Irish Americans -- Humor; Irish-American wit and humor
“Ye see, Hinnissy, th' editor wint to th' wrong shop f'r what Hogan
calls his inspiration. Father Kelly was talkin' it over with me, an'
says he: 'They ain't anny news in bein' good. Ye might write th' doin's
iv all th' convents iv th' wurruld on th' back iv a postage stamp,
an' have room to spare. Supposin' ye took out iv a newspaper all th'
murdhers, an' suicides, an' divorces, an elopements, an' fires, an'
disease, an' war, an' famine,' he says, 'ye wudden't have enough left
to keep a man busy r-readin' while he rode ar-roun' th' block on th'
lightnin' express. No,' he says, 'news is sin an' sin is news, an'
I'm worth on'y a line beginnin': “Kelly, at the parish-house, April
twinty-sicond, in th' fiftieth year iv his age,” an' pay f'r that, while
Scanlan's bad boy is good f'r a column anny time he goes dhrunk an'
thries to kill a polisman. A rellijious newspaper? None iv thim f'r me.
I want to know what's goin' on among th' murdher an' burglary set. Did
ye r-read it?' he says. 'I did,' says I. 'What did ye think iv it?' says
he. 'I know,' says I, 'why more people don't go to church,' says I.”
THE ADMIRAL'S CANDIDACY
“I see,” said Mr. Hennessy, “that Dewey is a candydate f'r prisidint.”
“Well, sir,” said Mr. Dooley, “I hope to hiven he won't get it. No
rilitive iv mine iver held a pollytical job barrin' mesilf. I was
precint captain, an' wan iv th' best they was in thim days, if I do
say so that shudden't. I was called Cap f'r manny years aftherward, an'
I'd've joined th' Gr-rand Army iv th' Raypublic if it hadn't been f'r me
poor feet. Manny iv me rilitives has been candydates, but they niver cud
win out again th' r-rest iv th' fam'ly. 'Tis so with Cousin George. I'm
again him. I've been a rayspictable saloon-keeper f'r forty years in
this ward, an' I'll not have th' name dhragged into pollytics.”
“Iv coorse, I don't blame Cousin George. I'm with him f'r annything
else in th' gift iv th' people, fr'm a lovin'-cup to a house an' lot. He
don't mean annything be it. Did ye iver see a sailor thryin' to ride a
horse? 'Tis a comical sight. Th' reason a sailor thries to ride a horse
is because he niver r-rode wan befure. If he knew annything about it he
wouldn't do it. So be Cousin George. Afther he'd been over here awhile
an' got so 'twas safe f'r him to go out without bein' torn to pieces f'r
soovenirs or lynched be a mob, he took a look ar-round him an' says
he to a polisman: 'What's th' governmint iv this counthry?' 'Tis
a raypublic,' says th' polisman. 'What's th' main guy called?' says
George. 'He's called prisidint,' says th' polisman. 'Is it a good job?'
says Cousin George. ''Tis betther thin thravelin' beat,' says th' bull.
'What's th' la-ad's name that's holdin' it now?' says Cousin George.
'Mack,' says th' cop. 'Irish?' says George. 'Cross,' says th' elbow.
'Where fr'm?' says George. 'Ohio,' says the peeler. 'Where's that?' says
George. 'I dinnaw,' says th' bull. An' they parted th' best iv frinds.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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