,,an ,,essay ,,on ,,laughter by ,,james 
,,sully      ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author4
    ,,the ,,human ,,mind3 a ,text-book  
of ,psychology4 #b vols4 #hvo1 #bas4    
,,outlines ,,of ,,psychology4 ,crown    
#hvo1 #is4   ,,the ,,teacher',s         
,,handbook ,,of ,,psychology4 ,crown    
#hvo1 #fs4 #f;d4   ,,studies ,,of       
,,childhood4 #hvo1 #ajs4 #f;d4          
,,children',s ,,ways3 being ,selections 
from 8,studies of ,childhood04 ,with #be
  ,illustrations4 ,crown #hvo1 gilt top1
 #ds4 #f;d4   ,,longmans1 ,,green1 ,,and
 ,,co41  ,,london1 ,,new ,,york1 ,,and  
,,bombay4      ,,an ,,essay  ,,on       
,,laughter   ,,its ,,forms1 ,,its       
,,causes1 ,,its ,,development  ,,and    
,,its ,,value   ,,by  ,,james ,,sully1  
,m4,a41 ,,ll4,d4  ,,author ,,of 8,,the  
,,human ,,mind10 8,,studies ,,of        
,,childhood10 ,,etc4   ,,longmans1      
,,green1 ,,and ,,co4  #ci ,,paternoster 
,,row1 ,,london  ,,new ,,york ,,and     
,,bombay  #aijb      ,,to   ,,my        
,,children ,,and ,,my ,,pupils   ,,in   

,,the ,,hope   ,,that ,,if ,,they       
,,cultivate ,,both ,,brain ,,and        
,,heart1   ,,and ,,have ,a ,,quick ,,ear
 ,,for   ,,the ,,muffled ,,moanings     
,,along ,,the ,,road1   ,,they ,,may    
,,hear ,,also1   ,,above ,,the ,,deeper 
,,music1   ,,the ,,blithe ,,notes ,,of  
,,laughter4     ,,preface4   ,the       
present work is1 ,i believe1 the first  
attempt to treat on a considerable scale
 the whole subject of ,laughter1 under  
its various aspects1 and in its         
connections with our serious activities 
and interests4 ,as such1 it will1 ,i    
feel sure1 lay itself open to the       
criticism that it lacks completeness1 or
 at least1 proportion4 ,a further       
criticism to which1 ,i feel equally     
sure1 it will expose itself1 is that it 
clearly reflects the peculiarities of   
the experience of the writer4 ,the      
anticipation of this objection does not1
 however1 disturb me4 ,it seems to me to
 be not only inevitable1 but            
desirable--at least at the present stage

 of our knowledge of the subject--that  
one who attempts to understand an       
impulse1 of which the intensities and   
the forms appear to vary greatly among  
men1 of which the workings are often    
subtle1 and of which the significance is
 by no means obvious1 should1 while     
making full use of others' impressions1 
draw largely on his own experience4     
,portions of the volume have already    
appeared in ,reviews4 ,chapter ,i4 was  
published 7under the title 8,prolegomena
 to a ,theory of ,laughter07 in ,the    
,philosophical ,review1 #aijj2 ,chapter 
,v41 in the ,revue ,philosophique1      
#aijb2 and ,chapter ,,viii41 in ,the    
,international ,monthly1 #aija4 ,the    
parts of ,chapters ,,iii4 and ,,vi4     
which treat of the psychology of        
tickling appeared in the ,compte rendu  
of the ,fourth ,international ,congress 
of ,psychology 7,,ivme ,congrs          
,international de ,psychologie71 ,paris1
 #aija4 ,some of the ideas in ,chapter  
,x4 are outlined in an article on 8,the 

,uses of ,humour10 which appeared in    
,the ,national ,review1 #ahig4  ,some of
 my obligations to other writers and    
workers have been acknowledged in the   
volume4 ,for friendly assistance in     
reading the proofs of the work ,i am    
greatly indebted to ,mr4 ,carveth ,read1
 ,dr4 ,alexander ,hill1 ,prof4 ,w4 ,p4  
,ker1 ,mr4 ,ling ,roth1 ,dr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,r4
 ,rivers1 ,miss ,c4 ,osborn1 and ,miss  
,alice ,woods4   ,h,,tel ,,du           
,,weisshorn1  ,,val ,d',,anniviers1     
,august1 #aijb4     ,,contents4         
,,chapter ,i4  ,,introductory4          
,objections to serious study of laughter
  #a     ,previous treatment of subject 
by philosophers  #d     ,their way of   
dealing with facts  #f     ,examination 
of an illustration given by ,dr4 ,lipps 
#i     ,common defects of theories  #ag 
,difficulties of attempt to treat       
subject scientifically  #ai     ,scope  
of inquiry  #bj    ,,chapter ,,ii4      
,,the ,,smile ,,and ,,the ,,laugh4      
,need of studying the bodily process in 

laughter  #be     ,characteristics of   
the movements of the smile  #bf         
,expressive function of the smile  #bg  
,continuity of processes of smiling and 
laughing  #bg     ,characteristics of   
the movements of laughter  #cj          
,concomitant organic changes during     
laughter  #cc     ,physiological        
benefits of laughing  #cd     ,effects  
of excessive laughter  #cg     ,the     
laugh as expression  #ci     ,relation  
of expression to feeling in laughter    
#dj     ,interactions of joyous feeling 
and organic concomitants  #dd           
,deviations from the normal type of     
laugh  #dh    ,,chapter ,,iii4          
,,occasions ,,and ,,causes ,,of         
,,laughter4     #a4 ,laughter as        
provoked by sense-stimulus3 tickling    
#ej       ,ticklish areas  #eb          
,characteristics of the sensations of   
tickling  #ec       ,motor reactions    
provoked by tickling  #ef       ,how far
 attributes of sensation determine      
laughter of tickling       #eg          

,the mental factor in effect of tickling
  #ei       ,objective conditions of    
successful tickling  #fj       ,tickling
 as appealing to a particular mood  #fb 
#b4 ,other quasi-reflex forms of        
laughter  #fd       ,varieties of       
automatic or 8nervous0 laughter  #fe    
,common element in these varieties3     
relief from strain  #fg     #c4         
,varieties of joyous laughter  #gj      
,prolonged laughing fit  #gc       ,the 
essential element in joyous laughter    
#ge       ,occasions of joyous laughter 
#gf         7a7 ,play  #gf         7b7  
,teasing as provocative situation  #gg  
7c7 ,practical joking and laughter  #gh 
7d7 ,laughter as an accompaniment of    
contest  #gh         7e7 ,occasions of  
unusual solemnity as provoking laughter 
#gi     ,physiological basis of laughing
 habit  #hj    ,,chapter ,,iv4          
,,varieties ,,of ,,the ,,laughable4     
,the objective reference in laughter    
#hb     ,universal element in the       
laughable  #hc     ,groups of laughable 

things  #hg       7#a7 ,novelty and     
oddity  #hg       7#b7 ,bodily          
deformities  #hh       7#c7 ,moral      
deformities and vices  #ia       7#d7   
,breaches of order and rule  #id        
7#e7 ,small misfortunes  #if       7#f7 
,references to the indecent  #ih        
7#g7 ,pretences  #aja       7#h7 ,want  
of knowledge or skill  #ajb       7#i7  
,relations of contrariety and           
incongruity  #ajg       7#aj7 ,verbal   
play and witticism  #aaa                
,co-operation of different laughable    
features  #aad       7#aa7              
,manifestations of playfulness in       
objects  #aaf       7#ab7 ,spectacle of 
successful combat  #aag    ,,chapter ,v4
  ,,theories ,,of ,,the ,,ludicrous4    
#a4 ,the ,theory of ,degradation  #aai  
,aristotle's theory  #abj       ,theory 
of ,hobbes  #abj       ,prof4 ,bain's   
theory  #aba       ,criticism of theory 
of degradation  #abb     #b4 ,theory of 
,contrariety or ,incongruity  #abe      
,kant's theory of nullified expectation 

#abf       ,criticism of ,kant's theory 
#abf       ,function of surprise in     
effect of the ludicrous  #abi           
,schopenhauer's theory of incongruity   
#acj       ,criticism of ,schopenhauer's
 theory  #acb       ,different forms of 
the incongruous  #acd     ,summary of   
criticism of theories  #ace             
,attempts to unify the two principles   
#acf     ,the laughable as failure to   
comply with a social requirement  #aci  
,how primitive laughter comes into      
effect of the ludicrous  #adj           
,relation of sudden gladness to release 
from constraint  #ada     ,element of   
contempt in effect of the ludicrous     
#adb     ,laughter and the play-mood    
#ade     ,the play-mood in the effects  
of the ludicrous  #adi     ,summary of  
results of inquiry into theories  #aec  
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,the ,,origin ,,of    
,,laughter4     ,problem of the origin  
of laughter in the race  #aee           
,supposed rudiments of mirth in animals 
#aef     ,the dog's manifestations of a 

sense of fun  #aei     ,the mirthful    
displays of the ape  #afb     ,first    
appearance of laughter in child3 date of
 the first smile     #afd     ,date of  
the first laugh  #aff     ,the laugh as 
following the smile  #afh     ,order of 
the two in the evolution of the race    
#agj     ,conjecture as to genesis of   
the human smile  #aga     ,how the      
primitive smile may have grown into the 
laugh  #agc     ,problem of the         
evolution of the laughter of tickling   
#agf     ,effects of tickling in animals
  #agg     ,date of first response to   
tickling in the child  #agg             
,tickling as inheritance from remote    
ancestors  #agh     ,value of           
evolutional theories of tickling  #aha  
,how laughter may have come into        
tickling  #ahc    ,,chapter ,,vii4      
,,development ,,of ,,laughter ,,during  
,,the ,,first ,,three ,,years ,,of      
,,life4     ,problem of the early       
development of laughter in the          
individual     #ahf     ,development of 

smile and laugh as movements  #ahh      
,the general process of emotional       
development  #ahi     ,relation of      
laughter of joy to that of play  #aid   
,development of laughter of joy  #aie   
,emergence of laughter of surprise  #aig
     ,first laughter of release from    
strain  #aig     ,crude form of laughter
 of jubilation  #aih     ,development of
 laughter as accompaniment of play  #aih
     ,early forms of laughing impishness
  #bja     ,first manifestations of     
rowdyish laughter  #bjc     ,germs of   
roguish laughter  #bje     ,first crude 
perceptions of the laughable  #bjg      
,the mirthful greeting of sounds  #bji  
,early responses to the funny in the    
visible world  #bab     ,first enjoyment
 of pretences  #bad     ,early laughter 
at the improper  #bae     ,dim          
perceptions of the incongruous and the  
absurd  #baf     ,early sense of verbal 
fun  #bag     ,summary of results  #bah 
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,the ,,laughter ,,of
 ,,savages4     ,sources of our         

knowledge of savage laughter  #bbj      
,different views of travellers on the   
subject  #bbj     ,laughter as a salient
 characteristic of savages  #bbc        
,descriptions of their movements of     
laughter  #bbg     ,abundance of good   
spirits  #bbh     ,laughter as          
accompaniment of shyness  #bbh          
,laughter and fondness for teasing  #bbi
     ,rough practical jokes  #bcj       
,the way in which laughter is accepted  
#bcb     ,laughter of superiority and   
contempt  #bcc     ,indecent character  
of jocosity  #bcd     ,appreciation of  
the laughably odd  #bce     ,ridicule of
 foreign ways  #bcg     ,laughter at the
 doings of the white man  #bch          
,laughter of the expert at the ignoramus
  #bdj     ,savage society and the white
 man's gaucherie  #bda     ,germ of     
sense of the absurd  #bdb     ,the      
ridiculing of fellow-tribesmen  #bdd    
,reciprocal laughter of the men and the 
women  #bde     ,example of dry humour  
#bdf     ,organisation of laughter as   

entertainment  #bdg     ,germs of the   
mimetic art  #bdg     ,differentiation  
of professional jesters1 etc4  #bdi     
,amusing songs and stories  #bej        
,co-existence of different levels of    
laughter  #bea     ,how to manage the   
savage by laughter  #beb    ,,chapter   
,,ix4  ,,laughter ,,in ,,social         
,,evolution4     ,connection between    
laughter and social life  #bed          
,contagiousness of mirth as social      
quality  #bee     ,social uses of       
laughter  #bef                          
,class-differentiation as condition of  
laughter  #beh     ,how social grouping 
widens the field of the laughable  #bei 
,utility of reciprocal group-laughter   
#bfa     ,screwing up members of other  
groups  #bfa     ,laughter of superiors 
at inferiors  #bfc     ,quizzing of     
authorities by subjects  #bfd           
,mirthful turning on task-masters  #bfe 
,woman's laughing retort  #bfg          
,corrective function of laughter of     
inferiors  #bfh     ,conciliatory       

service of group-laughter  #bfi         
,summary of social utilities of laughter
  #bga     ,laughter of other groups as 
corrective of self-importance  #bgb     
,social movements as influencing        
laughter  #bgb     ,changes of fashion  
#bgc     ,fashion and custom  #bge      
,merry aspects of movements of fashion  
#bgf     ,droll side of descent of      
fashion to lower ranks  #bgg            
,laughter at the old-fashioned  #bgi    
,the movement of progress  #bgi         
,mirthful greeting of new ideas and     
practices  #bhj     ,laughing away      
effete customs  #bha     ,influence of  
mirthful spirit on social changes  #bhc 
,effect of evolution of culture groups  
#bhc     ,effect of minuter subdivision 
of sets  #bhe     ,effect of progress in
 breaking down group-barriers  #bhf     
,droll aspects of transition of society 
to a plutocratic form  #bhg             
,refining effect of culture-movement on 
hilarity  #bhh     ,decline of older    
voluminous merriment  #bij     ,conflict

 between popular mirth and authority    
#bia     ,combination of standards in   
popular estimate of laughable  #bic     
,preparation for individual laughter    
#bie    ,,chapter ,x4  ,,laughter ,,of  
,,the ,,individual3 ,,humour4           
,definition of humour  #big             
,characteristics of humour  #bih        
,intellectual basis of humorous         
sentiment  #cjj     ,humorous           
contemplation as binocular  #cja        
,the field of the laughable for the     
humorist  #cjb     ,modification of the 
conative attitude in humour     #cjd    
,complexity of humour as feeling  #cje  
,problem of fusion of dissimilar        
feelings  #cjg     ,facts explained by  
our analysis of humour  #caj            
,variations of humour with race and     
nationality  #caa     ,temperament and  
individuality in humour  #cac           
,humour as enlarging range of laughing  
activity  #cae     ,the finer detection 
of the amusing in character  #cae       
,the appreciation of unfitness of men to

 circumstances  #cag                    
,character-study as a pastime  #cah     
,laughter as permeating sphere of       
serious  #cai     ,effect of kindliness 
in extending range of laughter  #cbj    
,scope for amusing form of self-scrutiny
  #cba     ,laughter as mode of         
self-correction  #cbb     ,how humour   
aids a man in dealing with others  #cbe 
,laughing away the smaller troubles     
#cbf     ,service of humour in the      
greater troubles  #cbh     ,humorous    
contemplation of social scene  #ccj     
,amusing aspects of the fine world  #cca
     ,the journal as medium of amusing  
self-display  #ccd     ,the social      
spectacle of the past and of the present
  #ccg     ,humour in contemplation of  
social scene in seasons of stress  #ccg 
,the manifestations of war-temper as    
humorous spectacle  #cch    ,,chapter   
,,xi4  ,,the ,,laughable ,,in ,,art3    
,,comedy4     ,source of impulse of     
comic art  #cdc     ,scope for laughter 
in art as a whole  #cde     ,origin of  

jocose literature  #cdf     ,the dawn of
 comedy  #cdf     ,comic incidents as   
development of child's play  #cdg       
,comic value of repetitions  #cdh       
,elements of trickery and dupery  #cdi  
,comedy as reflecting movements of      
social laughter  #cea     ,comic        
dialogue as display of wit  #cec        
,theories of wit  #ced     ,wit as      
intellect at play  #ced     ,wit and    
word-play  #cef     ,character as comic 
material  #ceg     ,mode of             
representation of character in comedy   
#ceh     ,comic character as type  #cei 
,development of character-drawing in    
classic comedy  #cei     ,treatment of  
character in early ,english comedy  #cfa
     ,molire as comic portrayer  #cfd   
,his art of constructing character  #cfd
     ,contrast of the anti-social person
 and the social world  #cfe     ,the    
abstract and the concrete in ,molire's  
characters  #cfe     ,the comic         
dnouement in ,molire's plays  #cfh      
,molire's point of view  #cfh           

,characteristics of ,comedy of          
,restoration  #cgj     ,lamb and        
,macaulay on moral aspect of comedy     
#cga     ,justification of ,lamb's view 
of ,restoration ,comedy  #cgc     ,the  
social as distinct from the moral point 
of view  #cgc     ,slackening of social 
restraints by comedy  #cgf              
,limitations of field of comic          
presentation  #cgg     ,the comic point 
of view in fiction  #cgh     ,laughter  
of mixed tone in literature3 satire     
#chj     ,different degrees of          
seriousness in satire  #cha     ,method 
of virulent satire  #chb     ,wit in    
satire  #chc     ,contrast of satirical 
and humorous literature  #chd     ,the  
relation of wit to humour  #che         
,boundaries of satire and humorous      
literature  #chf     ,humour as         
ingredient of prose fiction  #chg       
,the boundaries of humour of fiction and
 of philosophy  #cij     ,humour in     
other species of literature  #cij       
,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,ultimate ,,value    

,,and ,,limitations ,,of ,,laughter4    
,need of bringing in philosophic point  
of view  #cib     ,philosophy as        
completion of individual criticism of   
life  #cih     ,room for laughter in    
philosophic contemplation  #cic         
,philosophy as belittling our everyday  
world  #cid     ,reasons why            
philosophers are not commonly humorists 
#cie     ,speculative ,idealism as      
robbing our common world of interest    
#cif     ,relation of ,optimism and of  
,pessimism to laughter  #cig            
,possibilities of laughter in           
philosophic ,scepticism  #cii           
,conditions of development of           
philosophic humour  #dja     ,humour in 
the final evaluation of life  #djb      
,service of philosophic humour  #djc    
,justification of the individual point  
of view  #dje     ,legitimacy of an     
amused contemplation of one's world     
#dje     ,amused contemplation as       
favouring the survival of the unfit     
#djh     ,the philosopher's preference  

for retirement  #djh     ,point of view 
of contemplation of things by           
philosophic humorist     #dji     ,the  
contemplator as held by his social world
  #dji     ,points of view of humorist1 
comedian and satirist  #daj             
,question of total value of laughter    
#daa     ,alleged purifying function of 
comedy  #daa     ,corrective function of
 social laughter to-day  #dac           
,ridicule as a test of truth  #dad      
,estimate of helpfulness of private     
laughter  #dae     ,place of laughter   
among human qualities  #daf             
,relation of laughter to social         
affections  #dag     ,restraint of      
laughter by society  #dah     ,control  
of laughter as part of moral            
self-regulation  #dbj     ,prudential   
reasons for controlling laughter  #dbb  
,the promotion of a love of laughter in 
others  #dbc     ,the claims of the     
agelast to be let alone  #dbd     ,the  
cultivation of laughter in the young    
#dbf     ,the status of laughter to-day 

