Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-10-08
JOKES OF THE CLERGY.
Preachers Arc Good Nnrrators ana
Are Usually Quick "ftted.

Preachers Arc Good Nnrrators ana
Are Usually Quick Wftted.
The cleric will at all times be found
q good r%aconteur and quick to crack a
Joke, with its sharp sting, too, If nee
essary. OF course, when the jester Is
u ruler, one must be satisfied with his
humor at all hazards, as was the au-
dience # the faithful whom a Moslem
ruler spoke to one Friday from the
pulpit in the market place.
People. what shall l preach to you
about to-dayT' I'VE do not know
they replied. We'll, If you don't now
l shall not tell you" and Town he came
from the pulpit. There WAS no sermon
that Sabbath.
The next week the old inquiry was
made and the people reJoinsd, we
know" when the royal preacher said,
"lf you know, o do not need me to
tell you" And again an abrupt close
to the services.
The third week the people were more
wary, and replied, Some Of us know
and some of us do not know" Aad
now they expected to trap the nan but
he was wiser than they thought @
those who Know tell those who d not
know" anne his utterance, and the
people We're trapped instead.
1t must have been an Arab cleric
or a holy man who, passing Il mosque,
heard an unpleasant voice reciting the
Koran. How much is thy monthly al
~lowance?' the sage inquired. allow
>,,a - ,~-lt1 Hl ,-,l-, IVb. 7
get nothing why, then" the sage
asked, 'dost thou take all his labor
or thyself?" Il read" came the 70
Joinder, for the sake Of God" WELL"
the sag answered, for Gods sake
don't re d any more!"
tons of clerical wit but what could
be more suggestive than the following?
A reader in a mosque had so bad an
accent that his master, the chief sage,
said, "My good young man, we have
several old men who receive five d1naRs
monthly for their services. | will gfpe
thee ten dinars to go elsewhere" He
went away, but soon returned. WY
didst thou sen me away?' he said to
the sage. in the place to which l
went they now desire that l shall take
twenty dlnars and go away but l have
not consented" Don't accept" the
sage %rejoined; "for after a while they
may offer thee fifty"
Rabbinical wit is a vital element in
the Talmud and Midrash, entering in
to the discussions of the sages and ap-
pealing to the people with magic pow.
err, when dry dlsquisitions n homi-
lies without such spice would have
driven he people away.
A preacher in those olden days no
ticed that his audience seemed to be
asleep despite his eloquence. Once"
he cried, there was a Jewess who had
100000 children" The people were all
wide awake now, and demanded to
know the woman's name. "Jochabed,"
was the response. WAS not her son
Moses equal to 100000 who came from
Egypt?" There was no lack Of atten-
ton for the rest of the sermon.
An English rabbi was asked by his
congregation if there was any weighty
reason against having a clock in the
synagogue. by no Means vas the
reply. "Have your clock but put it
outside the building, and then o can
tell how late you come to the service"
Two rabbis were passing the beauti-
ful synagogue In which n Of them of
nciated. "How l envy you!" said the
first. "You must be in a paradise"
"IIold, friend" the second exclaimed.
I'm the original paradise there was
only one serpent but in his congrega-
don are many of them"