Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-07-08
4 STATE OF MIND.

Of the ridicule % the humo~ist and.
next perhaps to the mother-in-la~
have been thoroly held ~ 10 con-
tumeiy There are three kinds Of
humor. anyway one Kind Is simply
q good-natured railiery and talent
Tor seeing the funny side Of every
thing This kind means no harm and
does no harm 20 anybody but is as
the spice which gives the prossic
things Of life a relish 90 relieve the
morotouy and save humanity from
the d2 rot 81 dead seriousness An
other kind ~ humor ls y!rdl-,ye and
cutting Wlth some people the out
bursts q this characteristic are spon-
ureoss and unpremcti;a,ed They
take ,ay i1 seeing auy oll victim
.llrm the same as the small boy en-
,oys the wr.giIrg q the tortured
worm. Sometimes this Kind q hlmor
pos method ln its matne-s and IS
ussd SIS The means OF ar-aurlishins
D. desired object. IL is an axiom tha,
'he mos, serious rropaganflm IS not
proof against being demolished hy
f.f.rll, When sou get an tho peo-
p'r % laughing 20 any proposition is
usef-l-ess IS about gone. for every
consideration % the topic brings a
remiriscer; smile. Another kind %.
llmor is ono that is entirely unpe-
n.ed.;at,d. ,st 'he cfferrcs-ence OF
an optimistic nature j, may be il-
timed and DO damage On, the damage
ls not Intentional T. ls Just a. nat
/ rral 90 the Joker as drawing his
/ breath and be is just as unthot.d
/ 8hou, whether his shafts hurt feel
inFs or amI>e the hearer 10 his bene-
I Nt Then there j. another style Of
/ humor yet that is hard 10 classify. but
ilt j. that q an apparently harmless
/ nature. but II j. vicious In that !, gives
The reader a wrong impression Of
I good thing This is usually based on
an amused comment on popular
/ freaks or foibies which are supposed
/ 60 be legitimate prey for the humor-
! isi. But hts foxes may leave a taste
I ir the mouth and n mental impress
/ sion that leads 10 wrong viewpoint
ard the difficulty is that such an at
| t1Ck cannot De defended by argument
+ There 10 no argument used IN attack
and mono IS Effective In rehu,tal Thus
! tnc humors, IS guilty often Of bring
1 ing undCserved contumcly upon the
victim Of his wit
This seems 20 have been the case
| with the topic Of the old maid. The
/ popular amusement AZ the idea Of an
/ Old maid IS that she Us one who has
missed her sphere In life. piece q
I useless drif'wood upon the sea of eX-
| istonce and person TO De treated
1 with amused tolerance Yet history
/ has shown MS that this species o.,
womank.nd only deserves the cri,i-
cism In rare instances Just AS Paul
advised eyangelists 20 renai- single
that their work might 30 pursued
without the distraction % family ties.
80 many an old maid has found iha,
her social state has proved bless ~
IN disguise In tha, her being left out
7 Of the social scheme % things has
given her time for thoi and oppor-
tunity 20 develop her energies IN pur-
I SUIT OF an ideal without the dis,rac-
rons that bear down upon her mar
ried sisters But the opprobium OF
I being an old maid has grown out Of
! its original application and has come
/ 10 mean a state Of mind II Is no
/ longer an cp.thet confined in Its ap-
plicati0n 10 single woman os unccr-
tain age. but 20 certain dispositions
and characteristics which at one time
I were supposed 90 belong 10 that kind
i of a female Il refers mainly 70 a
persons being hysterical. childish.
void o, parental feeling or human
sympathy and in all respects having
an abonrmal or twisted view Of lie
Many Of our old maids are male
beings Just as likely rs female. It Is
a condition depending on the state Of
mind rather than on the sex Any
man. Tor instance. who has confined
his mental activities for years TO one
narrow rut OF effort soon finds him
self unable 20 adopt for himself the
viewpoint Of another man or OF the
generality Of men He loses touch
with humanity and Is Of no good eS-
cept in HIS chosen speciality. Many
preachers get this fault. many law
ycrs also. and not a few educators are
guilty as well. Their shortcomirg Is
not because OF lack OF intelligence
not from pessimism, nor from any de-
light in being contrary. but they have
Just simply suffered the atrophy ot
their faculties which make them a,
one with fellow humanity. They
have become intellectual old maids
As far as the parental sense is con
ccrned, we have seen many unmar
ried women who showed themselves
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! Abe Martin