#dbg     ,causes of decline of popular  
mirth  #dbh     ,characteristics of     
laughter of the hour  #dcj              
,possibility of death of laughter  #dca 
,how its conservation may be effected   
#dcb  #a     ,,chapter ,i4              
,,introductory4   ,a writer who         
undertakes to discourse on laughter has 
to encounter more than one variety of   
irritating objection4 ,he finds to his  
dismay that a considerable part of his  
species1 which has been flatteringly    
described as the laughing animal1 has   
never exercised its high and            
distinguishing capacity4 ,nay1 more1 he 
soon learns that a good many oppose     
themselves to the practice and are      
laughter-haters4 ,this kind of person 7 
7 is so possessed with the spirit of    
seriousness that the opposite temper of 
jocosity appears to him to be something 
shockingly wrong4 ,all audible laughter 
is for him an ill-bred display1 at once 
unsightly as a bodily contortion1 and1  
as a lapse from the gravity of reason1 a

 kind of mental degradation4 ,this      
estimate of laughter as something       
unseemly is well represented in ,lord   
,chesterfield's ,letters1 in which the  
writer congratulates himself on the fact
 that since he has had the full use of  
his reason nobody has ever heard him    
laugh4 ,in some cases this feeling of   
repugnance towards mirth and fun takes  
on more of an ethical aspect4 ,the      
laugher is identified with the scoffer  
at all things worthy and condemned as   
morally bad--a view illustrated in the  
saying of ,pascal3 8,diseur de bons     
mots1 mauvais caractre04  ,now it seems 
evident that one who discourses on      
laughter is bound to notice this        
attitude of the laughter-hater4 ,if #b  
he believes that the moods of hilarity  
and the enjoyment of the ludicrous have 
their rightful place in human           
experience1 he must be ready to         
challenge the monopoly of wisdom claimed
 by the out-and-out sticklers for       
seriousness1 and to dispute the         

proposition that the open1 honest laugh 
connotes either a vulgar taste or a     
depraved moral nature4  ,perhaps1       
however1 our discourser need not        
distress himself about these rather     
sour-tempered laughter-haters4 ,in these
 days we have to confront not so much   
opposition as indifference4 ,instead of 
the denouncer of mirth as vulgar or     
wicked1 we have the refrainer from      
laughter1 the non-laugher pure and      
simple4 ,as his ,greek name 8agelast0 77
 suggests1 this rather annoying type was
 not unknown in ancient times4 ,in merry
 ,england1 too1 ,shakespeare had met    
with the agelasts who would             
,not show their teeth in way of smile1  
,though ,nestor swear the jest be       
laughable4  ,yet it is only of late that
 the variety has appeared in its full   
force4 ,to what scanty proportions in   
these latter days the band of laughers  
has dwindled is suggested by the name   
which is now commonly given them1 for   
8humorist0 meant not so long ago an odd 

fellow or 8eccentric04 ,indeed1 one of  
our living writers suggests that 8as the
 world becomes more decorous humour     
becomes tongue-tied and obsolete04#a    
,even if we grant that the 8gelasts0 are
 getting reduced to the dimensions of a 
petty sect1 the consideration need not  
deter us from choosing laughter as our  
theme4 ,those who have the perfect ear  
for music are probably but a tiny       
portion of the human family2 yet nobody 
has suggested #c that this is an        
argument against the writing of books on
 musical form1 the science of thorough  
bass and the rest4  ,the friends of     
laughter have1 however1 always existed1 
and even in these rather dreary days are
 perhaps more numerous than is often    
supposed4 ,in support of this idea one  
may recall the curious fact that1 as the
 essayist just quoted remarks1 we all   
shrink from the 8awful imputation0      
implied in the words 8,you have no sense
 of humour04 ,this recognition of the   
capacity for appreciating a joke as a   

human attribute which it is well not to 
be without is1 of course1 very far from 
being proof of a genuine love of fun in 
the recognisers themselves4 ,yet it at  
least attests the existence of this love
 in a respectable number of their       
fellows4  ,now this true friend of      
laughter 7 7 may urge his own objection 
to our proposed discussion1 an objection
 less irritating perhaps than that of   
the zealous laughter-hater and of the   
indifferent agelast1 but on the other   
hand of a more penetrating thrust4 ,he  
not unnaturally dislikes the idea of his
 daily pastime being made the subject of
 grave inquiry4 ,he feels in its acutest
 form the resentment of the natural man 
on seeing his enjoyment brought under   
the scalpel and lens of the scientific  
inquirer4 ,he urges with force that the 
chucklings of humour are the very       
lightest and flimsiest of human things2 
and that to try to capture them and     
subject them to serious investigation   
looks much like the procedure of the    

child whose impulsive hand would seize  
and examine his dainty soap bubbles4    
,to these objections from the true      
friends of the mirthful god one owes it 
to reply courteously and at length4 ,yet
 the answer cannot well be given at the 
outset4 ,a discourse on laughter can    
remove this kind of objection1 if at    
all1 only by showing in its own         
treatment of the subject that serious   
thought may touch even the gossamer wing
 of the merry #d sprite and not destroy2
 that all things1 and so the lightest1  
are things to be comprehended1 if only  
we can reach the right points of view2  
and that the problems which rise above  
the mental horizon1 as soon as we begin 
to think about man's humorous bent1 have
 a quite peculiar interest1 an interest 
in which all who can both laugh at      
things and ponder on them may be        
expected to share4  ,it seems evident   
that one who is to probe the spirit of  
fun in man1 and to extract its meaning1 
should have special qualifications4 ,it 

is by no means sufficient1 as some would
 seem to suppose1 that he should be able
 to think clearly4 ,he must couple with 
the gravity of the thinker something of 
the intellectual lightness and          
nimbleness of the jester4 ,that is to   
say1 he must be in warm touch with his  
theme1 the jocose mood itself1 realising
 his subject at once vividly and        
comprehensively by help of a rich       
personal experience4  ,now it cannot be 
said that those who have offered to     
teach us the secrets of laughter have   
commonly exhibited these qualifications 
in a conspicuous measure4 ,it is a part 
of the whimsicality which seems to run  
through human affairs that the spirit of
 fun should be misunderstood not merely 
by the avowedly indifferent and the     
avowedly hostile1 but by those who1     
since they offer to elucidate its ways1 
might be expected to have some personal 
acquaintance with it4 ,the combination  
of a fine feeling for the baffling      
behaviour of this spirit with a keen    

scientific analysis1 such as is found in
 ,mr4 ,george ,meredith's ,essay on     
,comedy1 seems to be a rarity in        
literature4  ,this want of the familiar 
touch is especially observable in a good
 deal of the treatment of laughter by   
philosophic writers4 ,it is not         
necessary to dwell on the sublime       
subtleties of the metaphysicians who    
conceive of the comic as a 8moment0 in  
the dialectic process which the sthetic 
8,idea0 #e has to pass through4 ,the    
account of the gyrations which the ,idea
 has to describe1 when once it passes   
out of that state of harmonious union   
with the sensuous image which we call   
8the beautiful10 reads strangely enough4
 ,having1 for reasons that are not made 
too clear1 torn itself away from its    
peaceful companion 7the image71 and set 
itself up as antagonist to this in 8the 
sublime10 the august ,idea encounters   
the unpleasant retaliation of the image 
it has discarded in 8the ugly10 where we
 see the determination of the injured   

party to defy its late companion2       
though1 in the end1 it revives from the 
8swoon0 into which this rude behaviour  
of the image has plunged it1 and        
recovers its legitimate claims--with    
which it would seem it was at the outset
 dissatisfied--in what we call 8the     
ludicrous04  ,i have here tried to put  
the speculative subtleties of these     
,hegelian writers1 so far as ,i am able 
to catch their drift1 into intelligible 
,english1 and not to caricature them4   
,even favourable critics of these       
theories have found it difficult not to 
treat them with some amount of irony2   
and1 so far as ,i am aware1 no          
rehabilitator of ,hegelian thought in   
,england has as yet been bold enough to 
introduce to our insular mind a chapter 
of the sacred mysteries which1 as they  
may well suspect1 so easily lends itself
 to profane jesting4  ,how remote this  
kind of conception of the ludicrous is  
from the homely laughter of mortals may 
be seen in such attempts as are made by 

these ,hegelian thinkers to connect the 
two4 ,hegel himself1 in touching on the 
nature of comedy1 asserted that 8only   
that is truly comic in which the persons
 of the play are comic for themselves as
 well as for the spectators04 ,this     
seems to mean 7it is always hazardous to
 say confidently what a ,hegelian       
pronouncement does mean7 that a large   
part of what the world has #f foolishly 
supposed to be comedy1 including the    
plays of ,molire1 are not so4#b  ,it is1
 perhaps1 too much to expect that the   
aspiring metaphysician1 when1 as he     
fondly thinks1 he has gained the        
altitude from which the dialectic       
process of the ,world-idea is seen to   
unfold itself1 should trouble himself   
about so vulgar a thing as our everyday 
laughter4 ,but laughter has its mild    
retaliations for the negligent1 and the 
comedian of to-day1 as of old1 is more  
likely to pluck from those who tread the
 speculative cloud-heights material for 
his merriment than any further          

enlightenment on the mysteries of his   
craft4  ,it is1 however1 more to the    
purpose to refer to those theorists who 
make some show of explaining what the   
ordinary man understands by the         
ludicrous1 and of testing their theories
 by an appeal to recognisable examples4 
,it is instructive to note the          
cautiousness with which they will       
sometimes venture on the slippery       
8empirical0 ground4 ,schopenhauer1 for  
example1 in setting out his theory of   
the ludicrous--a theory which we shall  
deal with later on--in the first volume 
of his chief work1 thought it           
8superfluous0 to illustrate his theory  
by example4 ,in the second volume1      
however1 he comes to the help of the    
8intellectual sluggishness0 of his      
readers and condescends to furnish      
illustrations4 ,and what does the reader
 suppose is the first to be selected8   
,the amusing look of the angle formed by
 the meeting of the tangent and the     
curve of the circle2 which look is due1 

he tells us1 to the reflection that an  
angle implies the meeting of two lines  
which1 when prolonged1 intersect1       
whereas the straight line of the tangent
 #g and the carve of the circle are able
 merely to graze at one point1 where1   
strictly speaking1 they are parallel4   
,in other words1 we laugh here because  
the angle which stares us in the face is
 irreconcilable with the idea of a      
meeting of a tangent and a curved line4 
,with a charming candour the writer     
proceeds3 8,the ludicrous in this case  
is1 no doubt1 extremely weak2 on the    
other hand1 it illustrates with         
exceptional clearness the origin of the 
ludicrous in the incongruity between    
what is thought and what is             
perceived04#c  ,the significance of this
 invention of his own illustration by   
,schopenhauer is that he was not a      
metaphysical recluse1 but knew the world
 and its literatures4 ,other theorists  
have not shown the same daring1 but have
 contented themselves with finding their

 instances4 ,yet in too many cases the  
arbitrary way in which illustrations    
have been selected1 while instances     
making against the theory have been     
ignored1 shows clearly enough that there
 has been no serious effort to build on 
a large and firm basis of observation4  
,this may be illustrated not only from  
the works of ,germans1 but from those of
 a people which has claimed1 and with   
justice1 to be the laughing nation par  
excellence4 ,in a recent volume1 marked 
by great ingenuity1 ,m4 ,henri          
,bergson1#d an accomplished thinker1    
attempts to reduce all forms of the     
ludicrous to a substitution in our      
movements1 speech and action1 of the    
rigidity 7raideur7 of a machine for the 
pliancy and variability of an organism4 
,the writer has no difficulty in finding
 examples of the stiff mechanical       
effects which amuse us1 say1 in gestures
 and carriage4 ,but the astonishing     
thing is that he never refers to the    
complementary group of facts1 the       

instances of excessive spontaneity and  
#h freedom of movement where a certain  
repression and mechanical uniformity are
 looked for4 ,the exuberant childish    
boundings of the clown1 an excess of    
emphasis or gesture in social           
intercourse1 these and the like are     
surely just as comical as the want of   
the signs of a full play of life may be 
in other circumstances4  ,perhaps an    
even worse offence than ignoring facts  
is trying to twist them into a shape    
that will fit an adopted theory4 ,this  
occurs1 too1 and frequently1 among      
writers on our subject4 ,here is an     
example among recent theorists4         
,according to a ,french essayist1 when  
we laugh at a clown pushing hard against
 an open door1 we do not laugh merely at
 the absurd disproportion between the   
task to be accomplished and the amount  
of effort put into it4 ,we only laugh   
when our minds pass to a second and     
reflective stage1 and recognise that the
 man does not perceive the door to be   

open1 when1 consequently1 we are able to
 view the disproportionate and quite    
needless exertion as natural4#e ,a more 
striking instance of inability to       
understand the swift movement of common 
men's laughter it would be difficult to 
find4 ,as we shall see1 theories of     
laughter1 like theories of              
,shakespeare's genius1 have frequently  
come to grief by projecting behind the  
thing which they seek to account for too
 much of the author's own habitual      
reflectiveness4#f  ,perhaps we shall the
 better see how theorists have been wont
 to ignore and to misunderstand the     
laughing experiences of the plain man if
 we examine at some length #i the mode  
of dealing with the subject adopted by a
 writer who holds a high place among    
contemporary psychologists4 ,prof4      
,lipps has recently elaborated a theory 
of the ludicrous1 illustrating it at    
some length4#g ,this theory may be      
described as a modification of ,kant's1 
which places the cause of laughter in   

8the sudden transformation of a tense   
expectation into nothing04 ,according to
 ,lipps1 we have the 8comic0 when 8the  
little0 measures itself with something  
else and so steps into the daylight4    
,there is a mental movement             
7,vorstellungsbewegung7 from a          
presentation relatively great or        
important to one relatively little or   
unimportant2 and the impression of the  
comic depends on the nullification of   
the latter through its contrariety to   
the former and the disappointment which 
this involves4 ,what may be called the  
belittling idea--which the reader must  
bear in mind is the important           
one--always comes first1 the belittled  
or nullified one1 always second4  ,in   
order to illustrate his point he takes  
among other examples that of a hat on   
the wrong head4 ,a man topped by a      
child's small cap1 and a child covered  
with a man's big hat are1 he tells us1  
equally comical4 ,but the reason is     
different in the two cases4 ,in the     

first1 starting with the perception of  
the worthy man1 we expect an adequate   
head-covering1 and this expectation is  
nullified by the obstinate presence of  
the tiny cap4 ,here1 then1 the funny    
feature1 the belittled thing1 is the    
diminutive cap4 ,in the second case1    
however1 the movement of thought is just
 the reverse4 ,we here set out with the 
perception of the headgear1 not with    
that of its wearer4 ,it is the dignified
 man's hat that now #aj first fixes our 
attention1 and it is the obtrusion of   
the child beneath when we expect the    
proper wearer which is the comical      
feature4 ,in other words1 when a man    
puts on a baby's cap it is the cap which
 is absurd1 when a baby dons his        
father's cylinder it is the baby which  
is absurd4  ,this is ingenious1 one must
 confess1 but does it not involve some  
twisting of facts8 ,would the           
unphilosophic humorist recognise this   
account of the ways of laughter8 ,has   
this account the note of familiarity    

with these ways8 ,let us see4  ,at the  
outset one may enter a modest protest   
against the quiet assumption that the   
two incidents here selected are         
laughable in an equal degree4 ,it may be
 urged that1 to the grown-up spectator  
at least1 the sight of the little one   
crowned with the whelming headgear of   
his sire is immeasurably more amusing   
than the other4 ,here the author strikes
 one as proceeding rather hastily1 as he
 seems to do also when he assumes that  
an exceptionally big and an             
exceptionally little nose are equally   
palpable examples of the laughable4     
,this is1 to say the least1 disputable4 
,one can hardly think of a comedy       
turning on the smallness of a person's  
nose1 as the ,cyrano de ,bergerac of ,m4
 ,rostand turns on its bigness4 ,but    
this objection need not1 perhaps1 be    
pressed4  ,passing1 then1 to the        
explanation of his two examples offered 
by the author1 we are first of all      
struck by the apparent arbitrariness of 

the supposition1 that the movement of   
thought which he assumes should in the  
one case take exactly the reverse       
direction of that taken in the other4   
,seeing that both are instances of a    
grotesquely unsuitable head-covering    
should one not expect the enjoyment of  
them to spring out of a similar kind of 
mental activity8 #aa  ,the author       
probably means to say that we tend to   
fix the attention on the more dignified 
feature in each case1 the man beneath   
the tiny cap1 and the man's hat above   
the tiny head4 ,but that is far from    
being certain4 ,and in any case there   
are good reasons against assuming a     
8contrary motion0 of thought here4 ,dr4 
,lipps will no doubt allow1 as a trained
 psychologist1 that these intellectual  
movements are subject to well-recognised
 laws4 ,one deduction from these is that
 the sight of a hat will suggest the    
idea of the human figure to which it    
belongs much more certainly and more    
powerfully than the sight of the figure 

will suggest the idea of its appropriate
 covering4 ,i believe that everybody's  
experience will confirm this4 ,a hat    
seen even in a shop-window starts the   
impulse to think of some wearer2 but who
 would say that seeing a human head1 say
 across the dinner-table or in an       
adjoining stall at the theatre1 prompts 
us to think of its proper covering8     
,special circumstances1 such as the     
presence of an exceptional baldness     
appealing to pity1 must be added before 
our thoughts flit to the out-of-door    
receptacle4 ,in other words1 the whole  
interest and significance of a hat lie  
in a reference to a wearer1 but not vice
 vers4  ,we must1 then1 reject the idea 
of a double and opposed movement of     
thought here4 ,if any movement takes    
place it must be assumed to be in each  
case a transition from the perception of
 the hat to the idea of its customary   
and proper wearer4  ,now1 are we aware  
when we laugh at either of these odd    
sights of carrying out this movement of 

thought8 ,keeping to the indisputable   
case of the child's head under or in the
 man's hat1 do we1 before the agreeable 
spasm seizes us1 first mentally grasp   
the hat and then pass to the idea of its
 rightful wearer8 ,i1 at least1 cannot  
find this to be true in #ab my own      
experience4 ,but such inability may be  
due to the absence of a sufficiently    
delicate introspection4 ,let us then try
 to test the point in another way4  ,if 
the smile of amusement with which we    
greet this spectacle comes from the     
dissolution of the idea of the adult    
male figure1 we should expect the       
enjoyment of the ludicrous aspect to be 
especially conspicuous when the hat     
appears an instant before the           
child-wearer1 and so thought is         
compelled to travel in the required     
direction4 ,let us suppose that a child 
in his nursery puts on his father's hat 
and stands on a chair1 and that you     
enter the room and catch a glimpse of   
the hat first1 say above a piece of     

furniture1 and for a brief moment expect
 to see an adult beneath4 ,no doubt you 
will be aware of a definite movement of 
thought in the required direction and of
 the dissolution into nothing of the    
expectant idea4 ,but will the element of
 clear anticipation and its annihilation
 intensify your feeling of the funniness
 of the spectacle1 or even make the     
funniness more patent8 ,you would1 no   
doubt1 in such a case1 experience a     
little shock1 the full excitement of    
surprise1 and that might add volume to  
the whole feeling of the moment4 ,you   
might1 too1 not improbably1 laugh more  
heartily1 for you would have a sense of 
having been taken in1 and there would be
 a side-current of hilarity directed    
against yourself4 ,but ,i venture to    
affirm that the spectacle as such would 
not impress you as being one whit more  
ludicrous when seen in this way1 first  
the hat and then the wearer1 than if    
your eye had lighted on the two         
together4  ,what seems to happen when we

 are amused by this little comic scene  
in the nursery8 ,do we not at a glance  
perceive a grotesque whole1 viz41 a hat 
on the wrong head1 and is not our       
amusement too swiftly forthcoming to    
allow of our singling out a part of what
 is seen and going through the #ac      
process of thought described by the     
ingenious author of this theory8        
,science seems to bear out what common  
observation discovers1 for the newer    
psychology teaches that in the first    
moment of perceiving an object we obtain
 not a distinct apprehension of parts1  
but a vague apprehension of a whole into
 which detail and definiteness only come
 later and gradually4  ,an ensemble1    
which can only be described as a whole  
made up of ill-fitting parts1 this seems
 to be the object on which our attention
 is focussed when we laugh at the child 
under the needlessly capacious hat4     
,this intuition involves1 no doubt1 some
 rapid seizing of details3 but the      
attention to parts is not to separate   

objects1 as the language of ,dr4 ,lipps 
suggests1 but to related parts1 to the  
hat as worn in relation to the wearer4  
,this seems to be an adequate account of
 what takes place so far as it is the   
palpable unfitness of dimensions which  
moves us to laughter4 ,but it may be    
urged1 and rightly urged1 that the      
laughable spectacle is more than this1  
that what tickles us is the uncustomary 
and topsy-turvy arrangement of things4  
,and here1 it may be said1 there        
certainly is implied a movement of      
thought1 namely1 to something outside   
the spectacle1 to what is customary and 
in order4  ,the supposition is a highly 
plausible one4 ,since1 moreover1 what we
 perceive is a whole1 it is reasonable  
to assume that if such a movement occurs
 it must be1 not1 as ,dr4 ,lipps        
supposes1 from one part of it to        
another1 but from the present whole as  
oddly and wrongly composed to some other
 whole as rightly composed4 ,do we not1 
it may be asked1 here carry out a       

process fairly well described in        
,schopenhauer's theory of the ludicrous1
 that is1 conceive of 8an incongruity   
between the real object and its idea10  
and so1 by implication1 go back to this 
idea8 #ad  ,to this ,i would reply that1
 so far as ,i can analyse my own mental 
state at such a moment1 ,i do not find  
the presence of any idea of another and 
normal whole to be a necessary element  
in a full enjoyment of the grotesque    
whole before my eyes4 ,such a second    
whole would1 one supposes1 have to be   
either the same hat on the right head1  
or the same head under its proper       
covering1 and ,i find that ,i am        
perfectly well able to enjoy the comedy 
of the child crowned with the tall hat  
without making present to my mind either
 of these combinations4  ,here1 again1  
,i think1 a better scientific theory    
bears out the result of one's individual
 self-examination4 ,psychology has made 
it clear that in recognising an object1 
say a weasel crossing the road on which 

we are walking1 we do not need to have  
present to our mind 7in addition to the 
perception of the object7 a pictorial   
idea or image of a weasel as formed from
 past observations4 ,owing to the       
organising of a certain perceptual      
disposition--a readiness to see an      
object as a familiar one1 as of a       
particular 8sort0--our mind instantly   
greets it as a weasel4 ,in other words1 
we recognise things by the help not of  
images present to the mind at the       
moment1 but of certain ingrained        
8apperceptive0 tendencies or attitudes4 
,all the higher animals seem to share   
with us this highly useful capability of
 immediate and instantaneous            
recognition4  ,now ,i take it that there
 is another side to these apperceptive  
tendencies4 ,not only do they secure for
 us1 without the necessity of calling up
 distinct ideas1 these instant          
recognitions of a sort of thing1 they   
enable us as well as intelligent animals
 mentally to reject presentations which 

