Irish Americans -- Humor; Irish-American wit and humor
“'How does it go?' says Thomas. 'Well,' says I, 'it looks as though
Ioway was sure raypublican,' says I. 'Ioway?' says he. 'What's that?'
says he. 'Ioway,' says I, 'is a state,' says I. 'I niver heerd iv it,'
says he. 'Faith ye did not,' says I. 'But it's a state just th' same,
an' full iv corn an' people,' I says. 'An' why is it raypublican?'
says he. 'Because,' says I, 'th' people out there is f'r holdin' th'
Ph'lippeens,' says I. 'What th' divvle ar-re th' Ph'lippeens?' says he.
'Is it a festival,' says he, 'or a dhrink?' he says. 'Faith, 'tis small
wondher ye don't know,' says I, 'f'r 'tis mesilf was weak on it a year
ago,' I says. 'Th' Ph'lippeens is an issue,' says I, 'an' islands,' says
I, 'an' a public nuisance,' I says. 'But,' I says, 'befure we go anny
further on this subject,' I says, 'd'ye know where Minnysota is, or
Westconsin, or Utah, or Californya, or Texas, or Neebrasky?' says I. 'I
do not,' says he. 'D'ye know that since ye'er death there has growed
up on th' shore iv Lake Mitchigan a city that wud make Rome look like a
whistlin' station--a city that has a popylation iv eight million people
till th' census rayport comes out?' I says. 'I niver heerd iv it,' he
says. 'D'ye know that I can cross th' ocean in six days, an' won't; that
if annything doesn't happen in Chiny I can larn about it in twinty-four
hours if I care to know; that if ye was in Wash'nton I cud call ye up
be tillyphone an ye'er wire'd be busy?' I says. 'I do not,' says Thomas
Jefferson. 'Thin,' says I, 'don't presume to advise me,' I says, 'that
knows these things an' manny more,' I says. 'An' whin ye go back where
ye come fr'm an' set down with th' rest iv th' sages to wondher whether
a man cud possibly go fr'm Richmond to Boston in a week, tell thim,' I
says, 'that in their day they r-run a corner grocery an' to-day,' says
I, 'we're op'ratin' a sixteen-story department store an' puttin' in
ivrything fr'm an electhric lightin' plant to a set iv false teeth,' I
says. An' I hist him on his horse an' ask a polisman to show him th' way
home.”
“Be hivins, Hinnissy, I want me advice up-to-date, an' whin Mack an'
Willum Jennings tells me what George Wash'nton an' Thomas Jefferson
said, I says to thim: 'Gintlemen, they larned their thrade befure th'
days iv open plumbin',' I says. 'Tell us what is wanted ye'ersilf or
call in a journeyman who's wurrukin' card is dated this cinchry,' I
says. 'An' I'm r-right too, Hinnissy.'”
“Well,” said Mr. Hennessy, slowly, “those ol' la-ads was level-headed.”
“Thrue f'r ye,” said Mr. Dooley. “But undher th' new iliction laws ye
can't vote th' cimitries.”
_The_ NEGRO PROBLEM
“What's goin' to happen to th' naygur?” asked Mr. Hennessy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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