Old jokes

Contrary to the image I had of him, William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, didn’t just emigrate from Europe and stay in the colony he founded. He appointed governors and spent much time in England, where he was a titled Lord and enjoyed a rather luxurious lifestyle. His management style was rather “hands off” leaving great amounts of power to the one the ground leaders he had appointed to govern the young colony. In 1697, Penn was in England while Governor Markham was in charge in Pennsylvania. Lord Randolph reported to the House of Lords that Pennsylvania was a haven for pirates and accused Markham of malfeasance. Penn defended his governor, but in December 1699 he traveled to Philadelphia where he discovered that the situation in his colony was very much as described. The city and the colony were well in the hands of the pirates. The wealth of the pirates had made them important parts of the local economy and many pirates enjoyed the favor of governmental officials. Pirates who would have been quickly arrested and tried in England walked the streets openly and without fear of arrest. At that time pirates arrested in the colonies, were transported to England for trial. Conviction of piracy carried the death penalty and pirates were hanged.

Penn was horrified at the state of affairs in his colony and issued a decree declaring that all colonial official should “use their utmost diligence vigorously to pursue, apprehend, and secure every” person accused of piracy. He pushed an act through the Assembly the Act Against Pirates and Sea Robbers. And he fired Markham and assumed the title of governor himself. He enlisted the neighboring colonies of East and West Jersey to help in curbing the promotion of piracy. Pirates and those who supported them were put on notice that the authorities were watching and waiting to catch them, arrest them, and ship them to England for trial and execution.

It is a bit of a different image of William Penn than the one I had in my mind of a portly and gentle man who came to the colony to establish a new order of peace and tolerance that was distinct from what existed elsewhere in the world. Pennsylvania may have been a unique colony, but it wasn’t just a fresh start in a new place. It began in the mix of history and actions that were occurring around the globe and was, from the founding of the colony, a part of a world economy that had victims as well as beneficiaries.

Not long after assuming the role of active governor of his colony, Penn was confronted by another small crisis. It seems that two sisters of his mother were engaged in a pastry shop that some claimed charged excessive prices. An investigation was launched into the pie rates of Penn’s aunts.

OK, OK, that was a long and complex set up for such a simple pun. My apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan and others who helped to produce the comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance. For the record, however, the lead paragraphs are based on historical research and are, I believe accurate, so I’m delivering a bit of history along with the joke.

One of the distinct pleasures of working in the church is that I get to witness the coming and going of generations. It can be painful and sad to say goodby to the elders of the church when they die and the duty of providing last rites for them can seem like a burden some days. But I also get to baptize the new babies that are born and watch the children as they grow. The current generation of school children who participate in our church’s programs were all born after I became pastor of this congregation. They have known no other person in my role. There are points in their lives when they discover my humanity and get to know me. At last night’s family night at the church, I made a paper crown as the children made their own crowns and we began to explore the meaning of Epiphany and recall the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. As we worked the children were telling jokes. I have a few “knock knock” jokes that work when the kids get to just the right age and there were several at the event who were ready to tell and hear such jokes.

They didn’t come up with any that I hadn’t heard before and I didn’t tell any that I haven’t told before. Old jokes in a fresh context can be amusing and I laughed with the children as we spent a few brief moments over supper telling jokes. It is a kind of bonding experience, and I know from previous experiences, that some of the kids will have fresh jokes to tell me when they come to church on Sunday. I’ll see a few in reserve for them. This interplay will continue for a while. It isn’t about the jokes. The jokes are old and worn out. It is about building relationships. The children are discovering that the person who occupies the role of minster is a human and someone whom you can approach. In the cases of previous generations of children, there will be a few who remember telling jokes with me and, when they are teens and have garnered more experience, will find joy in puns and other forms or humor as well.

They’ll have to go off to college, however, before they learn enough about late 19th century comic opera and the rise of modern musical theatre in America to appreciate the Pirates of Penzance joke. And it is likely that I won’t be around during the college days of these particular children. The time will come in a few years for me to move on from this particular calling, and it is likely that will be accompanied by a move to another location.

The jokes, however, will go on and they provide a meaningful way for a positive relationship.

Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Banana
Banana who?
Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Banana
Banana who?
Knock, knock
Who’s there?
Orange
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again?

Copyright (c) 2019 by Ted E. Huffman. I wrote this. If you would like to share it, please direct your friends to my web site. If you'd like permission to copy, please send me an email. Thanks!