do not answer to 8the sort of thing04 ,i
 can say that this wax figure is not a  
man without having any distinct image of
 the living man present to my           
consciousness4 ,this ability #ae to     
recognise what we see as not of a       
particular kind of thing1 without       
calling up a definite idea of this kind1
 extends to combinations and            
arrangements of parts in a whole4 ,when1
 after my servant has dusted my books   
and rearranged them on the shelves1 ,i  
instantly recognise that they are       
wrongly placed1 ,i may at the moment be 
quite unable to say what the right      
arrangement was4#h  ,according to my    
view1 the perceptions of the laughable  
which ,dr4 ,lipps illustrates are       
instantaneous perceptions4 ,as such1    
they may1 and commonly do1 arise        
immediately1 that is1 without any       
reversion to the idea of what is the    
customary or normal arrangement4  ,but  
the reader may urge with force that the 
enjoyment of this charming bit of       

childish pretence involves more than a  
perception of the unusual and the       
irregular4 ,do we not at least apprehend
 the fact that the hat is not merely    
unfitting1 and grotesquely wrong1 but a 
usurpation of the prerogative of the    
superior8 ,is not the behaviour of the  
child so deliciously whimsical just     
because we fix the mental eye on this   
element of make-believe8 ,and if so1    
does not this imply that we have present
 to the mind the proper belongings of   
the hat1 viz41 the father's head and    
figure8  ,i readily agree that when we  
make our perceptions reflective1 as we  
may do1 this idea is apt to emerge4 ,as 
has been implied above1 the sight of the
 tall hat does tend to suggest the idea 
of its usual wearer1 and in lingering on
 this quaint bit of acting we may not   
improbably catch ourselves imagining the
 hat on the right #af head1 especially  
as we see that it is the child's playful
 aim to personate the privileged owner4 
,and the same thing might occur in      

laughing at the father topped with the  
small child's hat2 for the laugher1 who 
would in this case more probably be a   
child1 might naturally enough reinstate 
in imaginative thought the small child's
 head to which the cap belongs4 ,this   
combination seems at least to be much   
more likely to recur to the imagination 
than the other combination1 which       
retaining the wearer substitutes the    
idea of the right hat4  ,how far any    
distinct image of the hat thus mentally 
transferred to the right wearer enters  
into the appreciation of this humorous  
spectacle1 it would be hard to say4     
,different minds may behave differently 
here4 ,judging from my own experience ,i
 should say that at most only a vague   
8schematic0 outline of the proper       
arrangement presents itself to the      
imagination4 ,this seems to me to be    
what one might naturally expect4        
,laughter1 as ,i conceive of it1 fastens
 upon something human4 ,it is the living
 wearer that is emphasised in the       

comical juxtaposition2 we more naturally
 describe it as the child wearing his   
father's hat1 than as the father's hat  
on the child4 ,and for the comic effect 
it is sufficient that we recognise the  
hat to be the father's4 ,this we can do 
without mentally picturing the hat as   
worn by the father4 ,the hat has become 
a symbol1 and means for us the man's hat
 and the dignity which belongs to this1 
though we may have at the time no mental
 image of it as worn by its rightful    
possessor4  ,our examination seems to   
show that this apparently simple example
 of the laughable is very inadequately  
accounted for by supposing a movement of
 mind from one presentation or idea to  
another which contravenes and #ag       
nullifies the first4 ,it may be added   
that1 with respect to what is certainly 
present to our consciousness1 when we   
look at this bit of child's play we do  
not find the relation of part to part to
 be merely one of contrariety4 ,a       
curious fact1 not as yet fully studied  

by the psychologist1 is what may be     
called the inter-diffusion of characters
 between the several parts of a complex 
presentation4 ,the figure of a finely   
dressed lady in a gathering of poor     
people may either throw the shabby look 
of the latter into greater relief by    
contrast1 or redeem it from its         
shabbiness by lending it some of its own
 glory4 ,the latter effect is favoured  
by a certain contemplative attitude     
which disposes us to look at the whole  
as such1 and with the least amount of   
inspection of details and their         
relations4 ,when we regard the child in 
the big hat a semblance of the dignity  
which lies in the meaning of the latter 
is transferred to the small head2 and   
the mental seizure of this transferred  
look of dignity by the spectator is     
essential to a full enjoyment of the    
show as a bit of make-believe1 of       
innocent hypocrisy4 ,similarly1 if we   
are disposed to laugh1 a little         
contemptuously1 at the man in the       

child's hat1 it is because the hat      
throws for half a moment over the heavy 
and lined face something of the fresh   
sweet look of infancy4#i  ,it has seemed
 worth while to examine at some length  
the attempt of ,dr4 ,lipps to deal with 
a simple instance of the laughable      
because1 in spite of a recognisable     
effort to connect theory with concrete  
facts1 it illustrates the common        
tendency to adapt the facts to the      
theory2 and1 further1 the no less common
 tendency to overlook the rich variety  
of experience #ah which our laughter    
covers1 the multiplicity of the sources 
of our merriment and the way in which   
these may co-operate in the enjoyable   
contemplation of a ludicrous object4 ,as
 we shall see1 theories of the ludicrous
 have again and again broken down from  
attempting to find one uniform cause in 
a domain where the operation of         
8,plurality of ,causes0 is particularly 
well marked4  ,it may be added that such
 theories1 even if they were not        

one-sided and forced accounts of the    
sources of our merriment1 would still   
suffer from one fatal defect3 as ,lotze 
says of ,kant's doctrine1#aj they make  
no attempt to show why the dissolved    
expectation or the failure to subsume a 
presentation under an idea should make  
us laugh1 rather than1 let us say1 cough
 or sigh4 ,lotze1 besides being a       
psychologist1 was a physiologist1 and it
 may be added1 a humorist in a quiet    
way1 and the reader of his lines who may
 have had the privilege of knowing him  
will see again the ironical little pout 
and the merry twinkle of the dark eye   
behind the words4  ,we have agreed that 
the discourser on the comic1 however    
gravely philosophic he desires to be1   
must touch both finely and              
comprehensively the common experiences  
of mankind4 ,yet it may well be thought1
 in the light of the attempts made in   
the past1 that this is demanding too    
much4 ,the relish for things which feed 
our laughter is as we know a very       

variable endowment4 ,as the ,master     
tells us1 8,a jest's prosperity lies in 
the ear of him that hears it more than  
in the tongue of him that makes it04    
,the faceti of earlier ages fall on     
modern ears with a sound as dull as that
 of an unstrung drum4 ,it may well be   
that persons who pass a large number of 
their hours #ai in abstruse reflection  
grow incapable of enjoying many of the  
commoner varieties of laughter4 ,their  
capability of lapsing into the jocose   
vein becomes greatly restricted and may 
take directions that seem out-of-the-way
 to the more habitual laugher4          
,schopenhauer's funny little attempt to 
extract a joke out of the meeting of the
 tangent and the circle seems to be a   
case in point4 ,on reading some of the  
definitions of the ludicrous contributed
 by the fertile ,german mind1 one is    
forced to conclude that the writers had 
their own peculiar1 esoteric modes of   
laughter4 ,when1 for example1 ,herr ,st4
 ,schtze1 whose 8attempt at a theory of 

the ,comic0 is pronounced by the        
renowned ,th4 ,vischer to be 8excellent0
 7vorzglich71 proceeds to define his    
subject in this way3 8,the comic is a   
perception or idea1 which after some    
moments excites the obscure feeling that
 nature carries on a merry game with man
 while he thinks himself free to act1 in
 which game the circumscribed liberty of
 man is mocked 7verspottet7 by a        
reference to a higher liberty10#aa one  
seems to measure the scope of the worthy
 writer's sense of fun4 ,that the irony 
of things in their relation to our      
desires and aims has its amusing aspect 
is certain3 but who that knows anything 
of the diversified forms of human mirth 
could ever think of trying to drag all  
of them under so narrow a rubric8  ,a   
vivid perception of the variability of  
the sense of the laughable in man1 of   
the modification1 in the case of        
individuals and of races1 of the range  
of its play1 and of the standards to    
which it subjects itself1 by a thousand 

unknown influences of temperament and   
habits of life1 may well repel not      
merely the philosophic recluse who can  
hardly be expected perhaps to have      
followed far the many wild #bj          
excursions of the laughing impulse1 but 
others as well4 ,have we not1 it may be 
asked1 in the appreciation of what is   
funny or laughable a mode of sensibility
 pre-eminently erratic1 knowing no law1 
and incapable therefore of being        
understood8 ,do not the more grotesque  
attempts to frame theories of the       
subject seem to mock the search for law 
where no law is8  ,the difficulty may be
 admitted whilst the practical          
conclusion drawn is rejected4 ,certainly
 no thinker will succeed in throwing    
light on the dark problem who does not  
strenuously fight against the narrowing 
influences of his 8subjectivity10 who   
does not make a serious effort to get   
outside the bounds of his personal      
preferences1 and to compass in large    
vision the far-ranging play of the      

mirthful spirit1 and the endless        
differencing of its manifestations4 ,but
 if a man can only succeed in doing this
 without losing his head in the somewhat
 rollicking scene1 there is nothing that
 need repel him from the task2 for      
reason assures us that here too1 just as
 in other domains of human experience   
where things looked capricious and      
lawless enough at the outset1 order and 
law will gradually disclose themselves4 
,a serious inquiry into the subject1    
such as we propose to make1 must1 it is 
evident1 start from this scientific     
presupposition4 ,we take the language of
 everyday life to imply that human      
laughter1 notwithstanding its           
variability1 its seeming caprices1 is   
subject to law4 ,we speak of an         
objective region of 8the laughable10    
that is of objects and relations of     
objects which are fitted and which tend 
to excite laughter in us all alike4 ,it 
will be one of our chief problems to    
determine the characteristics of this   

field of the laughable1 and to define   
its boundaries4  ,but a serious inquiry 
will take us farther than this4 ,while  
we do well to insist that the lightness 
and #ba capriciousness of movement1 the 
swift unpredictable coming and going1   
are of the essence of laughter1 it will 
be one main object of this inquiry to   
show how our mirthful explosions1 our   
sportive railleries1 are attached at    
their very roots to our serious         
interests4 ,laughter1 looked at from    
this point of view1 has its significance
 as a function of the human organism1   
and as spreading its benefits over all  
the paths of life4 ,we must probe this  
value of our laughing moments if we are 
to treat the subject adequately4  ,in   
thus proposing to give to laughter a    
purpose in the scheme of human life1 one
 must face the risk of offending its    
friends yet more deeply4 ,to these      
laughter is so precious and sufficing a 
good in itself1 that to propose to      
connect it with some extrinsic and      

serious purpose looks like robbing it of
 its delicious freeness and enslaving it
 to its traditional foe1 excess of      
seriousness4 ,to these objectors it may 
suffice to say at the present stage that
 their apprehension appears to me to be 
groundless4 ,to laugh away the spare    
moments will continue to be to the      
laughter-loving the same delightful     
pastime even should we succeed in       
showing that it brings other blessings  
in its train4 ,on the other hand1 to    
show that it does bring these blessings 
may turn out to be a handy argumentum ad
 hominem in meeting the attacks of the  
laughter-hater4 ,he could not1 one      
supposes1 give himself quite so much of 
the look of flouted virtue if we could  
convince him that laughter1 when perfect
 freedom is guaranteed it in its own    
legitimate territory1 will unasked1 and1
 indeed1 unwittingly1 throw refreshing  
and healing drops on the dry pastures of
 life4 ,perhaps some thought of these   
benefits was present to the ,greek      

philosopher--the very same who was for  
banishing ,homer and other poets from   
his ideal commonwealth--when he uttered 
the pretty conceit that #bb the ,graces 
in searching for a temple which would   
not fall1 found the soul of             
,aristophanes4  ,our subject is a large 
one1 and we must endeavour to keep all  
parts of it steadily in view4 ,to begin 
with1 we will try to avoid the error of 
those who in their subtle disquisitions 
on the comic idea forgot that laughter  
is a bodily act1 and not fear to allude 
to such unmetaphysical entities as lung 
and diaphragm1 where they seem to be a  
central fact in the situation4 ,a       
careful examination of the very peculiar
 behaviour of our respiratory and other 
organs when the feeling of the comic    
seizes us1 seems to belong to a         
scientific investigation of the subject4
 ,indeed1 it appears to me that in      
trying to get at the meaning of these   
gentle and enjoyable shakings of the    
mind1 we shall do well to start1 so to  

speak1 with the bodily shakings1 which  
are1 to say the least1 much more        
accessible to study4  ,further1 it seems
 desirable to study the utterances of   
the spirit of fun through the whole     
gamut of its expression4 ,the gros rire1
 the cacophonous guffaw1 must not be    
regarded as too vulgar to be admitted   
here4 ,the attempts in the past to build
 up a theory of the ludicrous have      
commonly failed through a fastidious and
 highly artificial restriction of the   
laughable attribute to the field of wit 
and refined humour which the cultivated 
man is in the habit of enjoying4  ,nor  
is this all4 ,it may possibly be found  
that no satisfactory explanation of our 
enjoyment of the laughable is obtainable
 without taking a glance at forms of    
mirth which have preceded it4 ,among the
 strange things said about laughter is  
surely the sentence of ,bacon3 8,in     
laughing there ever precedeth a conceit 
of something ridiculous1 and therefore  
it is proper to man04 ,that the father  

of the inductive philosophy should have 
approached the subject in this way #bc  
is one of the ironies that meet us in   
these discussions2 for1 allowing that he
 is right as to his fact that only man  
laughs1 we must surely recognise that   
his reason is hopelessly weak4 ,the     
conceit which ,bacon here talks about   
is1 we all know1 by no means a universal
 accompaniment of laughter2 and1 what is
 more important1 even when it occurs it 
is wont to grow distinct rather in the  
form of an afterthought than in that of 
an antecedent4 ,among all things human1 
surely laughter ought least of all to be
 afraid of recognising its humble       
kinsfolk4  ,the importance of thus      
sweeping into our scientific net        
specimens of all grades of laughter will
 be seen when it is recognised that the 
one promising way of dealing with this  
subject is to trace its development from
 its earliest and crudest forms4 ,if we 
begin at the top of the evolutional     
scheme1 and take no account of the lower

 grades1 we are very likely to fail to  
penetrate to the core of the laughable1 
as so many of our predecessors have     
failed4 ,but if we will only stoop to   
consider its manifestations at the      
lowest discoverable levels1 and then    
confine ourselves to the more modest    
problem3 ,how did the first laughter1   
mindless as it may well seem to us1 get 
developed and differentiated into the   
variety of forms which make up the      
humorous experience of civilised man8 we
 may win a modest success4  ,it will be 
evident that any attempt to pursue this 
line of inquiry will have to take note1 
not only of facts obtainable from the   
realm of primitive laughter as          
represented by infancy and the savage   
state1 but of those social forces which 
have had so much to do with shaping the 
manifestations of mirth4 ,the common    
directions of our laughter attest its   
social character and illustrate how it  
has insinuated itself into the many     
movements of social life4  ,for a like  

reason we shall need to discuss to some 
extent #bd the place of laughter in     
,art1 and the treatment of the sources  
of merriment by the comedian4  ,lastly1 
this larger consideration of the subject
 will1 we shall probably find1 take us  
to an examination of certain ethical or 
practical questions1 viz41 the value    
which is to be assigned to the laughing 
propensity1 and the proper limits to be 
set to its indulgence4  ,the subject so 
conceived is a large and complex one1   
and it will be hard to deal with it at  
once thoughtfully and familiarly1 with  
the genuine ring of laughter ever       
present to the ear4 ,the present writer 
will account himself happy if1 in a line
 where so many appear to have missed    
success1 he attain to a moderate measure
 of it4 #be     ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,the  
,,smile ,,and ,,the ,,laugh4   ,to treat
 the facts with proper respect seems to 
be more than ordinarily incumbent on us 
in dealing with the nature and the      
significance of our laughter4 ,this     

means1 as already hinted1 that some     
inquiry be made into the act of laughing
 itself1 the manner of it1 and the      
circumstances which accompany it1 and   
that this inquiry be carried out in the 
most comprehensive way possible4  ,we   
grave elders are wont to think of       
laughing and smiling as something quite 
occasional1 a momentary lapse once in a 
while from the persistent attitude of   
seriousness4 ,this view is apt to be    
expressed in too unqualified a form4    
,simple types of humanity1 the child and
 the savage1 frequently show us mirthful
 laughter filling a much larger space in
 the day's hours than our view would    
suggest4 ,a jolly boy1 the subject of   
chronic high spirits1 which are apt to  
try the patience of sedate seniors1     
might perhaps say--if indeed he could be
 brought to frame a theory of life--that
 laughing is the proper way to pass the 
time1 and that seriousness is a tiresome
 necessity which can be tolerated only  
now and again4 ,and in any case such a  

view might be said to represent the     
mental attitude of those happy idiots   
and imbeciles of whom we read that they 
8are persistently joyous and #bf        
benign10 and constantly laughing or     
smiling1 and that 8their countenances   
often exhibit a stereotyped smile04#ab  
,yet1 attractive as this theory may be  
for a lover of laughter1 it cannot well 
adjust itself to stern physiological    
facts4 ,the full process of laughter is1
 like coughing1 sobbing and other       
actions1 a violent interruption of the  
rhythmic flow of the respiratory        
movements4 ,as such1 its function in the
 human organism seems to be limited to  
that of an occasional spurt4 ,even a    
perpetual smile1 quite apart from its   
insipidity for others than the smiler1  
would1 strictly speaking1 hardly be     
compatible with the smooth on-flow of   
the vital processes4 ,what has been     
named the 8everlasting barren simper0   
does not really amount to this4  ,the   
,smile and the ,laugh1 viewed as        

physiological events1 stand in the      
closest relation one to the other4 ,a   
smile is1 as we shall see1 rightly      
regarded as an incomplete laugh4 ,hence 
we shall do well to study the two       
together4  ,smiling involves a complex  
group of facial movements4 ,it may      
suffice to remind the reader of such    
characteristic changes as the drawing   
back and slight lifting of the comers of
 the mouth1 the raising of the upper    
lip1 which partially uncovers the teeth1
 and the curving of the furrows betwixt 
the comers of the mouth and the nostrils
 7the naso-labial furrows7 which these  
movements involve4 ,to these must be    
added the formation of wrinkles under   
the eyes--a most characteristic part of 
the expression--which is a further      
result of the first movements4 ,the     
increased brightness of the eyes is     
probably the effect of their tenseness1 
due to the contraction of the adjacent  
muscles and the pressure of the raised  
cheek1 though #bg an acceleration of the

 circulation within the eyeball may have
 something to do with it4  ,these facial
 changes are common to the smile and to 
the laugh1 though in the more violent   
forms of laughter the eyes are apt to   
lose under their lachrymal suffusion the
 sparkle which the smile brings4  ,as a 
characteristic group of facial movements
 the smile is excellently well suited   
for its purpose--the primitive and most 
universal expression of a pleasurable or
 happy state of mind4 ,it forms1 in     
respect of certain of its features at   
least1 a marked contrast to the         
expression of opposite feelings4 ,thus  
it is far removed1 and so easily        
distinguishable1 from the facial        
expression during weeping1 viz41 the    
firmly closed eyelids and the wide      
opening of the mouth in the form of a   
squarish cavity2 as also from the face's
 betrayal of low spirits and            
8crossness10 in the depressed corners of
 the mouth1 the oblique eyebrows and the
 furrowed forehead4  ,i have spoken here

 of the primitive unsophisticated smile 
as it may be observed in children and   
those adults who have not learned to    
control the primitive1 and instinctive  
movements of the face4 ,among the       
cultivated classes of a civilised       
community1 this primitive smile is not  
only restrained and modified1 but serves
 other uses than the confession of the  
elemental experiences of pleasure and   
gladness4 ,with the contemptuous smile1 
the slightly ironical smile of the      
superior person1 the bitter1 sardonic   
smile1 we shall have happily but little 
to do here4 ,it is enough to remark that
 these differentiations answer closely  
to those of laughter1 and so further    
illustrate the organic affinity of the  
two4  ,we may now pass to the larger    
experience of the audible laugh4 ,that  
this action is physiologically          
continuous with #bh the smile has       
already been suggested4 ,the facial     
expression is approximately the same in 
the broad smile and the gentle laugh4   

