Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 100, April 11, 1891Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 100, April 11, 1891
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
[Illustration: A FAIR EXCHANGE.
UNCLE SAM. "SEE HERE, UMBERTO!--GIVE US BACK YOUR '_MINISTER_,' AND
TAKE AWAY THAT DARN'D '_MAFIA_,' AND WE'LL CALL IT A SQUARE DEAL!"]
* * * * *
A COMPLAINT OF THE CENSUS.
(_BY A DISAPPOINTED DUKE._)
[For the first time the sixth column in the Census Schedule is
simply headed "Profession or Occupation."]
Oh! I'm a reg'lar rightdown Duke:
The trying part I act and look
Right nobly, so they tell me.
Yet I would have you understand
Why I am thoroughly unmanned
At what of late befell me.
A week or something less ago,
A schedule came to let me know
The Census Day was Sunday.
The many details, one and all,
Must he filled in, and then they'd call
To fetch it on the Monday.
I found it easy to contrive
To answer columns one to five--
I filled them up discreetly;
But when I came to column six
I got into an awful fix,
And lost my head completely.
For "Rank" alas! had disappeared.
I'd never for an instant feared
It wouldn't really be there.
Your "Occupation" you could state,
"Profession," too, you might relate,
But I--a Duke--had neither!
His Grace the Duke of PLAZA-TOR'
Would call himself, I'm pretty sure,
A "public entertainer."
But I and my blue-blooded wife,
We lead a simple blameless life,
No life could well be plainer.
In such a plight what could I do?
I searched the paper through and through,
Each paragraph I read. You'll
Scarce credit it but those who "live
On their own means" had got to give
This statement in the schedule!
I put it, but my ducal pen
I saw distinctly sputtered when
I did so. All of which he
Will please remember when I say
I thought it in a minor way
Unkind of Mr. RITCHIE!
* * * * *
MICKY FREE IN PARIS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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