Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1910-04-29
OLD ENGLISH HUMOR
The Brand of Laugh ExtraCtorS
Used Two Centuries Ago.
IN ZOE MIlLER'S JEST BOOK
A Selection Of Specimen Jokes From
the Venerable Volume That Mark
Twain Was Moved to Call the Alpha
and Omega of Detected Humor.

~
The "Joe Miller Jest Book"-it is
famous. Mark Twain mentions It as
the alpha and omega of detected hu-
NOR. IL is unrivaled, Incompatible.
apart Further, it is English-very
English.
Possibly the latter phenomenon Is re
sponsible for the difficulty "A searcher
had In finding an unrevised copy. Aft
er an afternoon of search second
hand but scarcely worn copy finally
was discovered In a little bookstore.
The bookseller eyed the buyer curious
ly, but wirh some awe, and seemed
very glad to get rid of ii for - cents.
Twenty-Five cents! How Instantly
reminiscent of one of the Joe Miller
jokes-beg pardon, jests:
THE LIGHT SUBJECT.
The government, having threatened 10
proceed vigorously against those who re-
| fused to pay assessed taxes. offered TO
them a remission OF one-fourth. This at
| least" said one sufferer, may be called
giving them some quarter.
You can get that of In your very
next after dinner speech. You can put
| a little accent on one-fOurth aud quar-
ter and get quite as loud Il laugh.
Second specimen ut must be remem-
bered that the jest book was complied
| In the early part OF the eighteenth
century, when there were librarians;
therefore the jests that aren't blamed
on lords are mostly charged to writ
ersl:
A DIFFERENCE.
Jerrold one day met Scotch gentleman
| whose name was LeitCh, VINO explained
that he was not the popular cartoonist
John Leech. I'm aware OF that said
! Jerrold. You're the Scotchman with the
itch in your name
| There! Just think of the triumph with
which Mr. Jerrold later related that quiI
| TO his friends.
Specimen;
| THE CONNOlsSEUR
| A person to whom the curlOsiics, build
ings. ETC., In oxford were shown one very
hot day was asked BY his companion il
| he would see the remainder OF the univer'
seur, u am stone blind already"
| Whether the friend expired III
spasms of mirth or subsequently, was
hanged for mayhem the jest book
doesn't say.
The wit Of the Irish is called in too
Specimens:
A sPRIG OF sHILLALAH.
A fellow on the quay. thinking to quiz
a poor Irishman, asked him. How do tn,
| potatoes eat now. Pat?' The Irish lad
| who happened TO have a shillalah in hi!
hand. answered cleverly: "Uh, they ea
very well, my jewel Would you like tc
taste the stalk3' And. knocking tine in
Quirer down. he cooliy walked off.
Probably 1t was n good thing ht
knocked him down first.
Turning to the middle OF the book
there are 400 pages-Joe breaks into
verse:
ON THE LATIN GERUNDS.
When Dido mourned, Aeneas would no
come.
She wept In silence and was Dido Dumb
| Classici
Here's
A BAD END
II was told OF Jekyll that one of hi
friends. a brewer, had been drowned il
his own vat. "Ah." he exclaimed. float
Ing in his own watery bier!"
Right off the bat that.
There's little Johnny also. He drop,
In during JEST
THE sEAsON-INGs.
Come here. Johnny. and tell me wha
the four seasons are"
| Young Prodigy-Pepper, salt, mustarC
and vinegar.
Here's little shot at politics ant
the peer system:
EPIGRAM
ION Alderman Woods being afraid t,
pledge himself to even the principles h
has always professedl
Sure in the house he'll do but little good
Who let's u dare not" wait upon Il
Woed" Il would.
Oh, listen! Talk about your origi
nality:
A SHORT JOURNEY.
POUNDS. fellow" exclaimed a choleri
old gentleman to very phlegmatic, mat
ter of fact person. Il shall go out of m,
wits!"
We'll. you won't have far to CO." sal,
the phlegmatic man.
Yes. and here's a small ebullitiol
from dramatist;
OLD FRIENDS.
Coleman, the dramatist, was asked I
he knew Theodore Hook Yes" replie,
the wit. Hook and eye are old associ
ates."
| HnnE mt or tho
The courts also come through will
few gems:
NEW RELATIONSHIP.
stranger to law courts, hearing
Judge call sergeant brother" expresses
his surprise. oh" said one of the by
ISLANDERS. they are Observation-Disclosures il
law"
And speaking Of repartee:
A SHUFFLING ANSWER.
Two Oxonians dining together, one O
, them noticed grease spot on the neck
cloth of his companion and said, IL Sc
, you are Grecian."
"Pooh! said the other "That is far
fetched"
mo. indeed" said the wit; 81 made
on the spot"
Right back at him, you observe.
or course there are some better ones
but there are also some that are worse
Taken as whole. they don't add an,
laurels to the English reputation TO
humor nor detract any from the opin
lon OF Mark Twain.-Kansas Cit,
Times.
Emperors and cobblers are alike. AM
the same reason that makes us wran
gle with a neighbor causes a war be
twixt princes.-Montaigne.
| Askind Favor