Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-01-15
LAUGHTER AMI SONG.


--TE- ..rlU
Communicated: In this age Of social
servation Of health and happiness 10 oc-
cupying n OF the foremost places IN
social activity. In fact this Is an age
OF playground movements, OF menta!
science n new thought influences. OF
Fletchertsm and open air school, al
conferred about supreme idea-tne
betterment Of humanity. In his great
and noble cause one increasingly I'm
portant phase Of the fresh air move
ment Is the encouragement of out door
laughter and song.
Laughter is a universal language. and
though II may not understand the
words of the Indian maiden. one can, at
least read h expressive language OF
her face. Laughter Is the spontaneous
and natural expression Of Joy or pleas
urable emotion. When something
funny has been seen or heard. felt or
imagined, laughter follows as the vo-
Called expression of that joy. Likewise.
uberant heart, happy and joyous In
Its emotions. Both laughter and song
are natural. good, and wholesome as
well as God given, to be developed In
making life p~leasanter n loveller for
those with whom n nay come In con-
tact.
Laughter and its relation to life is
becoming more Inc more generally I'M
derstood. The Milanese, realizing the
value Of ripping. mellow laughter.
have In their city q school for teaching
the young people to laugh In those
n of merriment which are a Joy to
the a n a means OF spreading cheer.
In Germany also. there is an organiza-
ton whose purpose Is to each young
people to laugh and sing and be glad
In the JOY of nature.
The work Of these German and Ital-
ian schools Is carried on entirely out
of doors in the wholesome, pure, sun
shine which fills the heart with glad
ness. Thus. 1t is plain that the idea
Is not to create laughter by a
stimulus OR q release from nervous ten
sion but to create in the Individual a
lightness of heart which enables him
to cast off the stiff and wearing atti-
JOY of living. Laughter then reflects
the mental attitude of the individual.
One needs only to hear a hearty, musi-
a laugh In order to realize its value.
The child, full of the simple, natural
happiness of mere living laughs heart
without thought. How he is charmed
and pleased with the simple things,
such as playful kittens, birds or dogs!
Too often this simplicity vanishes
with the increase of years. The ma
ture individual must buy tickets to the
comic theater, where professional peo-
pie go through all manner OF foolish
ness to win a reluctant laugh from the
audience. To be able to laugh at the
simple things which win a burst of
spontaneous laughter from the child
fs worth q kings treasure. It is t.
keep sfmple-hearted and the simple
hearted are always near to purity and
to God. Is is not worth striving after
to have a race OF people full Of ex-
Uberant, buOyant happiness?
Is there any logical reason why the
elder individual cannot enjoy the same
happiness aud laughter as the child? 1t
Is not difficult to see that In the older
curious pride which restraints the de-
sire to enjoy the simple things for fear
of being considered unsophisticated.
undignified or too easily amused.
The old Indian women laugh so
heartily, so merrily. SO spontaneously
and freely that n cannot resist the
Impulse to laugh with them. That is
the Idea! To laugh so sincerely that
it is contagious. All one has to do to
add to the general sum of happiness,
to be a crusader against sorrow. is to
allow himself to ave a good time. The
effect on the Individual as we'll as on
every one about him is self-evident.
1t is, indeed, a noticeable fact that
people who live in the pure, oxygena-
ted air, like the savages and lower
types Of civilization, are the most sus-
ceptible to laughter. The studies of
Darwin and Others establish the truth
that savages are not victims of a sui
len despair, but OF the contrary, they
have a large and abundant mirth. Like
the child, they appea to express their
emotions with great freedom and their
laughter is Of the most energetic kind.
This is true of races so far apart geo.
graphically and of such different ethnic
levels as, On the one hand Australians
and Africans n on the other hand
American Indians inc G~reenlanders.
Much of the savage laughter is the
outcome Of a gladstone mind, a flow of
good spirits, undisturbed by the
thoughts of care and trouble. The hab-
ftual cheerfulness Is stimulated by their
constant open air life. which invigor-
ates the mind and develops physical
well being.
It might seem that laughter is not
for the learned, cultured class. but for
children and types Of lower civilization,
but: according to Hegel; Laughter is
a sign that the individual is wise
contrast" To the savage the European
missionary is a constant source Of
amusement. This is not an indication of
Ignorance or narrowness of mind, for
the good sense Of the savage has often
been found equal to the detection OF
ASAAiSo III IAC AIdIlOk Ol uTcSS OF CuS-
tom; indeed the savage has often struck
the satirical note, looked down upon
n laughed at the stupid, self satisfied
European, who preached SO finely but
practiced so little OF what he preached.
It is then evident that much of the
savage's laughter is the intentional ex-
preston OF the mental attitude.
This habitual cheerfulness among
savages is always associated with
health; and the more civilized people.
weighted down with problems of bust
ness and society. are rapidly acknowl-
edging that happiness Is a fundamental
element Of health as we'll as UNDER
standing that the great out of DOORS
is a rich source of happiness.
What Is r Of laughter in the open
air is true also of song and its rela-
ton to out Of door life. OF course,
there are those who decry singing out
Of doors, as they believe it Injuries the
lungs, irritates the throat or spoils the
voice. But as a matter OF fact there
is nothing that one can do indoors that
one cannot more properly do out of
doors, so far as health is concerned.
To sing out OF doors is by far the
best way of c%ultivating the voice. The
pure oxygen of the air sun laden. puri-
made healthful and healing with
the balsams extracted from thousands