The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-09
HUMOR IN IRESRUN LAND.
Merry Jests That Amused q Keen and
Discrimin mating People.

Merry Jests That Amused q Keen and
Discriminating People.
In no quality did the Yresrunians
take greater pride than In their won
derfuly acute appreciation OF drolleries,
premeditated or accidental.
Bananas being common article of
diet among the Yresrunians, and each
Yresrunian reserving to himself as
sacred right the privilege OF strewlng
the slippery peels wherever he chose,
It followed that pedestrians frequently
stepped thereon. and fell to the earth,
an unlucky person sometimes being
painfully injured by this mischance.
When such an accident occurred,
every Yresrunian within eye shot would
laugh with the utmost heartiness. and
hurry off to tell about the incident
those who had been so unfortunate as
not to witness 1t.
They would recount the dignity OF the
victims bearing before he trod on the
banana peel, the look Of surprise on his
face as his foot slipped from under him,
the gyratlons Of his limbs as he sought
to regain his balance, the sound of his
body as 1t struck the ground. the facial
contortions resulting from the shock.
and all the other details OF the gleesome
episode, never failing to laugh heartily,
or to excite among the auditors great
mirth. tempered by deep regret that
they should have missed witnessing so
amusing Il sight.
II mans hat were blown OF his
head by gust Of wind. all the Yres-
runlans In the nelghborhood would
double up with merrimcnt, strike their
ls.k. ,.,ist 4. I,al. a 49,.
never had so funny n thing happened
before In all the history OF Yresrun.
Should an itinerant fruit seller be as
sailed by small boys, robbed Of part of
his stock. and suffer loss or damage to
the rest of IL by the overturning OF
his cart, the Yresrunians present would
ind In his annoyance and injury ma
teral for sustained chuckling for days.
Practical jokers found In Yresrun
every encouragement for the practice Of
their art, and great industries fiourished
through supplying liquids that evapo-
rated with vile odors. powders that pro-
duced troublesome itchings and similar
ingeniously contrived Instruments for
the promotion OF innocent fun.
Intellectual Yresrunlans Of great
physical strength formed partnerships
with weak and sickly neighbors, and
earned vast sums by administering to
them loud thumps with sticks especially
designed for the purpose.
A great Yresrunian genius accumu-
lated "A splendid fortune through per-
hitting another man to hit him on the
head with Ratchet. the Ratchet re-
naming upright in the head after the
blow was struck: and he would unques-
tionably have won incalculable wealth,
had not some suspicious Yresrunians
made Inquiry and learned that because
the strikee wore a false wooden head
the performance was not as painful or
dangerous as It appeared to be. When
the Yresrunians generally learned OF
this fraud, Indignation was shown on all
sides. and Its perpetrators were obliged
to keep in hiding for some time.
From the actions of bewildered for
eigners who visited Yresrun, the natives
and oil who had been born abroad but
had caught the Yresrunian spirit derived
great amusement When a foreigner
lost his way and made inquiry to be put
on the right track, or when he failed
Immediately TO master the intricacies
OF Yresrunlan conventions, he afforded
hilarity for all with whom he came
in contact, and In order that he might
know how greatly ne was contributing
to the enjoyment OF those he met they
expressed their pleasure openly, without
effort at concealment. and In short
laughed heartily In his face.
The Yresrunlans were faithful 10
their jokes, and never let one die for
want OF exercise They took unfailing
delight In the charge that certain for
eigners did not battle. The wittiest
Yresrunians were sent abroad at regular
Intervals to write on this subject. The
Yresrunians contended as a matter of
faith that another people could not see
joke. an assumption that caused them
unmeasured happiness. and was set
forth from their platforms and In their
press with constant reiteration.
Recognizing always the amusing as
pect OF accidents that happened to other
people, the Yresrunians had an I'M
limited fund of jocosities to divert them,
for their customs were of a kind to
promote misadventures on every side.
Thus their lives were filled with merri-
ment from beginning to end, and not
one among them would admit that any
other people was one half so funny as
wera tho Yrasruniaps