[Editor: This article was published in The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld.), 22 September 1920.]
Humorosities of the week.
The official luncheon on St. Patrick’s Day did not pass without the perpetration of the customary “Irish Bull.” One speaker announced that there was no Irishman who was not proud of his birthplace, “even if he was not born there.”
At Mr. Elphinstone’s election meeting of Wednesday night one of his supporters commenced a fervid appeal by saying: “Mr. Elphinstone has done nothing——”. Unfortunately he paused there just long enough to enable a hostile interjector to chip in with “Hear, hear,” and the roar of laughter drowned his further remarks for a time. When he subsequently said that Mr. Elphinstone had done nothing to forfeit their confidence, he rushed the words so quickly that the interjector had no chance of scoring again.
This reminds one of the speech made by a leading Brisbane merchant who, when farewelling troops going to the war, said: “When the time comes for fighting our noble defenders will not be found——” and a roar of laughter interrupted the final word “wanting.”
Source:
The Brisbane Courier (Brisbane, Qld.), 22 March 1929, p. 14
Editor’s notes:
Elphinstone = Augustus Cecil Elphinstone (1874-1964), businessman and politician, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland 1918-1929 (born in England, lived in Australia 1892-1894, 1912-1964)
[Editor: Added a full stop after “nothing——””.]
[Editor: The original text has been separated into paragraphs.]
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