The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-09
THE JoKE-MAKINa TRADE.
A FlourishinR Gothamite Industry Of a
Very Peculiar Naeurt.

From the Chicago Times.
The business of joke making and and
short verse writing is a trade in itself, and
has its center in New York. In almost
every city or large town there are one or
two bright wits who have cracked some
exceptional jokes which some comic pa
per has printed and paid for In many a
place there is some local punster whose
efforts are the pride of his narrow circle.
But only in New York does this work
center itself. When l speak of joke writ
ing as a business with some / mean IL
literally. There is coterie of about forty
writer's, most of whom live in New York,
who do nothing but write for the comic
papers They do not wait for happy in
spiration, but make the inspiration come
to them. They write Jokes and verse for
their living, and with some of them 1t is
a very good living indeed. These are the
men the comic papers depend upon for
most of their material, and at least ten of
them make from $40 to $50 a week lust
joke writing" Some of these are well
known to the general public from their
names over verses or short sketches But
some of them again, who write merely
short "squibs,' are known only to the
editor.
1t is no uncommon thing for any one of
THESE men 10 turn out ITOu1 nILY TO ZpU
jokes brand new, warranted not to fade)
a week, and ten bits of verse. The pro-
fessional joke writer frequently sits down
without an idea in his head. Some turn
of speech comes to him-he writes down
his joke on a small rectangular bit of
paper, just the size to slip into an envelope
conveniently. That joke on his train of
thought suggests another. and on he goes
until in two hours he may have written
twenty-five jokes. s-
Then the business part of 1t comes in.
BY a system of special bookkeeping he en-
tiers the head of each joke in a book and
places opposite the title the paper to which
the joke is sent As a general thing he will
put the twenty-five squibs which he has
just finished in an envelope with an lad
dressed and directed envelope" inside, and
start the package on it's tour around the
world of humor.
He sends it first to the paper which pays
the highest price, and then in regular or
der from weekly to weekly until he has
exhausted the list and gotten down to
where they pay as little as Is cents per
joke-a starvation price for the profess
sional humorist. Suppose the first paper
to which he sent the package took three
jokes. When the others came back he
checks off the three as taken" and paid
for" if the paper in question pays on ac-
ceptance-and most of them do to the
leading writer. The rest he sends to the
second paper, which may perhaps take
four. The remaining jokes are again
checked off and the package started again
There are as many as twenty-five papers
and periodicals which pay for original
jokes, so that the humorist has an excel
lent chance of getting rid Of all the Jokes
of a series at some price. OF course, he is
continually sending out new patches TO
the first paper on his list and thence to
the others, so that his name and his
humor are constantly before the editors.
"yes'm," said Mr.. Dismal Daw son. II
did have a trade, but ! thought II was
wicked an so l give 1t up
What was it?" asked the sympathetic
woman.
"Sharpenin' the teeth of fghtin' roos-
fers ,,--l,incinnati Tribune.