Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-23
We Laugh at Other Fools

iCdsS II " you.
We Laugh at Other Fools
THERE are two other important items IN
human nature that we have capitalized
along with Others to large profit. Human
nature, according to the way we analysed 1t,
is such curious thing that it will invariably
find cause for extreme mirth in seeing some
other fellow being made a fool of, no matter
who that fellow may be, and in seeing man
betting on proposition where he cannot
possibly win. We figured it out, in the first
place, that nothing pleased man much
more than when he saw another man being
made to look silly in the eyes of Others.
For example, don't You laugh when you
observe dignifed looking individual strut
ting down the street wearing a paper tail
that has been pinned to his coat by some
mischievous boys:o
For example, don't you laugh when you
see public speaker rise to his feet on the
platform and observe that big fly is per-
sistent in its efforts to settle, much against
the speakers will, on his shiny bald head?
For example, don't You laugh whenever
YOU see young man IN a restaurant with
girl and observe the frantic look that comes
into that young fellows face as the girl or
ders an expensive meal when the young
fellow probably hasn't enough money in his
pocket to settle for it?
NO. you say, a do not laugh. | feel
sorry"
"Yes, we reply, "you do laugh You may
not want to; but human nature makes you.
Therefore we capitalized this section of
human nature. We got up scene where we
dressed up in white paint and white tights
to look like couple of sculptured gladlators.
We posed and were offered for sale, as a
piece of statuary, by a man to woman.
The moment the woman's back was turned,
we executed some change of position. This
we kept up at intervals every few minutes.
You have probably witnessed this scene, as
we did it for many years. We are still doing
it, in fact.
As you figure it out while laughing at it,
YOU probably come to the decision that it is
our antics alone that make you laugh. In
deed, you may plausibly argue it out to your
self this way, as certainly neither the woman
nor the man in the scene does anything at all
directed at your laughing organs.
However, you are wrong You are really
laughing not at US, but at the woman to
whom we-as statuary-have been offered
for sale She is being made a fool OF, and
human nature sets you to laughing. 1t the
woman were not in the scene (the man IS OF
direct relevance only inasmuch as he repre-
sents you on the stage; in other words, he IS
your attorney as they call it in drama),
the scene would be of the slapstick brand.
1t might make you laugh once; but it would
never make you laugh SO loudly as you do.
The utilization of the woman in the scene lit
might be man just as welD makes the scene
90. If we had not studied the human nature
problem we might have played the gladiator
scene, as it is called, alone. 1t would then
have lasted us short time, instead of retain
ing its life and value as it has over all these
years The presence in the scene of the per
son who is being fooled literally makes the
scene as funny as it IS
You may not believe this; but if you ever
see the scene in question again and remem-
Der what we have just explained to you, you
will be able to perceive the difference
human nature secret, so to speak-in jiffy.
Laughing at Sucker
A S for the quirk in human nature that
shows great qualification at the sight of
a man betting on something where he is
bound to be the loser: in inelegant language
this relates simply to the universal impulse
to laugh at Sucker 1t is just like stand
ing in front of a sideshow tent after you have
paid your good money, gone in, and been
"stung,' and laughing at everyone else who
pays his good money, comes out, and has
been equally "stung" You laugh at man
when he loses the money he has bet on a race
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