,it is only when laughter grows         
immoderate that there is a marked       
addition of other features1 viz41 the   
strong contraction of the muscles about 
the eyes leading to frowning1 and the   
shedding of tears4 ,how closely         
connected are smiling and moderate      
laughing may be seen by the tendency we 
experience when we reach the broad smile
 and the fully open mouth to start the  
respiratory movements of laughter4 ,as  
,darwin and others have pointed out1    
there is a series of gradations from the
 faintest and most decorous smile up to 
the full explosion of the laugh4#ac     
,one may1 perhaps1 go farther and say   
that the series of gradations here      
indicated is gone through1 more or less 
rapidly1 in an ordinary laugh4 ,persons 
who laugh slowly1 finding it difficult  
to 8let themselves go10 can be seen to  
pass through these stages4 ,it has been 
said by an ingenious ,american inquirer 
that laughter may begin either with the 
eyes or with the mouth1 the frequency of

 the former mode1 as compared with the  
latter1 in the instances examined being 
as #g to #e4ad  ,it may be added that1  
to this continuity of form in the       
actions of smiling and laughing1 there  
answers a community of function4 ,as    
will be shown more fully by-and-by1 both
 are in their primitive forms           
manifestations of pleasure1 laughter    
being primarily the expression of the   
fuller measures of the happy or gladsome
 state1 and varying in energy and volume
 with the degree of this fulness4  ,the 
chronological relations of the reign of 
the smile and the laugh in the life of  
the individual will occupy us #bi       
presently4 ,here it may be enough to say
 that these relations allow us to think 
of smiling at once as the precursor and 
as the successor of her kinsman4 ,the   
first smiles are a step away from the   
exceeding gravity of baby-hood towards  
full hilarity1 the last are a step back 
from this hilarity to the stolid        
composure of senile infancy4  ,it would 

seem to follow that the sharp           
distinction often drawn between smiling 
and laughing is artificial4 ,society1   
led by its ,chesterfield1 may emphasise 
the difference between the incipient and
 the completed process1 allowing the one
 and forbidding the other2 but the      
natural man is inclined to regard them  
as one4  ,the recognition of this       
identity of the two actions is evidenced
 by the usages of speech4 ,we see in the
 classical languages a tendency to      
employ the same word for the two1       
laughing like smiling being             
regarded--primarily and mainly at       
least--as an object of visual           
perception4 ,this is particularly dear  
in the case of the ,latin 8ridere10     
which means to smile as well as to      
laugh1 the form 8subridere0 being rare4 
,this tendency to assimilate the laugh  
and the smile as facial expressions was 
naturally supplemented by the           
employment1 both in ,greek and in       
,latin1 of a separate word for audible  

laughter 7801 8cachinnare07 in cases    
where it was needful to emphasise the   
fact of sound4 ,in some modern languages
 the relation of smiling to laughing is 
precisely indicated as that of a less   
full to a fuller action 7,italian1      
8ridere0 and 8sorridere02 ,french1      
8rire0 and 8sourire02 ,german1 8lachen0 
and 8lcheln074 ,possibly the existence  
of two unrelated words in our own and   
some other modern languages points to   
the fact that certain races have been   
more impressed by the dissimilarity     
between the audible and the inaudible   
expression than by the similarity of the
 visible manifestations4 #cj  ,it is    
worth noting that even after the two    
expressions have been distinguished by  
separate names there is a tendency to   
use the stronger metaphor 8to laugh10   
rather than the weaker one 8to smile10  
in describing the brighter aspects of   
nature's beauty1 such as meadows when in
 flower4 ,a painter1 whom ,dante meets  
in ,purgatory1 and recognises as the    

first in the art of illumination1       
gracefully transfers this distinction to
 a brother painter by saying that the   
leaves which the latter painted 8laugh  
more0 7piu ridon7 than his own4#ae  ,we 
may now turn to the distinguishing      
characteristics of laughing1 that is1   
the production of the familiar series of
 sounds4 ,like sighing1 sobbing and some
 other actions1 it is an interruption of
 the natural rhythm of the respiratory  
process1 in which inspiration and       
expiration follow one another at regular
 intervals4 ,the obvious feature of this
 interruption in the case of laughter is
 the series of short1 spasmodic1        
expiratory movements by which the sounds
 are produced4 ,these are1 however1     
preceded by a less noticed inspiration  
of exceptional energy and depth4 ,these 
interruptions of the ordinary           
respiratory movements involve an        
unusually energetic action of the large 
muscles by which the chest is expanded1 
viz41 those which secure the contraction

 and so the descent of the dome-shaped  
diaphragm1 and those by the action of   
which the ribs are elevated4  ,the      
production of the sounds by the         
spasmodic expiratory movements shows    
that the passage from the trachea into  
the pharynx1 viz41 the glottis or chink 
between the vocal cords1 is partially   
closed4 ,the quality of the sounds is   
#ca explained by the particular         
arrangements1 at the moment of the      
cachinnation1 of the vocal apparatus1   
and more particularly the shape of the  
resonance chamber of the mouth4         
,familiar though we are with them1 we   
should find it hard to give an accurate 
description of the sounds of laughter4  
,to begin with1 they seem to vary       
considerably in the case of the same    
person and still more in that of        
different persons4 ,laughter has not yet
 lent itself to the methods of the      
experimental psychologist1 and so has   
not been studied with scientific        
precision4 ,by-and-by1 we may hope1 the 

phonograph will capture its sounds1 and 
enable us to observe them at our        
leisure4 ,meanwhile1 only a very rough  
account of them is possible4  ,taking   
the laughter of the adult male1 which is
 perhaps more frank and better          
pronounced1 we find the more common     
forms of iterated sounds to range from  
the broad vowel sound aw 7in 8law07 to  
the sharp a 7in 8bat074 ,the long o     
sound 7as in 8go071 involving the       
rounded mouth aperture1 seems to me to  
be far less common4 ,the same applies to
 the long ee and ai sounds1 and those   
which seem to be most closely allied to 
them4  ,these variations appear1 so far 
as ,i can judge1 to go with alterations 
of pitch4 ,the broader sounds1 e4g41 aw1
 seem naturally to ally themselves to   
the hardier deep-pitched explosion1 the 
others to the more cackle-like          
utterances in the higher parts of the   
register4 ,this connection shows itself1
 too1 in the change in the vowel-quality
 when1 as frequently happens1 the laugh 

runs through a cadence of pitch from a  
higher to a lower note4  ,these         
considerations will prepare us to find  
that the vowel-quality of the sound     
varies in general with sex and with age4
 ,according to ,haller and ,gratiolet   
the sounds of #cb the laughter of women 
and children1 which correspond with     
their higher vocal pitch1 approach in   
vowel-quality to the ,french i and e4#af
  ,considerable variations from these   
typical forms would seem to occur now   
and again4 ,in the ,american returns    
already referred to1 the mode of        
laughing described is represented by    
such odd symbols as 8gah6 gah60 8iff6   
iff60 8tse6 tse60 etc4 ,these           
singularities1 if1 as it seems1 they are
 intended to represent habitual modes of
 voicing mirth1 are1 one suspects1      
hardly referrible to natural differences
 of vocalisation1 but are probably the  
result of the interfering agencies of   
nervousness and affectation which1 as we
 know1 have much to do with fixing the  

form of mirthful expression4  ,the      
description of laughter here offered    
applies only to the typical form4 ,it   
would have to be modified considerably  
to suit the attenuated forms to which   
the expression is reduced in 8polite    
society04 ,of these1 more presently4    
,even where the vocal outburst retains  
its primitive spontaneity and fulness   
considerable variations are observable1 
connected with differences in the whole 
respiratory and vocal apparatus4 ,the   
intensity and volume of the sound1 the  
pitch and vowel-quality1 the rapidity of
 the successive expirations1 the length 
of the series1 the mode of commencing   
and of ending1 may all exhibit          
variations which help to make the       
laughter of one person or of one race   
different from that of another4  ,we may
 now pass to some other accompaniments  
of the muscular movements of laughter4  
,it is of importance to study these with
 care if we wish to estimate the precise
 value of the hilarious explosion in the

 economy of human life4 #cc  ,since the 
movements of laughter are sudden and    
violent interruptions of the smooth     
rhythmic flow of the respiratory        
process1 we may expect to find that they
 have important organic effects1        
involving not merely the mechanism of   
respiration1 but also that of the       
circulation of the blood4 ,here1 it     
seems1 we have to do with a double      
effect ,first of all 7we are told71 this
 series of spasmodic expirations--during
 which1 as we have seen1 the glottis is 
partially closed--increases the pressure
 within the thorax or chest1 and so     
impedes the entry of blood from the     
veins into the heart4 ,this effect is   
seen in the turgidity of the head and   
neck which appears after prolonged and  
violent laughing4 ,in the second place1 
the exceptionally deep inspirations tend
 to expand the lungs with air1 and to   
drain off the blood from the veins into 
the heart4 ,the manner in which these   
two actions1 the deepened inspiration   

and the prolonged expiration1 alternate 
during a fit of laughter1 appears to    
secure a considerable advantage in      
respect both of accelerated circulation 
and more complete oxygenation of the    
blood4 ,the brisker movement of the     
blood after laughter has recently been  
observed in some experimental inquiries 
into the effects of emotional excitement
 of various kinds on the pulse4#ag  ,it 
is not improbable that this expedited   
circulation produces more remote effects
 on the organism4 ,it has been suggested
 that one of the advantages of a 8good  
laugh0 is that it relieves the brain1   
and this would seem to imply that it    
quickens the movement of the blood      
through the fine and readily clogged    
vessels which permeate the              
brain-structures4 #cd  ,and here we find
 ourselves face to face with the        
question3 ,what truth is there in the   
saying that laughter has beneficial     
physiological effects8 ,a curious       
chapter might be written on the views   

propounded1 both by the light-hearted   
reveller and the grave and philosophic  
onlooker1 on the wholesomeness of this  
form of 8bodily exercise04 ,only a bare 
reference to this aspect of the subject 
can1 however1 be given here4  ,to begin 
with1 the unlearned1 who know nothing of
 diaphragms or of congested veins       
needing to be relieved1 have had a      
shrewd conviction that laughter sets the
 current of life moving briskly4        
,proverbs1 such as 8laugh and grow fat10
 attest this common conviction4 ,those  
who have catered to the laughter-lovers 
have not unnaturally made much of this  
salutary influence4 ,the medival writers
 of the laughable story in verse 7the   
8fabliau0 or 8,conte  rire en vers07    
held firmly to the belief in the        
8sanitary virtue0 78vertu saine07 of a  
burst of laughter4  ,this popular view  
has been supported by the weight of     
learned authority4 ,vocal exercises1 of 
which laughing is clearly one1 have been
 recommended by experts from the time of

 ,aristotle as a means of strengthening 
the lungs and of furthering the health  
of the organism as a whole4 ,by many1   
moreover1 laughter has been specifically
 inculcated as a hygienic measure4 ,the 
learned ,burton 7b4 #aegg7 quotes a     
number of physicians in favour of the   
ancient custom of enlivening the feast  
with mirth and jokes4#ah ,the reader may
 find references to the salutary effects
 of laughter in the latest text-books of
 physiology4 ,both by a vigorous        
reinforcement of the actions of the     
large muscles which do the work of      
respiration1 and1 still more1 by the    
beneficial effects of these reinforced  
actions on the functions of the #ce     
lungs and the circulatory apparatus1    
laughter properly finds a place among   
8bodily exercises04#ai  ,the beneficial 
effects of laughter have not been       
overlooked by the pedagogue4 ,mulcaster1
 for example 7born about #aecj71 gives a
 high place to laughing among his       
8physical0 or health-giving exercises4  

,the physiological reasons adduced are  
sometimes funny enough3 for the author  
relies on ,galen and the doctrine of    
8spirits04 ,he thinks that laughter will
 help those who have cold hands and cold
 chests and are troubled with           
melancholia1 since it 8moveth much aire 
in the breast1 and sendeth the warmer   
spirites outward04 ,tickling under the  
armpits may well be added1 seeing that  
these parts have a great store of small 
veins and little arteries 8which being  
tickled so become warme themselves1 and 
from thence disperse heat throughout the
 whole bodie04#bj  ,how far these benign
 effects on health1 which are recognised
 by the modern physician as well as by  
his predecessor1 are due to the vigorous
 reinforcement brought by laughter to   
the work of respiration and of the      
circulation of the blood1 it is not easy
 to say4 ,the latter process reminds one
 of the circulation of pedestrians and  
vehicles in our ,london streets4 ,in a  
general way it manages itself fairly    

well4 ,yet now and again a lusty 8,move 
on60 from a policeman seems to be       
distinctly beneficial4 ,similar benefits
 may be extended to the organs of       
digestion and the rest4  ,at the same   
time we must not lose sight of the      
possibility that laughter may act       
beneficially on our hard-pressed #cf    
frames in another way4 ,as has been     
suggested above1 the lusty cachinnation 
is nature's way of voicing gladness1 a  
sudden increase of pleasure4 ,now it has
 been held by psychologists that        
pleasurable feelings tend to further the
 whole group of organic functions1 by   
adding to the nervous vigour which keeps
 them going4 ,laughter may owe a part of
 its benign influence on our bodily     
state to the fact that it produces a    
considerable increase of vital activity 
by way of heightened nervous            
stimulation4#ba  ,one feature of the    
laughing outburst may pretty safely be  
ascribed to this increase of nervous    
action under pleasurable excitement4 ,in

 all genuinely hilarious moods1 the     
laugh is accompanied by a good deal of  
diffused activity of the voluntary      
muscles4 ,this is seen most clearly in  
the unsophisticated laughter of children
 and savages4 ,the sudden glee which    
starts the laugh starts also movements  
of arm1 leg and trunk1 so that arms flap
 wing-like1 or meet in the joyous clap1 
and the whole body jumps4 ,in older     
people matters may not be carried so    
far1 though there are examples of the   
large shakings of laughter1 notably that
 of ,carlyle's ,teufelsdrckh1 whose     
great laugh was one 8not of the face and
 diaphragm only1 but of the whole man   
from head to heel02 and it is hard      
perhaps for any man taken by the 8stab0 
of a good joke to keep his arms down and
 his body vertical4  ,it may be added   
that this supplementing of the energetic
 #cg respiratory actions by movements of
 the limbs gives to laughter its clear  
title to be called a muscular exercise4 
,as such it is vigorous1 voluminous and 

bordering1 so to speak1 on the violent4 
,its salutary influence1 like that of   
the surgeon's knife1 will consequently  
depend on the celerity of its operation4
  ,here we come to the other column in  
the reckoning4 ,if laughter does good by
 its occasional irruption into a domain 
which otherwise would have too much of  
drowsy monotony1 its benefit is         
rigorously circumscribed4 ,only too     
easily can it overdo the 8flushing0     
part1 and inundate and destroy when it  
should merely cleanse4 ,in other words1 
the mirthful cachinnation1 just because 
it is an irruption1 a disorderly        
proceeding1 must not be unduly          
prolonged4  ,at what moment in a        
prolonged fit of laughter the           
undesirable effects begin to appear1 it 
is not easy to say4 ,it must be         
remembered that a good part of what     
remains of modern laughter is by no     
means pure hilarity4 ,there is in it    
from the first ejaculation something of 
a biting sensation1 or something of a   

melancholy pain4 ,yet1 waiving this and 
looking on what begins as genuine       
hilarity1 we shall find that it is not  
so simple a matter to determine the     
moment when further prolongation of the 
exercise will be weakening rather than  
strengthening4 ,the excitement of       
laughter1 like that of wine1 may in its 
measurements have to be adjusted to     
individual constitution4 ,among the     
humiliations of life may be reckoned the
 discovery of an inability to go on     
laughing at the brilliant descriptions  
of a caricaturist1 and an experience of 
aching exhaustion1 of flabby collapse1  
while others continue the exhilarating  
chorus4  ,it is natural to look on the  
tears which often accompany boisterous  
laughter as an unfavourable symptom4    
,things which do us good should not1 we 
argue1 make us cry4 ,yet #ch we may     
reflect that men have been known to cry 
out of sheer happiness4 ,with some      
laughers1 too1 the moisture may come at 
an earlier stage than with others4 ,was 

,shakespeare1 one wonders1 thinking of a
 violent laughter when he made ,iachimo 
tell ,imogen that her lord ,leonatus had
 mocked the ,french lover's lugubrious  
despondencies 8with his eyes in flood   
with laughter08 ,perhaps in             
,shakespeare's age1 when laughter was   
held in with looser rein1 the tears came
 more readily4  ,according to ,darwin1  
who has made a careful study of         
laughter's tears1 their appearance      
during a violent attack is common to all
 the races of mankind4 ,he connects them
 with the contraction of the muscles    
round the eyes which has for its purpose
 the compressing of the gorged          
blood-vessels and so the protection of  
the eyes4 ,this is the meaning of the   
tears alike in the case of grief and of 
extravagant mirth4 ,the paroxysm of     
excessive laughter thus approaches the  
other extreme of violent grief2 and this
 fact1 ,darwin thinks1 may help us to   
understand how it is that hysterical    
patients and children often laugh and   

cry alternately4#bb  ,however it may be 
with the tears1 there is no doubt that  
violent and prolonged laughter works    
mischief in other ways4 ,the sigh that  
so frequently follows the laugh1 and has
 been supposed to illustrate the wider  
truth that 8all pleasures have a sting  
in the tail10 need not be taken too     
seriously4 ,it is the sign of           
restoration of equilibrium after the    
hilarious upset4 ,the prostrating       
effects of violent laughter were well   
known to ,shakespeare4 ,thus he speaks  
of being 8stabbed0 #ci with laughter1 of
 laughing oneself 8into stitches0--an   
experience which ,milton probably had in
 mind when he wrote of 8laughter holding
 both his sides0--of the heart being    
almost broken 8with extreme laughing0   
and of laughing oneself 8to death04#bc  
,the ,american returns speak of a whole 
,iliad of evil after-effects3 fatigue1  
weakness1 sadness1 giddiness1           
breathlessness and so forth4 ,it may1   
however1 be urged that these unpleasant 

experiences hardly justify us in        
applying to laughter the rather strong  
epithet of 8killing04 ,they are1 under  
normal circumstances1 temporary         
inconveniences only1 and to the lover of
 fun do not seriously count as against  
its substantial blessings4 ,when        
laughter kills1 as it does sometimes1 it
 is because it has degenerated into     
something distinctly abnormal1 allying  
itself to hysterical grief or to the    
unhinging effect of a great mental      
shock4  ,as already noted1 the laugh1   
like the smile which is its beginning1  
is in general an expression of a        
pleasurable state of feeling4 ,among    
unsophisticated children and savage     
adults it is the common mode of         
expressing all considerable intensities 
of pleasure when they involve a sudden  
brightening of the pleasure-tone of     
consciousness1 as in the overflow of    
gladness or good spirits4 ,as such it   
stands in marked dissimilarity to the   
expression of opposite tones of feeling4

 ,to begin with1 it presents a striking 
contrast to states of suffering1 sorrow 
and low spirits in general4 ,it         
illustrates the broad generalisation    
laid down by psychologists that a state 
of pleasure manifests itself in vigorous
 and expansive movements1 whereas a     
state of pain involves a lowering of    
muscular energy and a kind of shrinking 
into oneself4 ,in a more special way it 
forms an antithesis1 in certain of its  
features at least1 to the expression of 
violent #dj suffering4 ,darwin remarks  
that in the production of screams or    
cries of distress the expirations are   
prolonged and continuous and the        
inspirations short and interrupted2     
whereas in the production of laughter we
 have1 as we have seen1 the expirations 
short and broken and the inspirations   
prolonged4 ,this is merely one case of  
the wider generalisation that 8the whole
 expression of a man in good spirits is 
exactly the opposite of that of one     
suffering from sorrow04#bd  ,the value  

of this arrangement as helping us to    
understand one another's feelings is    
obvious4 ,among the many mistakes which 
we are wont to commit in reading our    
children's minds1 that of confusing     
their joy and grief cannot1 fortunately1
 be a frequent one4 ,it is only in      
exceptional and abnormal cases1 where   
the extremes of boisterous mirth and    
grief seem to approach one another1 that
 the language of the one can be mistaken
 for that of the other4  ,a curious     
point1 which the ingenuities of some    
later psychologists compel us to        
consider1 is whether the pleasure1 of   
which laughter is popularly supposed to 
be the outcome or effect1 really stands 
in this relation to it4 ,according to   
the theory here referred to1 of which   
,prof4 ,w4 ,james is the best-known     
advocate in our language1 a blush cannot
 be attributed to an antecedent feeling 
of modesty or shamefacedness3 but for   
the blush there would be no feeling of  
modesty3 in truth1 it is the blush1     

i4e41 the hot sensation of it1 that     
constitutes the feeling4 ,the theory has
 done much to popularise psychology in  
these last days4 ,it is1 ,i have found1 
a plum in a pudding where plums are rare
 for many who read psychology for       
examinations4 ,it seems to be #da       
particularly dear to young women4 ,it   
certainly has about it the charm of a   
lively fancy4  ,but science has1 alas6  
sometimes to do battle with liveliness  
of fancy2 and it has to do this here4   
,by trying to get all your emotions out 
of the organic effects1 you find        
yourself in the awkward situation of    
being unable to say how these organic   
effects themselves are brought about4   
,you must have something of the         
emotional thrill and of the nervous     
thrill which this involves before you   
get that interference with the routine  
action of the muscles of the facial     
capillaries which brings on the blush4  
,not only may the presence of an element
 of feeling at the very beginning of an 

emotional experience be thus shown to be
 a necessary assumption1 it can1 in     
certain cases at least1 be clearly      
observed4 ,this applies more            
particularly to such feelings as the    
admiration of a beautiful landscape or a
 fine bit of harmonised melody4 ,in     
these cases it must1 one would suppose1 
be evident to all that the pleasurable  
emotion is started and sustained by     
numerous currents of agreeable sensation
 pouring in by way of eye or ear1 and by
 the agreeable perceptions which grow   
immediately out of these4 ,to say that  
all the joyous elevation in these       
experiences springs out of the          
secondary1 internally excited           
sensations1 those which accompany the   
altered condition of muscle and gland1  
the heightened pulse-rate1 the bodily   
thrill and the rest1 is surely to       
inflict an undeserved indignity on 8the 
higher senses10 and to exhibit the full 
depth of ludicrous paradox which lurks  
in this theory4#be  ,the case of        

