The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1885-12-09
THE RISE OF THE CHESTNUT

toms ct the joke have received so little
attention. 1t Is an.crror of the yuloar
TO suppose that Joke is n literary mo.
toor that flashes across the intellectual
SKY Tor moment and then disappears
forever. Even trained observers have
been deceived into expressing much
the samo opinion; and a celebrated
scientist, whose services to mankind
justify us in conccaling his namo in
connection with the charge, was heard
to declare that Joke vas "an instance
OF intellectual alteration unworthy of
serious attention. Nothing could be-
further from tho facts. Leaving aside
any discussion of the first cause of tho
joke, which would involve us in tho
obscurities of metaphysical discussion.
wo may state boldly that tho joke has
wcil-deiined habits and pcculiarities,
ana study of its history and develop
ment is well worthy the attention of
the foremost minds in science
IL Is evident to any observer that tho
Joko may be accurately divided into
races anu nationalitics. No one who
mad paid tho slightest attention to tho
subject could possibly mistake Ger
man joke for French joke, or a
French joke for q British joke. In fact,
thoy'arc as plainly marked of from
each other as any two breeds of dogs,
ana each undoubtedly has its different
habits. An adequate discussion OF the
suoJoct can not even be outlined in this
column. Nevertheless, as Il small con-
tllputlon 10 an important subject, we
offer the following account of n SINGLE
member Of the large and interesting
1amliy known as the American iokc:
| he al,
chestnut joke first saw the LIGHT. Its
birth is involved in obscurity, in spjto
OF earnest efforts TO trace ITS ancestry.
In the early days of its existence it
gavo no sign OF coming greatness. We
know the story OF the school at Bricn-
nc. where Bourionnc took the prizes
over Nap0icon; Bouricnnc is now re-
nemDcrcd not as tho "prizc boy"
but as Nrpolcon's secretary. In n like
manner the tin-pan joke or the niggcr-
baby joke of even date with the chest
nut seemed surcr of fame. At tho timc
the chestnut appeared tho paint-thc-
town-rcd joke was ut tho height of its
fame Its monthly appearance in Jan
uary was twonty-six thousand seven
hundred and forty-siX, when is sur
passed only by its unprecedented No
Vcmbor record OF thirty-cight thousand
nine hundred, due TO tho local disturb
my cause of Il Democratic victory that
month III tho polls. For the same
month the chestnut appeared in public
but bcggarly ono hundred and eleven
times. PrcVious TO that dato it was so
insignificant as not TO seem worthy of
Z record. Starting from this point, wc
. see tho gradual rise of tho chestnut and
the corresponding decline of paint-the-
townred. In February tho chestnut
appeared twelve hundred and forty
four times. and the puint-thc-town-re
appeared twenty-five thousand nino
hundred and fourteen times. This does
not necessarily indicate any falling off
in the popularity of the latter, for the
effect Of hard times was most severely
felt that month, tho total output of
jokes being six per cent under that of
January; but the increase of the chest
nut joke under such unfavorable cir
cums;anccs is truly significant. The
following month paint-the-town-rcd
nearly held its own, appearing twenty
five thousand seven hundred and nine
teen times, but the chestnut increased
TO ihirty-lwo hundred. The following
month it increased by olovcn hundred,
while the paintthc-town-rcd declined
by nearly tho same number. But in
tho month of May the chestnut lcapcd
nj one astonishing bound To fourteen
thousand seven hundred and eighty APP
pcaranccs, lis only ono liyal coming
down something less than tho same
figure.
1t is scarcely necessary to go further
into details. The August returns give
:, totui vi more than twenty-ninc thous-
Ia
its rival i, all but as extinct as Mr..
CrawfmTs "dado." Tho reports for
the first half of the present month in
dicate that the total will fall little il
4. any hcloH that Of August, although
the fcturn- n-of-thc-sumnicr-boar has
acted as II disturbing element. Wo
may assume however. from tho fore
going figures that tho chestnut has
reached its full development. and Is
doOmca to n speedy decline. 1t ID dan
gerOus to genoralizc from but two or
three instances, but from tho obvious
similarity OF the careers Of tho success
ful American JOKE, it IS almost certain
that their existence is determined by
fixed and mmutaDlo laws. We have
not tho figures at had to verify this
statement, but We pronounce it in all
commence.
We may suppose, therefore. that the
chestnut must follow tho path already
trodden by paint-thc-town-red and its
predecessors, and, after seeing the rise
OF some successful rival that is even
now In tho obscure throng, will become
extinct in about eight months. Its rise
has taken an equal length of time. In
spite of fow well-known exceptions
where joke has been able to survive
in o toothloss, mumbling condition for
two or three years, we may safely
. state that the average life of the sue
cessful American joke is sixtcen or. ut
the most, eighteen months. The sub
iect is ono OF much interest, and should
attract somo young and enthusiastic
social scientist.
I, s"I am very timid man." writes
subscriber IN Ohio. IL am nervous,