The free press. (Southern Pines, N.C.) 1898-19??, 1901-01-18
THE SERIOUS SIZE OF HUMoR
HUMOR AND HEALTH ARE
CLOSE AKIN.
BY DR.. EDWIN GLADMON.
(Republished by request. J

| business to talk. - Eyes, cried one OF
! his listeners, land your place of bust
ness has not been closed these twenty
year l We knowed We.
It's serious side l take to mean its
practical side, or the value that at
taches to it as a means of benefit and
mp1ovement; even in some cases a
means of cure
Hu1nor being an attribute of the
mind, its full discussion would involve
an analysis of the preaching effects
OF the mind on the body. This, how
ever, is beyond the scope of this ar
ticle.
In ancient times the word "humor"
was applied to a fluid secretion of the
body. Four varieties were supposed to
exist and the way in which these diff
ferent forms were combined, deter
mined the temper of the mind, hence
the present use of the words good and
bad humor as applied to a person s dis
positions.
This theory now obsolete neverthe-
less contained germ of the truth only
they had the cart before the horse, the
result where the cause should be.
The old story thus nodernized and
revised, that the state of the mind de
terlnined the kind of huinor, takes its
place among the accepted truisms in
the science Of to-day. True, even in
its old literal sense as a bodily secre-
ton.
Prof Gates of Washington, D. c.,
af1irlns that lie can determine the dis
position of person by an examina-
ton of the perspiration; contact with
selenic acid giving variety of colors;
in criminals pink and III melancholy
and insanity blue.
A lady was SO impressed by his dis
coveries that she donated several thou
sand dollars for the building OF. a labo-
ratory in which he is now prosecuting
his studies.
Recognizing humor, then, as one of
the benefcent attributes of the mind,
we can appreciate how limitless is its
capability for good.
This force of the mind over the body
Milton voiced years ago, when he
Sc i'd
The mind is its own place, and in it.
Can make heaven of hell, a hell of
heaven"
The growing appreciation of this
truth is happy augury for the century
now dawnlng, and as people realize
that good humor is precedent to and
necessary to good health, the possibill-
ties of the human race are vastly in
creased. Few besides physicians and
nurses realize the lncalcuable bene-
its that accrue to the sick from con-
tact with good hunored cheerful at
tendants.
Examples OF this might be multiple
ed almost indefinitely.
A hearty laugh is worth a barrel Of
medicine and dry joke more precious
than costly ellxirs. From Hippocrates
down, 1nirth and laughter have held
high place as therapeutic agents. 1t
has been recommended in many dis
eases. An Italian physician recently
even claimed laughter to be valuble
He declares good laugh
"rlds the bronchial tubes Of phlegm
and produces state of physical and
moral well-being."
Some of the popular comedies of to-
day do more real good than Shakes
peare S tragedies, in spite of the lat
ter S grand imagery and magnificent
liction. cannot prevent Desdemona
rom being smothered right after night,
out l can decline to see it. am de-
generate enough to prefer a minstrel
show to Virginius, and l think the
-rishman justified who in the midst of
| performance of THE Two Orphans"
demanded the return Of