New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-27


inps of the bad. and an abundant satisfaction
in the bad logic, nonsense and simplicity OF
well-motvcd and pious people7 The fact is as
plain as the MONDAY. 1t requires great genius
TO make a bad action ridiculous by tho arts OF
speech OF pen. A recent joke that the Newark
cashier had stolen two millions because he
wanted to attend the Patti concerts, will serve
| to point out the helplessness of men dealing
with crime for the effect of the joke is to ridi-
Guile the songstress and to lessen the sense OF
the turpitude of the cashiers crime. There
| should be some good reason for this hopeless
weakness, for the fact that there must be some
form of excellence or of virtue in the thing
ridiculed. So far as we know, all the New
Light and so-called scientific moral systems
overlook the fact now in hand; and for that
matter literary criticism has Numbered past 1t
| in dealing with ridicule. The old fight was
over the question, Is ridicule test of truth "
| But the disputants missed the fact that truth
and its moral congeners are essential attributes
of the thing to be ridiculed.
| Let us venture upon an explanation. Ridi-
| Guile pays homage to intellect and moral worth
by the selection it makes of the objects of its
satire. It's business is ito shoot folly as it
yacuity. The folly must pertain to an intelli-
gent and morally competent being-the rldl-
culed man must have mind and moral will. So
the people in madhouses and the entire class of
the non cOmpOs mentis escape being laughed at
in the cOniemnatOry form of ridicule. But
there is further discrimination to be made.
There is no grade or form or type of moral ex.
cellence that cannot be ridiculed. Mr.. 1nger-
soil has recently ridicued the God of the Bible
and no doubt multitudes have laughed with
him over the ridiculous element which he finds
in the First Commandment. All the best
things in life are ridiculed. "LOve is best"
Mr. Black teaches us in one of his novels; but
nothing else in the world has been so much
rdicued. All family relations and affections
are butts for the laughers In short nothing Is
gc cd enough TO escape the laugh that censurcs.
Nor are things serious and weighty exempted
from ridiculing ccnsure on that account. They
may escape by n single association; but not
through their seriousness. Nothing is more
serious than death but dying is the subject of
innumorablo jokes that cast shadow of con-
tempt on the dying And yet there is one thing
that escapcs-it is wickedness. And just in the
measure in which it advances in turpitude it
lauch. All mental shortcomings are butts for
ridcule. We can laugh at the surgeons who
attended President Garfield but we cannot
laugh ut Guiteau. The irreprcssiblc spirit of
ridcule has played its pranks with everybody
associated with this awful tragedy except the
assassin. He is felt TO be wicked enough to he
beyond that form Of condemnation. On re-
cent Sunday DR.. Talmage preached against the
nse of narcotics. For opium. eating he had not
n single shaft of ridcule; for tobacco-using he
had whole column of ridicule. There is no
positive moral quality in tho latter; only
class of folies which are committed by intelli-
gent people who should have self-rcspect
enough not TO be filthy in their use of the weed
Opium eating is the more serious fault, and
more blame attaches to its use but so far as
we know, neither DR.. Talmage nor any other
man has ever ridculed the use of opium
Perhaps il is not worth our while to inquire
now why no virtue escape ridiculc, or why
gross wckcdness enjoys immunity. The old
theology has its explanation perhaps the new
theology has another The fact and an infer
cnce from it are our present business. The in
ference is that ridcule is a weapon to be used
sparingly 10y teachers of religion and morals.
If good things and not bad things are the OBJ
iccts of ridcule-if il is a test of truth only by
proving that there is some truth in anything
that can be ridiculcd-thero must be some
laundering by which ridicule gets n large
place in some pulpits. The fathers must have
been more nearly right in that solcmnity over
which their sons make unscemly jokes. No
doubt shooting folly rs it flies may he the
occasional duty of the pulpit; but the large
duty must be to cultivate goodness and uproot
badncss-and neither task will get ON rapidly
by means Of ridiculc. Ii is well to try to in
tercst and attract; but there should be interest
and winsomcncss in truths that can be pleaded
for with sobricty of speech AMI it-must have
some very bad consequences if it shall become
the settled habit of rcigiOnists TO shoot con-
tinually at the follics Of each other. or 10 lay
the stress of their censure on errors in thinking
or habits that are committed by the better part
of human society.