Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-07-23
Living by Ones wit.

LIVING Dy ones wit.
Nine persons sailed from Basle down the Rhine
A jew who wished to go TO Schalampi was allow
ed to come ON board and journey with them, on
condition that he would conduct himself with pro-
priety, and give the captain eighteen kreutzers for
his passage
Now, II is true, something jngied in the Jews
pocket when he struck his hand against il /; but
the only money there was therein was a twelve
kreutzer piece, for the other a brass button.
notwithstanding this, he accepted the offer with
gratitude, for he thought to himself, something
may be earned, even upon the water. There Il
many man who has grown rich upon the Rhine"
During the first part of the voyage the passen-
gers were very talkative and merry, and the jew,
with his wallet under his arm--for he did not lay
it aside-was the object Of much mirth and mock.
cry, alas! Is often the case with those Of his
ton. But as the vessel sailed onward and passed
Huntington and Saint Welt, the passengers, one
after the other, grew silent, gazed down the river,
until one spoke out
"Come, jew, do you know any pastime that
will amuse u.s. Your fathers must have contrived
many one during their long stay in the wilder
ness"
"Now Is the time" !" thought the jew TO shear
my sheep" And he proposed that they should
sit round in circle, and PROFOUND curious ques-
tons to each other, and he with their permission
would sit down with them. Those who could not
answer the question, should pay tho one who pro-
pounded them twelye-kreutzer piece; and those
who answered them pcrtinenty should receive a
twelve-kreutzsr piece.
The proposal pleased the company, and hoping
to divert themselves with the jews wit or stupdi
ty, each one asked at random, whatever entered
his head.
Thus, for example, the first one asked:
+" How many soft boiled eggs could the giant
Goliah eat upon an empty stomach Y
A aaid was
question: and each paid over his twelve kreutzers.
But the jew said "0ne for lie who has eaten
one egg, cannot eat second on an empty sto-
mach" and the other paid him twelve kreutzers.
The second thought, wait jew, and will try
you out Of the New Testament and think shall
win my piece:
"Why did the Apostle Paul write the second
epistle to the Corinthansf"
The jew said because he was not Corinth,
otherwise he would have spoken to them" SO he
won another twelve kreutzer piece.
When the third found tho Jew so well yersed in
the Bible, he tried him in a different way "Who
prolcngs l,is work to as great length as possible
and yet completes II In time"
1.-THE rope-maker, II he is Industrious said the
jew.
In the meanwhile they drew near to a village,
and one said to tile other, "That Is Bamlach"
Then the fourth asked: In what month do the
people Of Bamlach eat the east?"
The jew said, " In February, for that has only
twenty-eight days"
The fifth said There are two ralbrothers,
and still only one Of them is my Uncle"
The jew said "The uncle is your fathers bro
ther, and your father is not your uncle
A fish now jumped out Of the water, and the
sitth asked, What fish have their eyes nearest
together
The jew said "The smallest"
The seventh asked How can man ride from
Base to Bene in the shade in tho summer time,
when the sunshnesY
The jew said "When he comes TO place
where there is no shade he must dismount and
20 on foot"
The eighth asked When man rides in thc
winter time from Berne TO Basic, and has for.
gotten bis gloves, how must he manage so that
| his hands shall not freezer
! The Jew said He must mako fists out OF
them"
The ninth was the last. This one asked How
can FIVE persons divide five eggs so that each
man shall receive one, and still one remain IN
| the dish y
The Jew said "The last must take the dish
with the egg, asd can let IL lay there as long as
he pleases"
| Iiut now II came to his turn, and he determined
| To make GOOD sweep. After many preliminary
compliments, he asked with an air Of mischievous
| friendliness,