Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-08-13
From the Camden IN. ~ Daily Post
What 10 hum0r.

.What is humori" asked a TREND
the other day. This Is Il question TINT
has puzzled lovers of fun aud judges OF
ofhumor, for ages and consequently II
will require the cheek Of the b'ass'e't
advertising agent ia the middle states
TO begin with m answer, and rs we are
naturally modest except up0" stated
occasions, the question shall be referred
to him. But whilethe +. /. Man, III
his seclueion, would feign hide himself
while other and ADLER judges OF hui
NOR, step to the front with phi.
osophical alternatives, negatives and
posit;yeisms, no nevertheless dare al
lude, speculate, hint, prophesy, init
mate, etc., as to humor in the light in
which it has come to him and lett
himl Everybody has more or less
fun in them, and every one OF us can
if we will, BE- full of fun and jov!alily.
And how much healthier and wealth
Ter all of us would be if the CHEEKY,
humorous. really funny side Of our
natures could find natural, easy out
let, almost under any circumstances.
Many man fails in business SIMPLY
because he has never been able to
cultivate q lively sense Of good nature
and good humor. How often do we
find in dealing with tho business men
OF our day, those who have not the
slightest conception OF hospitality or
the spirit which prompts it. A custo-
mer comes in feeling in the best OF
humor and in answer to lively, happy
remark, receives some surly, gruff or
at best totally unconcerned reply, and
u e customer goes out wishing he had
never gone in and resolving never to
be found there again The most sue
cessful business men of our time have
been funny men in more particulars
than halt dozen. They have been
men who studied the art of adapting
good humor to all circumstances, and
while some of their situations have
been singularly ludicrous, yet they
have been tor the most part judiclously
taken. Show me man who cannot
appreciate fun, sport, merrimcnt and
all its synonyms and we can point out
to you man who leads a miserably
dull lite, which might otherwise be III
terspersed with seasons of Joy aud
Chalmers of incaIculable benefit, men
tally and physically. Humor differs
from fun in that while the latter en-
tiers into and is conformity to nature
forming part of our characteristic
natures to a greater or less extent
when cultivated, the former is prob
ably the more properly defined by wit,
satire, ingenuity, "repartee." The
one within the province and power OF
sll-the other 80 mental or power Of
the mind" as Webster defines wit
which is the first and perhaps most
precise equivalent OF humor. Con-
sequently, while we can all be funny
to a wholesome degree. we cannot al
be wits, from the fact that we have
not all the intellectual understanding
or the brilliant genius essential to
true dictionary will One of our news
paper paragraphers brought forth 'hi
brilliant couplet of satire:
III not . quick wit,
You had better quick quit"
Which is, Is to say the least, an admir-
able play upon words.
Humor and Fun, as they are gen
orally linked together, admit of a hun
bred interpretations.
What il one mans meat is anothe
mans poison. What is one man
laughter is another mans lamentat'on
Eli Perkins humor, for the most part
consists 10 telling big yarn, and no
always his own yarn, either. lie ha
been q deliver among the ruins Q
ancient aud modern hunor, and wit