This is another of those old classics that exists in many different versions.

Hard as it might be to believe, Friar James, S.J., was too much of an activist even for the other members of the Jesuit order. And as is frequently the case with such people, Bro. James was sent to the hinterlands to carry out his mission of service.

It turns out, that he was sent to the Land of the Trids, little Hobbit-Like creatures who generally are hard-working folk, living their life out under the thumbs of their ruthless masters. The evil nature of these masters was quickly made clear to Bro. James when all the little creatures were mustered out early in the morning and made to stand in a line, while bending over and grabbing their ankles. Then, the masters walked down the line, applying their jackboots to the most elevated portion of the exposed anatomy.

Bro. James was outraged, of course. He remonstrated with the masters for more kindly treatment, but it was to no avail. Finally, in the best tradition of passive resistance, he decided to join the little creatures in their punishment in the hope of shaming the evil masters. The next morning found the line of Trids, all bent over, and there in the middle of the line, rear in the air, was Bro. James.

The evil masters went down the line, applying boots to butts. However to his chagrin, they skipped Bro. James. Bro. James was outraged, again, and he complained that he did not expect to be treated any different from his new parishioners. Then it was explained to him, “Silly Rabbi, kicks are for Trids.”

Mike Gove has encouraged me to correct this story to the form seen above. In dating this pun, Mike remarks that Trix were first marketed (1954) and the time that the rabbit first appeared on TV was the early 1960s. This is much closer than we usually gets.