The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-08-27

taken in by shell game played just
as the modern thimbIe-rigger plays
IT.
A poem pretty wellknown in this
day tells Of an "absent-minded Dutch
man filled nit grief und shame" be-
cause he couldn't get through his
head whether he was of two twins
Hans that was living Of Yacob that
was dead
That is just little change rung on
t.the story of the fool in the Greek
Jest Book of Hierocles,' who. meet
ing one of two twins, asked Was it
you that died or your brOther?"
There was a story current some lit
tie time ago about an Irishman who
made bet with a fellow workman
that the latter could not carry him in
his bod up a ladder. The workman
put Pat in the bod and Iaboriously
assembled. At the third story he
stumbled and almost fell, but re-
gained his equilibrium and finally
completed the ascent in safety.
Well" said Pat, when he was set
down, you've won the five, but |
must say that when We tripped that
time | had hopes"
Now this joke has it's basic princi-
pie in an old Greek joke about a man
who agreed to pay his doctor a fee
if the latter cured him. When his
wife demonstrated with him for drink
ing heavily when in high fever, he
exclaimed: What. do you want me
to get Well ami have to pay the doc
Tor his fee?"
An instance OF an Irish bull is
found in the same Greek jest book in
the story OF the fool who was almost
browne the first time he tried 10
swim. WhereupOl he swore he would
never go near the water again until
he learned TO swim.
The modern joke about the loaned
umbrella is certainly recalled by the
following: "Antiochus once set eyes
on LysimachUs' cushion, and Lysim-
acEus never set eyes or his cushion
again"
Numberless instances might be
given of ancient jokes upon hen
pecked husbands, upon the undersir-
ability of the marriage state after one
is in it. of the caustic remarks of wO-
man haters, of men making fun Of
their wives (behind their backs) of
clairvOyants, misers, legacy hunters.
etc. In fact, it is the man who is
typical Of a class that in all ages
has had to bear the brunt Of the sar-
casmS directed against this class. 1t
is the concrete instance of the alb
stract idea.
Much might be written about the
humorous and bitter remarks in an
Cient literature upon women. Misc
gynism was rife in ancient times; ;
more so tlan at present, for one of
the greatest instances of the world s
progress is the improved pasitiOn of
women. In Greece especially woman
was looked down upon, and her posi-
ton il the best days of Athenian
glory was an inferior one.
One man, Simonides Of AmargOs,
wrote a poem, in which he describes
the nature of different kinds of wo-
men by comparing them successfully
to a hog, a fox, dog, mud. sea
water, an ass, a weasel, a mare. an
ape, and a bee. Of these ten kinds
Is last is the only one approaching
--e-~o. '5il't,- T'-a poem winds UP
i II ; :r ir2unt: God made
this S"1ralye evil-woman; even
though -he seems to be some good,
when fla2 has got her she becomes
a plague.
Socrates. who doubtless had reason
for thinking as he did, on account of
his shrewish wife, antippe, used to
say when he was asked whether it
was better to marry or not: (which
ever you do, you will regret it" and
once on being asked what act of their
lives people most commonly repent
ed Of, he replied: MARRIAGE"