The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-03-19
JOHN KENDRICK BANGS
A DELIGHTFUL LECTURE BY THE
FAMOUS HUMORISr LAST NIGHT.

Tho Humorist in Eden-woman Lacks a
Sense of Humor-Egyptian obclisk May
be an Ancient Joke-Adam as ~ Joker--
No Chestnuts In Eden-An Address TEEN
ing With Keen VITA Largo and APP
preciative Audience.
Yale Music hall, formerly College
street church, was completely filled last
evening with one of New Haven's most
intelligent audiences to hear John Ken
drick Bangs, the we'll known humorist,
speak on THE Evolution of the Rumor-
ist.' Mr.. Bangs has achieved reputa-
ton almost worldwide from his pub
lished works, his connection with Har-
per's Weekly and the recent publication
of his Mr.. Napoleon of Corsica" AS
soon as he entered the hall last evening
he was greeted with tumultuous APP
plause, which continued for some mo-
ments, and burst forth at intervals dur
ing the lecture. He spoke i'll substance
as follows, after an Introduction teem-
ing with Wit which affected his audi
ence most happily:
Life in spite of it's realities, it's earn
estness, its serious and often times
traggic qualities, is so closely allied to
the sentiment of humor that it cannot
be separated from it. The child laughs
because he lives, and the better he lives
the more he laughs, which seems to
show the truth of my assertion that life
in itself, in that purely negative condi-
tiion which entails no pain, no sorrow,
no cares--nothing-isl light, airy, nirth-
full; it is humor.
Nov, where did humor begin I
shall not speculate as to whether the
or was not a Jest; the genesis of humor,
the germ of nonsense, relying upon its
invisibility to prove it's relationship TO
many subtly subtitle jests of the present
day, which are too fine to be visible to
the piercing eye of the keenest intellect;
nor shall l speculate upon the Darwin
ian theory and endeavor to prove to
you that the original humorist was all
ape whose tale was published anony-
mously and so lost to man. 1 shall not
| speculate on this, although as / stand
at times in the Central park before the
cages of Mr.. Simian Cousin ana watch
his pranks, when realize the undoubt-
ed humor of the creature and consider
how natural 1t all is, how it possesses
the quality of true humor, the quality
of the unexpected, l wonder, and Won
dering / think that after all the great
| Doctor Darwin's theory had more in 1t
| than most of us are willing to admit,
| and ] conclude that whether or not The
| ap: was the ancestor of all mankind,
| the humorist with his Sinian mind
would better not pSAte too vainglori-
ously of his favorite tree, lest he sud
! cccoanuts thereon.
Z belive am safe in saying that the
ce nlnon ground upon which We al! may
stand in endeavoring to discover by
reasonable consideration of conditions
the f1rst probable appearance on the
eacth of the humorist is to be found, { r
was to he found, in the Garden of Eden.
Admitting that the humorist must be
human ard humane to feel a sentiment
rust be himself genial and of a kindly
heart to be possessed of a sentiment
that is genial and loving. From this
conclusion it cannot be denied that the
serpent Is excluded. So having emulat-
ed the venerated st, Patrick by draw
ing the serpent forth into the cold eX-
terror, let us consider the respective
claim of the other two intalle :tdal be-
ings who dwelt in that delightful resort,
| Adam and Eve.
| "Gallantry compels us ii take UP the
ladies first-although for my part
would gladly leave woman's claims un-
considered when ] think of the conclu-
sions which are evitable. l regret to
say that 1t is very generally accepted
fact that woman, though abnomally de-
veloped in every other sense is devoid
of the sense of honor. This is ver-
dict from which / hope to see an ap-
peal The Judgment has been handed
down by man and repeatedly affirmed
by the some honest, impartial justice
Unfortunately for woman's claims in
our present needs, this verdict has not
yet been overturned and the passing OF
the years with that great convincing
witness to the injustice of her cause
yet undeveloped tends to establish the
adverse decision of mankind more firm
| ly. l do not mean to say that women
|
know when they are funny. l am the
more inclined to accept the worlds
verdict when / learn that q huluorisi
has been defined as one who is easily
moved by fancy whim, or caprice, g
person of eccentric conduct and uncer-
| tain temper. Caprice, unreasonable
ness, whimsicality, eceentricity and un-
certainty of temper are not the attrib-
utes of woman and so / frankly and
gladly say Eve was not the humorist
of Eden.
'"rhe only conclusion is then thai
Adam became inevitably the jester OF
| the period 1t was indeed a happy
time for humor when the chestnut had
yet to be evolved and regarded from
| this standpoint, Adam must have beer
! highly successful in his efforts to be
original
| Continuing Mr.. Bangs said that Sam
son was the greatest humorist of an
tiquity The laughter of that time was
| the laughter of hostility and the pleas
ure derived from this led to practica'
! joking. There was gentle sarcasm il
| Samson Staying a thousand men with
the jaw bone of an ass, for instance
instead of using weapon more re-
nowned for dignity.
Mr. Bangs then traced the evolution
of Homer down through the ages to the
present time and it's development
among the various races and nations
| down to the nineteenth century. He