The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-07-25


a Est af P1easamt Infsr1nAtfsa fer
the FHzn1nk P.h1tc-
Svssney Srnishs sanscs1s saysng that
1 ~rese6mzns sxnM Aaa 10 be ire
.ssrsrex! hsesure he Sxsasa sssss-stArsi :
snks i rxszisess, sas's the E<sstaa zt<sssts-
sss-r. sss sfiss essny 81 j II 1zgSSoa- ~.
y. contributed 30 that leadl1g -nexs1csl
sashpr7ty, the f<srdoa Lsersg, and
transferred to the Fssges q she fsFzssex
S-seaes HHasAzs. The Hise ard genial
doctor has. 30 - eFesk, arfzsesi The
ssssis.eE to ssse whole ssizject Ct joking.
and laid hare is anatomy dhat some
lakes are no iaugzins matter
xtast rxsders ~ rsfnie Journals sssos
20 their cost, sssEt Ii We ArE 10 s~eIsefe
Isr. Jae ks0z. jealousy Is > seriaiss mat
ter indeed.
we xrr told. In tie frs. plase. that
sknre X 4 street anaingS between lu6sk-
Ing azd laughing Whether Il = sos
this reason that per~'szl 5 said %
80 tsr nss 70 see the point o. :
.ri,r5r7s1ss tire Nrrstsr foThears - Sssfe
aut st any rate i \ claimed thai -
there 4 5 visual kiiFl8s,ss 50 there =
mental dipaopia, or. A. il Is commonly
calIsyi. saosls.Se consciousness Tbs Is
illustrated by reference 70 tsze stereei-
score A. that optical instrument re-
assi~.< tuo pictures OF one object, 80
the mind .lYifalicates each idea And
the sense Of harnor arises from the
rnissrlnl relations Of two similar if3sage-
ia thought. e All thinking il the dis
cs,yery of relations The only differ
e,,rc t,rtweerl solemn and frnlirsouse
thinking. DR.. Jackson assures Us. i IN
The nature of the relation discovered
4 sample pun Is cited:
When Is little glrI not a little girl
Answer: When she Is little horse
4hoarse).'
Here the last word may be PRO,
noancesi in such q manner a to silg-
eest the condition OF the little girl who
has a cold. and also TO suggest GER
tain we'll known animal. The doctor
admits that the pun Is feeble-and
here. at least, his readers viii agree
viii, him-but he thinks the explana-
ton OF whatever nsirth i provoked by
the pun must be found in a certain tit
ilation which the mind experiences IN
discovering that one word can estah-
Iish q connection between two things
so ineongruoGs.
Having thus shown the psychology
cal basis OF Joking, the Lancet writer
proceeds To indicate variety of ways
ia which the study OF this subject may
be applied to the solution OF perplex-
ing enigmas. At first the reader. e.
peciallyi If he be inclined to levity, may
receive a start; for our learned author
says that " the process of mentation
in the maniac Is but earieature 81
stereoscopic and dipiopetie nentation
10 healthy people And then follows
scientific demonstration that the raw
ings of the maniac and the perform
ances OF the pastor have the same
mechanism. But the shock is only
monentary. In the next paragraph il
is shown that joking supplies the key
TO the problems OF sanity Is well as
insanity. For instance, the smell OF
roses recalls II memory a particular
room where man had lived when 4
child. The reason Is that in the room
thus remembered there were a great
many roses on certain occasions. Now
. the two scents linked together held
together two dissimiiar mental states. =
That is, the mental process in this case
depended on relation as slight, incon-
spicuous, and hitherto unsupported as
the relations whose discovery causes
laughter.
DR.. Jackson finds that a process
takes place in dreaming ike that
which takes place in joking. Perhaps
this is why some people, especially ba-
bies, are observed to smile in their
sleep. The writer tells of physician
who had been reading during the even
ing abont the troubled condition OF
European politics, and at night he
dreamed that. on being professionally
consulted by bismarck, he prescribed
Tor the continental body polite iodide
OF potassium. BY the way, exactly
this idea was embodied in one OF sgd
new Smiths most famous OF whimsi-
eaiities. wherein he compared the OPP
ponents OF the Reform bill To a sick
man who refused his medicine on Mon
day, and by consequence on Friday
was compelled to take double dose
OF rhubarb and unlimited infusion OF
SIENNA
That portion OF the Lancet essay
which VIII stir up the greatest interest,
however, is its valiant championship
OF punninz. Punning does not re-
ceiye sufficient attention, We are told.
Ii is the basis of all wit and humor.
The second and third are evolved from
the first No man is fit for scientific
research who cannot make pun, or,
at least. ''who is deficient in the APP
probation of jocosities in their degrees
OF evolution. Indeed, So far does
this advocate OF despised though by
no means discarded piece of fun
making 20 that punning is elevated TO
place among the finest of fine arts
y The dawn OF a sense Of the merely
ridiculous, as in punning and the SIM
plest jokes, shows the same thing as
The dawn OF esthetic feeling, surplus
mind. something over and above that
required for getting food and other an
inal Indulgence.