Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-04-05
Letter frOqaa .BosHa Billings.

MY DEAR PRESS
You ask me 6 how i like the lekturing
bizzness," and "what success i have met
with" and swhat il the tru natur ov the
lektur i hav bin dispensing ?''i54
Briefly thus reply: ..,E
Two years ago jined the band ov lektur-
in marters, and hav " tramp'd-tramp'd "
ever sinse, and az near az i kan rekolekt
now, think i kant tell.
Mi lektur IL an attempt tew be comick.
Humor il hybrid, and IL o nice cross be-
tween sense and nonsense.
Idont think it haz ever bin we'll defined;
it IL like the, smell ov flower, hard tew di-
skribe.
Thare il just about az mulch real humor
in the best ov geniuses az thare il juise in
lennon; one squeeze takes it out, and thare
il nothing but seeds and skin left.
1t soon bekums hackney'd, and its authors
live prekariously for about 8 years on the
fust months ov their reputashun, and then
go in their holes and only cum out onst in O
while to sun themselfs and be stupid.
hav known men tew tell good storys,
and then Spite them awl hi telling one poor
one. y.
Thare il nothing the world IL so slow to
applaud az success, and nothing they are so
smart at discovering az failure
Mutch ov a humorist's success depends
upon the physick ov hz aujence: q man
who haz the dispepshee fust rate laffs under
protest, but if hiz dinner rides eazy you kan
tickle him with a skoop-shovel.
Humor sumtimes turks in the way thing
liz ced, and hav seen men who carried their
fun in the wrinkles ov their face.
Nonsense amt humor, it il only jest.
Humor must hav sum truth in it, and a
good deal don't hurt it.
have seen q fust raft story spite in be-
ing told, and hav seen a poor story well
told, that if the man had applied for it be
could hav had it patented and no questions
asked. ..-
If an aujence refuse tew be- tickled, 20
might az well talk tew p grave yard in the
ded ov winter; but if yil git them onst mel
anywhere
But mi opinyun is that thare amt no rule
for success with q comick lektur.
A cold blooded philosophical lektur IL just
az eazy az turning a grinstone The aujence
are obliged tew hold their hatchets on and
they are sure tew git ground out after a
while: but you kant tell aman when tow
laff; he knows what peazes him, just as
well az he knows what eats good yu kant
play burnt slapjack, nor one that amt
well dun onto him.
Thare amt nothing more straining tew
humorist than tew have tew stop and ex-
plane a joke.
l hay just got hum to Boston put 2
spokes into the hub at fremont Temple The
two fust nights in FEBRUARY: lektured ID
nights in Massachusetts.
don't kno whether it waz asuccess or
not awl kno IL felt good myself
Humorous lekturs, without the aid Of
canvass or pantomime, are tuf tew do.,,1
think now shall either git up pAilos
OPTICAL lektur on the euler ov The Red Sea,
or the hump on the cammePs back, OF. quit
lekturing. ~
kan steal a good philosophical lektur
out of sum library, but these cuseed bliinpr-
Gus lekturs hav so mulch original in them
Tor ought to hav) that yu kant kalkulate on
them for certain-they are like twins, they
kant be had nor they kant be stopped
Upon the whole, az near az i kan guess,
mi opinyun il that humor il natral dis
sease that man kant ketch nor kant Civ
tew enneyboddy else. JOSH BILhINds.