The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-04-15

zine to make sure it was magazine
then wept, for here was an old friend
of my boyhood, just as sprightly as of
yore, and arranged in the same style OF
costume as when last saw it. Glanc-
ing at the bottom of the sketch found
that was mistaken. This wasnot my
boyhood friend, but a grandchild, so to
speak, for it was accredited to a diff
ferent author.
Another: Some yeirs ago was read
ing in a certain paper column, think.
called "Humorosities," when l came
across the following:
Jobson-"Hobson is selfmade man."
Robson-"I'm glad to hear that"
J.-"Why so?"
R.-"For it relieves the Almighty of
a powerful responsibility"
Imagine my surprise when l found
the same thug in book written by a
southern gentleman of national repute
as an author, who deals out ideas on
tie race problem that make Senator
Tilman look like an amateur. He
makes two of his characters repeat the
above verbatim. Since then | have
come across the same thing in different
papers, accredited to different persons,
so often that of truth believe "there
is nothing new under the sum-" Au-
other ane cdOie that is entitled to ven-
GRAFTON on account of its antiquity is
the one where sailor on aboard ship
takes something to the captain in cup
and requests him to taste it. The cap
tain tastes it and remarks that it is ex-
ceilent soup, whereupon the sailor COM
plains that the cook is endeavoring to
palm off that identical concocti0n for
coffee. Later when l was up in the
woods heard the same thing, but it
wasa iumberjsek making thecompiaint
and twenty years later was informed
by resident here that it was a private
in the United States army complaining
to his captain.
The surprise of my life, however,
came to me recently. There is week
ly paper that l receive which pays cash
| for good stories. | was reading over
some of the stories aud came to one by
a lady way down in Dixie. 1t has tJ
do with a sermon by a negro preacher
told in the dialect of the southern darky
The lady got prize of five dollars ]
think and she distinctly states that she
he ard that sermon preached from the
pulpit. Now the surprising part OF il
to me is the fast that it was the very
same story that frequently told to q
party of drumTers when l was Pull
man porter. The knot that wish the
scientists to untangle in connection
with the above is this: That lady hearC
that sermon in her home tOwn-a place
| was never in-yet told it before sht
did and stranger still, never hearl
any such sermon but manufacture tht
story in order to get my passengers il
tuo pIOPCI VA w COm>
across with tip. Talk about you
telepathy and other things occult-cal
you beatit?
The only explanation that occurs tt
my dense understanding is "someon'
has blundered." l have come to tn
conclusion that thought, like matter, i
indestructible and whenever we releas
, thought it goes wandering aroun,
until it finds an open mind-tht n bing
in it goes.
, Moral: Whenever a thought (espe
. cialiy one that has to do with humor
, GUS anecdotes) seeks admission to you
think tank, examine and question
, closely and critically, lest like the lad
, who wrote the story of the negr
, preacher you might te entertaining a
ungel unawares. Or like the create
+ part of writer's of original jokes, 20
8 may admit something that has bee
, wandering through space for ages
: seeking an easy berth.
j. r., THE COLoRED CHEF.
Judge Eagdn.-( COntinued.)
:, - ~volI ~