laughter is not quite so clear4 ,it has1
 indeed1 one characteristic which seems 
to favour the #db view that the bodily  
resonance is everything1 namely1 that it
 is easily induced in a mechanical or   
quasi-mechanical manner4 ,it is of all  
the expressive movements the one most   
subject to the force of imitation4      
,children's laughter1 and that excited  
by the popular game1 the 8laughing      
chorus10 clearly illustrate its         
contagious character4#bf ,moreover1 as  
we know1 a fit of laughter may be       
brought on1 in part at least1 by actions
 which presumably reinstate some of the 
physiological elements in the process4  
,thus my son tells me that he was       
overtaken by an irresistible impulse to 
laugh when riding a horse without a     
saddle1 and again when running a race2  
and my daughter had the same tendency at
 the end of her first mountain climb4   
,it seems probable that the movements   
and the changed condition of the        
breathing function are prime causes of  

the irresistible tendency in such cases4
  ,it is1 however1 one thing to allow   
the indisputable fact that laughter can 
be excited in this seemingly mechanical 
way1 another thing to claim for the     
reaction in such cases the value of the 
full joyous outburst4 ,i believe that a 
person who watches his mental processes 
can observe that a merely imitative     
laughter does not bring the whole       
delightful psychosis which arises when  
some agreeable impression initiates the 
movements4  ,to this it must be added   
that in the cases here touched on the   
imitation is not wholly mechanical4     
,when we laugh because others laugh1 do 
we not accept their laughter as a       
playful challenge and fall into the gay 
mood8 ,and are we not1 commonly at      
least1 affected by others' voluminous   
laughter as by a droll sight and sound1 
which directly stimulates the mirthful  
muscles8 ,my son's laughter1 #dc in the 
circumstances just referred to1 seemed  
to be directed to the movements of the  

horse's ears1 and to those of the boy   
running just in front of him4 ,the      
movements of laughter have1 in the case 
of some adults1 come so completely under
 the initiative control of mental       
processes1 that even when powerful      
organic forces prompt the movements1 it 
is necessary to make a show of finding  
some cause of merriment4  ,coming now to
 the ordinary case of the emotional     
reaction1 we note first of all the      
swift1 explosive character of the       
outburst4 ,if the motor discharge follow
 the first swell of joyous feeling1     
which is popularly said to excite it1 it
 seems to do so with such electrical    
rapidity as to make it impossible to    
detect this initial swell as distinctly 
preceding it4 ,yet this fact need not   
baffle our inquiry4 ,when for example we
 laugh at some absurd incongruity in    
speech or manners1 can we not see that  
the perception which starts the laugh is
 an emotional perception1 one which not 
only directs itself to something that   

has emotional interest and value1       
namely1 the incongruous features as     
such1 but is flooded from the very first
 with the gladness of mirth4 ,to say    
that my perception of a big woman       
hanging upon the arm of a small man is a
 purely intellectual affair1 like the   
perception of the inequality of two     
lines in a geometrical figure1 is1 one  
fears1 to confess either to a poverty of
 humorous experience or to a very scanty
 faculty of psychological analysis4     
,but perhaps the clearest disproof of   
this quaint paradox in the realm of     
laughter is supplied by the situation   
already referred to1 that of forced     
abstention from a choral laugh through  
fatigue4 ,when thus 8doubled up0 and    
impotent1 we may be quite capable of    
seizing the funny turns of the good     
8story10 and of feeling all the #dd     
force of the bugle-call of the others'  
laughter4 ,in sooth it is just here that
 the misery of the situation lies1 that 
the joyous sense of fun in the air is   

now robbed of its sturdy ally and so    
reduced to a state of limp inefficiency4
 ,the comicality still makes full       
appeal3 we feel it1 but the feeling is  
denied its full normal outflow4  ,this  
brings us face to face with the kernel1 
the valuable kernel1 of truth which lies
 in what seems at first an empty        
paradoxical nutshell4 ,though the       
8bodily reverberation0 that is1 the     
swiftly returning tidings of a raised or
 depressed nervous activity in outlying 
regions of the organism1 is not         
everything in an emotion1 it is a part1 
and an important part4 ,the full        
experience of the joys of the comic1    
like other full emotional experiences1  
implies that the vents are clear1 that  
the nervous swirl started at the centres
 at the moment when we greet the coming 
of fun with gladness can find its       
customary outflow along the familiar    
channels4 ,not only so1 but as suggested
 above1 this large expansion of the area
 of nervous commotion throughout the    

bodily system gives added life and a    
more distinctive character to the       
enjoyment of fun4  ,i have here supposed
 a perfectly simple instance of laughter
 in which a sudden increase of pleasure 
up to the point of gladness brings on   
the reaction4 ,even in this case1       
however1 there is some complication1    
some reciprocal action between the      
out-pouring mental gladness and the     
in-pouring somatic resonance4 ,in a     
good1 prolonged laugh the bodily factor 
does undoubtedly react upon the         
psycho-physical process which makes up  
the mental gaiety1 and this means that  
it precedes the later stages of this    
process4 ,in all cases where this       
central psycho-physical factor is       
complex and requires time for its #de   
completion1 the interactions between it 
and the bodily factor become vital4 ,as 
hinted in the preceding chapter1 the    
reflective intuitions which are said by 
certain theorists to be the cause1 and  
so to precede laughter1 are often       

after-thoughts4 ,this means that when   
the laughing apparatus is set and ready 
to discharge1 the first joyous          
perception of something funny1 though   
utterly vague with respect to the       
particular features and relations       
wherein lies the funniness1 suffices to 
bring on the reaction1 which instantly  
reinforces the gladsome mood4 ,and the  
jollity may sustain itself for a while  
mainly as a fit of laughter2 though     
swift mental glances are all along being
 shot across the spasms at the provoking
 8object10 glances which make clearer   
and clearer the ludicrous features1 and 
by so doing raise the force of the      
mental stimulus4  ,if1 as we have seen  
to be probable1 laughter is within      
limits a good exercise1 bringing a      
considerable increase of pleasurable    
activity and furthering the sense of    
bodily well-being1 we can easily        
understand how essential it is to the   
full realisation of good spirits and the
 hilarious mood4 ,its explosive         

movements seem1 indeed1 to belong to the
 state of exhilaration1 of conscious    
expansion1 and to give it much of its   
piquant flavour3 whence the hardship of 
losing breath through excessive         
indulgence1 or having to stifle the     
impulse to laugh at its birth when      
exposed to the shocked look of the      
agelast4 ,the deep1 forcible            
chest-movements bring a sense of        
heightened energy1 of a high-tide       
fulness of the life-current4 ,the       
voluminous mass of sensation which they 
supply1 partly in the stirring sounds   
which react on the laugher's own ears1  
and partly in the large1 exhilarating   
effects in the viscera1 is in itself a  
vast expansion of our consciousness4    
,this sudden rise of the tide in our    
organic life is a part at least of that 
sense #df of 8sudden glory0 which the   
sight of the ludicrous is said to bring 
us4  ,that this organic swell is a large
 factor1 is1 ,i think1 shown in more    
ways than one4 ,to name but one fact2 we

 may begin a laugh with something of    
bitterness1 something of malignity in   
our hearts2 but end it having a freer1  
serener consciousness1 as if the        
laughter had been a sort of cleansing   
process1 and1 like another and widely   
different 1 substituted a happy and     
peaceful for a disturbed and unhappy    
state of feeling4 ,it will be seen      
presently that among the causes of      
laughter1 a moment's relaxation of      
strain--muscular1 intellectual or       
emotional tension--is one of the most   
common1 if it be not universal4 ,the    
delicious sense of relief which the     
collapse of the strained attitude brings
 us may no doubt be due to a            
consciousness of the transition1 the    
escape from pressure of the moment      
before4 ,at the same time1 it is not    
improbable that the physiological       
processes of laughter themselves1 by    
securing organic relief and refreshment1
 contribute a large element to the whole
 mental state4  ,a like remark applies  

to the element of disagreeable feeling  
which frequently1 at least1 makes our   
laughter a mixed experience3--      ,our
 sincerest laughter     ,with some pain 
is fraught4  ,shelley was hardly the    
person1 one suspects1 to judge of the   
quality of men's laughter3 yet his      
couplet contains an element of truth4   
,this mixture of elements is1 no doubt1 
largely due to the initiating perception
 itself2 for1 as we shall see1 the      
laughable spectacle commonly shows us in
 the background something regrettable4  
,but it seems reasonable to say that the
 element of sadness in our hilarity has 
its organic support in the unpleasant   
feeling-tones #dg which accompany the   
effects of all violent and prolonged    
laughter4#bg  ,what may be the precise  
proportions between the initial or      
8cerebral0 joy and the joy reverberated 
by the organism we have no data for     
determining4 ,there seems something     
plausible in the contention that the    
former1 when it lacks the reinforcement 

of the latter1 is but a 8thin0 and      
8pale0 feeling4 ,this view may be       
supported by the fact that the response 
of the body is never wholly silenced4   
,even when a man controls his laughter1 
say in church1 he is aware of a swift   
spasm in the throat4 ,but there are     
facts which tell powerfully in the other
 direction4 ,we never stifle the organic
 resonance without introducing other and
 distinctly adverse influences4 ,when by
 a forcible effort we hold back our     
laughter this effort itself1 as an      
artificial and difficult attitude1 does 
much to spoil the whole experience4 ,the
 conflict between the impulse to laugh  
and the curbing will is distinctly      
disagreeable1 and may readily grow into 
an acute suffering4 ,and when the       
corporeal reverberation fails through   
sheer fatigue1 this fatigue1 both in    
itself and in its antagonism to the     
appeal to mirth1 becomes a large factor 
in the whole experience4 ,we must       
consequently wait for this knowledge of 

the precise shares contributed by the   
two factors1 until some ingenious       
experimenter can succeed in exciting the
 mirthful mood and at the same time     
cutting off the bodily reverberation    
without inducing a new organic          
consciousness2 or1 on the other hand1   
can devise a method of securing for us  
in some utterly serious moment the full 
bodily reverberation of laughter1 say by
 electrically #dh stimulating our       
respiratory muscles4 ,it may be         
predicted with some confidence that this
 waiting will be a long one4  ,here     
again1 as in the case of the smile1 we  
have to note various deviations from the
 typical form of the expression4 ,when  
laughter no longer springs from pure    
joy1 but has in it something of a       
sardonic bitterness1 or something of a  
contemptuous defiance1 the experience   
will of course be complicated by a new  
ingredient of consciousness4 ,whether   
this change of experience is due merely 
to the difference in the initial mental 

attitude may be doubted4 ,it is not     
improbable that the physiological       
processes1 that is to say1 the          
respiratory movements1 the vocalisation1
 and the more diffused organic effects1 
will be altered in such cases4 ,a bitter
 laugh seems both to taste differently  
and to sound differently from a         
perfectly joyous one4  ,in these        
deviations from the typical laugh of the
 joyous mood we see the beginning of the
 intrusion of a new factor1 the will4   
,there is more of intention to be heard 
in1 say1 the ironical laughter of one   
side of the ,house of ,commons than in  
the laughter of an unsophisticated      
child4  ,this intrusion of will serves  
both to restrain the natural process1   
reducing it to a degraded and           
rudimentary form1 and to originate      
various affected counterfeits of the    
spontaneous outburst4 ,this double      
action supports the idea that the       
conventions of polite society aim not   
merely at suppressing the 8vulgar0 kind 

of explosion1 but at evoking the signs  
of amusement when an effort is being    
made to amuse4 ,hence the multiplicity  
of weird utterances which cultivated    
humanity has adopted4 ,the giggle1 the  
titter1 the snicker and the rest appear 
to be not merely reduced or             
half-suppressed laughter1 but           
substitutes which can readily #di be    
produced when the occasion asks for     
them4#bh ,those who confine themselves  
to this debased laughter are naturally  
despised by the much-laughing soul4     
,carlyle--himself a voluminous laugher  
at times--when writing of               
,teufelsdrckh's great laugh hurls       
contempt on these triflers with the big 
things of mirth in this wise3 they 8only
 sniff and titter and sniggle from the  
throat outwards2 or at best produce some
 whiffling1 husky cachinnation1 as if   
they were laughing through wool04#bi ,an
 accurate scientific record of these    
strange perversions of laughter1 even   
though it were less picturesque than    

,carlyle's description1 would be of     
considerable value4 ,the laughter-lover 
may at least console himself for the    
injury done him by this kind of         
imitation with the reflection that it is
 empty of joy1 and even of the          
refreshing sensations which issue from  
the genuine laugh4 ,nay1 more1 as a     
forced performance1 it presumably has a 
disagreeable feeling of irksomeness as  
its accompaniment4  ,it is sad to       
reflect that these spurious varieties of
 laughter are apt to appear early in the
 life of the individual4 ,preyer tells  
us he was able to distinguish1 in the   
third year of his boy's utterances1 the 
genuine laugh of hilarity from that of  
imitation1 which was probably rather    
more forced4 ,possibly they all appear  
among that wondrous gathering of queer  
sounds for which infancy is famous1 and 
may be permanently selected by a certain
 number of 8highly proper0 children in  
preference to the fuller sounds4  #ej   
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,occasions ,,and     

,,causes ,,of ,,laughter4   ,it seemed  
desirable to examine the process of     
laughter itself before taking up the    
much-discussed question of its causes4  
,in considering this side of our        
subject1 we shall1 as already hinted1   
take a comprehensive view of the        
occasions and modes of production of the
 mirthful outburst1 and approach the    
narrower problem of the nature and mode 
of action of the ludicrous by way of    
this larger inquiry4  ,according to the 
common assumption1 laughter1 in ordinary
 cases1 is excited by some provocative1 
to speak more precisely1 by some        
sense-presentation1 or its              
representative idea1 such as a 8funny0  
sensation1 the sight of a droll human   
figure1 or a quaint fancy4 ,yet we must 
not assume that such an initial         
presentation occurs in all cases4 ,as is
 implied in what has been said above    
about the laughter of 8good spirits10   
and as we shall see more clearly        
presently1 there are cases where        

laughter takes on the appearance of a   
spontaneous or 8automatic0 group of     
movements4  #a4 ,it may be well1        
however1 to begin our inquiry by        
touching on those varieties of laughter 
in which the action of a sense-stimulus 
is apparent4 ,and it will be convenient 
to select a form of distinctly provoked 
laughter in which the intellectual      
processes play only a subordinate part4 
,the effect of tickling is clearly of   
this kind1 and as one of the #ea        
simplest modes of exciting laughter it  
seems to claim our first attention here4
 ,since1 moreover1 it is the mode of    
exciting laughter of which our knowledge
 has been rendered in a measure precise 
by means of experiment1 ,i propose to   
deal with it at some length4  ,the      
experience of being tickled is best     
described in its entirety as a          
sensational reflex2 that is to say1 a   
motor reaction on a process of sensory  
stimulation which produces a well-marked
 variety of sensation4 ,to speak of     

titillation as if it were merely the    
production of a certain kind of         
sensation is unscientific4 ,it involves 
the excitation of certain movements1 and
 where these are not forthcoming we must
 infer1 either that the sensory part of 
the process is defective1 or that the   
motor impulse is inhibited in some way4 
,the stimulation in this case is1 as we 
all know1 a light tactile one4 ,the     
agent commonly applied is the finger or 
a still softer body1 such as a feather4 
,the mode of contact is light1 or at    
least does not commonly rise to the     
point of heavy pressure4 ,the manner of 
contact is usually intermittent1 the    
finger or fingers giving a series of    
short and staccato impacts4 ,movements  
of the fingers from point to point      
commonly accompany the series of        
contacts4 ,in some cases1 however1 a    
single light touch1 or even a continuous
 touch with movement from point to      
point1 may suffice to induce the proper 
effect4  ,the precise nature of the     

sensations is not yet fully understood4 
,it is pretty clear that the 8minimal   
stimuli0 here employed do not give rise 
to purely tactile sensations of low     
intensity4 ,this seems to be established
 by the fact brought out by ,dr4 ,louis 
,robinson that the parts of the skin    
having the most acute tactile           
sensibility1 the tips of the fingers and
 the tip of the tongue1 are 8scarcely at
 all sensitive #eb to titillation04#cj  
,it has been pointed out by ,wundt that 
the sensations in this case1 as in that 
of some other skin sensations1 tend to  
spread themselves out1 other and even   
distant parts of the surface being      
engaged by means of the mechanism of    
reflex sensation4#ca ,this in itself    
suggests that the sensations of tickling
 are more allied to organic than to     
purely tactile sensations4 ,it is       
supposed that the light stimuli set up  
in the skin certain organic changes1    
more particularly modifications of the  
circulation of blood in the small       

vessels4#cb  ,it is well known that not 
all parts of the skin are equally       
susceptible of the effect of tickling4  
,certain areas1 for example1 the sole of
 the foot and the armpit1 are commonly  
said to be 8ticklish places04 ,in the   
answers to questions sent out by ,dr4   
,stanley ,hall we find the order1 as    
determined by most frequent naming of   
the part1 to be as follows3 the sole of 
the foot1 the armpit1 the neck and part 
under the chin1 the ribs1 and so forth4 
,the inquiries brought out the fact that
 there are considerable differences of  
experience here1 some saying that they  
were ticklish in all parts1 others only 
in one4 ,the method adopted in this     
inquiry clearly affords no accurate     
measurement of comparative              
sensibility4#cc #ec  ,a more scientific 
attempt to measure this was made by ,dr4
 ,louis ,robinson1 who carried out a    
large number of experiments on children 
from two to four years of age with the  
definite purpose of testing the degree  

of responsiveness by way of laughter4   
,according to his results the order of  
decreasing sensibility is as follows3   
7#a7 the region in front of the neck2   
7#b7 the ribs2 7#c7 axillae2 7#d7 bend  
of elbow2 7#e7 junction of ribs and     
abdominal muscles2 7#f7 flanks2 7#g7    
region of the hip joint2 7#h7 upper     
anterior part of the thigh4#cd  ,a      
glance at these statements shows that   
the determination of the scale of       
ticklish sensibility over the surface is
 not yet completed4 ,dr4 ,l4 ,robinson1 
by the way1 mentions neither the sole1 a
 highly ticklish spot in the popular    
creed1 nor the palm1 which1 as we shall 
see1 is decidedly a ticklish region4#ce 
,it is highly desirable that more       
precise experimental inquiries should be
 directed to these local variations of  
ticklishness1 and that1 after the seats 
of the higher degrees of the sensibility
 have been ascertained1 the question    
should be considered whether these are  
marked off by any definite peculiarities

 of structure4  ,it is probable that the
 sensations included under the head of  
ticklishness are not all of the same    
quality4 ,it seems safe to say that in  
all cases the sensation is complex to   
this extent1 that it is composed of a   
tactile and an organic factor4 ,but we  
may see that the complexity is often    
greater than this4 ,an obvious instance 
is the addition #ed of a peculiarly     
irritating effect when the orifice of   
the ear or nostril is tickled1 an effect
 due to the action of the stimulus on   
the hairs1 which are specially abundant 
here4#cf ,some surfaces1 too1 which are 
free from hair1 appear to be endowed    
with a special modification of the      
ticklish sensibility4 ,in my own case1  
at any rate1 light touches on the sole1 
have1 as long as ,i can remember1       
excited sensations which seem to have   
almost a character of their own4 ,a     
further complication probably occurs    
when the tickling grows rougher and     
approaches to a digging of the fingers  

into the soft parts of the armpits2 for 
here the nerve-endings lying deeper are 
pretty certainly stimulated4  ,lastly1  
it is important to add that prolongation
 of the tickling seems to introduce     
changes in the intensity1 if not also in
 the quality of the sensations4 ,hence  
it would appear that the sensations     
falling under the head of ticklishness1 
though they have certain common         
characteristics1 may vary considerably4 
,since we are here concerned with these 
sensations as provocatives of laughter1 
it behoves us to look rather closely at 
their feeling-tones4 ,as largely organic
 sensations they may be expected to have
 a strongly marked element of the       
agreeable or disagreeable2 and this is  
what we find4 ,i1 at least1 cannot      
conceive of myself as having the proper 
sensational experience of tickling1 and 
yet being wholly indifferent4  ,when1   
however1 we ask what is the precise     
feeling-tone of one of these sensations1
 we find no simple answer forthcoming4  

,some psychologists view them as having1
 in general1 an unpleasant character4#cg
 ,on the other hand1 children are #ee   
certainly fond of being tickled1 ask for
 it1 and make a pastime of it4 ,this at 
once suggests that we have here to do   
with a complexity of feeling-tone1 as1  
indeed1 our study of the sensations     
would lead us to suppose4  ,it is1 ,i   
think1 a plausible supposition that no  
sensation coming under the head of      
tickling is merely agreeable or         
disagreeable4 ,it seems always to be of 
a mixed feeling-tone3 some sensational  
elements being pleasant1 others         
unpleasant1 though analysis may be      
unable to attribute with exactness their
 respective tones to the several        
elements4  ,adopting this hypothesis1 we
 should expect that the differences in  
the composition of the sensations       
already dealt with would lead to the    
result that1 whereas some are           
preponderantly agreeable1 others are    
rather disagreeable4 ,and this1 ,i      

believe1 accords with the results of    
observation4 ,the tickling sensations   
excited by stimulating the hairy        
orifices of the ear and the nostril are 
said by ,dr4 ,louis ,robinson to be     
8distinctly distasteful04 ,the          
sensations produced by tickling the sole
 of the foot are commonly held1 at least
 by older children and adults1 to be    
disagreeable in all degrees of their    
intensity4 ,this certainly accords with 
my own self-observation4 ,the lightest  
touch1 say from a shampooer's hand1 is  
to me distinctly 8nasty10 with an       
uncanny nastiness which ,i cannot hope  
to describe4  ,an example of a          
distinctly agreeable sensation of       
tickling is1 curiously enough1 supplied 
by another hairless surface1 closely    
analogous to the sole1 namely the palm4 
,a lady1 who is an excellent observer of
 children and endowed with an           
exceptional memory of her early         
experiences1 tells me that when a child 
she loved to have her hands tickled4    

