The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-27

One II Oar Best Institutions snd Ma
Subject for Efdicuie.


Welssiee with sorrow that spirit
Of levisy on the subject ass Of the humor
contained in the alser-dinner speech h
creeping into the press. Some OF our
contemporaries are printing para
graphs revising the piessansriss usu-
ally exploited IN this species ct harm
less postprsndiai exercise, and init
mating that the grounds for the laugh
ter. great laughter" and laughter
renewed again and again Of which we
read the next morning are exceedingly
shadowy. The stories and sallies OF
wit which evoke these bursts of each
iunation are, according 70 the writers
OF these paragraphs. not the funniest
things Ia the world or they ire old.
not 70 say prehistoric
We are. as we said. sorry 20 see this
attack on the sfter-dinner speech
The after~linner speech Is one OF our
institutions; no one, according to the
very latest American authority obtain
able. can make aster-dinner speeches
As good IS ours. We lead the world.
No people are worthy tohtand second.
No one disputes this, unI IS perhaps it
be an occasional misinformed English
man or ether foreigner. We should
no more disparage our aftsr-dirner
speaking than we should reject on
Niagara Falls. or question the height
Of Washington monument, or criti-
else the Declaration of Independence.
What though one of our after-dinner
speakers does happen 70 indulge in a
little humor which Ii not humorous,
let us keep still about it. or. II another
tells a new story which Is not new, let
us hush IL up. let Us keep quiet, and
these foreigners who admire our
speeches but can't make any them
selves. vii i-s=e- know the difference.
Besides. we 90 not want TO discour-
age our speakers on our own account.
We want TO continue 20 read their re-
marks in the papers and know just
exactly where the hearers laughed.
For instance:
Mr.. Readywit being called upon 10 re-
spond to the toast of 'sThe Ladies'" spoke
a. follows eMr Chairman and Gentle
men OF the springboard club. In attempt
ing to respond tlaughterl to this toast
tgreat laughter. feel loud laaghter}
some like the boy whose mother, 70 punish
him for some disobedience. shut him ia
the pantry with the jam screams OF
iaughterl. the jelly (rcarsl, the preserves
dmnoderafe laughter. the pie teries OF
good and laughferl. the doughnuts %
voice, go on, and subdued, but hearty
iaughser1. and the sngAr-bowl lsensation
with laughter. Yes. gentlemen, / say sn-
Rar-bowD roars of uneoniroilabie laughter:
the chairman with difficulty restored or
der. and the distinguished speaker con-
tinued) etc.
The people are accustomed TO this
sort OF thing. We repeat and they
want it continued.
A further insinuation made by some
OF our contemporaries is that the
laughter produced by an after-dinner
speech depends not so much on the
quality OF the wit as upon the guam
tity OF the wine. This Is probably
largely q SANDER, but in any case il Is
not necessary TO tell the world of IL,
and IL furnishes no argument why
these entertaining reports should not
be published, or, when We are so for
tunate a. 10 be present at the dinner.
why we should not join heartily in
the laughter, and even In the great
laughter and ''roars OF laughter
On the whole, this subject which
We should not discuss publicly. Pri-
vately, OF course, we must oil admit
that IL frequently happens that small
witticism calls out great laugh on
these Joyous after-iinner occasions,
but let US not tell the whole world.
Besides, laughter Is good thing, and
II II Is possible 10 produce il with great
economy in humor. why. the humor
viii last the longer.