1*6ae1554aSColin Percival 2*6ae1554aSColin Percival Some years ago, my neighbor Avery said to me: "There has not been an 3*6ae1554aSColin Percivaladequate jokebook published since "Joe_Miller", which came out in 1739 and 4*6ae1554aSColin Percivalwhich, incidentally, was the most miserable no-good ... jokebook in the 5*6ae1554aSColin Percivalhistory of the printed word." 6*6ae1554aSColin Percival In a subsequent conversation, Avery said: "A funny story is a funny 7*6ae1554aSColin Percivalstory, no matter who is in it - whether it's about Catholics or Protestants, 8*6ae1554aSColin PercivalJews or Gentiles, blacks or whites, browns or yellows. If a story is genuinely 9*6ae1554aSColin Percivalfunny it makes no difference how dirty it is. Shout it from the rooftops. 10*6ae1554aSColin PercivalLet the chips fall all over the prairie and let the bonehead wowsers yelp. 11*6ae1554aSColin Percival... on them." 12*6ae1554aSColin Percival It is a nice thing to have a neighbor of Avery's grain. He has 13*6ae1554aSColin Percivalbelieved in the aforestated principles all his life. A great many other 14*6ae1554aSColin Percivalpeople nowadays are casting aside the pietistic attitude that has led them 15*6ae1554aSColin Percivalto plug up their ears against the facts of life. We of The Brotherhood 16*6ae1554aSColin Percivalbelieve as Avery believes; we have never been intimidated by the pharisaical 17*6ae1554aSColin Percivalmeddlers who have been smelling up the American landscape since the time of 18*6ae1554aSColin Percivalthe bundling board. Neither has any one of our members ever been called a 19*6ae1554aSColin Percivalracist. Still, we have been in unremitting revolt against the ignorant 20*6ae1554aSColin Percivalpropensity which ordains, in effect, that "The Green Pastures" should never 21*6ae1554aSColin Percivalhave been written; the idiot attitude which compelled Arthur Kober to abandon 22*6ae1554aSColin Percivalhis delightful Bella Gross, and Octavius Roy Cohen to quit writing about the 23*6ae1554aSColin Percivalsplendiferous Florian Slappey; the moronic frame of mind which, if carried 24*6ae1554aSColin Percivalto its logical end, would have forbidden Ring Lardner from writing in the 25*6ae1554aSColin Percivallanguage of the masses. 26*6ae1554aSColin Percival -- H. Allen Smith, "Rude Jokes" 27*6ae1554aSColin Percival 28*6ae1554aSColin Percival ... let us keep in mind the basic governing philosophy of The 29*6ae1554aSColin PercivalBrotherhood, as handsomely summarized in these words: we believe in 30*6ae1554aSColin Percivalhealthy, hearty laughter -- at the expense of the whole human race, if 31*6ae1554aSColin Percivalneeds be. 32*6ae1554aSColin Percival Needs be. 33*6ae1554aSColin Percival -- H. Allen Smith, "Rude Jokes" 34