‘The income tax has made more liars out of people than golf.? — Will Rogers.
I’ve been using comments from Will Rogers for over 20 years. It occurred to me recently that fewer and fewer people know who he was or what he did.
In 1935, Rogers was killed in an airplane crash in Alaska while flying with the first man to fly solo around the world, aviator Wiley Post. That’s nearly 75 years ago, yet Rogers? quips are as apropos today, as then.
My collection has 80 quotes, of which I’ve used 21 through the years. I don’t want to use them up too fast. I need space fillers from time to time.
Maybe what drew me to Will Rogers was his tendency to start his comments with, ‘All I know is what I read in the newspapers.?
He was born on a ranch in Oklahoma and started life as a cowhand, and went on to become a stage and motion picture star.
On the ranch he learned roping, and was regarded as one of the greatest ropers of all time. It was during his trick roping exhibitions that he came up with his shrewd, homely witticisms that brought him fame and fortune.
In 1926, President Calvin Coolidge took Rogers with him on a tour of Europe as a goodwill ambassador.
Twenty-five years before that, he drifted off to Argentina and turned up in South Africa. A few years later, he as a member of Texas Jack’s Wild West Circus.
He was onstage in the Ziegfeld Follies in 1916 and was in motion pictures by 1918.
Here are my last two Will Rogers quotes for now: ‘I have a scheme for stopping war. It’s this: No nation is allowed to enter a war ’til they have paid for the last one.? And, ‘I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do.?
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There’s a new book titled, When Everything Changed. It was reviewed on some talk show, else I wouldn’t have known about it.
It has to do with The Pill. The Pill has been prescribed for at least 30 years, for whatever reason a doctor thinks is a valid excuse to lessen pregnancies.
The author says, The Pill has led to the increase in the number of women going into law and medicine. I didn’t, and won’t, read the book, but perhaps The Pill opened the door for women in politics, mail delivery, police work and television reporting, especially their taking the football sidelines reporting jobs.
But, except for Julia Childs, men are still the chefs on the cooking shows.
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Some quickies:
? Quarterbacks on football teams have always licked their fingers just before the ball is snapped. Moisture on leather makes the ball less slippery. But, why do quarterbacks continue to lick their fingers when it’s raining?
? When the word ‘fried? became defined by various saviors of the human race as bad for our health, Kentucky Fried Chicken dropped it, going to KFC. Now the Greenies have adopted KFC’s move and have given up on pushing earth warming down our throats. They now call it ‘Climate Change.?
? The last time I shopped for hair tonic, I found just four brands. So, I looked down ma’ladies aisle. When I got to 3,492 products, I quit counting. I also observed several women haven’t found the right brand yet.
? When I was in my pre-teens I had one pair of shoes. And, wow, did they stink! Baths were once a week in a tub on the floor in the kitchen. I was reminded of this on a recent Sunday visit to grandson Trevor’s. His shoes were on the back porch, tilted for the sun. I asked his mother why. She said neither she nor his father could stand the smell in the house. That’s my boy!
? Walt Disney was afraid of mice.