The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-10-16
Why do We Laugh. =?

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A somewhat extraordinary and alto
gether comical work entitled, ''The Phil
osophy of Laughter and Smiling, by a
Mr.. George Nasey, has lately made its
appearance in London. In noticing it
the Saturday Review says that the author
appears to have devoted himself 10 the
study of laughter with, as he writes,
"AIl the seriousness and gravity becom-
inga scientific or philosophical inquiry"
but he has, rs yet, only rough outline
of his views to offer. He is of opinion
that laughter has become II confirmed
habit of the human race from the prac-
tice of tickling babies, and doubts whether
children would ever begin to laugh if
they were not stimulated or prompted
but let alone and treated naturally and
nationally. He is very severe on parents
and nurses for being foolish as to i'm
agine that the sounds proceeding from
babies under such circumstances are
manifestations of pleasure or delight.
His own view is that they are nothing
more nor less than spasmodic and invol-
untary contractions and citations of the
pectoral muscles and the lungs, excited
into action by absurd ticklings and stupid
monkey tricks.
The conclusion is unavoidable, that
the absurd habit Of laughing, which Mr..
Vasey also thinks uncomfortable, is en-
tirely occasioncd by the unnatural and
false associations which has been forced
upon us in early life. One of the chap
tiers is devoted to the degrading and
vicious consequences of the habit OF
laughing. Sensible people, he holds,
rarely laugh, and fools who like laughing
do a great deal of harm by encouraging
folly in others in order to have something
to laugh at. How much better he thinks,
it would be if people would he content
with smiling, which does not twist the
face into horrible grimaces; and he gives
a number of illustrations to deter his fell
low creatures for making frights of them
selves by laughing. On the other hand,
there are pictures of the 'entreatlng
smile" the 'confinding smile" the
"mothcrs sympathetic smile the
"infant smile of delight" the Joyous
smile of friendship the "supremcly at
fectionate smile" the ''pen2ivc smile
(of IA very idiotic character), and 50 on,
which the readers of the work can prac-
tice with the hcl p of Il mirror We sus-
pcct that Mr. Massey will have some diff
fcuIt in putting down laughter, but it
might perhaps be well if the people were
more reasonable in regard to what they
laugh at.
A LITTLE Among the
quests at Goaton, Connecticut, WAS Il
happy married lady, whose history is
romance OF Spanish descent, she was
abandoned by her parents as Il slckly, all
ing child, who could not live long, and
whom they could scarcely support if she
did. and left on board the ship that took
them to Madeira. When the vessel left
port the captain discovered the found
ling. and finally ordered Il young Spanish
girl to take charge of her on the return
VOYAGE to New York, where his wife
Gladly adopted the little waif, who was
never informed of her history by her
adopted parents till after her marriage
when it was revealed To her by her nus
band. to whom they had coniided it.
She heard nothing of her real parents
till, some years since, she received visit
from Il gentleman from Madeira, who
proved to be her brother, and stated that
her parents had t!lriycd and prospcrcd on
the island, had loug rcproachcd them
selves for the abandonment Of the little
child. and dying had left their whole for
tune to her if ever found to be living.
The brother had determined to find her,
if alive, and doing 50, placed the amount
due her i'll her hands. He still lives in
Madeira, has named his children after