New-York tribune., 1907-09-29
Wben the World Laughs.
where.

An oldtine Anglo-Saxon king gave the fine
manor Of Walworth his jester, Nithardus- The
magnificent benefaction Saint Bartholomews Hos
pital was founded by the fool and favorite Of a
later monarch. In those days the diverting OF a
sovereign important and profitable voca-
tion- In later times. though the fool in cap and
bells has passed. the huJnorist still holds high
place in that OF courts public opinion-which
is 4 should be. for wit originally meant wis
dom and ne who writes speaks aInusinSly
reveals subtly both sense and shrewdness An able
often employs the joke potent force in
argument OF serious character. The jest is OF
vital value in polenics.
The prosperity Ct the jest lies chiefly in the ear
q him who hears does beauty in the eye Of him
who sees Beyond that ii lies In the personality
q the narrator To analyze further of much
avail 4 request to define beauty elected
apt answer: That is the question of d blind
man To him who required such definition all
definitions would be useless So of hunor: the
only requiring q definition of hurnor is he who
has sense Of IL, and all the definitions in the
world would never make him understand what it
Borrow, in his fourteenth sermon, says Of wit:
1t is, indeed. thing so versatile rnultiform
appearing il many shapes and garbs so varf-
ously apprehended Of several eyes and judgments
thar 1t seenaeth no less hard TO settle clear and
certain notion thereof than to make a portrait of
Proteus, define the figure Of the 9eeting
wind"
Il is equally difficult to draw any exact line ~
division between Wit and humor though many have
tried 10 DO so They are. in truth. but different
soes OF The same thing. Hunor is nature we
Know; Wit Ru1nor has its source in the
emotions, wit in the intellect From hurnor comes
laughter but wit may fail 10 bring even so much
as z smile Nero made a ghastly play on Seneca S
name when he passed sentence on the phiosonher.
Sc neca'a bald decree that the wise man si7o,,,5
Al1 himself Here is grim cleverness but hardly,
q d kind 10 excite laughter
VI one thlng We are sure-a sudden contrast he
I It~een the expected and the actual will provoke
o. elsArt4Ie from The line Of expression or de
~.-eIs and always been fertile source OF laugh
ie 9i caricature and Of satire Fun is often puTIv
loca4 IN is character. An African tTibe Io. ID
tn IN ] La lighter when missionary told them that
- s,I IN a NJ OF laughter after hearing that rhe
The foundations Of fun ar much 1h. sar,a quar-.
Were. only the methods of expioitation yar[.
Ier but is always the same in its pr0per cbarartr
81. lE9 ranges IN dress perplex u.s. for the world is
OF fon is universally the same '-'7 e7si''e
"a Ihe Chinese viii serve as an Illustration. The
dSpe Is 50 Old that they to have lived through
religion , e4Ie[lences AZ including civilization and
I1SiIs OF almost any other nation For examSi"
to wear the thiefs collar i"''i' 'ioe'i'red
fer, how on earth did you set into this scrape?r
-. On o.; it was this way" was the answer. u was
piece OF old hay-band rope knew II 10 20 see a
= 5r 80 i,H @iT one and as claimed il took
@ Bat why did they make the punjsbuan, CO
manded: much astonls6ed ''e friend de-
was Secaus Seat tnfE re ihe & cgpTt replied unless it
Tie classic Greeks cracked many = les, thu, -.
pToyoked the aughter Of the generations gaS s6n mas
5; 5,sreieS s VINO was Platonic philosopher AZ Az
1Iloria tNe hundFed years before Christ con,r;Is
% osoh & OF tyenty-one jokes. called :Asteia s
hardly fair either Greek or to al Hni; pulls; which is
never 10 MO @h% '2d t oI the simpeton that resolved
SWIM: OF the man who determined Ia f@ans aeo 10
animal n it Tt1nout food. and had reduced the
,., ~ fedce ne diet sull further when the 9ni
Insnt; OF the house owner who carried ,i3I,f
ing for xbifina manson 81 as a sample OF the build
curious person who stood before his mirror with
ne asleep The man VIZ c ,,t. ne ioohed when
determined 10 lzaa-1 j. % "a 40 Sitnght crow and
ofseryat Ton q 50 as a. 10 learn from his
i mo nGmored years and the shipwrecked mari,
- - VIC VIZ cl1Hs 70 the anchor Ia keep from sinking
are also examples Of this ancient nbfosorjntt4s
agmor sun another of the anecdotes in ..Astefa',
s Gltes me cas-, OF man who demanded OF an ac-
lad eee5v "ieInef he IL vas he or his brother who
frog D1ogenes when asked what kind of wine he pre-
tea,ia ,Pr1hIh2ty answered: The wine of other
otner been made of by joke writer's ever % s;r
famous faies y 81 h.9razeT & IN his jesting In The
IN ,n9 ~ Mlae over the world there is always th;s
sought to borrow rope from Nasr Eddn EhPer 6a 2
baa ssd Decsse . ms one piece Of rope was in use he
,ta Bnt @ xog cant lie up -four with rope" cried
vv, can an ne ,le up anything with rope when do not
again, when for his ses -, 49,,
mat ne lad already loaned II. At thaf ~ IL
ass brayed from fits stable ~ instant ire &
~ tne tne ass is here the borrower exclaimed
fbe 49, crieo Nasir Eddin Would YOU take
As TO the Spanish. 1t would alrnos- sea,, - -
~. hai.ts IN ms Don tluixote' had v,Jftan al
= nsst nunor Of the race. That wonderfrI booL
20 % M .Hl. OF oroery beyond its satire But since Csr
eal.ss tnefe is little Of wit or fun N coTovn.ns
6etser aa. The Italians too. are lacking in The
softs OF hnnaor. though there is nlentv as
s~A2oooey among them. Among all the Latin