Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-02-20
SERIOUS, YET FUNNY
UNCONSCIOUS HUMoR THAT HELPS
TO PUT SPICE IN LIFE.

Some Examples of Delightful Gncon-
Eruities In Speaking. writing AMI
Painting That Appeal strongly TO
the Sense OF the Ridiculous.
Nothing has added more 10 the r. erri-
ment Of the world than the unlnten
tional. unconscious humOr of writer's
public speakers and. I'm fact. all classes
and conditions Of men and women.
And there is none 50 delightful II far
exceeds in mirth provoking quality the
cold blOOded humOr Of the professional
wits.
We Americans arc a fun loving peo-
pie, and we must and will have our
jOllity. Some one has said with GER
tain truth: With all our vanity. ener-
~ and unrest. we are not dull. cheer
less people. Sour faced fellows. yellow
and dyspeptic. are TO be met with in
our cars and on our streets, but they
are not tine type Of the American. for
he is as ready FOR n laugh as for a
speculation. as fond Of a joke as an
Office"
able when il is spontaneous. The great
er the stress and strain Of life the
greater the need and demand for hui
NOR. and 10 one deprecates the value
Of humor excepting those who have
none of this good gift to their portion.
sunset Cox. one Of the wittiest men
Of his day. says in his book. why We
Laugh" Eliminate from the litera-
ture and conduct of any one people the
amusing and the amused faculty. and
you produce a sterility as dull and IN
interesting as the cinders and ashes Of
the volcanic fields Of Iceland. But in
clude the amusing element within
the experience and history OF mankind,
and no description of luxuriauce. with
Srape. olive. nectarine and orange. such
as makes the wales Of Portugal peren-
NAL smile. is adequate 10 emphasize the
contrast
One could not well instance a more
amusing blundcr than that in q paint
ing of the Blessed Virgin" in an old
church la Spain. In this painting the
Virgin is represented as sitting on
red velvet sofa fondling a cat with one
hand. while with the other she is pour.
ins coffee from q silver coGeepot
This is as amusing as a painting I'm a
German church representing the sacri-
fee OF Isaac 10y Abraham. In this
painting Abraham is about 10 dis
charge a huge pistol at Isaac when an
angel desceuds and pours pitcher o.
water ON the pan OF the pistol thereby
saving Isaac.
The writer once saw a crude painting
of King Hcrod with q 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 On the BACKGROUND have pines
in their mouths
Those who are on the lookout Tor
them viii find many amusing biunders
in the daily papers and I'm periodicals
OF all kinds. II was but the other day
that the writer saw Miss Fanny eros
10y referred % IN religious paper as
the author of 81 many blind poems"
And il was a great metropolitan daily
that one morning gave its readers the
following information regarding the
wrcckiug OF snip the night before:
The captain SWAN ashore and sue
ceeded I'm saving the life OF his wife
She was insured in the Northern Ma
rine Insurance company and carried q
cargo of cement"
Equally amusing Us an Instance of
unconscious hUmor was tie statement
made 10y another paper regarding the
capSizinS OF a boat NJ sea. Ii said that
"but one life was lost. and that was
found afterward."
He must be sadly deficient i'm humor
who does not find himself amused by q
sign like the following seen iu the win
dow of shoemaker: ANY respectable
man, woman or child can have q tit in
this shop" Ii was an euterprlsin- fur.
rier who placed "a card in his window
stating that for the benefit of the la
dies he would make "muffs boas. etc.
out of their own skins"
y prolific source of amusement &c
manuscript readers is the surprising
way i'm which aspirauts for literary
honor and glory often put things"
We find one young woman saying of
her heroine: THE countess fcll back In
deadly swoon When she revived hcr
spirit had fled"
-AAlbtAAC4 y 'tl4A- w .NtE kl4ICt~ Att ACE-
oine in a very perilous situation and
then says of her. Her lips 0uivered.
her cheeks grow pale; her breath came
in short pants"
y third writcr gives this amusing
description of the appearance Of some
one she referred o. as 1.-THE bell of
the ball" "Shc was clad in some soft
clinSinS. heecy. vapory stun of purest
white that gave the appearance of o
bit Of detached cloud floating i'm the
sky. She wore no ornament with the
exception of several bits of rare brio
a-brac gathered in q foreign CLINE"
\ charming bit Of purely unconscious
humOr was that noticed by some Wis
itorS 10 a great English coal mine. 4,
the mouth Of the great central shaft
hundreds of feet deep was a placarC
bearing these words:
please do not tumble down TIM,
shaft. "-Detroit Free Press
COLD IN THE YUKON.