Evening star., 1928-12-31
Clowning.

Cl0Wulng.
The psychology of clowning Is not
as simple as it appears; for the clown
is not a simpleton. There is subtle
but vital distinction between laughing
with you and laughing at you, between
having people find you funny and pok-
ing fun at you. The latter is ridicule !;
it is a delicate but powerful weapon.
In clowning, man by pretending
to be fool gives you chance
to laugh at his folly and so makes
you feel superior. He is really show
ing his wisdom jestwise. You know
that it is all done for your amuse-
ment and that he isn't fool by many
removes. It's an odd device, though
it takes different forms In each age.
In older days the court jester or
court fool had the privilege Of speak
ing his mind and saying things that
in courtier would be presumptuous.
but which taken partly as a jest still
kept their edge. He was only the
court fool anyway, and the courtiers
ated his buffoonery, even if it were
aimed at them.
Today our leading clown is Will Rog-
ers. He has chosen the role deliberate
ly. In his jokes he pretends toa COM
plete misunderstanding of a social or a
political or a news-iteni situation, that
is a bright imitation of what fool
might be guilty of. He may pretend
to ignorance of facts or rules or the
code Of behavior. or turn the tables
on a foible, or burlesque situation.
He carries the role into real life. When
introduced to President Coolidge he
says: It didn't catch the name. "
When calling on Mr.. Rockefeller he
presents him with a shining dime.
This is good clowning because we are
all in on the situation.
Clowning is a favorite variety OF
American humor. Versed in this as
in all the arts of humor was our
master humorist, Mark Twain. He
developed peculiar style of it. The
very title and manner of "The Inno-
cents Abroad suggests that these
travellers are only pretending to be
innocent. They are clowning. When
in the Library of Genoa they were
shown manuscript of Columbus by
the enthusiastic guide, Mark Twain
regarded it with an air of blank stu
pidity and informed the guide that any
American schoolboy could write better
than that: and if they hadn't any
better specimens they m1gn6 as Well
not bother American visitors. Then
there is the foolery amounting to the
absurd of Mark Twain's interview with
the reporter about his twin brother who
disappeared. In fact he was buried, but
there was mystery.
"You see, we were twins--defunct
and land we got mixed up in the
bathtub when we were only two weeks
old, and one of us was drowned. But
we didn't know which. Some think
it was Bill. Some think it was me
This solemn, this awful tragedy has
cast a gloom over my whole life. But
will tell you a secret now which
have never revealed to any creature
before. One of us had a peculiar
mark-a large mole on the back OF
his left hand; that was me. That
child was the one that was drowned
Two keen minds have given us a
theory of humor-Bergson and Freud
Bergson makes the core of a jest Its
incongruity or surprise or contrast be-
| tween the actual and the expected. ano
Freud gives it a personal reference
and finds 1t in the sense of superiority
or compliment to you that you are not
J the victim of the joke, but are in OF
1t. So when on the stage a wei