The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-23


mon in the laughter note of the sterner
en- and children approach the vowel quail
ity of French + and e.
Now We Americans, when we used TO
laugh, were always hurting "gah, gah"
''if. iff.'' and Use, tse," into our laugh
ter. An English psychologist of note
says that this is due TO nervousness or
affectation. So we've cut it out.
The laughter of savages and of children
is far different
AS DR.. Silly describes it, it is accom-
panied by movements Of the limbs and
trunk and the whole body jumps and the
arms flap wfng-like. but when society
! people laugh, their note or visibility is
"a nattentuatel FORM as, DR.. Sully says.
When Shakespeare wrote of laughter he
called it held in with looser REIN But
300 years later it isn't Tears flowed
more readily with laughter In those un-
conventional days Of merry England than
they do now. either there or here.
Along with DR.. Sully, DR.. Stanley Hail.
of Clark university, has made a scientific
study of tickling. Tickling. you know,
is first cousin to laughter. His research
es have included experiments upon both
human subjects ana animals. His quest
has been to find the areas most respon-
sive to a tickle. These are in their order.
Sole OF the foot. arm-pit, neck. chin,
ribs, etc. DR.. Louis Robinson, an Eng
fish experimenter, after tickling scores Of
subjects comes to a different conclusion.
This region in front of the neck is the
most tcklish. he finds. Next in order
of sensitiveness are the ribs. the arm
pits. bend of elbows. junction of ribs
and abdominal muscles tanks, region OF
hip joints and upper anterior thigh.
Fun isn't the only thing that causes
laughter. Nervousness. or even intense
grief, may do 1t. too. But society folk
are learning to control their nerves. Grief
on their part is just a proper observance
of the conventions. AS DR.. Sully learn
edly observes:
Nervousness is a second case of laugh
ter. Succeeding a shock OF fear comes
a physiological reaction which causes US
to laugh. Another form of nervous laugh
ter is an accompaniment OF shyness. A
person making his first appearance as
psItaic speaker will often berray his
nervousness by weird little explosions
of mirth. The nervous smile is seen by
all who frequent drawing-rooms and OBJ
served the occasional guest who is unac-
customed to social intercourse. A third
form of nervous laughter attacks many
Of us in solemn places, as during church
services fourth often attacks the
young when they suddenly hear news
of the death of an acquaintance. This
is usually experienced in gatherings e
Juveniles. Physical pain frequently in
duces a fifth species of neurotic laugh
ter: intense grief, a sixth.
Re lease from restraint excites In us
an outburst of joyous laughter-as when
the schoolboy, dismissed by his teacher.
reaches the open air and sunshine. Then
here is laughter of JOY excited by some
sudden. unexpected. pleasurable acquisi-
tomas in the case of the child at the
sight of new and pretty toy. Added to
these are other forms of laughter ex-
cited by play by practical joking. by teas
ing and by contest"
Or. Suly Classics funny things" too.
These are things which excite to laughter.
They arc:
Novelty and oddly, bodily deformi-
breaches of order and rule, small misfor-
tunes references to the indecent, pre-
lenses. lack of knowledge or skill. incon-
gruity or Inconsistency, word-play and
witticism, manifestations OF playfulness
in others. the spectacle of successful con-
test"
Now comes the peril
Is the de cadence of laughter going to
weaken the race?
People who laugh are far better off ply
sicany than people who are morose. A
hearty outburst OF uncontrolled laughter
starts the blood coursing through the
veins. creates an appetite and induces
sound, healthful sleep.
Laughter relieves the clogged brain 1t
accelerates the circulation and sends the
life-giving oxygen coursing through the
blood. 1t brightens nervous centres, slim
ulates vital activity and exercises GER
tain muscles not often used.
No wonder. then. that the old saw ad-
vises Laugh and grow fat
DIR. Sully, finding that man is losing his
laugh, has tried monkeys, just as society
has found them useful to its diversion.
Young orangs and chimpanzees utter
| sounds almost like those of laughing
| children. The ticlllish places on apes Of
/ the man class correspond 10 those on hu-
man beings. especially children.
Dr. Robinson has gone further He
! finds that dogs correspond more closely
| TO grown folks than any other animals in
| their sense OF the fun of things. A good
| dog really appreciates fun. A fox ter
! rier belonging TO John Elfreth Watkins,
Jr.. of Washington, among those expert
mented upon. proved this plainly,
This clever little animal really emitted
a regular dog laugh, far more human
| than some of the laughs now used BY
smart people at Newport AS the psy-
choIogist describes it:
| When tickled in the region Of the
axilIae Corresponding 10 the human arm
| PITS. he raises his mouth at the corners.
| slightly shows his teeth and otherwise
assumes an expression strikingly akin TO
| our facial laughter.
J DR.. Sully's experiments have proved
more-that laughter now lies in the eyes
rather than in the mouth and lips There
are only FIVE laughs with the mouth
where there are seven with the eyes.
No wonder. then, the decadence OF
laughter
Perhaps some day it may be that We
Will have a laughless race. Pleasure. there
may still be- but no outward evidence Of
enjoyment To laugh viii be the sign OF
ignorance and nl-breediag.
is society TO blame? Is there no way
to bring about again the golden age Of
/ nd coad will