The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-05-19
MINSTREL'S JOKES.
Where they CONC from.


.remities, 81 think Surridge is a little
,ff as to how the minstrel business
started"
"By-the-by," said the reporter, ad-
dressing the question generally to the
group, ''how do the gags and 'end
business originate gets them
upP
"Wel!, now. /" replied Reed, smiling,
that's poser, sure enough: it's hard
to tell where that funny business does
come from. and how anything new
gets into it. -
ga good deal OF IL comes from the
stories the men get to telling each
other at the hotel" said Ryman;
"they make 'em up there and then
ger them off on the stage. OF course
lots of it gets to be stereotyped, and
the only wonder to me is that we ever
do get anything right new and fresh.
YES" Clipped in Haverly, "jOkes
get to be public property very quick,
and if the people only understood it
as well as we do they wouldn't kick
about old gags. Now, for instance,
we opened at San Francisco; ali our
gags were new and bright. Nobody
could say that they had heard them
before. Well, there was fellow who
ran one Of these little programmes IN
form. He thought the
jokes were pretty good and just sat
down and took notes on them all.
Next evening the little paper had
all the jokes and gags in it, and from
there they were copied everywhere.
After that, when anybody would hear
of our jokes, the chances are they
would say, oh, / saw that in some
That's what makes it SO hard
L
to get new gags. | see solne shows
All our jokes new and
fresh nothing stale, etc. That can't
be, because after jokes repeated
once everybody who wants TO be smart
takes it up and it ceases to be new
any more"
"Wo depend "a good deal, toe, on
the papers for our jokes" said Mack,
with an evident desire to give the
parsgrapher his need of justice.
Talking about newspapers and,
gags" said Haverly, "I'll tell you
little story: ! had gag that is as old
as the hills, now, but ! got it up my
self, aud it was good one. 1t was
that one about the Mississippi: Why
don't they stop the Mississippi from
overdowing2 Why, dam II. they can't.
Sect That was p pretty good gag
when 1t was young. Well, about sev-
en- or eight years ago, l wasin little
town in Indiana where they had been
having some trouble with the water,
and got off the same gag about the
Wabash river. II took well, but when
sshe show was over fellow that ran q
paper there came up to ME and said:
Burt, that was a pretty cute gag
about tho Wabash" "Thinl; SOL ]
said" "Yes, said he, and It's mine, y
"Well, it's a pretty good che, anyhow
I said. How long ago did you write
ltl" "Oh, about year and half ago
says he" Just then Mack came
down stairs, and l said: Mack, how
long ago did you hear NE tell thai
dam 1t, they can't gagi About ten
or twelve years ago, says Mack. Il
took that fellow down about feur and
a half pegs.
That's something like my ga
about the bum" said Reed, with
grim laugh. "I have a little gag lik,
this. 'ln Russia. whom they want I
get rid Of Czaf they give him
bomb. Here in this country, whe
they WAR; to get rid of bum the
give him au office. l had ma
named Carson write that and r i,
more truck Tor lne back in New Yorl
all good, and I've seen the same jok
travelling all over the country wit
the name of some newspaper attache
to it. However," added the minstr
philosophically, they are welcome
it; it's sort Of stand-oif or what "
get from them.
"rll tell you another oldnewspapt
gag" said Ryman, thoughtfully til
ing back his venerable beaver. at
one about Bring 4 Swede TO tn
|. country, and he's Swede stlli; bril-
Russian, and he's a Russian; bring
: Turk, and he's Turk; bring a Spa
lard, and he's a Spaniard; but brlr
an Irishman, aSd he's policeman
That's good end gag, but was takt
from scme newspaper.
SIS there often anything of an il
promptu nature on the end!' ask
G the reporter,
"Oh, yes; all Jho time," respond
Haverly, a smile illuminating his ia
as he doubtless called TO mind sol