Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The Wayside Chapel

A few days ago, Ginnie posted about a State of the Art ... for it's time, outhouse. It was a four seater, and it reminded me of the following joke. There are several versions on the Net, but in 1960 Jack Parr walked off his show after NBC censored one of the versions. Apparently however, he thought better of his action and soon returned. Whatever! I remembered this joke upon reading about Ginnie's four seater. If it's new to you, I hope you enjoy it. If you've heard/read it before I hope it causes you to chuckle one more time.

Meanwhile, let me say what a fine bunch you are. Your comments on yesterday's post were very careful, and quite a number of you chose to exercise restraint by just moving on silently. Not such a bad idea really.




In the days when you couldn't count on a public facility to have indoor plumbing, an English woman was planning a trip to Europe. She was registered to stay in a small guest house owned by the local schoolmaster. She was concerned as to whether the guest house contained a WC. In England, a bathroom is commonly called a WC which stands for water closet. She wrote the schoolmaster inquiring into the location of the nearest WC.

The school master, not fluent in English, asked the local priest if he knew the meaning of WC. Together they pondered possible meanings of the letters and concluded that the lady wanted to know if there was a "Wayside Chapel" near the house . . . a bathroom never entered their minds. So the schoolmaster wrote the following reply:

Dear Madam,

I take great pleasure in informing you that the WC is located 9 miles from the house. It is located in the middle of a grove of pine trees, surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and is open on Sundays and Thursdays. As there are many people expected in the summer months, I suggest you arrive early. There is, however, plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate situation especially if you are in the habit of going regularly.

It may be of some interest to you that my daughter was married in the WC as it was there that she met her husband. It was a wonderful event. There were 10 people in every seat. It was wonderful to see the expressions on their faces. My wife, sadly, has been ill and unable to go recently. It has been almost a year since she went last, which pains her greatly.

You will be pleased to know that many people bring their lunch and make a day of it. Others prefer to wait till the last minute and arrive just in time! I would recommend your ladyship plan to go on a Thursday as there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be heard everywhere.

The newest addition is a bell which rings every time a person enters. We are holding a bazaar to provide plush seats for all since many feel it is long needed. I look forward to escorting you there myself and seating you in a place where you can be seen by all.

With deepest regards,

The Schoolmaster

9 comments:

Donna said...

Hahahaa...I Needed this...
hughugs

Lorna said...

thank goodness for my short memory---I enjoyed this although I remembered the fuss about Jack Parr.

One of my uncles was a wood-carver of great talent. He also loved to tease. He had an exhibit of his work that included an outhouse, which if you opened the door, hollered at you. I never got to see the exhibit but it was a major and colourful part of our family history.

MARY G said...

I'll give this one a (snort) pass, I guess (choke).

Holly, the Old Western Gal said...

There's a big outhouse display in Baton Rouge's Rural Life Museum. They ought to put that letter on a plaque!

Mara said...

I can't stop laughing. That's really funny!

Bernie said...

Oh A/C this is so funny....hey I can't help but wonder why anyone would want a four seater, who wants someone sitting beside them when they are using the bathroom....Hugs

Anvilcloud said...

I'm glad this was appreciated by y'all. I thought it was hilarious when I first read it some decades ago.

Bernie: Well, I guess if you sat beside someone you could hold ... um ... hands.

Diana said...

Very cleaver! Love Di ♥

JunieRose2005 said...

hahaha-AC-I'm glad I was able to catch up with you a little and not to have missed this!


Junie