,her feeling was a kind of 8awful joy10 
the awfulness coming #ef from a vague   
suspicion that the pastime was not quite
 proper4 ,other preponderantly agreeable
 varieties appear to be the sensations  
produced by the lighter stimulation of  
those parts which seem in a special way 
to be laughter-provoking areas1 e4g41   
the armpits and ribs4 ,this is1 at      
least1 suggested by the fact that       
younger children love to be tickled in  
these parts in moderation1 and will ask 
to have the pastime renewed4  ,an       
important characteristic of these       
feeling-tones is their unsteadiness or  
changefulness4 ,although at a particular
 moment we may be able to detect clearly
 a slight preponderance of the agreeable
 or of the disagreeable aspect1 it is   
only for a moment4 ,an increase in the  
degree of pressure1 a further           
prolongation of the stimulation1 or even
 a slight variation in the mode of      
contact1 may suffice to bring up and    
render prominent the opposed            

feeling-phase4  ,we may now pass to the 
motor reactions1 which are of more      
especial interest in the present        
connection4 ,overlooking the less       
conspicuous elements1 such as the       
contraction of the muscles of the hairs1
 we find that there are two easily      
distinguishable groups of movements3 7a7
 a number of protective or defensive    
reactions which are adapted to warding  
off or escaping from the attack of the  
tickling stimulus2 7b7 movements        
expressive of pleasure and rollicking   
enjoyment1 from the smile up to         
uproarious and prolonged laughter4  ,the
 defensive movements are such as the    
following3--retraction of the foot and  
leg when the sole is tickled2 the       
bending of the head to the shoulder when
 the neck is tickled2 the rendering of  
the body concave on the side which is   
attacked2 the thrusting away of the hand
 of the tickler2 wriggling and fencing  
with the arms when a child is tickled   
lying on his back4 ,these movements     

appear to #eg introduce important       
modifications into the sensations       
excited by tickling4 ,dr4 ,louis        
,robinson tells us that the flexing of  
the foot when tickled transforms an     
unpleasant sensation into a rather      
pleasant one4  ,we may now pass to the  
point of chief importance for our       
present study1 the conditions of the    
laughter-reaction during a process of   
tickling4 ,this reaction is clearly the 
typical form of childish risibility4    
,it has been already more or less       
clearly implied1 that we cannot mark off
 the laughter in this case as an effect 
determined by any assignable differences
 in the characteristics of the          
sensations involved4 ,dr4 ,louis        
,robinson thinks that the tickling which
 provokes laughter is a special variety 
involving the stimulation of the        
deeper-lying nerves4 ,dr4 ,leonard      
,hill1 who has specially tested this    
point for me1 writes1 8,there is no     
difference in response to deep and      

superficial tickling02 and again1 8,i am
 sure that the most delicate superficial
 stimulation can provoke laughter04     
,this certainly seems to agree with     
ordinary observation4 ,one of the most  
laughter-provoking forms of tickling    
consists of a series of pianissimo      
touches4  ,again1 in speaking of        
ticklish areas of the skin1 we must be  
careful not to restrict the titillation 
which calls forth laughter to any       
assignable region4 ,it is undeniable    
that there are areas which more readily 
respond1 in the case of children        
generally1 to the tickling provocation4 
,the armpits perhaps will occur to most 
readers2 and it is noticeable that      
,darwin speaks of the anthropoid apes   
giving out 8a reiterated sound1         
corresponding with our laughter1 when   
they are tickled1 especially under the  
armpits04#ch ,this #eh fact1 however1   
does not imply that the area of         
sensibility is circumscribed4 ,dr4      
,leonard ,hill assures me1 as a result  

of his investigations1 that laughter    
under favourable conditions may be      
excited by tickling any part of the     
body4 ,dr4 ,l4 ,robinson in a letter    
explains to me that he agrees with ,dr4 
,l4 ,hill here4 ,he finds that if a     
child is in a ticklish mood1 the        
tickling of any part or even the threat 
of doing so will suffice to provoke     
laughter4 ,on the other hand1 we cannot 
speak of any part of the surface as one1
 the tickling of which will uniformly   
call forth laughter4 ,here again1 as we 
shall see1 the influence of mental      
agencies modifies the result4  ,now     
these facts suggest that even those     
varieties of tickling which produce a   
sensation having a well-marked          
disagreeable tone may excite the        
response of laughter4 ,the tickling of  
the sole of the foot not only provokes  
laughter in an infant2 it tends to do   
so1 ,i believe1 in an adult1 who may at 
the same time express his dislike of the
 sensation by a grimace4  ,it seems     

impossible then to conclude that the    
laughter which arises from tickling is a
 mere expression of the pleasure-tone of
 a sensational process4 ,even if we     
supposed that in all cases the          
sensations were preponderantly          
agreeable1 it would still be impossible 
to account for the energy of the        
reaction by the intensity of the        
sensuous enjoyment experienced4  ,that  
we have not to do here merely with the  
effect of agreeable stimulation is shown
 by the fact that when a child laughs   
under1 and is said to enjoy1 a process  
of titillation1 the laughter is         
accompanied by defensive movements4     
,when1 for example1 a child is tickled  
on its back1 it will1 says ,dr4         
,robinson1 8wriggle about1 fencing with 
its arms and dodging the attacks of its 
playmate 4 4 4 laughing all the time #ei
 with open mouth and teeth fully        
displayed04 ,this surely suggests that  
the laughter is not merely the result of
 an agreeable sensation1 but rather of a

 complex mental state1 in which the     
agreeable and disagreeable elements of  
sensation appear to play only a         
secondary rle4  ,nor again does it seem 
as if the mere transition from an       
agreeable to a disagreeable sensation1  
or the reverse process1 would account   
for the laughter of tickling4 ,a person 
highly sensitive to the effect of       
tickling can imitate the process by     
movements of his own fingers1 and       
produce quite similar sensations of     
varying feeling-tone without            
experiencing the faintest impulse to    
laugh4 ,again we know that other        
experiences1 such as scratching a sore  
place when it is healing up1 involve an 
alternation of moments of agreeable and 
disagreeable feeling-tone1 and yet are  
not provocative of laughter4  ,these and
 other familiar facts point to the      
conclusion that the laughter excited by 
tickling is not a net effect of the     
sensory stimulation4 ,it is no doubt    
broadly determined by the               

characteristics of the sensations4      
,intensely disagreeable ones would      
certainly not call forth the laughing   
response4 ,but the determining          
conditions include1 in addition to a    
sequence of sensations1 a higher        
psychical factor1 namely1 an            
apperceptive process or assignment of   
meaning to the sensations4 ,this        
conclusion is borne out by the fact that
 the laughter-reaction occurs first of  
all 7to give the earliest date7 in the  
second month--presumably in the second  
half of this month4 ,the presence of    
such a psychical factor is more strongly
 supported by the fact1 already referred
 to1 that the reaction does not occur in
 the first three months save when mental
 agencies co-operate2 and that          
throughout the ticklish period an       
exactly similar process of titillative  
stimulation applied to the same area of 
the #fj skin will now produce laughter1 
now fail to do so1 according to the     
varying mood of the child4#ci  ,that the

 interpretation of the sensation is the 
decisive element in eliciting laughter  
may1 ,i think1 be seen by a simple      
experiment which any reader who is      
ticklish may carry out upon himself4    
,the next time he happens to have a     
subjective1 creepy skin sensation1 he   
will find that he can bring on either   
laughter or a very different state of   
feeling by adopting one of two ways of  
mentally envisaging what is happening4  
,the merest suggestion of an invading   
parasite suffices1 ,i believe1 to set up
 a mental state which completely        
inhibits the impulse to laugh4  ,we may 
now seek to assign with more precision  
the mental conditions which induce the  
mode of apperception favourable to      
laughter4  ,beginning with the          
8objective0 characteristics1 those which
 reside in the tickling experience      
itself1 we may observe how much         
apprehension of meaning has to do with  
the 8funniness0 of the experience4 ,it  
is to be noticed at the outset that when

 we are tickled there is an element of  
the unknown in the process4 ,this seems 
to have been recognised by ,darwin when 
he laid emphasis on the fact that the   
more ticklish parts are those rarely    
touched1 at least on small areas1 and1  
one may add1 lightly4#dj ,the familiar  
fact that one cannot tickle oneself     
points to the same conclusion4 ,a person
 who tries to do this knows too much    
about what is going on4 ,dr4 ,ch4       
,richet observes1 however1 that one can 
tickle oneself by means of a feather2   
and he1 as ,i think #fa rightly1        
explains this apparent exception by     
saying that in the attempt to tickle    
oneself with the finger1 the double     
sensation1 of the finger and the part   
tickled1 seems to inhibit the effect1   
whereas1 when the feather is interposed 
this obstacle is eliminated4#da  ,other 
facts1 too1 seem to point to the        
importance of an element of the unknown4
 ,the common way of tickling a child is 
by running the fingers with             

discontinuous contact over the skin4    
,dr4 ,l4 ,hill describes his mode of    
tickling in one case as running the     
fingers up the child's arm like a mouse4
 ,this evidently brings in an element of
 local uncertainty as well as of change4
 ,the effect is increased when1 as      
frequently happens1 there are pauses    
between the attacks of the fingers4     
,the invasion of the skin-territory1    
like that of larger territories1 is1 it 
would seem1 likely to be more effective 
when it has an element of               
unpredictableness4 ,the uncertainty is1 
,i believe1 sometimes increased by      
half-voluntary variations in the        
direction and in the velocity of the    
tickling movements4 ,whether the fact   
communicated by ,dr4 ,l4 ,robinson1 that
 a child is more ticklish when dressed  
than when undressed1 is explained by the
 increased obscurity of the process in  
the former case1 ,i am not sure4 ,it is 
worth noting1 however1 that some of the 
areas said to be most ticklish1 e4g41   

the armpits and the neck1 are           
inaccessible to sight4 ,i believe1 too1 
that when a child gives himself up to   
the full excitement of tickling he makes
 no attempt to see what is going on4    
,now touches of unknown origin at places
 not closely observable have something  
of a disturbing character4 ,a touch is  
always an attack1 and has1 so to speak1 
to be #fb condoned4 ,this disturbing    
element ,i regard as an essential       
element in the experience3 it goes along
 with the faintly disagreeable element  
of sensation1 which1 as we have assumed1
 is commonly1 if not always1 more or    
less clearly recognisable in the        
experience4#db ,yet it is certain that  
the disturbing effect 7like the         
disagreeableness of the sensation7 is   
limited4 ,if the unknown bulks too      
largely and comes near the point of the 
alarming1 the effect of laughter is     
wholly counteracted4 ,this is a part of 
the explanation of the refusal of a     
child to be tickled by a stranger3 for  

he knows here too little of what is     
going to happen1 and consequently is    
disposed to fear4 ,again1 ,dr4 ,l4 ,hill
 informs me that 8tickling a child      
unexpectedly and from an unseen quarter 
will not provoke laughter03 the element 
of surprise would seem in this case to  
be too great4 ,possibly the comparative 
difficulty of making a child laugh when 
naked may be explained by the increased 
apprehensiveness which goes with the    
defenceless state of nudity4 ,the       
familiar fact that the readiness to     
laugh increases with practice1 points to
 the same need of a certain comfortable 
assurance lying safely below the slight 
superficial apprehensions which are     
excited by the stimuli4  ,all this      
suggests1 that in order to call forth   
the glad response of laughter1 we must  
secure a certain adjustment of stimulus 
to mental attitude4 ,the tickling must  
fit in with a particular mood1 the state
 of mind which makes enjoyment of fun   
not only possible but welcome4  ,now it 

is clear that non-adjustment may arise1 
not only from the presence of unsuitable
 characteristics in the mode #fc of     
stimulation1 but from some antagonistic 
force in the child's previous state of  
mind4 ,the acceptance of the attack in  
good part depends on the preceding      
attitude4 ,the dreadfully serious1      
8on-the-alarm0 attitude of the child    
when nursed by a stranger is an         
effectual bar to playful overtures4 ,a  
child when cross will not1 says ,dr4 ,l4
 ,hill1 give genial response1 even if   
the attacker be his familiar tickler1   
father or nurse2 and the same is true1  
he adds1 of a child when suffering from 
vaccination1 or when mentally           
preoccupied with some hurt for which he 
is seeking for sympathy1 or with a story
 which he wants you to tell him4 ,as    
,darwin puts it1 the great subjective   
condition of the laughter of tickling is
 that the child's mind be in 8a         
pleasurable condition10 the state of    
mind which welcomes fun in all its      

forms4 ,possibly the position of lying  
on the back1 which1 according to ,dr4   
,l4 ,robinson1 makes children more      
responsive to tickling1 may1 through a  
relaxation of the muscles1 favour this  
compliant attitude of self-abandonment  
to the tickling fingers4  ,we may       
perhaps sum up the special conditions of
 the laughter-process under tickling as 
follows3 when a child is tickled he is  
thrown into an attitude of indefinite   
expectancy4 ,he is expecting contact1   
but cannot be sure of the exact moment  
or of the locality4 ,this element of    
uncertainty would in itself develop the 
attitude into one of uneasiness and     
apprehensiveness2 and this happens save 
when the child is happy and disposed to 
take things lightly and as play4 ,in    
this case we may suppose that the       
half-developed mild form of fear is each
 time swiftly dissolved into nothing by 
a recognition of the unreality of the   
cause1 of the fact that the touches are 
harmless and come from the good-natured 

mother or nurse by way of play4 ,this   
recognition becomes clearer as the      
process is continued1 and so there      
supervenes a new attitude1 that of play1
 in which all #fd serious interpretation
 is abandoned and the gentle attacks are
 accepted as fun or make-believe4  ,if  
this is a correct analysis of the       
experience of the tickling which excites
 laughter1 we seem to have in it at a   
very early age elements which are to be 
found1 in a more fully developed form1  
in the later and more complex sorts of  
mirth1 namely1 relief from a serious and
 constrained attitude1 a transition from
 a momentary apprehension induced by the
 presentation of the partially unknown1 
to a joyous sense of harmless           
make-believe4 ,that this is so is       
further evidenced by the familiar fact  
that a child1 when used to the game1    
will begin to laugh vigorously when you 
only threaten with the advancing        
fingers4 ,as a ,german writer observes1 
this is a clear case of ,lipps' theory  

of annihilated expectation2#dc only he  
omits to note that the laughter depends1
 not on the mere fact of annihilation1  
but on the peculiar conditions of it in 
this case1 involving a slight shock at  
the approach of something partially     
unknown to a specially sensitive region 
of the organism1 and the instant        
correction of the apprehension by a     
recognition of its harmlessness4  ,much 
the same kind of stimulative process    
seems to be present in the other and    
allied cases of reflex or quasi-reflex  
laughter4 ,it is well known that certain
 sense-stimuli which excite sensations  
of a disagreeable character1 but which1 
though acute1 are not violent1 such as  
the application of a cold douche1 are   
apt to provoke laughter4 ,according to  
the ,german authority just quoted1 the  
effect depends here1 too1 on variation  
in respect of the intensity and the     
locality of the stimulation4 ,he found  
further1 in carrying out psychological  
experiments1 that whereas the           

introduction of a stronger stimulus than
 was expected is apt to excite          
apprehension in #fe the subject1 that of
 a weaker stimulus will excite          
laughter4#dd ,here1 too1 we seem to have
 a sensational reflex in which is       
present a distinctly mental element1    
viz41 a moment of mild shock and        
apprehension at the sudden coming of    
something disagreeable and partially    
unknown1 instantly followed by another  
moment of dissolution of shock in a     
pleasurable recognition of the          
harmlessness of the assault4  #b4       
,laughter is not1 however1 always of    
this reflex form4 ,it may arise without 
sensory stimulation in an 8automatic0   
manner as the result of a cerebral      
rather than of a peripheral process4    
,this is illustrated by the seemingly   
causeless laughter which breaks out in  
certain abnormal states and has an      
8uncanny0 aspect for the sane observer4 
,a well-known example of this is the    
effect of the action on the brain       

centres of laughing gas and other       
substances4 ,such 8automatisms0 occur1  
however1 within the limits of normal    
experience1 as when a person laughs     
during a state of high emotional        
tension4 ,i propose to speak of such    
seemingly uncaused reactions as nervous 
laughter4#de  ,a common and simple      
variety of this nervous laughter is the 
spasmodic outburst that often succeeds a
 shock of fear4 ,a child will laugh     
after being frightened by a dog2 a woman
 often breaks out into a nervous laugh  
after a short but distinctly shaking    
experience of fear1 e4g41 in a carriage 
behind a runaway horse1 or in a boat    
which has nearly capsized4 ,and it does 
not seem that such laughter is preceded 
by a perception of the absurdity of the 
fear1 or of any similar mode of         
consciousness2 it looks like a kind of  
physiological reaction after the fear4  
#ff  ,the same thing will show itself in
 circumstances which give rise to a     
prolonged mental attitude1 involving a  

feeling of apprehensiveness and of      
constraint4 ,thus a shy man1 making his 
first essay as a public speaker1 will   
sometimes betray his nervousness on the 
platform by weird little explosions of  
laughter as well as by awkward gestures4
 ,i have noted the same thing in        
strangers to whom ,i have spoken at a   
table d'hte abroad4 ,the way in which   
little spasms of laughter are apt to    
intrude themselves into situations      
which1 by making us the object of       
others' special attention1 bring an     
awkward consciousness of insecurity1 is 
further illustrated in the behaviour of 
many boys and girls when summoned to an 
interview with the ,head1 in the        
laughter which often follows the going  
up to take a prize before a large       
assembly1 and the like4 ,the strong     
tendency to laugh which many persons    
experience during a solemn ceremony1 say
 a church service1 may sometimes        
illustrate the same effect4 ,when an    
enforced attitude1 difficult to maintain

 for the required length of time1 brings
 on the impulse1 this will gather       
strength from the growth of a feeling of
 apprehension lest we should not be     
equal to the test imposed4  ,another    
variety1 coming under the head of       
nervous laughter1 is the sudden outburst
 which now and again occurs in a state  
of great emotional strain1 having a     
distinctly painful character1 especially
 when it includes something in the      
nature of a shock4 ,the news of the     
death of an acquaintance has been known 
to excite a paroxysm of laughter in a   
company of young persons from nineteen  
to twenty-four years of age4#df ,one may
 assume here that the #fg outbreak is   
not the direct result of the news1 but  
depends on the effect of the shock1 with
 the abnormal cerebral tension which    
this involves4  ,a like spasmodic       
outburst of laughter occasionally occurs
 during a more prolonged state of       
painful emotional excitement4 ,it       
sometimes intrudes itself into a bout of

 physical suffering4 ,lange speaks of a 
young man who1 when treated for         
ulceration of the tongue by a very      
painful caustic1 regularly broke out    
into violent laughter when the pain     
reached its maximum4#dg ,many persons   
when thrown into a prolonged state of   
grief1 accompanied by weeping1 exhibit a
 tendency to break out into laughter    
towards the end of the fit4 ,shakespeare
 illustrates this tendency when he makes
 ,titus ,andronicus1 whose hand has been
 cut off1 answer the question why he    
laughed with the exclamation3 8,why ,i  
have not another tear to shed04#dh  ,can
 we find a common element in these      
different forms of nervous or apparently
 unmotived laughter8 ,we appear to have 
in all of them a preceding state of     
consciousness which is exceptionally    
intense and concentrated4 ,the situation
 of fear1 of constraint on being made   
the object of others' unusual           
observation1 of suddenly hearing news of
 deep import for which the mind is not  

prepared1 of prolonged emotional        
agitation1 these all involve an         
intensification of the psycho-physical  
processes which immediately condition   
our states of consciousness4 ,looking at
 these intensified #fh forms of         
consciousness more closely1 we observe  
that they include something in the      
nature of psychical pressure1 of the    
presence of forces which make for       
disorder1 whereas the situation calls   
for severe self-control4 ,this special  
strain thrown on the volitional process 
is illustrated in the demand for closer 
observation and calm reflection during a
 fit of fear1 or other emotional        
excitement1 which tends to bring about a
 state of wild movement and of          
disorderly ideas4 ,it is1 ,i believe1   
the specially severe strain belonging to
 such an attitude which is the essential
 pre-condition of the laughter4 ,it     
makes the attitude a highly artificial  
one1 and one which it is exceedingly    
difficult to maintain for a long period4

