New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-02-08
CAUSES OF LAUGHTER.

A LECTURE BY THE REV. JOHN WEISS.
NATIONAL TRAITS OF HUMOR-QUALITIES OF
WIT ILLUSTRATED.
The Rev. John Weiss lectured In Robinson
Hall last evening on 1.-THE Cause OF Laughter" The
audience that heard him refined and appreciatve,
and maintained aspect Of good humor the expression
u which could hardly fail to be elected by the welold
humorous anecdotes which illustrated the lecturers
descriptions, and were almost frequent commas
through his DISCOURSE He said in substance
THE LECTURE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: The subject Of this lecture
IL hest reached by the point Of rejecting that
Of all the animals man alone seems 10 be capape OF
laughter. II, many naturalsts now claim man has
assembled by successive evolutons Of varieties from
lower animal type, we ought De able 10 find some
germs Of the laughing propensity among our ancestors
but the muscles which correspond 70 this propensity
happen not 70 developed in the animals. When dogs
hre foudly gambong about you there is slight ever
sion OF the lips, which IS just rudmentary
hlDt Of mans lasia expression in the act
Of mirth. The dog has been the associate OF
HUMAN moods in an countries, and for thousands
Of years; yet, although told that the little dog
laughed to see the sport" he has yet made mp his
mouth for anything more emphatic than shipper.
sometimes monkeys have a facial expression accom-
panied by a laughing noise, which is so Ike human
achinnaton, that we Immediately imagine them TO be
entertained by something There many well attested
sometimes rises 10 the picture Of mirthfulness Dr.
Kane one day, across long icy inclined shoot,
Ike the artificial cOasnc places made by the Russians,
down which long file OF white bears were seen sliding
on their hands, evidently in great delight, and at the
bottom of the hill they would caper about and
then run up the hill again, in great elee, carry
ING their sleds with them. (Laughterl He says the
tigns Of pleasure among them were unmistaRaole If
the Siberian seaotter escapes into the water from the
hunter 1t shows joy by marked gestures II raises It's
paw TO its face 1t is very simple, natural gesture
and may the origin Of the motion so much liked by
boys when the thumb placed to the nose and the nm
gers extended II animals show grief as many DO
then mirth hut endows them with a compensation
when you consider that the higher animals can compare
objects and have associations Of ideas, you instantly
tread very closely upon that human function OF
laughter
The power 10 combine two or objects, TO expert
tnce feeling that objects are associated eauS 10
The highest form OF wit. With this faculty you make
very good SHIFT when existence, with its toll. becomes
insupportable Laughter loOsens the handouts, ana
lets the prisoner have little Multitudes OF our
brains are badly drained in consequence of the seeage
Of the wastage Of street work into moral mOrass. one
Fash Of the smile shows of Medusas mead win hhpu-
nity The more we smile, the less chance OF that mis-
fortune Of eanui. You imagine that toad nprisi
oned in a rock or tree should at length begin
10 be a little tired OF his close confinement.
when he is 40 last released you Will notice that
he will hop away with as much aertness' OF
catch the nearest fly with great appetite as before
lls Imprisonment. As the brain becomes more compA-
Gated than in the forms of life, you may expect to
observe a liability 10 suffer tedum. good dog VIII
show his disappointment when he goes out with bad
SPORTSMAN The action Of that dog shows that he
will not tolerate such irreigous OF property II an
animal is capable Of having consecutive dream like
Mise Mtfords dog, such animal can feel the orments
~ ennu.
NCoNGRUITY THE ROOT OF LAUGH
The Alpine flower sticks close TO the snow line from
which il takes ITS color close TO it Spring flow
ers II s only step from the one 10 the other mat
step is taken in the gravity Of life, when things that
are ncongrous are forced TO touch Sanity depends on
this Such a result can be sOberly contemplated MY
ron is this that thing cannot be DONE and yet is
done the result is fatal TO sObrety That the root OF
every laugh. Why do You laugh when person tumbes
upstairs or your reyered aunt struggles with an
umbrella which turns its ribs the wrong way and per
haps throws her upon the gTOundf II is because an
erect position Is the normal one for man, and an UNI
hrtIa is a protection for helpless woman. When man
n in fun hue and cry after his hat you laugh IL is be
cause the hat inseparabe from the head in principle
but se parabIe IN fact. OF preserving
our own scalps should like TO be near by when an
Indian attempted scalp the first man he had met who
wore wig
/ must show you my point by telling You anecdotes
Gen. sherman had a body servant German, who went
with him through the war but could never realize
the idea that the war Going NORTH he came 10
Chicago and when he going to leave, ordered his
yace packed The General demonstrated az the size Of
the one selected and upon examination found it filed
with towels and spoons taken from all the hotels they had
visited The servant stn pilaged as going through
Georgia That has the effect Of the ludicrous simply be-
cause IL Is homogeneous behavior.
when Mr. Pickwickis left slunbenng bengnly IN the
wheeIbarrOw think we should laugh though the
Brick Lane Branch Of the EbeneZcr Temperance society
were standing by in tears. He was in tight TX that
respeotabiity does not know When the obese lover
encased in and tightly strapped pantaoons fell on
lis knees before his lady make his declaration she
was amazed and asked him TO rise. He answered, 81
cannot madam" and she had TO ring for the servant
That was udicrous II had said that his suit was re-
ieeted it would have the first element OF a. pun
PUS SOMETIMES WITTY.
Apuu only raises a smile. IL forces two things INTO
Incougruty and we admire the skill displayed Some
one asked Foote. comedian. he had ever been in
Cork No, he answered, but have seen great many
drawings Of it. when Lincoln was taken sick with
the small pox, he said he was very glad OF 1t,
because now he had something he could give
10 every ofice-seeker who came TO him.
j think know why you laughed then. 1t was because
the moral annoyance of that class OF beggars Laugh
teri Thaokeray made one OF his beet pnos once %he9
been prodgiOusly addicted 70 beer was dead, SAID,
We hardly know his equal" "Ah, yes" replied
Thackeray; take him ~ al lhalfand-halJ we neer
Ihali look upon his like again" -
a
rowdercd smoke OF the battle field Of Shiloh, and
sthezed pain Of Of your soldiers whose cheek and
chin mad been carried away by shot What can we
do for him. boys Z" cried said he: should ike
drink OF water mighty well had the face 10 ask for it,
lIaugberl very good pun Dc made uncOnsclOusy,
AZ I'M the case OF Lord Dundreary in the play, because
that character only comprehend one use Tor one word
al tune and il the byiOus strikes him first he
rs Incapable Of predcatng any transfer OF IT, 50 he says
"a Lieut.. Vernon " OF course you can pass your
Termination Dut what / want 10 know is you 20
through IT, .. 49,, =,
identity OF sound not only two IDEAS but carries
sSo an ausion to stil another. That the transition
Uott where we compass the boundary OF punning
mo VII Punning is cOnstraint OF two different ideas