A Joke on Us

[Benjamin Sher]

Dear friends:

Reading recently through the Little, Brown book of Anecdotes
(Clifton Fadiman, Editor, 1985) I came across the following gem
about all things East European. Very much recalls the famous
New Yorker cartoon showing a map of America that begins and
ends with the Hudson River.

-------------------------------------

Masaryk, Jan (1886-1948), son of the founding president of
Czechoslovakia. He became foreign minister in London when the
Czech government was in exile during World War II. Early in his
career Jan Masaryk served as Czech ambassador to the United
States. Paderewski, the great Polish pianist, became Poland's
first Prime Minister and Secretary of Foreign Affairs when Poland
regained its independence in 1918.

At a party Jan Masaryk was prevailed upon by the hostess to play
the violin. He graciously accepted the invitation and played a
Czech nursery song, to rapturous applause from all present. He
left the party with a Czech friend, who wanted to know why on
earth he had been asked to play the violin. Masaryk explained:

"Oh, it's all very simple -- don't you see? They have mixed me up
with my father; they mixed him up with Paderewski. And they
mixed the piano up with the violin."

Benjamin


Benjamin Sher
sher07 at mindspring.com
delphi123 at zebra.net

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