Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-11-23
ANTIQUITY or JesTs.5
Ths- Philosophy OF the hmm ortality Of
Jokes In This Mundane World.

Th,- Philosophy OF the mortality Of
Jokes In This Mundane World.
We often hear joke or Jest referred to
rs 'veritable Joe Miller" as though
that well known writer Of facetious re-
marks and bad puns were the source and
fountain head OF current wit and humor
The truth is that Joe Miller, who was a
verftable parsonage, was used even in his
own day merely as sort of supposititious
authority. nearly all the bad Jokes of his
time being credited to him. and later gen.
erations having reached the conclusion
that he shone by original instead Of by re-
fected light
But whether we choose to credit one the
ory or the other. TO make Joe Miller man
OF wit or a mere blockhead, it is true that
most OF the merry jests found in his book,
as well Is those credited to him by com
mon consent. are centuries older than his
time. and the peculiar thing about many
OF them is that they are common to every
known language of the world. The only
things that can compare with them in an
tiquity and universally are proverbs,
which possess such a strong family like
ness that they can be followed back for
ages, the same in substance, though differ
ing somewhat in form of expression.
The truth is that there is no5hirg newer
under the sun in the way of jokes and puns
and jests than in anything else. The acct
dental resetnblances of the sound of words
having totally different meanings; the in
congru:ty OF ideas suddenly suggested; the
righteousness of certain situations, Incl
dents, IDEAS, actions and appearances-all
must have been the same or practically the
same TO the people of the earliest races as
to those of the most recent, the only linn
itaton being that of a circumscrihed vo-
cabuiary.
At any rate, as far back "a we can trace
the stream of literature, we find along its
shores fragments and scrapsof humorous
and witty sayings, many of which are in
current use today, and probably VIII con
tinue to be as long as the human family
shall retain the sense of humor. 1t is well
known to classical scholars that some OF
the accepted bits of Jest and humor OF
the Nineteenth century are literal transla-
tons from the Greek comic dramatist,
Arist2phaues, and that the Latin comic
poets are responsible for many of the jokes
which we retail today with as much zest
as though fresh from the makers hands,
No doubt IL we had record of the spoken
language OF the primitive man. whoever
he may have been, we should find the
same things that have become familiar to
US IN the KNOWN literature OF the world.
Jokes take on the character of the peo-
pie among whom they become domesti-
Gated, becoming coarse or refined, as the
temperament OF those who employ them de
cides. Scandinavian humor. for example
hos much OF she spiris OF the Vikings,
much OF the swing and crash of the ham
mer Of Thor, while the jests Of Italy and
France are as keen and pointed as the
stilettO of the one or the napier of the other.
Some, millionaire who is ambitions to
benefit his fellow men should offer q large
reward Tor the invention of q new lot of
jests, the only condition being that they
should be equal in quality TO the time
honored ones which have amused the world
50 long. Perhaps the quest might be in
vain, like the search for the philosophers
stone, but the experiment would be at least
worth trying.-San Francisco Chronicle.