Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-01-20
PRACTICALLY JOKES.


Boys often think it is q very smart
thing 10 get one of their number into
some temporary difficulty, thereby eaus-
ing an embarrassment of behavior,
which greatly excites their mirth and
ridicule, though often the poor boy who
ia the victim finds, like the frogs In the
fable, that althoughit is sport to them il
iis death to himS in other words, being
the butt of his fellows wounds his feel
ings and makes him, truly wretohed,
while the enjoyment that arises from the
suffering Of another is indeed feetipg
pleasure 4 III - ~ A--Ass = II -
Il Two years ago the writer of this ar
ticle attended picnic, where the chill
dren were ranged around tables and
wAitsd pom by kind ladies, who furnish
ed them with an abundance of good
things. All seemed happy and con-
tented, except one little boy, who, sad
and silent, stood apart from the rest.
HE had been forgotten" Thought and
drew the attention of the lady nearest
me to the child ~ - 4s-.-lsA
"There is little boy who looks visit
fully at the cakes and pies" I said, g but
he seems to be eating nothing. !" 'sos1 -
"Why, do you not know that he cannot
eat2" the lady asked in evident surprise,
and then she told me his sad story. Here
it is: ..a4as u
Two boys were playing together in the
back yard of the dwelling where one of
them lived. They had everything to
make their lives pleasant -friends, for.
tune. health, and no future wassbrighter
than theirs. As they ran through the
yard, one of them stopped o moment
before q vat of dark, clear liquid, and
asked his playmate whatit was. d fssea
| know" was the reply, taste it, = =.
us it good?"y e4ra eos - 80 s s.''''
Yes, real good; taste il"
The little fellow put his mouth down,
andtook one swallow Of. the liquid Ii
was strong I've, and it shrank the mem
branes of his throat, and destroyed his
palate, aud from that day TO this be has
never eaten Of solid food Bread, broth,
Or sugar and water, is all the nouish-
ment his feeble life receiyes.1 The stery.
is true. 1t was aEcruel Joke, and the
boy that perpetratedq il will bitterly re-
Pent it, ier il viii yet probably cost
Some boys we're playing on frozen
pond, which had several spots of weak
ice. One Of the boys tied bis skates to-
gether and whirled them to the center of
one of them where he left them lying.
Just wait," he said, to a boy near, :" till
Joe Burke comes down, and we'll have
some fun Joe was small, poorly
dressed boy, who had suffered much at
the hands Of his elder and more know
ing companions. When he came to the
pond, the boy to whom the skates be.
longed was sitting on the lee, hooking.
quite forlorn. !" II only had nv skstes
I'd go home, he was saying. aMaybe
you will just run over and get then. Joe.
like o good fellow; there they are. !"
pointing to the spot. Joe, Who was nos.
sessed of an accommodating spirit, ran
briskly to get them, and, as the other
boy had planned and foreseen, broke
through the ice that was only strong
enough to bear the skates, and got a
thorough Wetting. raa S
There was great laughter at bic rue
full face as he scrambled ont, but be was
poor, and had no clothes to exchange
for his wet ones. The cold and damp
ness struck into his feeble frame, and
he died in less than O month; of typhus
fever, the physicians said, but the
drenching "for fun" sowed the seeds.
/ have related two practical jokes
with the results. They were not so very
funny alter eli. IEven if they had moi
ended 90 fatally, you have only to imag
inc what your feelings would be in such
positions, and avoid an amusement tina
has for its foundation even the tempo
rary unhappiness of q ellow-beinG
There are thousand sports that invoks
no peril or sufering. Embrace then
ell to the entire exclusion of such ques
/ tionable pleasures "a practical iokes.--
Christian Times and Wisness.