 ,as such1 the attitude is eminently    
unstable1 and tends1 so to say1 to break
 down of itself2 and will certainly     
collapse1 partially at least1 if the    
demand seems1 though only for a moment1 
to grow less imperative4 ,hence the     
readiness with which such a means of    
temporary relief as laughter undoubtedly
 supplies is seized at the moment4  ,it 
remains to determine the character of   
this sudden relaxation of the strain of 
attention more precisely4 ,as a sudden  
collapse1 it is clearly to be           
distinguished from the gradual breakdown
 due to 8mental fatigue0 and nervous    
exhaustion4 ,the psycho-physical energy 
concentrated for the special purpose of 
meeting the strain is by no means used  
up1 but has to find some way of escape4 
,here1 no doubt1 we seem to come across 
,mr4 ,spencer's ingenious idea that     
laughter is an escape of nervous energy 
which has suddenly been set free4 ,it is
 no less evident that the redundant     
energy follows the direction of the     

risible muscles because no other        
commanding object for the attention     
presents itself at the moment4 ,the     
innervation of these muscles is not a   
mere diversion of attention3 it is a    
dispersion of the energies which for the
 maintenance of attention ought to #fi  
be concentrated4 ,we are never less     
attentive during our waking life than at
 the moment of laughter4 ,yet even here1
 ,i think1 the theory of a convenient   
waste-pipe arrangement is not adequate4 
,there is1 ,i take it1 in the case a    
relief of sur-charged nerve-centres1    
which process would seem to be better   
described by the figure of a            
safety-valve arrangement4  ,it is not   
difficult to surmise why the liberated  
energy should follow this particular    
nervous route4 ,there is no doubt that  
the motor apparatus1 by the disturbances
 of which all such interruptions of the 
smooth flow of respiration are brought  
about1 is very readily acted on by      
emotional agencies4 ,altered            

respiration1 showing itself in altered  
vocalisation1 is one of the first of the
 commonly recognised signs of emotional 
agitation2 and this effect has been     
rendered more clear and precise by      
recent experiments4 ,we should expect1  
then1 that the collapse of strained     
attitudes1 with the great change in     
feeling-tone which this must carry with 
it1 would deeply affect the respiration4
 ,we know1 however1 more than this4     
,severe efforts of attention are in     
general accompanied by a partial        
checking of respiration1 an effect which
 seems to be alluded to in the ,french  
expression1 an effort 8de longue        
haleine04 ,on the other hand1 the       
termination of such an effort is apt to 
be announced by the sigh of relief4     
,now1 though the movements of laughter  
are not the same as those of sighing1   
they resemble the latter in their       
initial stage1 that of deepened         
inspiration4 ,may we not conclude1 then1
 that laughter is likely to occur as    

another mode of physiological relief    
from the attitude of mental strain8 ,and
 supposing1 as seems certain1 that      
laughter in its moderate degrees1 by    
bringing a new briskness into the       
circulation1 relieves the congested     
capillaries of the brain1 may we not go 
farther and say that nature has #gj     
probably come to our aid by connecting  
with the mental upheavals and the cruel 
strains here referred to1 which pretty  
certainly involve a risky condition of  
the cerebral system of capillaries1 a   
mode of muscular reaction which is      
peculiarly well fitted to bring the     
needed relief8  ,more special conditions
 may favour the movements of laughter in
 certain cases4 ,as ,i have observed    
above1 ,darwin suggests that the rapid  
alternation of crying and laughing which
 occur among hysterical patients may be 
favoured by 8the close similarity of the
 spasmodic movements04#di ,in other     
words1 the motor centres engaged1 when  
in the full swing of one mode of action1

 may readily pass to the other and      
partially similar action4 ,this would   
help to account for the short outbursts 
of laughter during a prolonged state of 
painful agitation1 and to explain the   
fact noted by ,descartes1 that no cause 
so readily disposes us to laughter as a 
feeling of sadness4#ej  ,our theory     
plainly requires that these sudden      
breakdowns or relaxations of strained   
mental attitudes should1 even when only 
momentary interruptions1 be accompanied 
by an agreeable sense of relief4 ,i     
believe that those whose experience best
 qualifies them to judge will say that  
this is so4 ,the dead weight of the     
fear1 the poignancy of the grief1 and   
the constraining effect of the situation
 of gne1 seem to yield at the moment    
when the 8awful laugh0 is snatched at4  
,this comforting sense of a lightened   
load1 though in part the direct result  
of a cessation of cerebral strain1      
would1 as we have seen1 pretty certainly
 derive added volume from the returning 

sense-reports telling of the ameliorated
 condition of the bodily organs4  #c4   
,we have considered two of the varieties
 of laughter #ga which lie outside the  
region of our everyday mirth4 ,we may   
now pass into this region1 and inquire1 
first of all1 into the causes of those  
varieties which come under the head of  
joyous laughter4  ,here we shall best   
begin by touching on the simple and     
early form which may be called the      
overflow of good spirits4 ,darwin1 as   
has been mentioned1 rightly regards the 
full reaction of the laugh as the       
universal expression by our species of  
good spirits1 of a joyous state of mind4
 ,we have now to examine the mode of    
production of this simple type4  ,it is 
important to note that all experiences  
of pleasure do not bring on laughter4   
,there are quiet enjoyments of a        
soothing character which are far from   
generating the powerful impulse needed  
for the movements of diaphragm and rib4 
,to lie on a summer day in a hammock in 

a wood and indulge in the sweets of     
dolce far niente is to be out of reach  
of the tickling imp4 ,states of         
enjoyment1 too1 which1 though exciting1 
require a measure of close attention1   
such as those occasioned by a glorious  
sunset1 or stirring music1 do not start 
the spasmodic contractions of muscle4   
,the enjoyment that moves us to laughter
 must1 it is evident1 amount to gladness
 or joy4 ,and this means1 first of all1 
that the pleasurable consciousness must 
come in the form of a large accession1  
and1 for a moment at least1 be ample1   
filling soul and body4 ,as the          
expression 8good spirits0 suggests1 the 
organic processes during such states of 
joyousness are voluminous and well      
marked4 ,as a part of this heightened   
tide of vital activity1 we have the     
characteristic motor expression of the  
gladsome mind1 the movement of the      
limbs1 the shouting and the laughing4   
,not all risings of the vital tide1     
however1 produce laughter4 ,gentle and  

gradual augmentations of the sense of   
well-being #gb and happiness hardly tend
 to stir the muscles concerned4 ,the    
joyous outburst marks a sudden accession
 of happy consciousness4 ,it has        
something of the character of a violent 
flooding of the spirit and the          
corresponding bodily conduits4  ,there  
is a negative condition1 also1 to which 
it may not be superfluous to allude4    
,the flood-like rise of the happy mood  
which is to produce laughter must not be
 accompanied by any further demand on   
the attention4 ,a girl reading a first  
love letter from the man whom her heart 
has chosen will be glad1 and will grow  
gladder by leaps and bounds4 ,but the   
fulness of laughter will not come while 
unread words still claim the eye4  ,the 
laughter of joy is most noticeable1 ,i  
think1 under two sets of conditions4 ,of
 these the first is the situation of    
release from external restraint4 ,the   
wild jubilant gladness of boys as they  
rush out of school1 provided that they  

have the requisite reserve fund of      
animal spirits1 is the stock example of 
this sort of laughter4 ,the explosion   
seems here to be a way of throwing off  
the constraint and the dulness of the   
classroom1 and getting a deep breath of 
the delicious sense of restored liberty4
 ,so far as the outflow of good spirits 
is thus connected with an escape from a 
serious and difficult                   
attitude--strenuous application of the  
energies of mind and body in work--it is
 plainly analogous to the nervous       
laughter already considered4  ,but the  
swift accession of joy may come in      
another way1 from the sudden            
transformation of one's world1 from the 
arrival of some good thing which is at  
once unexpected and big enough to lift  
us to a higher level of happiness4 ,with
 children and savages the sight of a new
 and pretty toy is sometimes enough to  
effect this4 ,the charming bauble will  
so fill sense and soul that the joy of  
living leaps to a #gc higher plane and  

bursts into a peal of mirth4 ,the       
unexpected sound of the father's voice  
at the end of a long day devoted to the 
things of the nursery was1 we are told1 
enough to evoke a shout of laughter in a
 small ,american boy3 it sufficed to    
bring back to the little fellow's       
consciousness another and a glorious    
world4 ,we older folk have1 for the     
greater part1 lost the capacity of      
simply greeting delightful things in    
this way1 a greeting in which there is  
no thought either of their meaning or of
 their interest for us4 ,yet we may meet
 the unexpected coming of friends with  
something of the child's simplicity of  
attitude4 ,it is hard not to smile on   
suddenly seeing a friend in a crowded   
,london street3 hard to keep the smile  
from swelling into a laugh1 if the      
friend has been supposed at the moment  
of encounter to be many miles away4     
,some of us1 indeed1 may retain the     
child's capacity of laughing with a     
joyous wonder at a brilliant explosion  

of fireworks4  ,it remains to account   
for the persistent fit of laughter which
 frequently accompanies a prolonged     
gladness4 ,does not the fact that the   
child and the natural man1 when taken   
with the mood of mirth1 go on venting   
their good spirits in renewed peals tell
 against our theory that the outburst is
 caused by an accession of joy8  ,in    
order to answer this we must look a     
little more closely at this so-called   
persistent laughter4 ,the language of   
observers of unsophisticated human      
nature is sadly wanting in precision    
here4 ,when1 for example1 we are told by
 travellers that certain savages are    
always laughing1 we know that we are not
 to take the statement literally4 ,it   
means only what it means when a mother  
tells her visitor that her rogue of a   
boy is for ever laughing and shouting2  
that under certain favourable conditions
 the laughing fit comes readily and     
persists longer than usual4 ,in a       
lasting #gd mood of jollity we are all  

strongly inclined to laugh1 and need    
very little to call forth a long        
outburst4  ,this preternaturally large  
output of laughter during a prolonged   
state of high spirits finds its         
explanation in part in a kind of        
physiological inertia1 the tendency to  
go on repeating movements when once     
these are started4 ,the protracted      
iteration of laughter in a child is     
closely analogous to that of his        
half-unconscious singing to himself4    
,this tendency of movements to          
perpetuate themselves in a mechanical   
way probably accounts for the           
lengthening of the single outburst in   
the case of a child violently seized    
with mirth4 ,as mothers know1 this      
reduction of laughter to a mechanical   
iteration of movement is apt to continue
 beyond the limits of fatigue and to    
bring on such unpleasant effects as     
8hiccup04 ,it is probable1 too1 that the
 tendency during a prolonged state of   
mirth to recommence laughing after a    

short pause is referrible to a like     
cause3 the physiological springs of the 
movements being once set going1 the     
explosive fit tends to renew itself4    
,discounting this effect of             
physiological inertia1 we seem to find  
that in these periods of prolonged high 
spirits laughter retains its fundamental
 character as a comparatively short     
process which occurs intermittently4    
,where the laughing is not merely a     
trick played off by the bodily          
mechanism1 but holds a germ of mind in  
the shape of a happy consciousness1 it  
has its large and significant pauses4   
,if this is so1 it seems reasonable to  
suppose that the mental antecedent which
 brings on some new explosion is        
analogous to the sense of 8sudden glory0
 which accounts for the single joyous   
peal4 ,owing to the exceptionally strong
 disposition to laugh during such a     
period1 the antecedent feeling need not 
be a powerful one1 a very slight #ge    
momentary increase of the joyous tone   

sufficing to give a fresh start to the  
muscles4  ,it is not difficult to       
suggest possible sources of such slight 
sudden augmentations of the happy       
feeling-tone4 ,no prolonged state of    
consciousness is1 strictly speaking1 of 
one uniform colour2 in the boisterous   
merriment of an old-fashioned           
dinner-party there were alternations of 
tone1 brilliant moments following others
 of comparative dulness4 ,the course of 
the bodily sensations in these prolonged
 states of joy is in itself a series of 
changes1 involving a sequence of        
exaltations upon relative depressions of
 the 8vital sense04 ,the course of the  
presentations to eye and to ear in such 
a festive mood must be subject to like  
fluctuations in respect of their action 
upon the feeling-tone2 and the same     
applies to the flow of ideas which can  
find a place in the mind when thus      
affected4 ,lastly1 it must not be       
forgotten that the movements of         
attention would of themselves always    

secure a certain rise and fall of       
enjoyment4 ,we all know how1 when we are
 gladdened by some new and unexpected   
happiness1 the mind after a short       
digression returns to the delightful    
theme1 and how1 as a result of this     
return1 a new wave of joyous feeling    
seems to inundate the spirit4  ,there   
seems much1 then1 to be said for the    
hypothesis that all varieties of joyous 
laughter 7when not reduced to a         
mechanical form7 are excited by         
something in the nature of a sudden     
accession of pleasurable consciousness4 
,where the laugh is a new thing1        
unprepared for by a previous mood of    
hilarity1 this rise of the spirits will1
 as we shall see later1 probably involve
 a transition from a mental state which 
was relatively depressed4 ,where1 on the
 other hand1 a joyous mood prolongs     
itself1 all that seems needed for       
re-exciting the movements of laughter   
7provided that the muscular #gf energies
 are equal to the explosion7 is the     

sudden increase by an appreciable       
quantity of the pleasurable tone of the 
consciousness4  ,we may further         
illustrate and verify this              
generalisation respecting the causes of 
joyous laughter by an examination of    
some of the more familiar circumstances 
in which this is wont to occur4 ,here we
 shall of course be dealing with the    
early and unsophisticated mind4         
,properly drilled 8grown-ups0 but rarely
 exhibit the phenomenon in its full     
intensity4  7a7 ,it is a matter of      
common observation that joyous laughter 
is a frequent concomitant of the        
play-attitude1 especially at its first  
resumption4 ,we have already found this 
illustrated in the laughter of 8happy   
boys0 just liberated from school4 ,here 
the conditions indicated1 a relief from 
restraint and a sudden expansion of     
joyous activity1 are patent to all4     
,closely related to this situation of   
released bodily energies is that of     
relieved mental restraint4 ,during a    

nursery lesson--if only the teacher is a
 fond mother or other manageable        
person--the child is apt to try modes of
 escape from the irksomeness by         
diverting the talk1 and especially by   
introducing 8funny0 topics2 and the     
execution of the bold little manuvre is 
frequently announced by a laugh4 ,by    
such familiar infantile artifices the   
pressure is lightened for a moment1 and 
the laugh announces a moment's escape   
into the delicious world of fun and     
make-believe4  ,the impulse to be gay   
and to laugh runs1 moreover1 through the
 enjoyment of play4 ,no doubt this in   
its turn may often grow exceedingly     
serious1 as when the illness of dolly1  
or the thrilling horrors of a bear's    
cave1 or of an attack by scalping       
,indians1 are realistically lived out4  
,yet we must remember that this playful 
tampering with #gg the serious1 even on 
its genuine side1 is a part of the      
enjoyment4 ,the momentary terror is     
desired by healthy young nerves1 because

 the thrill of it1 when the certainty of
 the nothingness lies securely within   
mental reach1 is delicious excitement4  
,a fuller examination of the relation of
 laughter to play belongs to a later    
stage of our inquiry4  7b7 ,another     
situation which is closely related to   
play is that of being teased4 ,by       
8teasing0 is here understood those      
varieties of attack which have in them  
an element of pretence1 and do not cross
 the boundary line of serious intention 
to annoy4 ,as thus defined1 teasing     
enters into a good deal of child's play4
 ,tickling is clearly only a special    
modification of the teasing impulse4 ,in
 some of the earliest nursery play1 the 
game of bo-peep1 for instance1 there is 
an element of teasing in the pretence to
 alarm by a feigned disappearance1 as   
also in the shock of the sudden         
reappearance4 ,the teaser of a child1   
whether he threatens to pinch him or to 
snatch at his toy1 carries out a menace2
 but it is a make-believe menace--a     

thing to be a wee bit afraid of for just
 a moment1 yet so light and passing as  
to bring instantly the delightful       
rebound of disillusion1 if only the     
subject keeps good tempered4 ,on the    
teaser's side 7when it remains pure     
teasing7 it is prompted by no serious   
desire to torment1 by no motive more    
serious than the half-scientific        
curiosity to see how the subject of the 
experiment will take it4  ,the          
explosions of a good-humoured subject   
under such gentle teasing are closely   
analogous to those of a tickled child3  
they spring from a sudden sense of      
relief1 of elastic rebound1 after       
repression4 ,the swift alternations of  
moments of nascent fear and of joyous   
recognition of the fun of the thing are 
eminently fitted to supply the          
conditions of a sudden rising of the    
spirits4 ,the child that likes to be #gh
 teased--in the proper way of course--is
 perfectly willing to pay for these     
momentary delights by the momentary     

trepidations4  ,on the side of the      
teaser1 the situation is also highly    
favourable to outbreaks of hilarity4 ,if
 successful1 he reaps the joy of the    
superior person1 and glories in the     
cleverness of his experiments4 ,the     
swellings of the sense of power as he   
watches his victim give just those      
experiences of 8sudden glory0 which a   
philosopher places at the base of all   
enjoyment of the laughable2 and1 alas1  
in the less kindly these risings of the 
pleasurable consciousness may continue  
and even increase after the teasing has 
ceased to be play and becomes           
indistinguishable from the behaviour of 
a tormentor4#ea  7c7 ,much the same kind
 of remark applies to practical joking1 
which1 when it is not weighted with the 
serious purposes of punishment and moral
 correction1 is merely an expansion of  
this playful attack of the tickler and  
the teaser4 ,when the victim reaches the
 moral height of being able to enjoy the
 performance1 his enjoyment comes under 

the head of dissolved apprehension1 or  
disillusion after taking things too     
seriously4 ,by far the larger share of  
the pleasure of the practical joke      
certainly falls1 however1 to the        
perpetrator1 who in this case1 too1     
realises a 8sudden glory10 an increased 
sense of power4  7d7 ,once more1        
laughter is a common accompaniment of   
all varieties of contest or sharp       
encounter1 both physical and mental4    
,when1 as in the case of the savage1 the
 schoolboy and the civilised soldier1 it
 breaks out after bodily fight1 it #gi  
has some of the characteristics of      
nervous laughter4 ,it is a concomitant  
of a sudden remission of physical and   
mental strain1 of a dissolution of the  
attitude of apprehensive                
self-protection4 ,in most cases1 since  
it is 8they laugh that win10 the feeling
 of relief is reinforced by that of     
contemptuous exultation at the first    
taste of victory4  ,a prolonged combat1 
if not too unequal1 offers on both sides

 frequent openings for these reliefs of 
tension and upspringings of the exultant
 mood4 ,a good fighter in the ring is1  
,i understand1 supposed to be able now  
and again to relieve the grimness of the
 situation by a sweet smile4 ,this is   
certainly true of all mental contests4  
,nothing is more remarkable in the study
 of popular laughter than the way in    
which it seems to penetrate those       
relations and dealings of social life   
which involve sharp contest and crossing
 of wits4 ,these will be illustrated    
more fully by-and-by4 ,it is enough     
here1 to allude to the enormous         
influence of contests between the sexes 
on the development of wit and a lively  
sense of the ludicrous4  7e7 ,as a last 
group of situations favourable to the   
experience of joyous expansion we have  
those in which an unusual degree of     
solemnity is forced upon us4 ,this has  
already been touched on4 ,extremes seem 
to meet here4 ,it might be expected that
 an impulse born of the play-mood would 

find its natural dwelling-place in      
scenes of social gaiety and             
conviviality4 ,and in the days when     
society was gay the festive board was   
doubtless the focus of the activity of  
the mirthful spirit4 ,in our time it    
seems almost more natural to associate a
 laugh with a funeral ceremony than with
 a dinner-party4 ,yet the art of        
extracting fun from solemn things is not
 of to-day1 as may be seen by a glance  
at the jokes of the church architect and
 the play writer of the ,middle ,ages4  
,in such bizarre intrusions of the droll
 #hj into the domain of the solemn we   
seem to find the struggling of an       
irrepressible gladness of spirit against
 the bonds which threaten to strangle   
it4  ,whether the invasion of the       
territory of the solemn by the jocose   
results in a barely mastered impulse to 
laugh1 depends on variable conditions4  
,the frivolous mind1 hardly touched by  
the gravity of the occasion1 will1 no   
doubt1 often be the first to welcome the

 delivering hand4 ,yet it is an error to
 suppose that a tendency to laugh on a  
solemn occasion shows want of genuine   
emotion4 ,the sincerest worshipper in a 
church may1 if he have the requisite    
sensibility1 be moved to laughter by    
some grotesque incident1 such as the mal
  propos remark of a garrulous child4   
,for the point of our theory is that    
laughter in such cases is an escape from
 pressure2 and the man who feels deeply 
at such a moment may experience an      
emotional pressure which equals1 if it  
does not exceed1 that of the external   
constraint which the non-reverent       
8worshipper0 is experiencing4 ,it is    
true1 of course1 that the deeper the    
feeling the greater the inertia that    
will have to be overcome before the     
laughing impulse can make way for       
itself4 ,yet here1 again1 we must       
remember that emotional temperaments    
vary1 and that with some a genuine awe  
and even an intense grief may yield now 
and again for a moment to the challenge 

of the laughable when its note catches  
the ear4  ,the last remarks suggest that
 in any attempt to deal with the        
conditions favourable to laughter       
reference should be made to those       
physiological characteristics which are 
supposed to determine the particular    
temperament of a man3 his special bent1 
say1 towards jollity on the one hand1 or
 towards a brooding melancholy on the   
other4 ,our forefathers had pretty      
definite ideas about the sort of bodily 
constitution which was the foundation of
 the #ha laughter-loving temper4 ,a full
 8habit0 tending to obesity1 as in      
,falstaff1 was1 and is1 ,i believe1     
popularly supposed to be a mainstay of  
the laughing spirit4 ,the saying 8,laugh
 and grow fat0 may imply a vague        
apprehension of this relation1 as well  
as a recognition of the benefits of     
laughter4 ,yet the precise organic      
substrate of this happy endowment is    
unknown4 ,health and all that makes for 
8good spirits0 are no doubt favourable  

to a voluble laughter of the elemental  
kind4 ,on the other hand1 as we shall   
see1 the laughing capacity frequently   
co-exists with physiological conditions 
of quite another kind4 ,men are to be   
found of a lean habit1 and with a strong
 bent to grave reflection1 who are      
nevertheless able1 not merely to provoke
 laughter from others1 like the         
8melancholy ,jaques10 but themselves to 
contribute a sonorous laughter to the   
higher intellectual domains of mirth4   
,it is conceivable that the disposition 
to laugh may have its own restricted    
physiological conditions in a special   
instability of the mechanism concerned4 
,this again may presumably include some 
as yet undefinable property of the      
nerve-centres which favours rapid change
 in the mode of brain activity1 and     
those sudden collapses of tension which 
seem to be the immediate physiological  
antecedent of the motor discharge in    
laughter4 #hb     ,,chapter ,,iv4       
,,varieties ,,of ,,the ,,laughable4     

