Life — December 20, 1888 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

MR. SKIMMER'S EXPERIENCE WITH THE EMBODIMENT OF THE HUMOROUS CONCEPTION. R. SKIMMER was the editor of a hu- morous weekly, He hada very easy time of it, for he got a comfortable salary, and had nothing to do but edit. S he had just turned into Broadway one morning, on the way to his office, a paper was thrust into his hand, on which he read: ROUND AND AROUND. ' “It seems to me, Doctor,”’ said old Baggs, ‘* that your bill has got surprising! und ?** “Perhaps,” said the surprisingly around, too.” joctor, “but you were got Looking up he saw an old gentleman walking beside him. ‘The aged unknown bowed and said: “Tam the Embodiment of the Humorous Concep- tion, sir.” Mr. Skimmer said he was happy, etc. “T think I could be useful to you, Mr, Skimmer,” said the Embodiment of the Humorous Conception. “In what way ?” asked the editor. “In the last number of your paper,” pursued the Embodiment of the Humorous Conception, “‘ you had this,” and he handed Mr. S. a cutting. On it was: OVERHEARD AT LURAY, Guive: I coald tell you things about this cave that would make your hair stand on end, sir. Tourist: | don’t think so. are very brave? am totally bald. “Well?” “Do you consider that humorous, Mr, Skimmer ?” “Well—" said the editor. “\T hope for your own sake you do not.” “If you know anything about humor," saic Mr, Skimmer, testily, “‘you must be aware that nothing is more difficult than to produce a continuous series of short dialogues that are original, pointed and amusing.” “Tknow it full well, Still, you should not print a thing that is not original, pointed and amusing. Read this, also from your paper.” The Embodiment gave Mr. Skimmer another cutting. ‘The editor for the first time appreciated the position of the doctor compelled to swallow his own physic. He read : PECULIAR, VERY. ** You don’t think much of Callow ?"* “ Woulda’t believe him uoder oath!" * But he's certainly candid. He told me he never spoke the truth."’ “Bah! he lied to you.” ‘That paragraph, dear editor, is not original, nor pointed, nor amusing.” “Upon my word—" “The humorist, though,” added the Embodiment of the Humor- ous Conception, ‘has one great difficulty to contend with, On the stage it is permitted to use old contrivances, The same properties, the same tinsel, the same lights, the same actors may be employed a hundred times on the stage to produce varying effects. The humor- ist, on the contrary, must not only bring forth entirely new creations at every manifestation, but his material must be wholly original as well as his production, He may not employ the same properties more than once.” - LIFE: “Then why your condemnation ?” asked Mr. Skimmer. “Because to be simply funny is not to be humorous. Clowns and jesters are intended to provoke mirth, but the humorist should appeal to our intellect as well as to our risibility.” “*T fell you what I'll do,” said Mr, Skimmer, ‘*I'll let you edit the paper for a while.” The offer was accepted. At the end of the first month the humorous weekly's circulation had dropped two-thirds, ** We'll have to part,” said Mr. Skimmer, ‘I'm being ruined.” ‘*The public must be educated up to me,” said the Embodiment of the Humorous Conception. “It would take a thousand years,” said Mr. Skimmer; ‘you must gol” So he went. The best paragraph in the next number of the weekly was the following: THE BEST THING TO DO. Begorra, Mrs. Clancey, me owld man’s on a tear.” © Then let him nip, Mrs. Dennis.” The paper is now proving a gold mine for its owners. I is the fathers who are too poor to hire nurse girls who do the carrying trade of the United States. A XIX, CENTURY TRIUMPH, His Majesty; WHY THAT EXTRAORDINARY WAILING FROM PIT No. 9,870,640? dmp: TMat 18 ANANIAS'S PIT. WE HANDED HIM IN A FEW CAMPAIGN DOCUMENTS TO READ AND HE 18 WAILINO OVER HIS LOST CHAMPIONSHIP. comicbooks.com