Politeness is the art of getting what you want.
MRS. SMITH--"Politeness costs nothing, I am sure, my dear."
SMITH--"No; but if it was advertised at $1.98, a lot more people would have it."
"Hum, ho!" sighed the New-Hampshire farmer as he came in from down-town. "Deacon Jones wants me to be pall-bearer again to his wife's funeral."
"Wal, you're goin' to be, ain't ye?" asked the farmer's better half.
"I dunno. Y' know, when Deacon Jones's fust wife died, he asked me to be a pall-bearer, an' I did; and then his second wife died, an' I was the same again. An' then he married thet Perkins gal, and she died, and I was pall-bearer to that funeral. An' now--wal, I don't like to be all the time acceptin' favors without bein' able to return 'em."
Dickie's father was shocked to see his son kick his little playmate.
"Why did you kick John?" he asked, severely.
"I am tired of playing with him. I want him to go home," was Dickie's answer.
"Then why didn't you ask him to go home?"
"Oh"--it was Dickie's turn to be shocked--"why, daddy, that wouldn't be polite!"
_See also_ Etiquet.
POLITICAL PARTIES
Kane, Pa., May 21.--During a circus parade here today one of the elephants, as if to relieve the monotony, flung its trunk in the air and brought it down with a resounding thump on a mule at the curb quietly watching the sights.
Altho hitched to a delivery-wagon the mule wheeled about, took aim, and kicked twice. His hoofs caught the elephant squarely on the knees. The elephant stopped for an instant, but sought no further interchanges with the mule and finished the parade with a decided limp.
When Colonel Roosevelt was making a political speech in Maine he asked if there was a Democrat in the audience. An old long whiskered man rose in the back of the room and said, "I am a Democrat." Roosevelt then asked him why he was a Democrat and he said: "I've always been a Democrat, my father was a Democrat and my grandfather was a Democrat."
Roosevelt then said: "Then if your father had been a horsethief and your grandfather had been a horsethief you would be a horsethief?"
"No," he said, "I would be a Republican."
In an Americanization class in one of our large cities, Achilles Bonglis, a Greek, about fifty years old, was called upon to recite the oath of allegiance, and did so promptly:
"I pledge allegiance to our flag and the _Republicans_ for which it stands."
MEMBROOKE--"Backus seems to be a very popular candidate. Is he running on the Progressive ticket?"
YISTLEY--"No, the Retrogressive, His platform is five-cent trolleys, ten-cent bread, three-dollar shoes and 1913 rents."
A prominent Chicago politician, when a candidate for an important municipal office, related the following story of his campaign.
"Once I told three negroes that I'd give a big turkey to the one who'd give the best reason for his being a Republican.
"The first one said: 'I'se a 'publican kase de 'publican set us niggers free.'
"'Very good, Pete,' said I. 'Now, Bill, let me hear from you.'
"'Well, I'se a 'publican kase dey don' gib us a pertective tariff.'
"'Fine!' I exclaimed. 'Now, Sam, what have you to say?'
"'Boss," said Sam, scratching his head and shifting from one foot to the other, 'boss, I'se a 'publican kase I wants dat turkey.'
"And he got it."
POLITICIANS
"And why is he here?" we inquired, stopping in front of Padded Cell No. 44.
"He was a politician and when he finally got in office he really tried to carry out his campaign pledges," replied the attendant.--_Judge_.
"Do you find public office an easy berth?"
"I shouldn't exactly call it a berth," said Senator Sorghum, thoughtfully. "It's more like a hammock: hard to get into comfortably, and still harder to get out of gracefully."
Here lies Mr. Blank, who, on politics bent, Was at first quite unable to say what he meant; But schooled by experience, he soon went ahead, Once he saw that he never need mean what he said.
"I hope that Wilhelm has not decided to take up politics," mused Senator Sorghum.
"Why?"
"Because a military man can be definitely disposed of, but a politician never quits."
In Colorado, remember, the women vote as well as the men.
In the fall of 1910 a man named Smith was running for sheriff against a man named Jones. One evening just before election Smith rode up to the barn-yard of an old farmer. The farmer was milking a cow and was having difficulty with a lusty calf that continually tried to "butt in." The candidate, to gain the favor of the farmer, took the calf between his legs and held it until the milking was done. He then introduced himself: "I am Mr. Smith, the Republican candidate for sheriff of the county. I suppose you know the man who's running against me?"