Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-23
SERIOUS, YET FUNNY
huMoR THAT HELPS
TO PUT SPICE IN LIFE.


gruitics In Speaking, Writing and
Painting Tint Appeal Strongly to
the Sense of the Ridiculous.
Nothing has added more to the merri.
ment of the world than the unlnten
'tional. unconscious humor of writer's
public speakers aud, In fact, oil classes
and conditions Of men and women
And there is none SO delightful. 1t far
exceeds in mlrth provoking quality the
cold blooded humor Of the professional
wits.
4 We Americans are fun loving peo-
pie, and we must and will have our
ljollity. Some one has said with GER
tain truth: with all our vanity, ener.
gy and unrest, we are not II dull, cheer
less people. Sour faced fellows, yellow
aud dyspeptic, are to be met with In
our cars and OH our streets. but they
are not the type of the American. for
he is as ready for "a laugh MS for II
speculation, rs fond Of joke us an
office"
And the joke is all the more enjoy
able when 1t Is spontaneous The great
or the stress and strain OF life the
greater the need and demand for hu-
NOR, and no one deprecates the value
of humor excepting those who have
none of this good gift to their portion.
Sunset" Cox, one OF the wltticst men
Of his day, says III his book, why We
laugh" Eliminate from the litcrn-
ture and conduct of any one people the
amusing and the amused faculty. and
you produce II sterillty rs dull and un.
interesting as the clnders and ashes OF
the volcanic fields OF Iceland But III.
clude the amusing element within
the experience and history OF mankind,
and no description OF luXurlance, with
grape. olive. necturlne and orange. such
as makes the Wales of Portugal II percn
NAL smile, Is adequate to emphasize the
contrast"
One could not well instance Il more
amusing Dlundcr than that in Il paint.
ing of the blessed Virgin" In IN old
church In Spain. In this painting the
Virgin is represented us sitting on u
red velvet sofa fondling cat with one
hand, while with the other she Is pour
IHt5 COueG iTOll u sllNcC
This Is us amusing as II painting in n
German church representing the sncrl.
fee of Isaac by Abraham. In this
painting Abraham Is about TO dis.
charge huge pistol at Isaac when an
angel dcsccnds nnd pours II pitcher OF
water on the pan OF the pistol, thereby
saving lsnac.r
The writer once saw crude painting
of King Herod with pair of specta-
cles painted on his nose. There Is n
very old painting of st. Peter denying
the Saviour, and several of the Roman
soldiers In the background have pipes
in their mouths.
Those who are on the lookout for
them will find many amusing blundcrs
IN the daily papers and in periodicals
OF all kinds. 1t was but the other day
that the writer saw Miss Fanny eros.
by referred to in religious paper us
the author Of SO many blind poems"
And 1t WAS great metropolitan daily
that one morning gave its readers the
following information regarding the
wrecking of u ship the night before:
'The captain swan ashore and sue.
ceeded in saving the life Of his wife.
She was insured In the Northern Ma.
rine Insurance company and carried a
cargo OF cement
Equally amusing ms IN instance of
unconscious humor was the statement
made by another paper regarding the
capslzing Of boat Mt sea. 1t said that
"but one life was lost, and that was
found afterward."
He must be sadly deficient in bumor
who does not find himself amused by a
sign like the following seen In the win
dow of shoemaker: "Any respectable
man, woman or child can have fit i'm
this shop" 1t was an enterprising fur.
rier who placed card in his window
stating that for the benefit of the Ia.
dies he would make "mulfs, boas, ETC.,
out of their own skins"
A prolific source of amusement to
manuscript readers is the surprising
way in which aspirants for literary
honor and glory often "put things.n
We find one young woman saying OF
her heroine: 1.-THE countess fell back In
a deadly swoon. When she revived her
spirit had fled.r
Another young writer places her her.
Dine In a very perilous situation and
then snys Of her, "Her lips qulyered;
her cheeks grew pale; her breath came
In short pants"
A third writer gives this amusing
description of the appearance of some
one she referred to as "the bell OF
the ball." "She was clad in some soft
clinglng, fieecy, vapory stuff of puresi
white that gave the appearance of a
bit of detached cloud floating in the