Judge — January 20, 1912 — page 19: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

STEEL HUMOR. Has any one ever analyzed carefully the moral influence of the jest? It ought to be done. What, for instance, is the ethical result of making the world laugh gayly over the fancied misfor- tunes, vices, crimes of others? We once knew a humorist who would never crack a joke about intemperance, be- cause, said he, it is not a good thing to make vice or immorality the subject of merriment. On the other hand, if you can make evil ridiculous in a jest, have you not done a good thing? We submit the question to the debating societies of our young ladies’ seminaries. It’s too weighty a subject to thrash out here. After all is said, we imagine that the kind of a laugh a particular joke elicits determines its moral quality. Here is one, for instance, on intemperance that seems harmless: Wanted to Get In. A man in a very deep state of intoxi- cation was shouting and kicking most Coffee vs. College. STUDENT HAD TO GIVE UP COFFEE. Some people are apparently immune to coffee poisoning—if you are not, Na- ture will tell you so in the ailments she sends as warnings. And when you get a warning, heed it or you get hurt, sure. A young college student writes from New York: “Thad been told frequently that cof- fee was injurious to me, and if I had not been told, the almost constant head- aches with which I began to suffer after using it for several years, the state of lethargic mentality which gradually came upon me to hinder me in my stud- ies, the general lassitude and in i tion to any sort of effort which po: me, ought to have been sufficient warn- ing. “But I disregarded them till my phy- sician told me a few months ago that I must give up coffee or quit college. I could hesitate no longer, and at once abandoned coffe: “On the advice of a friend I began to drink Postum, and rejoice to tell you that with the drug of coffee removed and the healthful properties of Postum in its place I was soon relieved of all my ments. “The headaches and nervousness dis- appeared entirely, strength came back to me, and my complexion, which had been very, very bad, cleared up beauti- fully. “Better than all, my mental faculties were toned up and became more vigorous than ever, and I now feel that no course of study would be too difficult for me.’’ Name given by Postum Co., Battle Creek, Mich, here’s a reason,”’ and it is ex- plained in the little book, ‘‘The Road to Wellville,’’ in packages. Ever read the above letter? A new one appears from time to time. They are genuine, true, and full of human interest. vigorously at a lamppost, when the noise attracted a near-by policeman. “‘What’s the matter?”’ he asked the energetic one. “Oh, never mind, mishter, Thash all right,’’ was the reply. ‘‘I know she’sh home all right—I shee a light up- shtairs!’" Here is a joke in which dishonesty is made the target of scorn: One on the Conductor. On a foreign railroad a commuter had a row with the conductor. At the end of the row the commuter turned to a friend and said, “Well, the P. D. Q. will never see another cent of my money after this."’ The conductor, who was departing, looked back and snarled, “What'll you do? Walk?’’ “Oh, no,”’ said the commuter, ‘‘I’ll ig tickets and pay my fare to We tremble about passing on the next story, for fear it will awaken in other breasts the passionate desire it has kindled in our own to try the experi- ment indicated. It is an anecdote told by Acton Davies, the dramatic critic, about Oliver Herford: The Ambition of His Life. Herford sat t to a soulful poetess at dinner one night, and that dreamy one turned her sad eyes upon him. “Have you no other ambition, Mr. Her- ford,’’ she demanded, ‘‘than to force people to degrade themselves by laugh- ter?” Yes, Herford had an _ambition—a whale of an ambition. Some day he hoped to gratify The woman rested her elbows on the table and propped her face in her long, sad hands, and glowed into Mr. Her- ford’s ey “Oh, Mr. Herford!"’ she said. ‘Oliver! Tell me about it.’ “‘T want to throw an egg into an elec- tric fan,’ said Herford simply. The literal interpretation of a law by pin-headed officials has more than once helped keep the world hilarious. The first of the two stories below is attrib- uted to Raymond Hitchcock, who was (Continued om following page.) Automobile Eye Insurance needed after Exposure to Sun, Winds and Dust. 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