Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1883-05-30
The Eunuv Man.

Kind reader. as you sit by your nice
warm fire, or in the rich and variegated
plush caparisoned seat of palace car,
reading your favorite specially paper,
and shaking your sides with hearty
laughter. and spreading your eyes with
happy surprise and joy, did it ever oc-
cur to you that, perhaps. when the ar
ticlo that claimed your attention and
admiration was written. 4 load as heavy
rs human sin and as gloomy rs funer-
al procession may have rested upon the
writer's heart; a shadow dark and
sombre may have spread its wings over
his soul? Perhaps bit of white ribbon
or black, NAV have marked bis front
door: or a Doctors carriage stopped at
the front gate. The writer of that which
amuses and charms is n human being
with all their aches, pains, troubles and
disappointments-y to read him day
after day. and week after week, one
would scarcely credit the assertion.
While his writing is light and airy. mere
notning bubbling over with fun, rollick-
ing with merrimeDt, sandwiched with
sense and sentiment, soul and pathos,
he sits. grim and stolid, mayhaps, in q
cherries room, void of that which
brigntens and enlivens, and grinds
away, paragraph, sketch and poem,
poem, sketch and paragraph, week in
and week out. rarely looking from his
paper on which he traces, in almost
breathing characters, the words and lines
that charm. amnse, and even convulse
with laughter. the millions of earth's in
habitants. He never smiles, but there he
sits like machine. scratch. scratch.
scratch, until the paper is filed. and
then moments respite. and at it again.
Those who read the funny man, as he is
called. think what a happy. merry, Jolly
soul he must be! What a happy life is
his, they think; andto think OF him is to
think of a circus, negro show. camp
meeting and barbco~e. Of Christmas.
Fourth Of July and Thanksgiving day all
combined. 1t Is. impossible to divorce
him from fun and folly. They look at
him as wonder. And he is, but not the
living. moving frolicking school-boy
wonder they would fancy him. The fun
ny man, as a rule. is drone in social
circles. poor company. n horrld CONVEX
ser. and out of place elsewhere but in his
sanculm. Those who make the most
and purest fun on paper are very dry
have little to say, and scarcely know ol
care for anything outside of their work.
They are welded to tit is part anc
parcel of themselves. Their very looks
generally melancholy, give one tnt
blues. and a Short stay in their presence
gives one the ''James-Jams," and al
day with one would certainly render
doctor and drug store necessary. NJ
matter what happens at home or abroad
| sickness, death, marriage or birth
his columns must sparkle and briste
TEEN and bubble with good, bright am
| wholesom humor that amuses and
cheers the sad and depressed as well a
| the light-hearted and gay children OF th'
earth. The world must be amused. ant
he who has essayed the role of funn,
| man, Jester or amrser, has taken upol
himself thankless task. He must. t
hold his place, do his part toward max
ing it brighter and better, and DRAWN!
Heaven nearer to eartn and earth Tar
ther from Hades. Thousands look +
him for their fun as naturally AS the
look to their physician for medicine o
their butcher for meat. He must pla
well his part; move along or the proces
sion will run over him and trample hir
under foot. No tagging, no stopping I
administer to the i'll. console the wear
or bury the dead, but his mission is t
amuse the eliving, and just in accordanc
as he does his work here will be his n
ward hereafter. He has been given thes
special qualities, rare and priceless gift
and must use them for the benefit an
editication of his fello
creatures. Truly. the life Of q funny ma
is not all sunshine. and his bed Is u
always roses, yet he probably has h
share Of the good things of life. His Ii
is not wholly gloomy one, yet it is n
nearly so cheerful and happy ~ Il
reader would picture. -A. !. Flemin
in TerGs SUNNI Cline.