Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-01-02
GEAY-wHISKERED JOKES.
Lew Dockstader Tries to Tell Which
of all Chestnuts Fell First.

The minstrel joke which is associa-
Led with my earliest recollections of
the profession is the weathervane con-
undrum. 1 may say at once that all
the old minstrel Jokes took the shape
or conundrums, the end man firing the
questions to the interlocutor, who, az
ter repeating It with a good deal of
elaboration. would then announce his
inability to answer. The squib to
which L allude was brought on IN the
following fashion:
Bones-Can you tole me de reason
dat dey never put hen on top OF
wedder-vanep
Interlocutor-No. Bones, can not.
What Is the reasonr
Bones-Because it's too much trouble
to go up after de eggs.
But 1t Is easier to point out an en-
tire class of jokes among which the
chestnut OF chestnuts is probably to be
found than 1t Is TO put your finger on
the individual chestnut. And 1 am in
clined to think that that class OF jokes
is the one which compares the human
being In some way or other with the
animal creation Men have been wolves
and foxes, monkeys and puppies al
most since the world began. There Is
the puppy joke, for example, which has
held the minstrel stage ever since l can
remember, and which every year is re-
newed in some way or other, but is al
ways the same joke. One of the old
versions ran something in this fashion:
"Eph, / heard somefn' about Pom
pey yesterday. He went down to see
his gal night afore las and his gal has
got pooty little dog and she was hug
GIN and kissin' the dog and Pompey
got jealous. Sez he to de gal: Jane,
why don't you kiss me like you do de
little dog?'"
"What answer did she make?"
"Why, she toIe him dat she didn't
kiss ebery puppy dat came along"
This form of witticIsm brought on
the uncomplimentary reference by i'm
| plication, such as. for example. the
joke in Robertson's play of ours"
| This was either taken from the min
strel stage or the minstrel stage took 1t
! from tie play, don't know which. 1t
arises durlnga game of bowls. A pretty
girl is doing the bowling. A young
man is complaining OF his heal aching
and the girl says something about the
| ball she is rolling. The young man
misunderstood ds her, and asks If she re-
| fers to his head. She says no; she was
| speaking of that 9th wooden thing.
There is no doubt that Southern's fa-
nous witticism about the dog and his
tail certainly came from the burnt cork
profession. 1t was usually told some
what after this style:
Bones-What makes little dog wag
its Ia i?
Tambo-Because he is glad to see
his master?
Bones-No. Its because de dog Is
stronger dan de tall. Tide tail was de
strongest IL would wag de dog
wouldn't itr
am not sure but what the most
venerable chestnut in existence is the
looking glass chestnut. The old form
was about as follows;
''Sambo, you've told me consider.
able lies an see It's no use tryin' tC
get truth out OBJ you for 1 see de vii.
lain in your face.r
| "Does your Well, never knew my
face was a looking glass before"
Now that retort courteous certainly
dates back to the time of Shakespeare
any way. Every one will remember how
in "As You Like It," where ''Or'
lando" and ''Jacques' have their wal
OF words in the forest Jacques" final
ly declares with a significant nod thai
lie was looking for q fool Orlando
replies promptly that If Jacques" viii
look in the brook he will ind him. Tht
old grumbler says that he will see hi!
own face therein and of course "Or
landO" catches him.