The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-10
DOROTHY DIX TALKS
BY DOROTHY DIX
Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writer.
Tho Things at Which We Laugh.-1.

Tho Things at Which We Laugh.-1.
1t is often pointed out that one OF
the chief differences between man
and the lower animals is that he has
q sense of humor. He laughs.
Now without doubt a sense of hui
NOR is a great and beneficent thing.
1t is q gift OF the gods. 1t turns trag-
edy into comedy. 1t gives strength TO
the hand. courage to the heart, and
endurance to the soul. There is no
sings and arrows of outrageous for.
tune. for the jabs of fate fall away
harmlessly from those who are
armored in laughter.
Nor is there any weapon so keen,
strong and effective as ridicule. 1t IL
said that Cervantes laughed SPANS
chivalry away, and there, is no per-
sonage, cauSe, or fad that cannot be
killed by being made ridiculous. The
pencil of the cartoonist is more pow
erful than the voice of the preacher.
and the funny paragraph of the news
bubbles of pretence and folly. and to
keep people sane anc reasonable than
all the teaching of the moralist.
Laughter then. being SO powerful. It
is important that we laugh right, and
one wonders If those two most pow
erful educators of our day. the press
and the theater. are not doing an IN
calcuable harm in teaching us to
laugh at the wrong things?
Take, for insance, the humorous
supplement of any paper you like,
where the chief fun maker is some
child who is depicted in the side split
ting occupation of making life miser-
able for all about him.
The little imp Is represented as de-
stroying somebody's property. or in
| flicting pain upon somebody, or mock
| ing and making sport of age, or tell
ia These
are not depicted as reprehensible. but
as deliciously amusing. and one can
| but speculate upon the effect that 1t
is bound to have on the millions OF
children who devour these pictures
with avidity and forthwith begin imf-
tatinE the crimes that the comic pa
| pers teach them call not for per-
entail spanking. but the glad hand from
the public.
| Perhaps the hoodlumism that is SO
universal among children nowadays is
| to be traced directly to the tacit en-
couragement that we give to lack OF
manners, lack of consideration for
other peoples property. and lack OF
respect and reverence for old people.
by our laughing at these pictures OF
! i'll bred little demons who are funny
in print but uncomfortable in real life.
What do we laugh at at the theater
Any habitual play goer knows THAT
one thing that never fails to bring
| a rOunQ OIL applause rs WheH
| is K ked and goes down to the thud
| Of ; bass drum. Besides this ex-
quisite pleasantly, the wit of a Ber-
| nard Shaw falls flat and lifeless. Also
the word damn especially when
| used by q woman character on the
stage, is universally held to be kill
ingly humorous. Another thing that
tickles the visibility of an audience.
and that 1t is always willing to pay
out good money to see is represent
| tation of a drunken man. reelfng and
staggering across the stage, altho God
knows there is no sadder sight in all
the world than such a spectacle.
The horse play of the stage. how
ever, ministers only to its vulgarity,
and so perhaps does no great harm.
but a very serious phase Of the sub
| ject is thrust upon our notice by the
fact that almost every farce and COM
edy we go to see teaches us to laugh
and applaud, instead of condemn
marital infidelity.