The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-09-20
THE VIRTUES OF LAUGHTER.
Country Schoolboys Turned Loose-Laugt
ing All Over-Shouting Happy.

Country Sehoolboys Turned Loose-Laugh.
ing All over-Shouting Happy.
Now SO to a school house in the coun-
try where the youngsters are let loose
pell nell. Out they come with rush,
and every throat is doing its utmost to
Is bedlam of words, part a pure set of
yelps like my dog. They run hither and
thither, and stand on one leg. They turn
handsprings, and do dozen inpulsive
things that have no other purpose than to
express happiness. l do not think it is
any disgrace to the chaps SO say it is an
overflow Of animal spirits and in a way
very much as my dog expresses himself.
I should be glad if my own condition
could he more generally of the same sort
Only there is no denying that If boys be
allowed to shout as they will they become
SHOCKING nuisances. Yes, yeang gents,
you are a legitimate product of vitality,
but one can't let you shout the top of his
head of. On the whole, if they will let
you loose, you will soon run quiet. Boys
are good deal ike spouting geyscrs-
nci.y and quiet by turns. Bat il we had
never outgrown this boy period, and
could get ON without philosoplizing. and
printing, and editing newspapers, and
doing SO many other exhausting thingsl
ALI, yes If. But we did not stop at the
right point, but went on into what we
call ripe years. There has been toe much
evolution. We should have been satisfied
at the shouting happy point.
The object of language of all sorts
seems ia be to express satisfaction or dis
tress, joy or grief. Far back OF prini-
tive man, indeed at the very origin OF
life, there was some method of express
ing satisfaction and dissatisfaction. When
tho head was established and vocaliza-
ton achieved great deal of language
was left distributed all over the body.
When person Is thoroughly happy the
tongue Il altogether Insufficient to tell of
1t. Laughter is remnant of the old sort
of language, only we have facial laugh
ter that often supersedes real al over
laughter. But | know = f,w men who
always laugh from top to toe. Tlere is
the shaking laugh, that is ikened to
the quiver in a bowl Of good, thick set
Jelly. When it begins it goes in ripples
from side to side, and perpetual motion
seems absolutely to have set in. And
there is the roaring laughter that throws
the practitioner into commissions until he
must hold his sides and gasp for breath.
A really good laugher is healthy man.
l have seen many patient cured by
good story. | have in mind one who
was in a dcspondent melancholy that had
broodel over him for weeks. \ cat had
nestled by his side, and he involuntarily
had stroked it. Pussy turned up her
hose to touch his hand, when fash of
electricity leaped from it, and. pussy was
both shocked, confounded and insultcd.
Drawing back III great dignity, and with
an appearance of vast intellectual amaze
ment, she gave him two cuffs of de-
cidol sort and stallled Off The man in
stantly broke into laugh, and as he ex-
pressed it. couldn't stop" His whole
system reacted from depression. He
laughed till he was sore; and was cured.
or course there is liable to be a touch of
the hysterical about such a break up; but
it will do no harm, recommend laugh
ter as preventive against disease, and
as euro for illness of both body and
mind. Children should be encouraged to
laughter They should be taught to
laugh loudly, strongly and all over.
Laughing can become a matter of educa-
ton as wei as talking or singing. Have
them stand up, with their hand on their
hips, and begin. 1t is capital exercise.
You need only start the roar. 1t is
catching. AS soon as one urchin has ex-
ploded the rest viii be at it. 1t will run
up and down She line, and you Will end
by having all your pupils on their backs,
shouting happy.
So if you ask me what consider most
essential to health, vigor and longevity, ]
answer a plenty of laughter and plenty
of shouting" We should never check
children from reasonable amount of
noise making, and never get beyond it
ourselves. Ii possible have some place,
move OF, if 10 better, a barn, where
you can shout as loudly as you please and
blow oUt good full draushts of the purest
air We ought never to get beyond
play. 4 good game Of quoits, or tennis,
has half its advantage in letting our lungs
have fuI play We can laugh as loudly
as we please and shout with the young
folks. Nearly all old age is folly, use
less drying up, owing to false notions of
manhood and propriety. Mark this, my
friend, don't outgrow the shouting happy
point.-M. Maurice, NJ. D., in Globe
Democrat