When you were in elementary school you may have read Ben Franklin's aphorisms written in Poor Richard's Almanac. Those of you interested in tracing the development of ideas and myth by rummaging through old books and manuscripts may want to tackle the development of the following groaner which combines elements of the centuries old legend of Sinbad with a saying from Poor Richards. I first heard a version of the story nearly 50 years ago. Are there any Bultmann's in our midst who would hazard a guess as to when the myth crystallized into its present form? I note what may be a recent innovation in the last line of the second paragraph which ends "a huge semi-transparent Genie." Also, another modification had to be made after the invention of stainless steel. Charles ----------------------- Bennie was walking down the beach one day when he found a bottle. It was an old bottle, covered with barnacles and detritus from the sea. It had a cap on top sealed with wax of sorts. Bennie took the bottle home, and cleaned it up. He wondered what was in it so he peeled off the wax and removed the lid. All at once the room was filled with a dark sulfurous smoke, and there towering through the ceiling was a huge semi-transparent Genie. The Genie spoke in a loud, dish shattering voice: "Thank you Bennie. I have been a prisoner in this bottle for almost 3000 years. I have longed to be released from this prison. In gratitude I will grant thee three wishes." "Wow" said Bennie. "Three wishes". "I know what I want. I want, health, wealth, long life, and happiness". "Uh Bennie." says the Genie; "That's four wishes." "Oh." says Bennie. "Little Bennie", says the Genie. "Out of gratitude for releasing me from my prison, I will grant thee those four wishes, but with a condition. The condition being that you never shave". "Well I can live with that." Chirped Bennie. "Poof!" Bennies Wishes were granted, and he enjoyed, health, wealth, long life and happiness. Happiness with but one exception. Bennie was troubled with an excessively long beard. Bennie would braid the beard, curl the beard, tie it up upon his head. Do all sorts of things with it, but it still bothered him that he had it. One day Bennie decided that he just had enough. He decided to do something. He took out a stainless steel razor. He put the razor in a brass razor holder. He opened a drawer and took out his bright and shiny barber scissors. He began to cut upon his beard. So far nothing bad had happened. He then washed his face well, taking care to soak what remained of his beard. He soaped himself, and then began to shave. No sooner was he finished with the act of shaving then ... All at once a flash of light. Bennie was no longer there. What remained was an old funeral urn. An old urn with the inscription upon it: "Here lie the remains of Bennie. A BENNIE SHAVED IS A BENNIE URNED." _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx