The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-01
HOW THEY LAUGH.
a Writer Who Claims 1t Is u Key to Char
acter
Especial Correspondence.1

lopeClul COrrcSpOnuence.J
New YORK, Feb. -"Nothing in tho
world is SO irresistibly contagious ms
laughter" says Charles Dickens. He
might have added that there is no better
key to IL mans character. Spurzheim
has given us tho language of our bumps,
and Lavater taught us to read character
in the features. Why may not laughter
echo the man?
A close observer chronicles u few in
stances among well known people that
go far i'll support of the argument.
When Chauncey Depew smiles, he looks
as if a whole bucketful Of sunshine had
been thrown in his face and entered
into his personality. Grover Cleveland's
laugh is n Ia st. Nicholas and is sure to
elicit an echo among the bystanders.
George Gould has merry enough
laugh, but in business hours he gives
you to understand that the time con-
sumed i'll such frivolity means q leopard
izing of stocks.
Tom Ochiltree's smile is as warm and
sunny as his hair, and that is saying
good deal for the genial colonel.
Sothern laughs in sections in q jerky
sort of way, like his fathers hop in Lord
Dundreary.
Maggie Mitchell has catching little
laugh in which you always recognize
"Fanchon."
Mrs. Barney Williams runs the whole
gamut Of musical sounds and gives you
q laugh that seems to belong to long
line of hearty laughs.
When Georgia Cayvan smiles, the
dimpled punctuation marks appear all
around her mouth, and ripping waves
of sunshine spread over her entire face.
Cornelius Vanderbilt has q metallic
laugh, as if the ring of his millions had
become mixed with his musical chords.
Russell Sage seems to begrudge his ris-
Utilities their natural use. Perhaps he
enjoys an internal chuchle too much to
let any of it escape in sound.
Amelie Rives has a laugh unlocked for
i'll one who tackles such serious subjects
as THE Quick or the Dead"
Hermann has q Mephstophelian smile
strongly REINFORCED by his mustache
and goatee.
Henry Clews laughs as if half ashamed
of himself for letting his mouth pucker
to any other keynote than "stocks and
bonds"
DR.. Talmage has smile that is in
stantly dismissed as soon as done with
While it lasts it's generous and big.
When Thomas Nelson Page laughs.
you know that he means it, but what
fellow in his right mnd-even n success
full writer-wouldn't feel jolly after cap
turing one OF the richest widows in tho
country?
Clara Morris has SO mixed up the "Ar-
ticle Al" laugh with her own that it is
hard to say (which is one and which is
t'other."
Edwin Booths laugh was like the echo
OF once joyful sound, and that is al
ways sorrowful.
Mrs. Grover Cleveland has a sweet,
CHEEKY smile for every one that says AS
plainly as words, "Im glad to see you"
Andrew Carnegie's broad Scotch laugh
indicates the man.
The sunniness of PATHS smile depends
very considerably on the size of her au-
dienceS. 1t is a sort of barometer, which
he who runs may read.
james Gordon Bennett has cynical
smile at times-mostly when he is 'shak-
ing up" The Herald.
When DR.. Parkhurst gets through rak-
ing the police, a sort of Mr.. Toots express
sion seems to settle over him.
Henry Abbey, after going over to the
other side and engaging stars for which
other managers had negotiated with for
months without securing contract,
smiles Major Bagstock smile that says,
sly, sir; SLY, sir; devilish sly" And
they all agree with him.
Henry Irving has the twilight of
smile that seems as if it might have been
studied among the characters he repre-
sents. G. DE FONTAINE