Semi-weekly Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1871-1872, 1871-12-03
THE ART OF Gl6GLiNG.

GlggllnS girls constitute large
number of the sex termed, with
more gallantiy than justice. in these
days of woman's rights, fair. They
IRE conspicuous o,lily enough,
more By the absence of any great
vice than by the presence of any in
iinitesimal virtue. Such specimens
you meet with everywhere-they
cannot be limited peaceably or for
cibly, and are distinguished by
class peculiarity-they giggle. The
phrase, we confess, is somewhat un-
translatable, for it is an etymologi-
cal nudity, and absolutely meaning
less. The art of giggling is more
readily explained, Tor it is pictur-
esque il its abruptness, scientific in
development, fascinating in delivery,
and graceful at the depth.
Giggling, according to Webster,
is a kind of laugh with short
catches of the voice and breath. The
baroness of the definition is only
equaled By its unintelligibility. The
better plan to understand the word
and its actions is personally to en-
counter gigylcr, and she viii
deliberately display, in all its ele-
gance of outline and implicitly of
detail, the beauty and quality of the
giggle. The omnipresence of the
giggler saves a deal of trouble so,
without delay, you plunge IN me-
dia res. You wish her good day.
She smiles. Inquire after her health.
Another smile. Hope her parents
are well. The smiles lenpthens.
Emboldened at your favorable re-
eeption, although in doubt as to
what has caused the repeated
smiles, YOU cough a little and, with
OH air Of the deepest interest, asks
her opinion of the latest drama at
Wallack's. Smiles in reply. Does
she admire Hamlet !? a faint litter
is the response. Perchance now
you venture the perfectly truthful
remark that il looks like rain, and
that if it rains it will be wet. At
once you have evolved out of the
depth OF her inner conscientious
ness genuine giggle. Watch its
appearance in its three stages of
development, a Ia. Compte, birth,
maturity. decay-and spectroscope
the result with you pen for the
benefit of science.
The giggle commences at the
mouth, with certain twitches in the
neighborhood of that organ. The
lips part, the tecth-mute witnesses
Of the dentists skill-are exposed
to view. The teeth unclasp, and,
snake-like, the tongue appears coiled
up in the background. Next the
head is slightly arched and the eyes
slowly close. At the eyes, then, the
giggle natures. The eyes close in
earnest, the nostrils dilate, and for
81 time giggles play around the raw
ishing nose like lightning about
mountain peak. The fascinating
face becomes wrinhled and shows
as many lines of beauty-in the
Hogarthian vein-as an India rub
Der head stretched to an angle of
forty five degrees. at this stage
the giSgler is supposed, by herself.
TO be bewitching, and SO, to heighten
the effect ard the general enchant-
ment there then is a reduplicated
fiuttering of the wand like fan, a
depression Of the head and inclina-
tion of the form. The third period
OF development is now ushered in.
The giggles begin to grow beauti-
fully less, a fierce conflict between
the centrifugal and centripetal
forces, the convolutions becomes
more and more refined, the giggles
shorten, eyes open, teeth shut,
mouth closes-and the gisgle is
over