Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1907-01-24
SERIOUS, YET FUNNY
UNCONSCIOUS HUMoR THAT HELPS
TO PUT SPICE IN LIFE.


Painting That Appeal strongly to
the sens@ " the Ridiculous.
Nothing has added more to the merri.
ment Of the world than the uninten
tional unconscious h,mor of writer's
public speakers and in fact, all classes
and conditions Of men and women.
And there is none so delightful 1t far
exceeds in mirth provoking quality the
cold blooded hulnor of the professional
wits
We Americans are fun loving peo
ple. and we must aud will have our
iollity. Some one has said with GER
tain truth: with all our vanity ener-
nv and unrest we are not Il dull, cheer
less people. Sour faced fellows. yellow
and dyspeptic, are to be met with in
our cars and OH our streets, but they
are not the type OF the American, for
he Ia as ready for laugh as for
speculation, as fond Of joke as an
Office
And the joke is all the more enjoy
able when it is spontaneous The great
er the stress and strain OF life the
yreater the need and demand for hui
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 wttiest men
OF his day, says in his book, why We
Laugh eliminate from the lltera
ture and conduct of any one people the
amusing and the amused faculty, and
YOU produce a sterility as dull and I'M
interesting as the cinders and ashes OF
the volcanic fields Of Iceland. But in
clude the amusing element with.n
the experience and history of mankind,
and no description Of luxuriance, with
grape, olive, ncctarine and orange. such
as makes the wales of Portugal peren-
NAL smile, Is adequate to emphasize the
contrast"
One could not well instance more
amusing blunder than that in a paint
| ing OF the blessed Virgin" in an Old
church in Spain. In this painting the
| Virgin is represented rs sitting on u
red velvet sofa fondling a cat with one
hand, while with the other she is pour
| ing coffee from silver coffeepot.
| This Is as amusing as a painting in
German church representing the sacri-
flee OF Isaac by Abraham. In this
| painting Abraham is about to dis
charge huge pistol at Isaac when an
angel descends and pours pitcher o.
water on the pan Of the pistol, thereby
saving Isaac.
The writer once saw crude painting
| Of King Herod with pair of specta
cles painted on his nose There is a
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 OH the lookout for
them will find many amusing blunders
In the daily papers and in periodicals
Of all kinds. 1t was but the other day
that the writer saw Miss Fanny Cros-
| by referred to In religious paper as
the author OF so many blind poems"
And It was great metropolitan daily
that one morning gave it's readers the
following Information regarding the
wrecking Of 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
cargo Of cement
Equally amusing as an instance of
unconscious humor was the statement
made by another paper regarding the
capsizing OF boat at sea. 1t said that
"but one life was lost, and that was
found afterwarti.''
He must be sadly deficient In humor
who does not find himself amused by
sign like the following seen in the win
dow OF 4 shoemaker: ANY respectable
man. woman or child can have fit in
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 'muffs, 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"
We dnd one young woman saying OF
her heroine: ''rhe countess fell back in
deadly swoon. When she revived her
spirit had fled"
Another young writer places her her
dine In very perilOus situation aud
then says OF her. Her lips quivered:
her cheeks grew pale; her breath came
ID short pants"
A third writer gives this amusing
description OF the appearance OF some
one she referred to as 1.-THE bell OF
tie bail: "She was clad In some soft,
citnging, 6eecy, vapory stun OF purest
white that gave the appearance OF
bit OF detached cloud floating In the
sky. She wore no ornament with the
exception Of several bits OF rare brio
a-brac gathered III 4 foreign cliIne.''
charming bit VI purely unconscious
hnmor was that noticed By some Wis
itors g great English coal mine. AT
the mouth 81 the great central shaft
hundreds 81 feet deep was 4 placard
bearing tilese words:
Picase do not tumble down the
shaft. 3 Detroit Free Press
market rate.