The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-10-06
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Especial Correspondence Of
Rub6erneck Remarks.
Especial Correspondence Of Tn

! The crowd relaxes and giggles.
And the lady on the third row re-
peats the joke wrong for the deaf
lady back of her.
Apparently there is no end to the
testing possibilities about city.
1t is a new game. You look at
/ building and wait for the mega
phone operator to point out the
| hidden humor. Or, maybe, you try
to spring one yourself, hoping TO
achieve fame by having it incor-
porated into a story told five times
day, to thousands of people in q
year.
An insane asylum would obvious
~ inspire any guide to point it out
and add soothingly, I'VE don't go
any closer And a cemetery in
eYitably inspires the pun: These
grounds are so beautiful that people
are dying to go there"
A stock joke in Washington is
sprung at Scott Circle. The guide
calls this Government Row. He
points out the statue of General
Winfield Scott. representing the
war department. Daniel Webster
is on the left, representing the
state department. And Hahne-
MANN" he concludes with sweep
ing gesture, ION the right, repre-
senting the interior department"
For the benefit of those who are
not up on medical history, the bark
er then explains that Hahnemann
was a doctor and repeats his joke
to be sure that everybody gets It
Sometimes the megaphone man
takes what might be called a mean
advantage to josh the bus driver
who obviously can't shout a re-
tort, though he may reply under
his breath.
Ahead of you on your LETT, the
city jail-where the driver learned
his trade" burbles the guide joy
ously with a wink at the driver.
And again: "On-your-right-
the Grand Dollar Hotel The driver
eats lunch here every day-on the
curb"
There is somewhat less of this If
repressible gaiety among the Can
adian guides than among Ameri-
cans. In New York, for instance,
nothing is too impressive or dig
nified TO be safe from jest. The
Vi I4ipC1 10 a wv
young lady" and Broadway is nov
Main Street"
Prohibition Produces HumOr.
Prohibition jokes are favorites
among the guides. washington
they pointed out in Iowa Circle
corkscrew, camel and jug, all rep
resented in shrubbery by clever
planting and trimming. Strange
~ enough, the shrubbery art was
not inspired by prohibition The
symbols have been in Iowa Circle
for some yearS-possibly as a Cas-
sandra like warning of impending
fate. 1t is only since prohibition
that their meaning has been clear,
and the whole story is not told yet
On one side of the park there is a
mysterious hen done in shrubs
which the guide has not worked
into the analogy.
New York has a large assortment
of prohibition jokes. For il
stance, the fact that a canal once
ran through certain streets Of New
York suggests sChooners, and
schooners suggest drinks Hence,
the story that schooners used to he
seen on the streets of New York
in canal days, and could Stlll De
seen there until the dryness ex-
tended from the streets to interiors
three years ago.
We offer This detailed study to
show just how it is done. Try It
on your postOffice. UneaTth the
ear splitting truth about the town
square When the personality OF
the home town begins to be apSTe-
ciated the town is ripe for a rub
berneck wagon.
Undoubtedly it is only a question
of time before the most retiring
hamlet in the country will have It's
bus-model of 1912-and its one
arm driver, who performs on
with the other, to meet
the trains.