Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-31
Concerning Laughter.

From the Saturday Review, OotOber.l
There are times when the body Graves
for laughter as it does for food. This is
the laughter which, on some occasion or
other, has betrayed us all into a scandal
lous, unreasonable, remorseful gaiety.
After long absence from cheerful thought,
there are few occasions so sad and solemn
as to render this importune revolt impos-
sible, unless where grief absOrbs the whole
soul, and lowers the system to a uniformi-
ty of sadness. In fact, as no sOlemnity
can be safe from ineongruities, such occa-
sions are not seldom the especial scene of
these exposures-of explosions of a wild,
perverse hilarity taking the culprit at I'M
awares; and this ever while he is aghast
at his fragrant insensibility to the demand
of the hour. This is the laughter ascribed
-forego the wanted stimulus, and are ma
%lignantly on the watch, as it were, to be-
tray the higher faculties into this unseemly
indulgence. Thus John and Charles Yves
lev, in the early days of their public career,
SET forth one particular day to sing hymns
together in the fields; but on uplifting
the first stave, one of them was suddenly
| struck with a sense of something ludicrous
in their errand, and the other caught the
infection and both fell into commissions of
| laughter, renewed on every attempt to
carry out their first design, till they were
fain to give up and own themselves for
that time conquered by the devil.
There is a story of DIR. johnson much
to the same purpose. Naturally melan-
choly, he was yet a great Laughter, and thus
was.an especial victim to the possession we
speak of, for no one laughs in depression
who has not learnt to laugh in mirth. He
was dining with his friend Chambers in
the Temple, and at first betrayed so much
physical suffering and mental detection
that his companion would not help boring
him with remedies. By degrees he raj
lied, and with the rally came the need o.
a general reaction. Atthis point Cham.
beers happened to say that a common
friend had been with him that morning
making his will. Johnson-or rathel
his nervous system-ssized upon this a
the required subject. He raised a ludi
crous picture of the "testator' going abou
boasting Of the fact Of his will-making t,
ANYBODY that would listen, down to tn,
i~nn-keeper on the road
Roaring with laughter, he trusted tina
Chambers had had the conscience not t
describe the testator as of strong MIND
hoped there was a legacy to himself, an
concluded with saying that he would hay
the will set to verse and a ballad made OF
of it. Nj. Chambers, not at all rellishin
this pleasantly, got rid of his guest {
soon as he could. But not so did Johnso
get rid of his merriment he rolled
commissions till he cot ont of TemDle Cat
/ and then, supporting himself against
post, sent forth peals as loud as, in the E
|. ience of the night, to be heard from Ten
pie Bar to Fleet Ditch. We hear of ston
$ aeh coughs; this was a stomach, or gangl
onic, laugh.
The mistimed laughter of children h
; often some such source as this, though Il
\ sprite that possesses them has rarely Il
gnome-ike essence. A healthy boy, aft
a certain length Of eonstraint, is sOmetim