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Story
February 6, 1883
Public Ledger
Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee
What is this article about?
New York Herald editorial on practical jokes, attributing them to thoughtlessness rather than depravity, noting they are punishable as malicious mischief, and citing an Italian barber nearly blinded by one, urging legal action by victims.
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Full Text
Practical Jokes.
New York Herald.
Probably not until a new fool killer
is appointed who will attend to his
business will practical joking cease. It
may be, however, that some persons
who occasionally indulge in the
alleged pleasantry of wilfully hurting
some other person do it from thought-
lessness and ignorance rather than
total depravity. This is a very charitable
supposition, but it may be true.
If, then, there are such persons, they
may be open to the conviction that
their sport is not only vapid, but it is
almost always punishable under a
sensible law against the perpetration
of any "malicious mischief." If
every one who suffers by the antics of a
fool would take the same course that
was taken by the Italian barber who
was nearly blinded the other day, the
number of such jokes would be lessened. It is too much to expect that
practical joking will cease so long as
Carlyle's classification of the English
nation is measurably true of all nations.
New York Herald.
Probably not until a new fool killer
is appointed who will attend to his
business will practical joking cease. It
may be, however, that some persons
who occasionally indulge in the
alleged pleasantry of wilfully hurting
some other person do it from thought-
lessness and ignorance rather than
total depravity. This is a very charitable
supposition, but it may be true.
If, then, there are such persons, they
may be open to the conviction that
their sport is not only vapid, but it is
almost always punishable under a
sensible law against the perpetration
of any "malicious mischief." If
every one who suffers by the antics of a
fool would take the same course that
was taken by the Italian barber who
was nearly blinded the other day, the
number of such jokes would be lessened. It is too much to expect that
practical joking will cease so long as
Carlyle's classification of the English
nation is measurably true of all nations.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Social Manners
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Practical Jokes
Malicious Mischief
Italian Barber
Fool Killer
Thoughtlessness
What entities or persons were involved?
Italian Barber
Where did it happen?
New York
Story Details
Key Persons
Italian Barber
Location
New York
Story Details
Editorial critiques practical jokes as thoughtless and illegal malicious mischief, references Italian barber nearly blinded by one and pursuing action, predicts persistence until societal change.