Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-04-23
HONOR FOR OLD ! JOKES I, |'l'!::'!;
REALLY. HAVE II THEY NOT =
GOOD CLAIM TO FRIENDSHIPS
Old Books, Old Wines, Old Friends
Held Up to Reverence, Why Not I; 4.
the Memory OF Laughter OF
Past Years7 VA sBsj

Why should we hail with such An;
appreciative and sympathetic gusto To-
poetic sentiment, "Old books, old wine
and old friends" and yet hesitate e
admit to that loving compantonshiD
"and old Jokes 2" Why should not the
crown OF Immortality be openly placed.
upon the honored hero Of an ancient.
anecdote? Why do we insist upon
having our factious stories served IKE
our buckwheat cakes, hot and fresh!y
Why do. We sneeringly stigmatize z
"twice-told'' Jest as q chestnut" and
a "bromide?" Why do we shun Il, the ~
companionship Of the unfortunate
wretch who repeats his stories7 Why
is such q repetition regarded as =
certain symptom of senile dementta!
Why has the name Of Joseph Miller
become byword?
A man may repeat . thousand times
q gem from Milton or Shakespeare.
and society applauds his brilliancy, .
writer in the Boston Herald asserts
Let him repeat an ancient bit OF wit.
and youth shakes Its plying head. and
whispers, "He has fallen into his
anecdotage" AS the poet says,
There's something more than nat.
ural in this If philosophy could find
1t out" For good joke ID as I'M =
mortal as good book. Nay. 1t Il; Q
5rarer gem For there are very few
jests OF the first order Of the world.
But whenever you find an anecdots
Yedolent with the exquisite aroma OF.
true comedy. you win almost always
find, after chemical analysis. that 1t
lie an old friend in new Disguise
Old jokes, like rare old masters, are
being constantly restored for the JOY
of an unfamiliar age. We are laugh.
Ing today over jests that shook the
sides OF Shakespeare and rare Ben
Johnson; nay, that wrfnkled the face
OF jolly Aristophanes; and have come
to us as precious heirlooms through
Rabelais and Boccaccio. ~ vi |s
The very humorous journals that
despise the Chestnut" and the bro
mide''' are serving us in the inter
stices stories, disguised in modern
slang, that are centuries old. "a very
acute observer has confidently assert.
ed that there are only seven original
funny stories in the world. Tho whole
brood OF modern witticisms spring
from those few progenitors. another
common trick of the joke meshanics
Is to take a story and foster t upon
some individual who has secured .
passing reputation for humor.
The higher critics say tina. Solo
mon did not compose the book OF
Proverbs. He established . local rep
utation and every obscure fellow In
the kingdom who wanted to float his
scanty stock. Of wisdom put the kings
label on it. And the modern funny
man takes an ancient joke and sad
dies it upon Lincoln. Read. Depew or
Mark Twain. (.
Our genial philosopher, Mr.. Dooley,
says: "The last man that makes .
Joke owns It" Now. rs the scripture
says, These things ought not to be-"
! Why should these royal and imperial
jokes be disowned. stripped OF their
kingly robes, and sneaked In through
the back door of modern life? What
crown Jewels could equal In precious
ness one Of these original seven gems
Of mirth, that were born when the
world was young? Why should we not
honor the old men who can recall the
imperishable jests that filled the van.
ished with, ''unextinguishable laugh
| ter?" Let US add to the Joyous trim
lity OF old books. wine and friends
the sweet companionship Of old sto.
ries. H.;