Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-07-16
The Tenth Man

/ thNl "AN 'ttSh N3uStANuS hlu tIutl
in their effects when used against
the inn ocent, weak aud umid in the
hands of the heartless aud selfish.
Too many thus employ them to
intiict pain for the sole purpose Of
brutishly enjoying the writhing
agonies of their victims, while their
chief and only legitimate purpose is
to correct folly, unmask vice and
help make wrong doing odjous.
One of the objections to the
universal use of ridicule for correct,
ing the errors and Furnishing the
peccadillos Of mankind is the fact,
that about every tenth person,
speaking romily, car neither see
nor appreciate joke, nor even
comprehend the essence of humor.
They may be intellectually compe.
tent for the ordinary affairs of life,
yet when they happen to cross the
field of mental gymnastics, they are
prone to trip and fall like babes in
a terra incognita. They are pain
fully matter of fact people, unable
to take the import of words other
wise than literally, and are particu.
larly puzzled by puns; in a word
they are sadly dull. They compre.
hend positive statements, whether
these be the plain truth, or down
right, square-toed lies; but a ,cdite
lie, being too intangible even for
photographers, is wholly incon.
ceiyable to them. A magazine Of
wit and humor exploded at their
doors would fail to produce the
least ripple Of excitement; yet ply
them with ironical statesments Of
the most absurd character, which
the average boy Of ten would ap-
prove by a motion of his thumb
over his shoulder, and their bosoms
promptly swell with excitement,
and they accept and propagate the
most childish stories as literal facts.
Thus should be explained those
astonishing tales Of mortality from
diphtheria in our city, so glibly told
by our outside "friends," believed
by many, doubted by a few, and
known by all us Pointers TO be
maliciously false, 1t doubtless all
come about in something like the
following manner: A waggish
denizen of the city, finding himself
face to face with a gullable fellow
tenth man--seeking information
under difficulties, expa.iates on the
horrors of the disease, the decima.
lion of the population from its
ravages, the inability Of the under
takers and the sections to give decent
sepulture to the dead, and the con-
sequent gloom beclouding the city.
Then another tenth man, a stranger,
belated in perambulating our streets,
descries in the dark slowly NOV
ing, queerly shaped vehicle, con
structed TO carry without disseminat-
ing substances Of an odor not
usually chosen for nosegays by
discriminating olfactories, all in
charge Of small, quietly moving
procession; and, piqued by curiosity
and a laudable desire for knowledge
as 10 what the mysterious phe-
nomenon might portcnd, be boldly
accogts the Captain Of the Host for
information, and is solemnly told
that they were burying by night the
many to whom the undertakers
had been unable to give decent
sepulture during the day. For this
be evinced his gratitude by a
significant 81 told you SO" and
straightway sought other bipeds to
whom he uubosomed his discovery.
Thereafter, these all became heralds
from the dead to the living, and
their words prevailed nightly.
These, and numerous other simi-
lar marvellous incidents, are true TO
life and Of actual occurrence; and,
in view Of the inevitable tenth man,
let us hereafter "laugh aGd be fat"
at bis unconscious follies aud pity
the childish creduIity Of the
victims Of overwhelming fear.