The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-28
Letter from Josh .BnlIngs to the Sat-
urtIay Evening press.

uFuRy Evening Press
MY DEAR Pass: You ask me, chow
like the lekturing hizzness," and
"what success hav met with, and
"what is the tru natur ov the lektur
hav bin dispensing Z"
Briefly thus reply: Two years ago
lined the band of lekturin marters and
hav "tramp'd-tramp'd ~ ever sinse,
and as near as kan rekolent now,
think kant tell.
Mi lektur is an attempt to be comick.
Humor is hybrid, and is a nice cross
between sense and nonsense.
/ don't think it has ever bin well de-
fined; it is like the smell ov u flower,
hard to describe.
There is lust about as mulch real hui
NOR in the best ov geniuses as there is
juise in a lennon; one good squeeze
takes it out, and there is nothing but
seeds and skin left.
1t soon bekums hackney'd, and its
authors live prekariously for about
years ON the fust 6 months ov their
reputashun, and then go in their holes
and only cum out onst IN while to sun
themselves and be stupid.
1 have known men few tell good
storys, and then Spite them awl bi tell
ing one poor one.
Thare il nothing the world liz so slow
to applaud as success, and nothing they
are so smart in discovering as a failure.
Mulch of a humorist's success de-
ponds upon the physlck of his audi
ence; a man who has the dispepshee
fust rate laffs under protest, but if hiZ
dinner rides easy you can 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 a
jest.
and good deal don't hurt it.
L have seen a fust raft story spite in
being told, and hav seen poor story
so well told, that if the man had applied
for it he could hav had it patented and
no questions asked.
If an aujence refuse to be tickled, yu
might as well talk tew graveyard in
the ded ov winter; but if yu git them
oncst mellow You kan then stick your
thum into them anywhere.
But mi opinynn- now IL that there
amt no rule for success with u comick
texture. s.s. -.... .tflE
A cold-blooded philosopher lectur is
Just az eaZy az turning grinstone; the
aujence are obliged tew hold their
ground out after a while; but you kant
tell a man when tew laff; he knows
what pleazes him, just as well as he
knows what eats good; you kant play
burnt slapjack, nor one that amt well
dun, onto him. ....l ..Ia-
There amt nothing more straining
tew humorist than tew have tew stop
and explane a joke. .rr7- un
hav just got hum from Boston. /
put spokes into the hub at fremont
Temple the two fust nights in Februe-
ry; lektured 10 nights in Massachew-
sets. s
IdOn't kno whether it waz success or
not; awl kno IL felt good myself.
Humorous lekturs without the aid ov
canvas or pantOmime, are tuff tew do.
L think now shall either git up a phi
losophical lektur on the cullur Ov the
Red sea, or the hump on the cancels
back, or quit lekturing. .ra.g.
kan steal good philosophical lex
tur out ov sum library, but these cuss-
ed Humorous lekturs have SO mulch
original in them Tor ought to hav) that
yu kant kalkulate on them for certain
Thay are like twins-they kant be had
nor they kant be stopped. goo
Upon the whole, az near az i kan
guess, mi Opinyun IL that humor il n
natral disease that man kant ketch
nor kant Civ tew ennybOddy else.
JOSH BILLINGS.