be did, "sink or swim, survive or perish." If enny boddy wants tu go
and hear a man or woman disgorge musik, that has more kolik than melody
into it, i suppose (under the constitushun) tha hav jist the same rite
tew crusifi themselves enny uther wa, for sumbody's else sins that tha
dont kno the natur of."
XLI.
"MAN WAZ MADE TEW MOURN."
This waz the private opinion ov one Burns, a Skotchman, who waz very
edikated tew poetri from his infansy. I and he differ, which is not
uncommon among grate minds. The ornary minds in this wurld are disposed
tew coinside, which iz the reson whi superstitions prevale so mutch.
Tew differ upon matters with anuther is a fair presumpshun that yu are
in the habit ov smelling ov things before yu swaller them. Man warnt
made tew mourn, man waz made tew laff. He iz the onla creeter or thing
that God made tew laff out loud. It iz tru he knows how to mourn, so
duz the animills kno how, the birds can tell their sorrows, and the
flowers kan hang their pretty heds. Man waz made tew smile, tew laff,
tew haw! tew thro up his hat, and sing halleluger. Man waz made tew
praze God, and he cant dew it bi mourning. Awl the mourning thare
iz in this wurld was introduced bi man; man warnt made tew mourn any
more than he was made to crawl. Tharfore i sa tew awl men and women,
stop crying and go tew laffing, yu will last longer, and git fatter
and stand jist as good a chanse tew git tew heaven with a smile on
your countenanse, as yu will with yure fase leaking at every pore. I
sa man want made tew mourn, if he had bin he would not hav bin put in
Paradise, whare every thing else was made in the image ov smiles.
[Illustration: Josh Billings wants to know why it is that so many women
who are so thin in the face, stick out so everywhere else.--_See page
122._]
P.S.--I don't want ennybody tew think that i am down on Burns, for i
dew consider him the most Poet that ever lived. I had ruther be the
authur ov one poum i kno ov, that he rit, than tew be king and queen ov
England, and keep a hoss and carriage; but "man warnt made tew mourn"
Robert Burns, he iz the kause of hiz own sorrow. For enny further
informashun tutching this subjek, address, post paid, with stamp
enclosed.
JOSH BILLINGS.
XLII.
PROVERBS.
What a sarkasm it is tew a ded man's memory, tew ask "how much munny
he left?"
I don't like tew be alwus a asking questions, but i would really like
tu kno whi it is that so manny wimmin who are so thin in the face,
stick out so every where else!
Tha tell ov an orful sharp feller out west, who broke out ov an alms
houze and made sixteen hundred and thirty two 75/100 dollars, in the
substitude bizness, before tha kould ketch him.
The bible asks us, "what will it proffitt a man, if he gain the whole
world and loze hiz own soul?" i suppose this depends sumwhat upon the
size ov the soul, i think thare are kases whare the trade would do.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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