Josh Billings on Ice, and Other ThingsBillings, Josh
General
Josh Billings on Ice, and Other Things
Billings, Josh
American wit and humor
1. Treat the old man and the old woman as yure equals; smile when they
exhort, and laff when they intreat, for no yung man kan hope for
suckcess in ornamental walks ov life who don't wear the belt at home.
2. If yu kant raize a mustash, commit suiside at once and begin agin;
for it iz better tew die than tew suffer disgrace.
3. Cultivate impudense--impudense iz a good substitute for
bravery--only be a littel kerful tew pick yure customers when yu tri it
on.
4. Keep a trotter and a fiteing rooster. Theze animals will let yu into
the konfidense ov men who will watch over yure morals and nuss yure
genius.
5. Avoid the old fogys; they are a miserabel set ov cowardly croakers,
who, like a third-rate dorg, hav larnt what little they kno about
virtew bi simply being overmatched in a fair fight.
6. Suspekt aul femail virtew. This will giv yu an eazy flow ov
ambiguous language while in the sosiety ov the ladys, and enabel yu tew
awake confusion, which yu kan kall sumthing else.
7. If yu git desprait, and must marry, marry for ducats--marrying for
blud or for luv iz too sloppy for a man ov spirits. Luv iz a low
pashun, and iz designed for 2-story houses on one ov the back streets;
not for a brown stun front.
8. Bi aul means learn to sware, chaw, and smoke freely, and don't ever
mistake rain water for milk punch, unless yu want a soft thing.
9. Call religion a stock jobber's pidgeon to ketch flatts with; say
that virtew iz only the galvanized impotence ov cowards; that wisdum iz
but an egg that iz addled; laff at aul things that are sollum, and
sware that Backus and Venus are the only two gods fit tew be worshiped.
Yung man, cultivate aul the abuv graces, and add tew them what the
ardor of yure genius may inspire, and if the hoss jockeys and pimps
generally don't say you are a cuss ov the brightest hue, and if the
devil don't make you sum flattering proposals, the days ov chivalry are
positively over, and pudding and milk haz got more glory into it than a
brandy smash, a rum sour, or even a thomas and jerry.
* * * * *
Yung man, (a fu words with yu in private,) let theze cheerful remarks
settle down into you when yu git tew reflekting at 12 o'clock sum rainy
nite.
Don't make a phool of yureself by trieing tew jump 65 feet at one jump,
and land among the Berhoys at onst, but examine yure bild clussly and
see if yu ain't better konstrukted for sumthing honest.
But if yu find that yu must go tew dispair, then put on aul the steam
yu kan carry, and either bust or git thare az soon az possibel.
P.S.--When yu git thare, and hav had enuff ov it, just drop me a line,
and i will see what kan be did for yu. But don't forgit one thing--that
the road back iz 3 times az fur, and aul the way up hill besides.
XLVII.
TAKE IT EAZY.
Yes, mi dear feller, do take it eazy.
Don't fret, don't foam; yu kant take thought an be an inch bigger; yu
kant ketch lightning, however yu try; then do take it eazy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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