The Washington herald., 1908-06-14

history, which he expects will fill ten vol
umes Of encyclopedia dimensions.
Of course, Mr.. Mason is proud OF some
Of HIS jokes. but the bit Of work OF which
he is proudest is his organization OF
the Dutch Treat Club. The name betrays
the character nt the club. which has for
members practically all the big magazine
editors Of the metropolis and numerous
authors whose works are widely read in
the periodicals and book form. Mason
is president OF the club, which IS now
about q year old
1t is TO Mason that the world is indebt-
ed for the term summer girl" And twas
in February, when a blizzard was MAX
ing things decidedly uncomfortable for
humanity. that he evolved the phrase that
has gone round the world. II lrst ap-
peared at the head Of some verses; since
then It has been worked 10 death with
perennial regularity. Perhaps even Mas
son is now sorry that he fathered the
phrase
John Kendrick Bangs. Ike Mason, Je-
rome. Mr.. Dooley, Mark Twain. Tom Mas
son. Ellis Parker Butler, Gelett Burgess,
and others, has sat in an editorial chair.
In short, he had occupied so many editor
lal chairs that he easily holds the honors
in this particular among the Joe Millers
distinction OF being the only humorist
who ever took politics seriously enough to
be a candidate for Office.
Tried TO BE a Politician.
Mr.. Bangs back in "a, aspired 10 be
mayor OF Yonkers. To that end he In
duced the Democracy Of that New York
suburb to make him its candidate. The
three weeks that followed were doubtless
~ r.
as he went about trying TO catch the elu-
sive vote. He caught some, but his op-
ponent caught 207 more. and the joke was
on Bangs. The Bangsian campaign fur
nished a lot Of amusement FOR New York
ers. who were kept posted by the daily
papers Of the progress Of q humorist as
politician.
After he gave up all designs on the
mayOralty Mr. Bangs turned his attention
70 education, and in 1897 he became vice
president OF the Yonkers school board,
with the avowed intention, his opponents
declared. Of substituting his humorous
works for the standard text books. How
ever that may be. Mr.. Bangs remained q
prominent director Of the Yonkers young
idea till 1904. Since then he has eschewed
public preferment
Bangs has the distinction OF being the
most productive OF our fun-makers. He
thinks nothing OF turning out two or three
books a year. with scores OF short stories
and innumerable paragraph Jokes on the
side.
Edwin A Oliver, Bangs old fellow
townsman, when he began writing on the
Statesman, his fathers paper, turned out
short stories. From this work he drifted
into the dialogue joke. This Is his modest
explanation Of his creation Of this form
this drifting some thirty-odd years ago.
and since that time he has turned out
Jokes at the rate Of six TO ten a day. All
told. he has sprung about $1,000 jokes in
print Ii is safe TO say that most Of Mr..
divers jokes have been copied the world
over. That publication which aims 10
print any humor whatever rarely neglects
TO exercise the clipping scissors on OIL
ver's column, signed with the pen name
OF Ed. I. Torialle.
JOIxed with Royalty.
Among the present-day American hu-
morists he divides with Mark Twain the
distinction OF having cracked Jokes with
the present King and Queen Of England.
He was entertained by them in 1886. when
they were Prince and Princess OF Wales.
The prince. II seems. had been smiling for
years at jokes Of divers copied by the
British publications.
When John ". Oliver, the humorist'S
father. died a year or two ago. he was
the oldest newspaper editor in the coun-
try. The son now sits IN the editorial
chair so long filled by the father. Prior
10 his fathers death he looked after the
papers business side. To-day his eye Is
on all departments Of the paper which his
jokes have made internationally famous.
But his especial pet is a column headed
''Whim Whams" which he once seriously
told an inquirer was written by the Office
boy after he had finished sweeping out
the office and running his daily quota OF
errands-
Copyright. 1905. by the Associated Literary PTSssl