The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-20

mild terms of reproach, for in other
paragraphs he calls those who laugh,
silly, giddy, frivolous, superficial, shall
low-brained, empty-headed simpletons
brutal, unfeeling, vulgar, frivolous fools"
and on the other hand he inquiries, 'if
a mans mind be occupied by good and
useful ideas, how can it be possible for
him to laugh?" a conundrum which he
fails to answer.
This laughterless model of propriety,
who would Danish laughter from the
world then proceeds to annihilate and
stigmatize Beaumont. Fletcher, Fielding,
Prior Butler, and other humorists, and
says of Milton, verify. the moral world
owes John Milton (of Paradise Lost"
celebrity a certain amount of pity-not
unmingled with contempt"
AS for children's books, says our mel
archoly author, ''they have always been
and still continue to be of the most
trashy description, and have had pow
erful and marked effect in degrading the
moral and Stultifying the intellect.
'These extremely stupid and vulgar
books have been, and still continue to be-
the bane and curse of the intellect of the
rising generation, and, in vast major
ity of cases, the utter ruin OF their
morals"
There's the secret of reform, We phil
anthropists according to Vasey. Employ
teachers who have taken Solemn oalll
never to smile, let them severely PUNISH
any child who dares even to look pleas
ant. and make laughter capital onense
AGAINST morals. What a nice world it
would be, to be sure! No children
laughter to brighten it and no children
prattle to cheer the heart! Really our
author is a literary Pied Piper of Hame-
lin.
Children (who, of course, are ignor-
anti" he says, 'laugh consideraply-thaC
is to say, in civilized countries. AS lhey
grow older, and gain knowledge ana gooo
sense, their laughing propensity gradua1iy
becomes weaker, and the habit OF laugh-
ing gradually diminishes. If they become
students and intelligent (Which all human
beings ought to become) the spasm OF
laughter is rarely exhibited" One is apt
to wish, if that is the case, TO remain
moderately ignorant and moderately
happy, for education seems to ratner an
unhappy accomplishment, If THIS Is true.
In marked contradiction TO th4s
Chayasse, an eminent surgeon, said: III
courage your child to be merry and laugn
loud; a good hearty laugh expands ms
chest and makes his blood bound merrlly
along Commend me to good laush,
not to a little staggering laugh, out 10
one that will sound through the mouse;
it will not only do your child good, out
will be a benefit to all who hear II, anu
an important means of driving away the
bIue devils from the dwelling. Merrl-
ment is very catching, and spreads IN d
remarkable manner, few being able TO
resist the contagion," words to winch
every good physician and philosopher
says ''amen!'
AS texts from Shakespeare ana tne
Rible can be twisted to apply TO most any
subject, Vasey does not ian 10 o,e app,U
from Emerson and Victor Hugo, ana re-
fers to Pythagoras and Cicero as men WHO
frowned on laughter, Gaping the cHihdA az
by reference to HeraclltuS, VINO WSpe a. e.
the follies, frivolitieS and vlclssltuoeS OF
human existence Thomas Carlyle is
also invoked, and his statement tnat
mostly FOOLS is given due prominence.
fully indorsing Carlyle's estimate"
modest etatement that reminds one Oh tue
man who was the greatest man IN the
world, and who had forgotten VINO the
Carlyie's statement may be true, but
it is subject to discussion and as zo,vVt ~
the contrary will doubtless be SustaIn9o,
and they will continue to laugh ana DE
happy. ,5 o+,,ay
stvr;rtuous'' and serious savages con-
tinue to decline to laugh and thus snow
that they "are we'll organized human
beings and possess considerable lnteiles-
tuaI power by slaughtering and tortur-
ing their victims, making beasts OF Dur
den and worse of their women, and M,
duiging in other trifing amenities, the
poor, civilized, but snlyy iraYolo 1oo IN
fest ali ranks of society," whose mas
cent minds were perverted and distorted
and shriveled in their infancy, VIII con-
tinue to laugh and grow healthy ana
Why bless you, my long-faced friend,
YOU who think that laughing is a IN,
you upon whose sour visage iong-enioTGeu
melancholy has craven deep wrinkles
that cannot be effaced by merry qulps'
even the animals laugh. There's the
horse laugh, for example, although cicero
says: Though laughter IS alloWaole, q
horse laugh is abominable." And there
is the laughing crow, and the laughing
goose. and the laughing hyena, and the
laughing jackass. And there is the loon
who laughs a jeering laugh at you, but
is no fool to be caught with a pinch OF
salt If these do not incite you to laugh
ter, go get the herb sardonla, when pc
gets laughter and get it's name from that
fact That will engender the very mad
ness of laughter or there is no efficacy in
drugs
better than drugs, and if you are merry
you will need but few drugs, TOR laughter
is the very elixir of good humor and well
being A man or woman who doesn't
laugh is sick at soul or in body, and it
Is most encouraging or all symptoms
when we force a laugh from these de-
spondent people. When the patient
smiles the doctor feels encouraged and
the family is happy and tells the
doctor with eagerness and gladness, ''our
patient smiled today and the doctor
smiles, too, and says: That's good
sign"
Read those who believe in laughter.
Morally considered" says Shaw,
daughter is next to the ten command
ments" Thackeray says, "a good laugh is
sunshine in the house." Laughter draws
nails out of your coffin. 1.-THE little giddy
laugh of Madame d Albert" says Marot,
was enough to raise man from the
dead
To return to the text, ga merry heart
doeth good like a medicine" Dr. FTufel-
and says: Laughter is a most healthful
exertion; it is one of the greatest helps
to digestion with which 1 am acquainted;
and the custom prevalent among our fore
fathers of exciting it at table by testers
and buffoons was founded on true medi-
cal principles
Above all don't make the mournful
| boast recorded of Chesterfield: ''I am
sure that since had the use of my rea-
son. no human being has ever heard me
| laugh" but remember the warning of
| Bruyere: 1--WE must laugh before we are
happy, for fear we die before We laugh
| at all. Leon Noel