Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-04-30
OLD ENGLISH HUM0|
The Brand of Laugh EXTRACTOR
Used Two Centuries Ago.
IN "J0E MlLLER'S JEST BOOK

IN "JUE MILLEhS JESI bUUK
A Selection Of Specimen Jokes Fros
the Venerable Volume That Mad
Twain Was Moved to Call the Alpa
and Omega Of Detected Humor.
The Joe Miller Jest Book"-r
famous. Mark Twain mentions Il l
the alpha and omega of detected b
NOR. IL is unrivaled, Incompatible
apart. Further. It is English ven
English.
Possibly the latter phenomenon Is .,
sponsible for the difficulty n searchs
had In finding an unrevised copy, Al
er an afternoon of search seconc
hand but scarcely worn copy inaR
was discovered in a little bookstoN
The bookseller eyed the buyer curiou
ly, but with some awe. and seeing
very glad to get rid of 1t for % cent?
Twenty-Five centsl How instant
reminiscent of one of the Joe Mills
jokes-beg pardon. Jests:
THE LIGHT SUBJECT.
The government, having threatened
. proceed vigorously against those who :,
/ fused to pay assessed taxes. offered ,
| them a remission OF one-fourth. This
least" said one sufferer. may be calle
Z giving them some quarter"
You can get that of in your ver
next after dinner speech. You can %
| little accent on one-fourth and QUA
ter and get quite as loud a laugh.
Second specimen lit must be remem
bered that the Jest book was compile
in the early part of the eighteend
century, when there were literarianl
| therefore the jests that aren't BLANC
on lords are mostly charged to wrI
ers):
A DIFFERENCE.
JerroId one day met a Scotch gentlems
whose name was Leitch, who eXplaina
that he was not the popular cartoonl
John Leech. I'm aware of that" sd
Jerrold. you're the Scotchman with y
i-t-c-h in your name"
There! Just think of the triumph wid
which Mr., Jerrold later related that Qul
to his friends.
Specimen:
THE CONNoISSEUR.
A person to whom the curiosities. BUM
ings, etc.. In oxford were shown one wed
hot day was asked by his companion
he would see the remainder of the uniyei
sity. MY dear SIR" replied the connoiI
seur, ~ am stone blind already"
Whether the friend expired
spasms of mirth or subsequently wa
hanged for mayhem the jest boz
doesn't say.
The wit OF the Irish is called in tO|
Specimens:
A SPRIG OF SHILLALAR.
A fellow on the quay. thinking to Qi
a poor Irishman. asked him, "How do 4
potatoes eat now, PatT The Irish ID!
who happened to have a shillalah in !,
| hand, answered cleverly: "Oh, they q
very well. my jewel! Would you like \
taste the stalk?' And knocking the a
quirer down, he coolly walked on
Probably 1t was a good thing
knocked him down first.
Turning to the middle of the book
there are 400 pages-Joe breaks III
verse:
ON THE LATIN GERUNDs
When Dido mourned. Aeneas would 4
She wept in silence and was Dido DunI
Classic?
Here's
A BAD END
1t was told of Jekyll that one OF
friends. a brewer. had been drowned 4
his own vat. "Ah." he exclaimed, ''hOa
ing in his own watery bierl'
Right off the bat that.
There's little Johnny also. He dr
in during jest:
THE SEASON-INGS.
Come here, Johnny. and tell me vi
the four seasons are"
Young Prodigy-Pepper. salt, musts
and vinegar.
Here's a little shot at politics a
the peer system:
EPIGRAM.
ION Alderman Woods being afraid \
pledge himself to even the principles I
has always professed.)
Sure in the house he'll do but little gocN
Who lets II dare not" wait upon
Wood" Il would).
Oh, listen! Talk about your orE
nality:
A SHORT JOURNEY.
POUNDS, fellow" exclaimed a cholsN
old gentleman to a very phlegmatic. n
wits!'
well. you won't have far to CO."
the phlegmatic man.
Yes, and here's a small ebullitV
from a dramatist:
OLD FRIENDS.
Coleman, the dramatist. was asked
he knew Theodore Hook. YES" repE
the wit Hook and eye are old asssf
ates,"
Hook was not present at the tina
The courts also come through vi
few gems:
NEW RELATIONSHIP.
stranger to law courts. hearing h
Judge call a sergeant brother" express
his surprise. "Oh," said one of the
ISLANDERS. they are brothers-brotherst
law"
And speaking of repartee:
A SHUFFLING ANSWER
Two Oxonians dining together. one I
them noticed a grease spot on the No
cloth of his companion and said. Il
you are a Grecian."
"PoohT' said the other. THAT is
fetched"
mo. indeed" said the wit; 81 mad
on the spot"
Right back at him, you observe.
OF course there are some better on
but there are also some that are WOO
Taken as a whole, they don't add n
laurels to the English reputation
humor nor detract any from the Of
ion of Mark Twain.-Kansas