New-York tribune., 1902-09-08
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IT CONCLUDES THAT NEITHER SEX HAS A
MONOPOLY OF THE SENSE OF HUMoR-
Now have nice little question for YOU" said
Mrs. Weldon What do you think of the much
vaunted sense Of humor of the masculine half Of
humanity
It's fraudulent claim!" responded Miss Meri-
vale, promptly.
1T varies with individuals" said Mrs Wright
judicially.
We'll. I only know" said Mrs. Outing with a
sigh. that It's totally lacking in some individuals
Charles Quitting cannot joker
But surely many joke protest
ed Mrs. Holmes Miss Merivale says it's fraudu-
lent claim. Why?'
Their claim is not that they can see a Joke
laughed Miss Merivale. ''-dany Engshmen might
substantiate that! I have fellow feeling with
Engnshmen, by the The sense Of humor is
denied to them in the same wholesale and absurd
way in which It is denied to women IN general.
American men claim a monopoly Of the sense of
humor; that's where the fraud IN. I claim
that, the whole, have Of it than
men. They get it earlier, too. A human creature
more nearly devoid of the sense of humor than
the average young man in society can hardly be
found on earth. Mabel my eighteen-year-old niece.
and are kept in ending state of hllarity
over her brother John and his friends. They take
themselves seriously! Good. bright fellows most
Of them, and very gay among themselves, but they
blunder solemnly on, oppressed with their
sense Of superiority and never perceying how they
and their kind add to the gayety of nations. Girls
much keener!"
I'm sure Charles never contributed an ounce OF
gayety to the nation. said Mrs Outing; not even
by being unconsciously funny. My jokes run off
his mind Hke-ke water off 4 ducks back The
other day he looked at himself In the mirror, and
remarked 'Unquestionably. Jennie | am growing
old and fat Not wishing discourage him by
agreeing with him, 1 answered with a quotation
So wish 1 could picture to you the look OF blank
astonshment on that mans face as he turned and
enamVI | 1IyIfo orrrha yptp
/ could muster, No one in particular / was quot
ing Shakespeare. oh. Shakespeare said he. Ah.
But" observed served: Mrs; Holmes, perhaps he had
He might have taken the idea" said Mrs Out
ting. glancng Inischievously Miss Merivale. who
Undoubtedly the sense Of hurnor is an individual
enG2%aneI1 nv af6 f6enTy npI a matter tier Of SEX
the sense OF h4n8r Is variable quantity and can't
When you hear read a certain Joke YOU wish
at once TO tell 1t to one. and you think in
humor it is suited. Your son win laugh at an Incl
dent that that WIZ ~ not appeal to your daughter, and
mistake to marry person who didn't laugh
humor is a strong bond. The persons hnmor de-
pends somehow upon >. the individual quality OF
There's standard, nevertheless" said Miss
You wouldn't accept Hotentot's idea as 81 to either
beauty or humor; nor even red Indians, though
My nephew john, said Miss MerivaIe sis
notably fond d. Of Joke; and he reads Thackeray.
Yet when you come to personal matters. as say.
That's just the point, said Mrs Weldon .'The
difference doesn't lie in the quantity of humor but
laugh at men for taking their self Importance so
seriously s ana seroys augR at us for taking our
thing Of all-and men are most guilty here-is for
the sense of humor'' O'-''' 'ii' poSSeSS'oN u
Just then sporadic member" who had been
Don't you know what the real test of humor is?
To be able TO laugh at yourself s readily a
other peopler'