A joke recovered from a world that's disappeared By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle It was one of those juxtapositions that seems aimed at newspaper columnists. First, CNN ran a story on how Congress and some of the public is pressing the Federal Communications Commission to halt bad language on television. Then, it ran Jack Paar's obituary. Paar, as some of the older among you may remember, once walked off his show for a few weeks in 1960 after a joke was censored. To strike a blow for freedom of speech, I reprint the joke, in its entirety: "An English lady, while visiting Switzerland, was looking for a room, and she asked the schoolmaster if he could recommend any to her. He took her to see several rooms, and when everything was settled, the lady returned to her home to make the final preparations to move. When she arrived home, the thought suddenly occurred to her that she had not seen a "W.C." [water closet, a Brit euphemism for bathroom] around the place. So she immediately wrote a note to the schoolmaster asking him if there were a "W.C." around. The schoolmaster was a very poor student of English, so he asked the parish priest if he could help in the matter. Together they tired to discover the meaning of the letters "W.C.," and the only solution they could find for the letters was letters was a Wayside Chapel. The schoolmaster wrote to the English lady the following note: Dear Madam: I take great pleasure in informing you that the W.C. is situated nine miles from the house you occupy, in the center of a beautiful grove of pine trees surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and it is open on Sunday and Thursday only. As there are a great number of people and they are expected during the summer months, I would suggest that you come early: although there is plenty of standing room as a rule. You will no doubt be glad to hear that a good number of people bring their lunch and make a day of it while others who can afford to go by car arrive just in time. I would especially recommend that your ladyship go on Thursday when there is a musical accompaniment. It may interest you to know that my daughter was married in the W.C. and it was there that she met her husband. I can remember the rush there was for seats. There were ten people to a seat ordinarily occupied by one. It was wonderful to see the expression on their faces. The newest attraction is a bell donated by a wealthy resident of the district. It rings every time a person enters. A bazaar is to be held to provide plush seats for all the people, since they feel it is a long felt need. My wife is rather delicate, so she can't attend regularly. I shall be delighted to reserve the best seat for you if you wish, where you will be seen by all. For the children, there is a special time and place so that they will not disturb the elders. Hoping to have been of service to you, I remain, Sincerely, The Schoolmaster." I reprint this not because of the quality of the joke, but for a point that should be obvious: things have changed. And not just about what we tolerate. Try to tell that joke today and you'd be off the air the next, not by censorship, but by ratings. In a Fear Factor, South Park, NYPD Blue television world, such a quaint, risqué joke wouldn't draw an audience. And if it did, it would probably be outside the 18-49 age group that advertisers, for some reason, think are the only people who buy things any more. We're too ready for the next big thing, and then ready for it to go. We want new sensations, new excitement, and if it isn't exciting or big enough, continue on. If we've seen the punch line, we don't want to hear the joke again. I'm not saying that society is wrong, or that morals have collapsed. But it's not the world where a silly bathroom joke that takes six minutes to tell and doesn't have a bad word can lead to outrage.