The Irish standard., 1906-03-17
1t is Humor That Makes Life Worth Livine
in Ireland, Where Material Pleasures
Count For Little.
Everybody Jokes and Everybody is Responsive
to Jokes--Some Samples of Irish
Wit and Humor.

all about the meal. They live by en-
joymcnt as we'll as by food over there;
and an Irishman does not care when
J he dimes.
1t is when he is ready, if it is q
matter OF the public restaurant; when
the dinner is ready, If he is at home.
have been asked to dine at q Dublin
house. and have arrived ut the door
with the materials for the dinner; ana
l have been punctual for lunch at 1880
according to the card, and have been
received by half n dozen dogs who sat
around in chairs and entertained me,
while q maid. looking as though had
come with the milk in tho morning.
came in to light the fire and informed
mo that the mistress was lying down
with the toothache. The next guest
arrived at ::45, and lunch was on the
table at 3.
What matter? One grows accus-
toned to the want Of punctuality in
time: ana the meal is worth having
when it comes, for it is seasoned with
gayety.
| They may or may not make big for
tunes over there. but life is worth liv-
ing. 1t is true that they are no stu
dents, no lovers of books in these lat
ter days. They claim for themselves
that they arc connoisseurs of all the
arts. but doubt II.
| What Go they want with books. see
ing how delightful is the page Of life:
They are not rcstful enough for quiet
contemplation Of the arts. Every man
Is his own and his fellows book and
picture. 1t Is :hc slower. more con-
templativc races that are, in tho right
sense OF the word, amateurs Of the
arts.
| They will not even write their humor
down. Ii they did. what library of
humor they might make! It is somc-
thing too instant too evanescent, too
much OF the time and the occasion for
cold writing down.
Everywhere men congregato in Ire
land Is n center of wit and humor. 1t
lnvadcs the learned professions and
those whom age might have stalled to
laughter. The -Four Courts Library in
Dublin is one of the places whence
the good stories emanatc. The wits
Of Dublin. within my memory, have
been Baron Dowse. a Judge; Lord
Morris Of Spiddal. also Judge: Father
Hcaly. n priest: DR.. Medley, sur
geon.
All these are gone. Most happily,
Richard Adams, county court judge
yet remains. And. to be sure, tho va
cant places have been filled. Even
politics has not made tho Irish sad;
and there Is no tax on laughter.
When you set out to tell good stories
from ireland they jostle each other so
in your memory that you hardly know
which to select. will put down a
few haphazzard.
friend of mine who was very en-
thusiastic about things Irish. herself
being an Englishwoman, was driving
OH an outside car in Dublin. She was
praising everything to the carman.
and among the rest the famous Dublin
stout with which she had just become
Acquainted.
What an excellent drink it is," she
said. why, it's meat and drink, too"
"Thrue for you, ma'am," replied the
cardriver. "an' a nights lodgin. too.
IL you only drink enough of it."
Another story was told me by
leading Dublin teetotaller who had
taken no pledge against joke. A well
known Dublin citizen. also prominent
on the temperance platforms in Dub
lin, was addressing a crowded meeting
and arguing against the assumption
that stimulants were necessary to
health.
Look at me, boys" he said. Here
am. so years old. I've been total
abstainer all my life, and could you
zee any man Of so healthier than
am?
"Yerra, Mr.. b." said voice In the
rowd, "if you'd taken your glass like
man 'tis a hundred you'd have been
oy now