Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1922-04-14
HAVE LIGHT SIDE.
Highly Placed Americans Gifted
With Sense of HumOr.
FIRST Chief Executives Said to Have
Seldom Relaxed Their Dignity, but
1t Is Different Today.

American humOr as well as Ameri-
can disposition to take none too seri-
ousiy on light occasions the most
highly placed government officials was
well illustrated at the White House
the other day when baseball league
magnates called on the President. 81
used to be pretty good catcher" said
Mr.. Harding, in chatting Of younger
days with Jacob Rupert, formerly
Democratic member of congress and
now president of the New York Ameri-
can League club. "I'm sorry said
Colonel Rupert" but we're fixed for
catchers. Did you ever play the out
field?"
Either in Europe Or in Asia, ex-
changes of this sort, at least before
the war, would have been regarded as
quite bad FORM" if not highly pre-
sumptuous.
American Presidents of late have
been well equipped with a sense Of
humor. Earlier ones lacked it, says
a writer in the Louisville Courier
Journal. Neither Washington nor
Jefferson nor Especially Adams,
father and son, nor Andrew Jackson
was notably gifted with what has
since become known the earth round as
'the American sense Of humor." 1.-THE
Father of His Country" could, and
sometimes did, relax. Once, it is re-
corded, he "rolled over and over on
the lawn at Mount Vernon" in laugh
ing at something that highly amused
him. Usually, however, Washington
was stern, unbending-a manner be-
fitting the imperial man, the un-
blemished gentleman that he was.
Jackson on his death-bed, when asked
was there not something he was sorry
for, answered in the affirmative, add
ing that he was sorry" he had not
hung one of his political enemies.
LincOln's humOr is too we'll known
to require illustration. Liberties" he
took with others. Others seldom took
liberties" with him. Though often
the target for his own jest, he rarely
was for jestS of others. Grant was
likewise, though Grant had rare
sense of humor, as often is the case
with silent" and apparently stolid
men. Characteristic of this humor Of
Grants is his thrust at his friend,
Roscoe Conkling, concerning the price
of horse bought by Grant Isn't he
a beauty?" exclaimed Grant to COnk-
ling. How much did you give for
him?" asked Conkling. six hundred
dollars said Grant. Il bought him of
butcher on the avenue" well, Mr..
President" said Conkling, Il don't
think he's worth the money" That's
what the butcher thought, SENATOR"
said Grant.
Grover Cleveland knew how to take
a joke and how to crack one. Some
of his best jokes were unconsciously
humorous. While once praising a GER
tain New York newspaper that had
ardently supported him, he was asked
by one of it's editors what feature Of
the paper pleased him most. Il like it
ALL" said Mr.. Cleveland, land especial
ly this last column over here on the
editorial page"-a column that was
made up of "jokes" scissored from
other newspapers! When Ii Hung
Chang, on his visit to America, was re-
ceived at the White House he was
introduced to Mrs Cleveland, at that
time a rarely beautiful bride. 'HOw
many wives have yOu?' queried the
Chinese viceroy of President Cleve-
land. "One," said the President.
The viceroy chuckled. Drawing
near and nudging Mr., Cleveland ami
ably with a gold-headed ivory stick,
Ii Hung Chang said: "Oh, 1 know
you have only one-here. But how
many have you--in the provinces"
One Of Mr.. Clevelands biographers
says that few jests were relished so
keenly by Mr.. Cleveland as was this
one. 1t revealed to him China more
illuminatingly than did all else that
Viceroy Ii had to say to him.
The American sense of humOr is the
bridge that enables the American peo-
pie to cross over dry-shod the Red
sea that separates them from their
Presidents bridge that enables
their Presidents to cross over the Red
sea that separates chief magistrates of