Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-04

ordinary terms. that very few of them
are intrinsically funny. A part Of the
public has been deceived into s,,nposinp
| that because a story consisted of mis-
spelled words It was dialect. and there
fore must be humorous. But, usually.
IN the "Dooley' papers, the Joke is
| there, even when denuded of dialect.
Not very long ago MFR. Dooley" took
| up the water cure" as alleged to be
administered in the Philippines, and in
the course of his remarks said:
| Filipino. we'll say, niyer herd Nv
tn histhry iv this country. He is met
be wan iv our sturdy boys in black an
blue iv Macabebee scouts. who asts
him to cheer FIR Abraham Lincoln. He
| rayfuses He is thin placed upon. tn
grass an given a drink, baynit bein'
! fixed in his mouth, so that he cannot
rejiet tn hospitality. Under tn in
| fluence iv TIL hose that cheers, but does
rot inebriate, he soon warrums. or.
might say. swells, up to radiation iv
tn granjoor iv his adaptive country.
One gallon makes him give three
gallons he will ask to be wrapped in tn
flag. At tn dew pint he sings yankee
Doodle Occasionally we run acrost a
stubborn an rebellyous man who would
strain at me idee iv human rights an
swallow tn Passyfic Ocean. but mus
say mos iv these little fellows is less
hollow in their pretensions.
A very great deal Of spontaneous
e
ebullient gayety is found in the college
publications, especially the Harvard
Lampoon, Yale Record. Princeton
Tiger. Cornell Widow. University of
Michigan Wrinkle and Columbia Jest,
or. This may be because the writer's
of these productions do it merely as
pastime. and are not goaded on by the
necessity of presenting a certain, I'M
failing quantity every day.
Within the past 10 years or so there
has been a general spread of the saving
grace of humor in the editorial pages of
daily papers. The success that attend
cd the para graphs of George d.
Prentice showed that the readers did
not care for an entire editorial section
of grave disquisition on the affairs of
state and the world. Today there are
large number of daily papers that
have from half to a column of clever
short paragraphs on political and news
topics. Mr.. Merrick of the Washington
Post is regarded as about the leader in
this particular line of thought.
The mere conventional form of humor
is fading out. A glance at the funny
columns" of even a few years ago
shows that the humorists who then ex-
listed considered something like this
the correct thing:
Brown is the picture of woe today
Yes. his mother-in-law is coming to
visit him.
This and thousands of paragraphs
like it all seem to have been cut from
the same pattern, much as all the chill
dren of a village will wear clothes OF
the same cut. because one mother mas
sent to her magazine for directions Tor
making a garment, and then has loaned
the guide to her friends.
Today the joke, or the humorous
article, is funny all the way through.
In other days it was enough to write
on and on, with minute detail ana
description, leading up to the comicai
denouement in the last two lines. NOW
the risiblities of the reader must De
aroused with the opening line, or the
rest of the story. goes unread Inc
mission of the modern joke is as much
to arouse thought as laughter AS
matter of fact, the very best and pur-
est forms of humor do not produce the
stridcnt laugh, and frequently not
even the fleeting chuckle. Ihey en-
bodv n uorsel of mental stimulus that
must be rolled under the tongue, as IL
were. and digested, and thought over
for a while The sapient satire on cur
rent foibles need not be CARRIED IN cap
and bells. nor heralded, like the Don
mot Of the green-whiskered vaude-
wilton with n resounding thump OF the
hip drum. II it brings the inanity, the
foolishness, the silly side of the LATEST
fad IN the fore its work is done. Al the
nresant time the suddenly popular
game of ping pong is receiving much
a,tantion of the hands of the humor-
lists. AS an instance;
Nethodically the angry wire hurieu
the cup and saucer at her huspaiu.
Seizing the meat-platter. she patteu
the saltcellar and pepperholder az min
and followed with volley OF sugar
howl. cream mug, butter dishes anu
knives ana forks.
Seeking safety in the hall, the bruised
husband muttered to himself:
IT knew that woman harbored ui-
| --..k;,.or .,-bap devoted SO