The Detroit times., 1914-03-17

con 81. ,Patricks Day, last year.
there appeared on this page SIX irish
STORIES" enormously attributed 10 the
Irish poet; novelist and lecturer t s sas
protested against this attribution. as
he has long kept up "A vigorous nght
against this type OF Irish humor. Ills
writings I'm the leading magazines, IN
teal illustration OF the genuine type
OF Irish wit. humor and story teiiins
We are glad to publish on this 81
Patrick's Day the following article on
this subject by Mr.. MacMsnus with
typical stories OF Irish humor selected
by him. We believe that the false I'M
preston made by the previous error
this article from Mr. MacManus penn
There's a type of American joke
smith tmore correctly jackass) who
will perpetrate Irish humor" for his
fellows to heehaw at--and who as
sumes that the people who are adj.
mittedly the keenest and brightest
on the worlds ridge are one-half butts
and one-half blunderers-than an
Irishman cannot open his mouth with
out putting both his feet in it--that.
with the face of baboon, he talks in
baboonish jargon and that the real
recipe for producing Irish dialect"
is to make hash OF the English
language. salt the dish with SUI
flciency OF "shure ans" and pepper
dust 1t with a plentiful sprinkling of
"Oi," "yez," "bhoy," ''praste" and BE
jabers."
Under my name a year ago, such
q gentleman set down here six best
Irish stories" that were particularly
vile. To take the bad taste on the
mouth OF those who swallowed last
years, offer the following genuine
and average samples of true Irish wit
and humor:
A fair specimen of sardonic Irish
humor was that quoted by Mr.. Taft
while he was still displacing sixty
cubic feet of White House atmos.
phere. Some one asked him what
was his favorite joke. and he said
that no joke tickled him like the old
one-the bit of dialogue passing be-
tween the bar.man in the bar and his
Irish boss In the back room:
is Murphy good for drink"
HAS he got it,"
He has"
HE is"
And the dryest Of the dry Irish wit
was well exemplified in story told
Ia me recently by William Allen
White, who put the sass In Kansas.
When In ireland some years ago reck-
lessly searching out ancestral records
he. strolling one afternoon through
the beautiful Phoenix Park In Dub
lin, was both amused and amazed at
sight Of three great big burly Dublin
policemen striving to run down q
spindly, sickly. ragged little urchin
who was putting his pufnng pursuers
out OF breath. Mr.. White. turning
to q seedy, serious looking old fellow
buried In newspaper on one Of the
park benches. asked: What has the
poor little fellow done that these big
policemen are chasing him."
The old fellow. taking his eyes out
of the Newspaper. looked for few
moments over his bone-rimmed
glasses at the ridiculous race, snort
ed and replied: 1.-The little vaga-
bond pulled up tree back here ana
manslaughtered what policemen
aren't afther him?" Then. snorting
again, he buried himself in his paper.
III.
There IL not In Ireland any char
acter more joking, nor yet more be-
joked. than the jaunting car driver.
the jarvey. And with an eye tipping
time, he II the most polite Of men
Also. Riding on the long-car that ran
around the coast from Sligo TO bonny