The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12
THE HUMOR TRADE DEPRESSED.
Conditions That Seem to Call for the
Invention of Some New Jokes.


Some of the young men and young women
who try to amuse the public and at the same
time earn an honest living by writing jokes
rious crisis in their career. In the language
of the trade reports they are suffering from
the adverse competition. and they are
threatened with hard times unless they are
able to put something absolutely new on
the market. This state OF affairs has long
been recognized in the trade, and serious
study has been given to the problem OF
supplying an article at once light and orig
inal, that would catch the fancy of the
public. 1t is believed that pleasing income
full brand of goods who is the first to get
his wares upon the market.
The problem Is more complicated than it
appears to be on the surface. One of the
conditions to be met Is the disposal of the
large stock of stationery which some joke
writers have on hand. For years the ten
to the elaboration and standardization of
stationery. For instance, one member OF the
Brooklyn Authors Club has devised a sys-
as any used in bank or government Office.
1t includes paper especially cut to suit the
exact length of his jokes; envelopes in
which to send the jokes to the editor, and
other envelopes in which the editor may re-
turn the rejected jokes; circulars in which
he speaks to the editor and other circulars
in which the editors views and thanks
are to be communicated to him; remon-
strances, protests and reproaches to OBJ
durate editors; trade announcements; a
brief, modest, and accurate sketch of his
literary career and achievements; billheads,
dunning circulars, and other necessaries Of
the practice of the highest form of literary
art. All these documents are of fine paper,
variously tinted to distinguish their pur-
pose, and nicely printed. He lays in his
stationery by wholesale. first, because of
the belief that there is better chance of
having one joke accepted If you sent a
batch of thirty at once than If you forward
only three an idea that involves a large
waste Of stationery. In addition he keeps
an elaborate set of books, which enable
of any joke that is going the rounds to
avoid sending one joke twice to the same
editor, and to keep track Of his debts. Not
business so thoroughly as this one; but
most of them do 1t to some extent, and
habitually keep large stocks on hand. 1t is
obvious that q radical innovation In their
their present supply OF stationery being
rendered useless, unless, of course, the
stock on hand could be worked of pre-
viously This is risk about which some
Then. too, they are not all o: them con-
yinced that the public wants change-at
any rate, a radical one. The present style
OF joke. consisting of few lines of repair
haps unparalleled in the history Of hurnor.
It's broad adaptability and the with
which 1t may be produced, in form. at
range extends from the Attic salt OF an
Eyarts or q Trayers to the droolings Of a
bright babe Consequently, everybody could
enjoy such jokes and anybody could
range from g cents upward. People who
make business OF 1t find 1t about as easy
to write thirty of forty jokes as one There
is story told OF lazy poet who simplihe1
by taking one idea and dividing 1t into
sixteen parts each OF which served as the
basis q { poem. thus avoiding the necer-