Stetsons Advice on Finding Talent in Vaudeville
The article recalls John Stetson in Philadelphia guiding vaudeville shows by cutting weak acts and rewarding performers with $10 if audiences rejected them. A famous incident featured two singers heckled for a forgotten song titled Where Are the Friends of Our Youth. Stetson urged performers to seek fame by showcasing talent rather than retreating. The piece ends with a Samuel Johnson quote urging effort and resilience.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Stetson
John Stetson
Philadelphia
John
Mr. Stetson
A Suggestive Bark in a Counter Sketch
A London waiter, asked for sausages, tells a customer none are left but offers to fetch some after a brief wait. The scene follows a shopkeeper whose act of dumping dead cats on a sausage maker’s counter sparked rival attention and simmering conflict.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Imaginative diner flees after dog bite in kitchen tale
A customer who agreed to wait for his order fled the street after a kitchen dog yelped in distress. A lawyer recounted a Lynellburg case where a witness Calhoun White faced cross examination and said if he lied, their side would "de ease."
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lynellburg
Calhoun White
Minch
Calhoun
Sly planets and a sleepy housekeeper tale
Professor Percival Lowell once teased his housekeeper Janet with a promise of five dollars for the next planet he would discover. Months passed with no discovery, until Janet quipped that the professor must be finding planets on the sly.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Percival Lowell
Janet
Jas Ma'an
Lowell
Auction Echoes as Mathews Parodies Tattersall Sale
Charles Mathews, a famed English actor, mimicked the auctioneer Mr Tattersall during a sale of blood stock. The first lot, a bay filly by Smolensko, prompted Mathews to echo the phrase as if the bell were ringing. The auctioneer pressed for a bid with one hundred guineas, and Mathews repeated the bid in his signature voice.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Charles Mathews
Mr.Tattersall
Mr. Tattersall
Smolenska
Mr. Mathews
Smolensko
Mathews
Mr. “Rattersall
Pleasant remark at Brooklyn whist club test of crank
At a Brooklyn whist club an infamous crank insults rarely, a visiting Western man sits in and endures. The guest reports no insults or loud browbeating, only a quiet exchange as the last round ends with a mild taunt about dealing. A separate anecdote recalls a Tory visitor in England who, finding the inn and waiter aligned with Reform, leaves no tip and quips about paying the whole bill.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brooklyn
Aken
England
Shere
The Tale That Taft Told in Athens
Taft visiting Athens Georgia for an address to University of Georgia students. He cites a Shiloh Baptist church tale about two rival deacons and a taunting eulogy. The anecdote ends with a humorous line promising to say something good about a deceased man while noting he is not really gone.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Taft
Georgia
Athens
University of Georgina
Brer Jasper
Breer Johnson
Shiloh Baptist Church
Breer Jasper
Brer Johnson
Brederen
Sisteren
A Word of Kindness and the Law and the Lady
A collection of short comic anecdotes emphasizing kindness and everyday quirks. A farmer helps a tramp, claiming a doctor ordered him to walk on an empty stomach, then shows wit in a simple meal. Pat Finnigan’s courtroom misadventures unfold across three mornings at home.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pat Finnigan
Pat
Coort
Newark Star
Millionaire's Practical Joke in Monte Carlo Villa
A wealthy eccentric near Monte Carlo hosted a nightlife prank after a casino outing. He lured intoxicated guests to a villa and showed them a peephole view of a suspended room where a drunken guest awoke to a bed and furnishings hanging above, prompting panic before the host revealed the gag.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Monte Carlo
Llere
Ciro’s
We lose trust in each other from our own exactions
A reflective meditation on mutual trust noting we demand too much of others while neglecting our own duties and the hidden toll of everyday worries on friends and neighbors. The piece urges self-scrutiny and empathy to restore social cohesion.
Kentucky Pride And A Tombstone Quip
A Kentuckian tells how a tombstone inscription sparked humor about the afterlife and local pride. A physician warns a would be oculist to avoid near Liver pool where a new school allegedly for overstudious eyes hides a blind student body.
Lively Cheese Prompt Leads to Unusual Demand
A young London shopper sought cheese she called lively. After rejecting several samples the grocer, in mock patience, ordered his assistant to unchain No 7 and let it wait in, leaving the customer unsure what to choose.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
John
Elopers Spark Town Debate Over Punishment
A married man elopes with a young woman, causing a wild chase and capture. Neighbors debate harsh punishments from life imprisonment to tar and feathers, until a quiet man suggests turning him over to his wife's mother as a deterring solution.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Elopers
Philadelphia Telegraph
Nothing Miraculous Train Wreck Cure Quirk
A Chicago Tribune quotation notes a man claiming a mysterious cure from rheumatism after a train wreck incident. He jokes his right leg became a cork leg, implying an accidental, comic misfortune and a miraculous seeming result. The quip frames the incident with dark humor about resilience.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Tribune
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Aden Bois
Sinpith Co
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Pitt
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Cor. Tee
Stery
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Ges
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Geawh Pass
Harry N. Hackett
Isiwill
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Drxtox Journal
J. A. Eaton
Wheelwright
Denton Bridge
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A. W Houchin
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Caroline County
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Baltimore
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Mt. Royal Ave
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Otto
High Street
Junker
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Charlee
Eastern Shore
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Denton, Md
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Duffey's
Duffey
A. L. Duffey
C. C. Deen
Fowling Creek, MD
Bullock’s Cheap Store
Ind
WM. Bulloch
Chas. H. Redden
Samuel Johnsoh
Ireland
Br. O'Conor
American News
Popular Publishing Company
Duane St
New York City
E.T. Orme
Andersontown MD
Nisi
L. Gootee Stevens
Charles F. Driggins
Orphans’ Court
Elmer W. Deen
J. Clan Clark
E. W. Liden
I. T. Fleetwood
Robert J. Jump
Register of Wills
Ette
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J. W. Wright & CO
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J. Olan Clark, E. W.liden, I. T. Fleetwood
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Mich
A. E B. Wheatley
Oak Grove
Del
Indu O
Clutcild
Henry Wolland
Holland
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Liverpool
Stablhnge
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