The Sun.
London, England, 1828-12-29 00:00:00

(FROM THE ATLAS)

LAUGHING.—Man is the only animal that laughs,
except the hyena. Of all the moral qualities of
this last-named animal little or nothing is known ;
and in all probability it cannot apprehend ajoke. A
great deal has been said against laughing, and that
with a gravity which is truly laughable. It appears
that laughing is part and parcel of the human con-
stitution, and therefore one end of our being is ful-
filled by laughing. In all probability it is good_ for
digestion : hence the proverb, " laugh and grow
fat." Hence, also, most persons who are at all dis-
posed to laughing, are more prone to gratify that
propensity after than before dinner. Early in the
morning most people are serious, and it would be
thought an instance of most culpable levity for a
man to wake laughing after a good sound night's
rest. Infants sometimes wake smiling; but they
are the most light-hearted creatures living. There
is a great deal of laughing at Christmas time, and
there is ut that same period a great deal of eating;
and the powers of digestion are called into extraor-
dinary exercise. This is the reason why panto-
mimes are performed at Christmas. Now during
the season of Lent there are no pantomimes, there
are oratorios, and they are very grave and. se-
rious.amusements ; for, during Lent, people do not
eat so much as at Christmas, so they have no occa-
sion for pantomimes to set them laughing to help
their digestion. It is ao easy matter to laugh with
an empty stomach. No drollery or absurdity can
make a man laugh when he is very hungry. And
what can be more serious than the look of a dinner-
party assembled in the drawing-room previous to
the announcement of dinner. Young people laugh
more than old people. Digestion is certainly
one of the uses of laughing. It is also favour-
able to loyalty ; and Ministers know this;
they are not suspicious at those who laugh at
them, for they know that when people laugh there
is an end of the matter. Your dark-souled, gloo►ny
conspirators, never laugh : they are the people to be
dreaded—they are grave when they are plotting, and
they are plotting when they are grave. Laughing is
a symptom of content and satisfaction : now traitors
are never content, nor satisfied, and it would be im-
possible to make them laugh. They are not to be
tickled. Who can imagine Catiline, the Roman
conspirator, meeting his comrades with a " Ha—
ha I" and vesting bad jokes, instead of curses, upon
the state. If a man is dissatisfied with the Govern-
ment, and wishes to overthrow the establishEd
Royal Family, he must have conspirators and ac-
complices ; and how can he gain accomplices unless
he puts a grave face upon the matter. But he who
merely laughs at Ministerial measures is not to be
dreaded or suspected. Peter Pinder was a merry
man; he laughed right heartily; and instead of
being persecuted, or prosecuted-as a traitor, there
were some thoughts of giving him a pension.
Laughing is, therefore, favourable to loyalty. There
is one more peculiarity in laughing, viz.—it is nei-
ther symptomatic of pain nor pleasure. When
peo;ile laugh they are not sad, and when they
laugh they are not 4';ry. When people arc sorry
and sad they do not laugh, and when they are
soundly happy they are serious. Who can imagine
the possibiliLy or probability of a city alderman
laughing when he is in the act of swallowing a
well-dressed dish of turtle ? Real happiness or real
sorrow have nothing to do with laughing. We do
not wish to be exhausted with laughing, nor will
we exhaust the subject, and let to 'tit-es exhaust
laughing.