote at leest once at all elecshuns. Buckle on
yer armer and go to the Poles. See two it that your naber is
there. See that the kripples air provided with carriages. Go
to the poles and stay all day. Bewair of the infamous lise
whitch the Opposishun will be sartin to git up fur perlitical
effek on the eve of eleckshun. To the poles and when you git
there vote jest as you darn please. This is a privilege we
all persess, and it is 1 of the booties of this grate and free
land.
I see mutch to admire in New Englan. Your gals in partickular
air abowt as snug bilt peaces of Calliker as I ever saw. They
air fully equal to the corn fed gals of Ohio and Injianny and
will make the bestest kind of wives. It sets my Buzzum on
fire to look at 'em.
Be still, my sole, be still,
& you, Hart, stop cuttin up!
I like your skool houses, your meetin houses, your enterprise,
gumpshun &c., but your favorit Bevridge I disgust. I allude
to New England Rum. It is wuss nor the korn whisky of
Injianny, which eats threw stone jugs & will turn the stummuck
of the most shiftliss Hog. I seldom seek consolashun in the
flowin Bole, but tother day I wurrid down some of your Rum.
The fust glass indused me to sware like a infooriated trooper.
On takin the secund glass I was seezed with a desire to break
winders, & arter imbibin the third glass I knockt a small boy
down, pickt his pocket of a New York Ledger, and wildly
commenced readin Sylvanus Kobb's last Tail. Its drefful
stuff--a sort of lickwid litenin, gut up under the personal
supervishun of the devil--tears men's inards all to peaces and
makes their noses blossum as the Lobster. Shun it as you
would a wild hyeny with a firebrand tied to his tale, and
while you air abowt it you will do a first-rate thing for
yourself and everybody abowt you by shunnin all kinds of
intoxicatin lickers. You don't need 'em no more'n a cat needs
2 tales, sayin nothin abowt the trubble and sufferin they
cawse. But unless your inards air cast iron, avoid New
England's favorite Bevrige.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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