St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-07-26
About Laughter.

A laugh may cover all manner Of
'entiments-joy, seorn or anger; it may
be the most musical or most di.cordant
! Df sounds, the most delightful or the
most horrible which can fall upon our
ears. Contrast the happy laughter of
merry children with the gibhering cry
of the maniac or the hoarse laugh of q
| defiant criminal. the musical ripple of
cultivated mirth with the roar of tipsy
crowd ut Il fair.
A really musical laugh is perhaps
rarer than really musical voice. The
giggle, the snigger, the half-choked
laugh are common enough: but how
seldom do we hear that melodious
sound. the laugh in its perfection. 1t
should not be shrill, nor too loud, nor
too long. 1t should not bear any double
meaning, any hidden sarcasm in its
mirth. 1t should not be so boisterous
as to exhaust the laughter and deafen
the listeners.
Peg Wellington is said to have been
celebrated for the music of her
laughter on the sta9e-a most diff
cult accomplishment, for nothing. (ex-
cept. perhaps, a sneeze) is harder to
many varieties of laughs. There is the
musical, cultivated and extremely rare
one. pleasant to listen to as a chime of
bells. There is the glad, if somewhat
shrill. merriment of children. the hap
piness of which condones its noise.
There is the loud guflaw of the yul-
gar. and the laughter which appears
likely to tear the laugher in pieces,
causing him to wipe his eyes after the
explosion is over. There is the laugh
of embarrassment. when a shy person
at a loss what to say next, s'remarks to
he," as Artemus Ward describes it.
There is the schoolgirls giggle; and
schOolboy's snigger, rs he reflects on
some recently-perpetrated, but still re-
collected, piece of mischief. There is
the chuckle OF the successful man.
All these laughs bear some family
resemblance to each other; they all, in
their degree, express sensation Of
pleasure. There are darker descriptions
of laughter. There are laughs more
cutting than the bitterest speeches,
more alarming than the cruelest
threats. Satirical laughter is the most
offensive. A laugh can convey con-
tempt which words would fail to ex-
press.
Is any one proof against being an
noyed by ridicule? Even dog is
sensible when he is laughed at, and
resents the impertinence. Some ami
mails are indeed quite as sensitive to
derision rs human beings. The laugh
ter of the underbred, which finds open
amusement in the minor troubles of
their neighbors-say the ridicule Law
ished on asick arrivals at 4 pier, or
on hapless foreigners in an alteration
with cabman, or an old gentleman
who falls down slide-also ranks
among '.laughs offensive
Then there is the laugh of incredu-
lity. When Tom goes to his rich old
uncle. full of glowing descriptions of
the perfections of the lady to whom he
is engaged, or of the appointment
which he expects to obtain, does the old
gentleman damp his nephew's ardor by
a long haranguc. No. he only gives Il
dry laugh; and Toms hopes of check
fall rapidly.
Too rare laughers are As unpopular
as too ready ones. A teller of good
stories never forgives the man who
does not laugh at his jokes. Many
persons have made their fortunes by
laughing at iudicious moments; APP
plauding some poor jest. or becoming
convulsed with mirth at dull pun. To
be duly appreciative of his patrons 5
wit was an important part of the duty
of hanger-on. With what ready
laughter are schoolmaster'S witt
cisms received by his class,
There is a story of a dramatic au-
thor, whose play had been accepted.
being requested to make sundry altera-
tions to suit the taste of the actors.
Among other changes. the manager
suggested that ga laugh" should be in
troduced at the conclusion of a speech
of an outgoing performer: sit would
give him a better exit" The author
pleaded that to admit this change
would spoil the whole dialogue, but the
manager was urgent still. Think it
over, and do what you can, BIS
position in the theater demands itr'
When laughs are thus priced it is not
wonderful that persons who rarely use
their risible muscles are unpopular
Pail Nail Gazette.