Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-08-31
CHAMP GIKSEIIR
He Writes About the
lockers Of Congress.
IT PAY 10 BE FUEEY2
He Thinks a Jest Often Saves a
Situation
STORIES OF SOME WITTY REPLICA

VI SUM- WITH hbfhlhA
Statesmen who Have = sense 81 Hu-
NOR aad seue who Have xos-whs
Eekels Always Beminds him OF Joe
bailey some New Aneedotes Of
sPrtvates JshR Anen. who Is sAta
20 Have stopped Tesltag Funny
stories-oked the Reuse Into Pass
inE a Bn.
Especial washington Letter.l
Recently I lectured at Crystal
SPRING., Miss, before . ~Chautauqua
assembly on Picturesque Public
Men" 1t was not only profitable, but
delightful so to do, for that is the little
town In which that lion hearted young
Texan, Joseph W. Bailey, was born
and grew to manhood he is an An
drew jackson Democrat and the Mis-
slsgippians are proud OF him, as they
ought to be. Coming lone ! read
hon. James II. Eckles' latest elucAda-
ton Of the political situation Now,
from Joe Bailey 70 Jimmie Eckies is a
far CRY, q sudden drop from the
sublime to the ridiculous, and yet
strange as it may seem. I never see or
hear OF Eckles that / do not think OF
Bailey.
When 1 was a czllow youth attend
ing Bethany college, West Virginia, I
took lessons from Professor Kidd. the
great eIocutionist H~econtended that he
could tell what state q man was from
by his pronunciation I am not so GER
tain about that; but, however that may
be, I believe \ ran tell what section
Of country a man is from by the favor
Of his wit or humor. It Is racy Of the
soil
Ny civil service education vas sadly
neglected 1 have an old fashioned
idea that when the Democrats carry
the election they are entitled to the Of
fees. and when the Republicans carry
It they are entitled to the Offices. So
believing, in 1884 / besought Mr..
Comptroller Eckles to bounce a Repub-
Iican bank examiner in Missouri be-
cause he was a Republican and to APP
point a Democrat in his stead, but
Eckles was a mugwump, mugwumpish,
and wouldn't do It One awfully hot
morning in August he and I locked
horns about It and lost our tempers. 1
went over to the house, and the first
man / met was Bailey. "A thing Of
beauty is a Joy forever" and ! always
like to look at the great Texan. l said,
Bailey, did you ever see EcklesT'
"Yes," he replied, "and for the size Of
the bell he wears he Is the smallest
calf ! ever saw" Nobody but Q man
from the cattle country, and the long
horn cattle country at that, would ever
have used that particular smile. The
foregoing tale is why 1 always think
Of Bailey when l think Of Eckles. A
more fitting comparison was
made. So this little calf Is rafting his
big bell and believing again. Let him
rattle and below.
On the Value Of Humor.
Being in Mississippi caused my
thoughts to turn 70 Private" John Al
len, who has about lost the senator
ship, and to write OF him is a sort of
rest from politics.
Many people who never had a bright
idea in their heads or q generous i'm
pulse in their hearts. assuming an mir
OF owlish wisdom, affect TO disdAin
wit and humor and to be vastly SUI
perior to the practitioners thereof, for
getting or most likely never having
heard Of the great truth enunclated by
Charles Lamb, "A laugh is worth q
hundred groans In any market"
In most instances It IS a case Of sour
grapes. 1t Is natural for jealous souls
to endeavor to belittle those qualities
which they do not possess. This is a
mean sort OF egotism and a vainglori-
Gus pride which is very apt to have a
sudden fall Pope says:
OF an the causes which cousplrs 10 blind
Mans eTdng Judgment and ma<udds the mind.
What the weak head with strongest bias rules
Il pride. The never failing vice Of ioolA
But as the nonhumorous and unwitty
chaps constitute tho vast majority they
have pounded IL into peoples heads
that mental dryness is indicative Of
wisdom and that a wit or humorist Is
lacking in the more substantial quail
ties OF the mind. all OF which is pure
moonshine and vas originated in a de-
sire to get even.
No sane person would like to be
cooped up continually with another
who is witty or humorous on all ocea-
sions any more than he would desire
to dwell in n land of perpetual day.
but sunshine is a good thing neverthe-
less. So is wit and its cousin, humor.
Solomon says, There Is a time for ev.
erything under heavens time TO
laugh and a time to weep"
Laughter is the sweetest music that
ever greeted the human ear, and the
chief end Of humor Is to produce laugh.
ter.
1t hath been truly said:
A man may grow 70 weigh . ton
Who ieasts his mind with pungent fun.
But he who scorns its simple sway
OF yields to crime an cay prey.
Tom oorwfzss sally.
Humor undoubtedly has its proper
uses. II helps to float a heavy speech
and gives wings to solid argument A
brilliant sally may extrieate a man
from n perilous position where all else
would fail Take TEN Corwin, for ex-
ample. he was once addressing a
Wing mass meeting At Marietta, o.,