Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-05-30
HONOR FOR OLD JOKES
REALLY, HAVE THEY NOT A
GOOD CLAIM TO FRIENDSHIP
Old Books, Old Wines, Old Friends
Held Up to Reverence, Why Not
the Memory of Laughter of
Past Years?

Why should we hail with such an
appreciative and sympathetic gusto to
poetic sentiment, "Old books, old wine
and old friends" and yet hesitate to
admit to that loving companionship
"and old jokes?" 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!
Why do we sneeringly stigmatize
"twice-told" jest as chestnut and
"bromide?" Why do we shun the
companionship of the unfortunate
wretch who repeats his stories? Why
is such a repetition regarded as
certain symptom of senile dementia!
Why has the name of Joseph Miller"
become byword?
A man may repeat thousand times
a 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
it out" For good joke is as I'M
mortal as a good book. Nay, 1t Is
rarer gem. For there are very few
jests Of the first order Of the world.
But whenever you find an anecdote
redolent with the exquisite aroma of
true comedy, you will almost always
find, after chemical analysis, that it
Is 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 wrinkled the face
OF jolly Aristophanes; and have come
to us as precious heirlooms through
Rabelais and Boccaccio
The higher critics say that Solo
mon did not compose the book Of
Proverbs. He established a 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.
: The very humorous journals that
9 despise the chestnut" and the bro
$ mide" are serving us in the inter-
9 stices stories, disguised in modern
|, slang, that are centuries old. A very
a acute observer has confidently assert
t ed that there are only seven original
|, funny stories in the world. The whole
:: brood of modern witticisms spring
D. from those few progenitors. Another
o common trick of the joke mechanics
IL is to take a story and foster it upon
d some individual who has secured a
e passing reputation for humor.
/" Our genial philosopher, Mr.. Dooley
|, says: "The last man that makes a
n joke owns it." Now, as the scripture
X says, These things ought not to be-
II Why should these royal and imperial
a. jokes be disowned, stripped of theil
d 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
i of mirth, that were born when the
4 world was young? Why should we moi
D. honor the old men who can recall the
4 imperishable jests that filled the van
n ished with "unextinguishable laugh
y ter?" Let us add to the joyous trim
D. ity Of old books, wine and friend.
d the sweet companionship of old sto
s. ries.