Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-10-30
ART OF LAUGHING.
1t Consists OF Uncomely Facial
(OnIOrfiOn.

Contortion.
Why is it people don't like TO be
laughed at? What is laughter any
way? Apparently very innocent
affair; muscular contortion-rarely
a comely twist of the features. Could
you imagine anything more laughable
than to have Charles Sumner and
Tom Corwn brought into social con-
tact for an hOurP Sumner always felt
OF a joke as he would the handles of
battery, and the result was shock.
He hated a joker. Corwin was cor
ruscating with wit and fun in spite of
himself. He was the greatest states
man and wit combined the country
has ever produced. He died at last as
YOU have seen a vast discharge of
rockets flashing and illuminating. and
then suddenly all was darkness for
ever. Lincoln, however, was more
grim. He was not so royalty a Laughter
as Corwin. But what would you give
to see the span in Paradise?
ART OF MAKING LAUGHTER.
John b. Coughs best thing was to
tell an audience that he intended very
soon 10 make them laugh-laugh at
something silly. He gave them prepar-
atOry notice that what he was going to
say amounted to nothing; was not
worth laughing at; yet they would all
laugh themselves tired. Then he went
on coOlly to do it. And they always
did laugh; and then looked at each
other TO see what they were laughing
at. No one ever found out. and John
said to them: Il told you So" He had
the art OF making laughter. He was
not himself a good Laughter by any
measure. In private he was decidedly
a sober, matter-of-fact man.
There is not an animal that l know of
that does not try TO laugh, and make
some approach to it, only none of them
have as good laughing muscles as we
have. 1t is partly Il matter of cheeks.
But what a jolly affair a dog is when
his master comes home! He splits up
a roaring laugh between his head and
tail. Between the two his whole body
is contorted into grins that finally work
of as barks. They say wild dogs do
not bark. 1t is because they do not
laugh.
You should always have for family
doctor a man who can laugh. A laugh
once saved my life. 1t never is so use
full us by way of medicament My doc
tor tells good story and has genuine
smile. Smiles are generally half genu-
inc. They are mostly grins not smoth-
cred. When your doctor looks cheer
full and hopeful, you catch it of him.
Lincoln, bearing the country on his
heart in hours of disaster, fortunately
could laugh. General w. Julian tells
us that when Lincoln approached the
laughing spot in a good story, he
would lift his left foot to his right knee.
and clinching his foot with both hands
and bending forward his whole frame
cOnvulsed with his sensations of delight
WHEN WASHINGTON LAUGHED.
Washington is never known TO have
laughed but once. 1t was at Valley
Forge. He had ordered that whoever,
officer or private, got drunk should be
to cut stump in pieces.
Where the camp was formed these
stumps were overabundant. One
while making his tour of OBJ
servatiOn he came upon soldier who |
was chopping out the very last stump.
called to him pleasantly, |
"Well, good fellow, YOU have found |
the last stump" "Yes, SIR" growled |
the man, land now when an officer |
gets drunk there won't be a stump left |
for him." The General laughed heart |
ly and looked at his officers as if there |
were some of them entitled to feel relief. |
Carlyle, in "Sartor Resartus," tells |
Of laughter that takes in the whole |
man, from head to heels. There are
as many styles of laughter as there are
laughers. One begins slowly, the fun
gently creeps out, along the risible /
then the hands fly up, the
feet fly out and the mouth flies open.
This man becomes the victim of a |
joke, for it is very difficult to stop when
ne gets to a reasonable maximum.
Tom Jones-that is not his name, but |
hat makes no difference here-never
laughs without such rush of blood to
MS head that / am afraid for his life.
Laughter is as much a matter of
style as language. There is an Eastern
augh, slightly conservative, and
curved up at the ends, with culture.
There is a western laugh that is broad,
,ull, unreserved, open and hilarious.
The Englishman's laugh is self-con-
'cious and more or less inconsiderate.
The Frenchman's laugh is considerable
md courteous. Dickens laughter Is
wholly unlike Thackeray's. You can
never quite avoid feeling that Thack-
rays laugh is personal; he laughs at
'ou. of all the laughers alive there
$ none equal in good fellowship to DR..
Homes. There should be bit of
,athos in sound laugh. Bret Harte
las it. Of all the humorists by pro-
ession only NJ. Quad has it.-Cor. ST.
L0uiS Globe Democrat.