The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-01-17
Copyright, 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

Copyright, 1906, by Joseph b. BoWles')
(Mrs. Mary Harrison McKee, daughter
of President Harrison, was very prom
inent in official society during her father S
term as the nations chief executive. She
tells here with fraukneSs ard humor some
of the peculiar experiences winch she had
while resident of the White HouseO
How good it is to laugh! How de-
lieh full either for man or woman to
be blessed with keen sense of the
ridiculous!
Some are not thus favored and are
continuously sad and careworn, which
is a misfortune to be truly mourned
over A school for the cultivation of
the humorous faculty might be help
full to future generations.
The assertion is made that women
lack a sense of humor, but the actor
CoQuelin has publicly denied the ac-
Cusation and says 1T is SANDER that
has lived by repetition With true
French gallantry he remarks that it
is only another example of woman's
unselfishness that she has been will
ing to let us think that we men have
a monopoly, as they say in America,
on humor"
So much has been written on wit,
humor and fun, and so many examples
from every direction have come down
10 us that we cannot give the palm
for so charming a characteristic to
any one time or country or sex.
An actor or actress who nightly
faces a large audience has an oppor-
tunity for judging of these qualities in
the human race. So has the man or
woman who is called upon to occupy
any conspicuous position where he or
she is brought in close contact with
numbers of men and women, whose
field for observation is a broad one
and whose perceptions are keen.
Well might such a one eXclaim with
the poet:
"Oh, wad some power the giftie gle US
To see oursels as thers see us!
1t wad frae monte blunder free US
And foolish notion
The mirror in which we may get q
rather fair notion of ourselves is pub
lie position, although the image re-
flected is not always exactly accurate
or true to nature.
With the newspapers on one side
saying that Mrs. E. is beautiful in
face and divine in form, with superb
qualities of heart and mind, and the
opposition saying she is a plain little
woman who dresses atrociously and
uses bad English, she may find herself
in the position of one of Mother
Goose's characters. You will remem-
Der the little old woman who fell
asleep and had her petticoats cut off
up to her knees and upon awaking
and not exactly recognizing herself
exclaimed, Can this be ~
But it is right here that sense Of
the ridiculous comes to the rescue;
for if you are broad-minded and have
a clear conscience you will be able to
smile as broadly as the opposition
over descriptions and you do give
vent to your merriment; for often the
thrusts are so unkind that you might
be tempted to cry. But what would
be the use, since it would only make
the plain face palmer and the bad
English would certainly be made
worse if you could give free vent to
your feelings?
There certainly is no lack of free
discussion and criticism in the news
papers of the day on parties, politics
and persons, and the man who enters
the political arena must take that
life as he does his wife, for better,
for worse, for richer. for poorer, in