The Washington herald., 1908-08-09
WHY IS & JOKEg
Theory Of n Fresh Analysis OF HUI
NOR and Laughter.


What Is the secret Of humor and why
do we laughz All kinds OF philosophers
have puzzled over this problem. from
classic times 10 the present. without get
ting very near the solution Il Is q
startling thought that humor has beer
produced for so many generations. and
people have laughed Of uncouuted buttons
without knowing the reason why II ~.
did not know that everything which is
has a right TO exist We might conclude
that humanity had wasted its tine listen
ing TO Aristophanes and Marx Twain
There is d reason for the Joke apart
from the livins the funny man makes
out OF IT,
A fresh analysis and dissection Of the
joke problem. by one ellison Gardner.
in Putnam's Magazine. makes The dlscov-
cry. firstly. THAI there IS something wrong
in everything that is funny We must
be careful not 10 turn This statement the
other end TO- u there was something
funny iu everything wrong we would
be put in good spirits by a visit 10 the
JAN ana the asylUms. Pam or great si.f-
fe-ius accompanying a wrong vi-5ates
Euuor- Any conflicting emotion. as SYM
pathy. hate. or love. spoils the effa1--
Nobody laughs when he IS afraid or
angry. The apprecisulon of humor be-
longs To a mind that IS free Of ca-e.and
ready for an intellectual frollc-
The merely silly VIII not do for real
humo-. although oces 10 the purple cow
and jah5erwock stuff and Iuericks ar,
peal 10 many intellects- The obviously
wrong statement is silly and has no
lies somewhere between the extremes OF
absolute truth and absolute unCuth-
There must be a similarity or resem-
blarce between fact and the humorous
statement The wrong idea must keep
within q fair distance Of the right. TIE
similarity must be a new and unexpected
sort A similarity which actually de
ceives does not make e Joke
The answer 10 the riddle. why IS a
stick OF candy like a horse 9'--'Tle more
sou lick ir the faster i- goes -.lIustrates
an artificial resemblance Of words. link
( Ing the true wiki the false IN a humor-
Gus manner The pun IS a. low f0sm of
I humor based on the similarity Of sound
between words. and no other ground Of
I likeness Parody. burlesGCe- and farce
eXaggerate the right or STANDARD concept
I hy putting an undue burden Of ridIcuIe
on the wrong II similarity or resen-
I Dla1ce IS the basis q bumor- Il might be
argued that humor IS deception. As a
matter Of fact. whether the hUmorist is
Ia liar or not depends on his audience.
4 II the audience IS deceived. he IS a lar
Former analysts Of the problem have
I held that man laughs because he enjoys
J the counterfeit and fraudulent or because
Z ne rejo3ces In his superior s111-tresS over
others IN catching a point. BJE1 20 is evil
+ dent that this IS not so. Man laughs be-
: cause his mind. being alert. detects the
I fraud. and sritA ple1sU-e rePudiates l.
I de does not enjoy tie contemplation of
+ the wrong. hut its detection and repudIa-
I ZION
Naturally. there must besCOuuOu stand
ards OF right and wrong. as well as the
who jokes and him who laughs Here
/ comes q fool. lets De grave" said Charles
/ Lamb. meaning that there was 10 com
mon ground for the play OF Jest between
Z the nan Of intellect and the fool. Eveu
b. trade. every section and every nation has
its own Jokes dependi1g on its own Pc
cul-ar standards OF the normal and the
I abnormal As the world changes. opinions
alter and each new era produces its E-l-
NOR appropriate 10 the prevailing ideas
Once the knight was q serious figure,
Don Quixote made him funny when his
economic usefulness had passed. and u0v
he Is out OF daIe for any purpose. The
Save Vas formerly laughed at TO-DAY
the tramp and the mother-sr-Iaw. share
the holors but Il IS evident they canno;
serve Indefinitely Conclusions might b,
drawn from the vaudeville tests al the ex.
pence Of poIiticians and the Eeaven-and.
he'll theory.