XIII.
LETTER FROM JOSH BILLINGS.
My Dear Press:
Yu ask me "how i like the lekturing bizzness," and "what success i hav met with," and "what iz the tru natur ov the lektur i hav bin dispensing?"
Briefly thus i reply:
Two years ago I jined the band ov lekturin marters, and hav "tramp'd—tramp'd!" ever sinse, and az near az i kan rekolekt now, i think i kant tell.
Mi lektur iz an attempt tew be comick.
Humor iz hybrid, and iz a nice cross between sense and nonsense.
I don't think it haz ever bin well defined: it iz like the smell ov a flower, hard tew diskribe.
Thare iz just about az mutch real humor in the best ov geniuses az thare iz juise in a lemmon: one good squeeze takes it out, and thare iz nothing but seeds and skin left.