ical
Society; another in New York, at the hands of Dr. John H. Finley, head
of the New York State Educational System, from the _Civic Forum_; and a
third, also in New York, at the hands of Hamilton W. Mabie, from the
National Institute of Social Sciences. At the presentation of the _Civic
Forum_ medal, a poem written for the occasion was read by its author,
Mr. Percy MacKaye." (_The Outlook_. March 14, 1914.) This poem is here
quoted, by permission, from Mr. MacKaye's volume, _The Present Hour_.
Published by The Macmillan Company, New York.

CHAPTER VI

HUMOROUS ITEMS

"To laugh, if but for an instant only, has never been granted to
man before the fortieth day from his birth."--PLINY.

I. Introduction

Laughter, when it hurts nobody, is wholesome. It is the handmaid of
happiness. It enriches life. Pleasant but not silly humor and wit are
therefore altogether desirable in a paper. Few days in anybody's life
are devoid of incidents that tickle the fancy. Material for good
humorous stories is abundant everywhere. The faculty of recognizing it
when it is seen, and the ability to present it effectively, however,
need a little training. To make a beginning in these directions is the
object of the exercises that follow.

II. Assignment

Find, but not in a book or a paper, a humorous story, and tell it, first
orally, then in writing.

III. Models

I

Called on to decide the ownership of a hen claimed by George
Bass and Joseph Nedrow, of Arnold City, Justice of the Peace
John Reisinger hit upon a "Solomonesque" solution. "Take this
fowl to Arnold City," he directed his constable, "and release it
near the poultry yards of these two men. In whose hen house it
goes to roost, to him it belongs." The constable, accompanied by
Bass and Nedrow, did as directed. When liberated, the bird
promptly flew into the chicken yard of Charles Black, where the
constable decided it would have to stay under the justice's
ruling. The costs in the case amount to ten times the value of
the hen.

II

James M. I. Galloway, veterinary surgeon of Kirkintilloch,
Scotland, arrived yesterday from Glasgow with photographs of a
cow with a wooden leg on the starboard quarter, which the
veterinary says is almost as good to the cow as an ordinary leg
of beef and much more effective in knocking out folks who try to
milk her on the wrong side.

Ot