,in the preceding chapter we have       
examined those early and elementary     
forms of laughter which arise from the  
action of such causes as tickling1 the  
attitude of play1 and the sudden        
uplifting in a feeling of joy4 ,these do
 not1 it is evident1 imply the existence
 of that specific faculty which we call 
the perception of the laughable in      
things1 or what is commonly spoken of as
 the sense of the ludicrous4 ,we have   
now to inquire into the mode of         
operation of this more intellectual     
cause of laughter1 and to connect it1 if
 possible1 with that of the simpler     
processes of excitation4  ,the          
peculiarity in this case is that there  
is not only an external excitant1 such  
as tickling fingers1 but an object of   
the laughter4 ,a tickled child laughs   
because of the tickling1 but not at this
 as an object4 ,the same is true of a   
good deal of the laughter of play3 it is
 only when play represents something    
funny1 or when the play-illusion is     

interrupted by a moment's critical      
glance at the poverty of the doll or    
other plaything1 that it gives rise to a
 proper enjoyment of the laughable2 and 
a like remark holds good of the laughter
 which springs out of a relief of       
tension and a sudden transition from    
grave to gay4 ,in the laughter of       
educated men and women we see an        
intellectual element1 the perception of 
a laughable quality in an object1 and   
the justification of the action by a    
reference to this4 ,the examination of  
this intellectual type of laughter will 
bring #hc us to what is undoubtedly at  
once the most interesting and the most  
difficult problem in our study4  ,the   
objective reference in laughter implied 
in speaking of the 8laughable0 may be   
illustrated by a glance at the          
contemptuous laughter of the victor     
surveying his prostrate foe4 ,the boy of
 ten who danced and screamed and laughed
 after he had killed his playmate in a  
street fight#eb was hardly possessed    

with what we call a sense of the        
comicality of things4 ,the laughter1    
though directed at something1 had not1  
in the complete sense of the expression1
 its object4 ,the boy himself would not 
have laughed at the spectacle at another
 time1 but viewed it with quite         
different feelings4 ,and the object     
would not have presented itself as      
laughable to others who chanced to see  
it4 ,in other words1 the laughter was   
not caused by a mere contemplation of an
 object1 but was conditioned by a       
particular relation between the laugher 
and this object4  ,to say that a thing  
is laughable1 just as to say that a     
thing is eatable1 implies an element of 
permanence and of universality4 ,this is
 true even when a person says about a   
spectacle1 e4g41 that of a drunken man  
walking1 8,it is laughable to me10 since
 he means that for his experience at    
least it is a general rule that the     
sight of such movements excites         
laughter4 ,but the word laughable       

clearly connotes more than this1 a      
universality which embraces others as   
well as the individual4 ,a thing is only
 rightly so called when it is supposed  
to be fitted to provoke men's laughter  
in general4 ,language has been built up 
by men living the social life1 and      
interested in common forms of           
experience2 and the word laughable and  
all similar words undoubtedly refer to  
such common forms4 #hd  ,these common   
forms of experience may be conceived of 
narrowly or widely4 ,much of what is    
called laughable by a schoolboy1 by a   
savage1 or even by an educated          
,englishman1 is made to appear so by the
 special habits and correlated modes of 
thought of his community or his class4  
,this clearly holds good of laughter at 
strange forms of dress1 language and the
 like4 ,its 8universality0 is thus      
strictly conditioned4 ,in dealing with  
the laughable we shall have constantly  
to allude to its relativity to          
particular customs and expectations4 ,it

 will be a part of our problem to       
disengage from among the common         
excitants of laughter what seems to     
possess a truly universal character4    
,in speaking of an object of laughter as
 having universal potency1 we do not    
imply that it will1 as a matter of fact1
 always excite the outburst4 ,the       
expression means only that a man will be
 ready to laugh at it1 provided that he 
has certain requisite perceptions with  
the correlated emotional                
susceptibilities1 and that nothing      
interferes with the working of these4   
,hence we shall have to speak of the    
laughable as answering to a tendency    
only1 and to note the circumstances     
which are apt to counteract it4 ,it is  
obvious1 for example1 that the          
limitations of class-custom1 so far as  
they make laughter relative1 will render
 a man blind to what is 8objectively0   
laughable in his own customs4 ,in truth1
 the adoption of such relative and      
accidental standards1 which marks all   

the earlier stages in the growth of     
intelligence and of sthetic sentiment1  
is the great obstacle to a clear        
recognition of what is laughable in a   
wider and more strictly universal sense4
  ,again1 when we are considering the   
question of fact1 8,what do men really  
laugh at80 it is important to bear in   
mind that the tendency to laugh may1 on 
the one hand1 be reinforced by a        
favourable psycho-physical condition at 
the #he moment1 as well as by previously
 formed tendencies to apperceive things 
on their laughable side2 while1 on the  
other hand1 it may be checked and wholly
 counteracted by unfavourable           
conditions1 such as a sad mood1 or an   
acquired habit of looking at those      
aspects of things which excite feelings 
antagonistic to laughter4 ,owing to the 
action of these forces1 we find1 not    
only that one man may fail to discern   
the laughable in an object which moves  
another to a hearty outburst1 but that  
in many cases in which two men join in  

laughing at something they may not be   
touched by the same laughable feature or
 aspect of the presentation4 ,nothing1  
indeed1 has more of that appearance of  
caprice which comes from the influence  
of uncertain subjective factors than the
 laughter of men1 even of those who have
 a normal sense of the ludicrous4  ,a   
word more is needed on the language here
 used4 ,the terms laughable and         
ludicrous may be employed               
interchangeably up to a certain point   
without risk of confusion4 ,at the same 
time it is well to note that the second 
is used in a stricter sense than the    
first4 ,the term ludicrous seems to     
denote particularly what is not only an 
universal object of laughter1 but an    
object of that more intellectual kind of
 laughter which implies a clear         
perception of relations4 ,in everyday   
language we should speak of incidents   
and stories1 of which the fun is obvious
 and broad1 as 8laughable0 rather than  
as 8ludicrous04 ,closely connected with 

this emphasis on an intellectual element
 in the meaning of the term ludicrous1  
is its tendency to take on an ideal     
connotation1 to mark off what we deem to
 be worthy of laughter4 ,here1 as in the
 case of other objects of an sthetic    
sentiment1 there is a half-disguised    
reference to the regulative principles  
of art4  ,this control by an sthetic    
principle or standard is more #hf       
clearly indicated in the use of 8comic10
 a word1 by the way1 which is used more 
freely in some ,european languages than 
in our own4 ,a comic spectacle means1   
for one who uses language with          
precision1 a presentation which is      
choice1 which comes up to the           
requirements of art1 and would be       
excellent material for comedy4  ,our    
problem may now be defined as an        
analysis of the objects of our common   
perception and imagination which        
ordinary men tend to laugh at and to    
describe as laughable4 ,this inductive  
inquiry into facts is1 as implied above1

 a necessary preliminary to a discussion
 of the nature of the 8ludicrous0 or    
8comic0 as an ideal or regulative       
conception4  ,in order to find our way  
with some degree of certainty to the    
general characteristics of laughable    
things1 we should do well to take at    
least a rapid survey of the objects of  
men's laughter as reflected in popular  
jests1 8contes pour rire10 8comic songs0
 and amusing literature in general2 as  
also in what may be called the standing 
dishes in the repasts of fun served up  
in the circus and other places where    
they laugh4 ,no assemblage of facts of  
this kind adequate for scientific       
purposes has1 so far as ,i know1 yet    
been made2#ec so that it must suffice   
here to indicate some of the leading    
groups of laughable objects which a     
brief inspection of the field discloses4
  ,it may be assumed as a matter of     
common recognition that this field of   
laughable objects will lie in the main  
within the limits of the spectacle of   

human life4 ,it is the situations1      
appearances and thoughts of men which   
yield to laughter the larger part of its
 harvest4 ,at the same time allusion    
will be made now and again to           
provocatives #hg lying outside these    
limits1 which are certainly found in    
simple examples of the laughable4  ,in  
attempting to form these groups one must
 give a warning4 ,it is implied in what 
has been said above1 that the things we 
laugh at have in many cases1 perhaps in 
most1 more than one distinguishably     
amusing facet4 ,in trying to classify   
them1 therefore1 we must be guided by   
what seems the most massive and         
impressive feature2 and1 as already     
suggested1 it is not always easy to say 
what really is the main determinant of  
our laughter4  7#a7 ,among the things   
which are commonly said to be laughable 
we find many objects distinguished by   
novelty4 ,a presentation which differs  
widely from those of the ordinary type1 
and so has a stimulating freshness1 may1

 as we have seen1 when agreeable and of 
sufficient force1 excite to laughter by 
suddenly relieving the dulness of the   
common and oft-repeated1 and raising the
 feeling-tone of the observer to the    
level of joyous excitement4 ,the proper 
effect of a recognised laughable aspect 
only appears when experience begins to  
be organised and the mind of the        
spectator to perceive1 dimly at least1 a
 certain contrariety in the new         
presentation to the usual run of his    
perceptual experience1 in other words1  
the aspect of 8out-of-the-wayness0 or   
oddity4 ,much of the laughter of        
children1 and1 as we shall see1 of      
savages1 at what is called 8funny0      
illustrates this4 ,a child will laugh   
vigorously1 for example1 on first       
hearing a new and odd-sounding word1 or 
on first seeing a donkey roll on his    
back1 a ,highlander in his kilt1 his    
sister's hair done up in curling-papers1
 and the like4 ,in some of these cases1 
at least1 the appreciation of the new   

object as odd or singular is aided by   
the agreeably lively character of the   
novel impression4 ,this is true also of 
the amusing effect of two strikingly    
similar faces seen together2 for here   
the look #hh of oddity1 which is        
explained by the circumstance that our  
ordinary experience is of dissimilarity 
between faces1 is supported by the      
stimulative force of the likeness       
itself4  ,this expansive effect of the  
new and the odd on our feeling may come 
too from the perception of things       
sub-human4 ,the sight of a crab walking 
sideways1 of an oddly-marked dog1 of an 
eddy of leaves in autumn1 and so forth  
will excite laughter in a child4  ,a    
glance at the language employed in      
describing laughable objects suggests   
the large scope of the odd4 ,thus the   
8whimsical0 and the 8fantastic0 in the  
realm of ideas and tastes1 the          
8extravagant0 in the region of          
sentiment--these and the like seem to   
refer directly to what is peculiar1 to  

the point of an amusing remoteness from 
life's common way4  ,this enjoyable     
appreciation of the odd is in a         
particularly obvious way subject to the 
condition of relativity4 ,to begin with1
 the amusing aspect is determined by1   
and so strictly relative to the manner  
of the hour2 so that1 as the word       
8antic0 shows1 the old-fashioned begins 
to take on an amusing aspect as soon as 
it is so far displaced by a new custom  
as to be an out-of-the-way thing4       
,again1 as already hinted1 the odd is   
always relative to the custom of a      
locality or a class4 ,a savage and a    
civilised man alike are wont to laugh at
 much in the appearance and actions of a
 foreign people2 and this because of its
 sharp contrast to the customary forms  
of their experience4  ,the chief        
counteractive to be noted here is the   
impulse to distrust and fear the new and
 unfamiliar4 ,a child may often be      
noticed oscillating between laughter and
 fear as some new strange sight bursts  

upon him4 ,a savage must feel himself   
secure before he can freely indulge in  
laughter at all the odd belongings and  
doings of the white man4  7#b7 ,a       
special variety of the singular or      
exceptional which #hi is fitted1 within 
certain limits1 to excite laughter is   
deformity1 or deviation from the typical
 form4 ,it is certain that1 for the     
unsophisticated palate of the child and 
the savage1 bodily deformity is a large 
source of mirth4 ,the dwarf1 the        
hunchback1 the cripple1 the man with the
 big nose1 and the like have been great 
entertainers of youth4 ,the tendency to 
regard such deviations from type as     
amusing extends1 as we know1 to our     
perceptions of animals and of plants4 ,a
 limping quadruped or a tree with a     
wen-like excrescence seems to reflect a 
human deformity and to share in its     
laughable aspect4 ,even a lifeless      
object may sometimes entertain us with  
its appearance of deformity4 ,a house   
shored up affects us in the same way as 

a man on crutches1 and the back view of 
a rickety tilted cart1 as it wobbles    
down a street1 may gladden the eye much 
as the sight of a heavy1 ill-balanced   
human figure attempting to run4  ,while 
we may view the laughable aspect of     
bodily deformity as an example of the   
odd or deviation from the common pattern
 of our experience1 we must not forget  
that it appeals to the more brutal      
element in laughter4 ,all ugly things   
had in them for the ,greek mind         
something contemptible or disgraceful4  
,much of the point of men's laughter at 
deformity lies in a recognition of its  
demeaning effect on the person who is   
its subject4 ,it is a clear             
manifestation of the impulse to rejoice 
in the sight of what is degraded1 base1 
or contemptible4 ,it is not difficult to
 detect this note of contemptuous       
rejoicing in the derisive laughter of   
the coarser sort of boy and savage1 the 
kind of laughter illustrated in ,homer's
 description of the merriment of the    

,achan chiefs at the sight of the       
misshapen ,thersites1 with his hump1 his
 sugar-loaf head crowned with stubble1  
and his persecuting squint4#ed ,here we 
seem to have an unmistakable ingredient 
#ij of malignant satisfaction1 of       
rejoicing at another's ills             
7,aristotle's 74  ,roughly speaking1 we 
may say that the laughable force of a   
deformity varies with its extent4 ,the  
droll effect of an enlargement of the   
nose or of a reduction of the chin      
increases1 within certain limits at     
least1 with the amount of the aberration
 from the normal dimensions4 ,yet it    
would be difficult to establish any     
exact quantitative relation here4       
,again1 all kinds of deformity are not  
equally provocative of laughter4 ,in    
general1 perhaps1 positive additions or 
extensions1 such as a big nose or big   
ears1 are more conducive to merriment   
than reductions and losses2 they seem to
 seize perception more aggressively4    
,then there are varieties of the        

deformed which probably involve special 
kinds of droll suggestiveness4 ,certain 
squints and twistings of the human face 
divine may move us as expressions of the
 roguish2 a red nose or a shock of red  
hair may owe its force to its supposed  
moral symbolism4 ,long ears and other   
deformities affect us through their     
undignified reminder of affinity to a   
lower animal species4 ,much1 however1 in
 these preferences of the ruder sort of 
laughter looks quite capricious1 and can
 only be set down to habit and          
imitation4  ,the impulse to laugh at    
deformity has a narrower and a wider    
counteractive4 ,the first is pity1 the  
second is the feeling of repugnance at  
the sight of ugliness4  ,the inhibition 
of laughter at deformity by pity and    
kindly consideration is one of the marks
 of a refined nature4 ,where the        
unsightly feature suggests suffering1   
whether physical or moral1 such         
consideration may completely counteract 
the impulse4  ,since deformity is a     

variety of the ugly1 and the perception 
of the ugly as such repels us1 we have  
as a further counteractive a fine       
sthetic shrinking from what is #ia      
unsightly4 ,a person endowed with this  
repugnance may have his capacity of     
enjoying the funny aspect of a deformity
 completely paralysed4 ,at the other    
extreme1 we have a readiness to make fun
 of all bodily defects1 even when they  
are a revolting spectacle4 ,the area of 
enjoyment for most men lies between     
these extremes1 when the displeasing    
element of the ugly is mitigated1 so    
that its effect is lost in the stream of
 hilarity which its drollery sets       
flowing4  ,it may be added that where   
deformity has been turned into a        
laughable quality the impulse to 8make  
fun0 has commonly been aided by other   
forces1 more particularly a sense of    
relief from fear and a feeling of       
retaliation4 ,this is clearly           
illustrated in the laughter of the      
people in the ,middle ,ages at the      

devil1 the demons and the rest4 ,perhaps
 children's rather cruel laughter at the
 hunchback contains an element of       
retaliative dislike for a person who is 
viewed as vicious and hurtful4  7#c7    
,another group of laughable objects is  
closely related to the last4 ,certain   
moral deformities and vices have always 
been a special dish in the feast of     
laughter4 ,we have only to think of     
popular jokes1 the contes of the ,middle
 ,ages1 and the large branches of       
literature known as comedy and satire1  
to see how eagerly the spirit of mirth  
has looked out for this source of       
gratification4  ,so far as this laughter
 directs itself against a vicious       
disposition1 or deformity of character1 
such as vanity or cowardice1 and not    
against a lighter defect of external    
manners1 it seems to involve a          
perception of something ugly1 like a    
bodily blemish1 and further some        
appreciation of its disgraceful or      
degrading aspect4  ,it is a view        

commonly held1 and as we shall see      
supported by the practices of art1 that 
all vices are not equally fit subjects  
for laughter4 ,some kinds seem to have a
 specially #ib amusing aspect4 ,there   
may be peculiar features in the         
expression of the vicious disposition   
which give it value for the laughing    
eye4 ,this is obviously true of         
drunkenness1 for example2 and hardly    
less so of violence of temper1 which has
 a large and impressive drollness in its
 display4 ,other vices1 such as         
cowardice and miserliness1 have         
something choice for the eye of laughter
 in the meanness of their display1 the  
petty1 contemptible practices to which  
they commonly lead4 ,the supreme place  
given to vanity among laughable moral   
failings seems to be explicable in part 
by this consideration4 ,nothing is more 
entertaining than the inflation in      
carriage and speech which comes from an 
overweening conceit4 ,hypocrisy1 again1 
together with her kinswomen deceit and  

lying1 seems to have a peculiar value   
for the mirthful eye by reason of her   
disguise1 and the elemental joy which   
mortals young and old derive from a good
 peep behind a mask4 ,as a last example 
we may take a porcine obstinacy over    
against the expression of others'       
wishes1 the stupidity against which even
 8the gods contend in vain10 a variety  
of the amusing which seems to tickle our
 sensibilities by presenting to us the  
rigidity of the machine in lieu of the  
reasonably pliant organism of the man4  
,this glance at the amusing side of what
 we call moral deformities suggests that
 when we laugh at these we are by no    
means always at the moral point of view1
 looking at actions and traits of       
character as immoral4 ,this is seen1    
first of all1 in the fact that1 when we 
are laughing at what we view as vice1 we
 do not1 as some say1 always recognise  
its littleness and harmlessness1        
visiting it1 so to speak1 with the      
merely nominal penalty of a laugh4      

,lying1 or a display of brutal appetite1
 may be turned into a subject of mirth  
when the least reflection would show    
that it is decidedly #ic harmful4 ,it is
 seen1 further1 in the fact that the    
laughable in this case extends far      
beyond the limits of what we commonly   
call vices4 ,the excessive humility of  
the friend of our youth1 ,mr4 ,toots1 is
 hardly less entertaining a spectacle   
than excessive vanity4 ,it seems rather 
to be want of a certain completeness and
 proportion of parts in the moral       
structure which amuses here4 ,this is   
yet more clearly illustrated by the fact
 that comedy1 as we shall see1 holds up 
to a gentle laughter want of moderation 
even in qualities which we admire1 such 
as warmth of feeling1 refinement of     
sentiment1 and conscientiousness itself4
  ,here again we may note that the      
8laughable0 will be relative to the     
special experiences and standards       
adopted by the particular society4      
,contrast1 for example1 the fund of     

amusement which lies in the spectacle of
 drunkenness for a people addicted to1  
and therefore tolerant of1 deep         
drinking1 with that available for       
another people by whom the vice is      
shunned and judged severely4 ,it is     
evident1 indeed1 that our readiness to  
be entertained by the look of excess or 
disproportion in a character will vary  
with the idea of the normal pattern4    
,the old ,greek way of scanning         
character differed1 in certain respects1
 from that habitual1 say in ,england    
to-day4  ,in the case of what are       
palpable vices we have as counteractive 
tendencies1 not merely the finer        
shrinking from the ugly1 but the recoil 
of the moral sense in the distressed    
attitude of reprobation4 ,hence it may  
be said that the immoral trait must not 
be of such volume and gravity as to call
 forth the moral sense within us4 ,here1
 too1 differences of temperament and    
habit1 and1 one may add1 of the mood in 
which the presentation finds us1 will   

affect the result4 ,it is amazing to    
what an extent even reputable citizens  
are able to enjoy the presentment of    
moral failings1 when they give #id      
themselves up to the mood which seems to
 belong to a seat before the comic      
stage4  7#d7 ,we may pass to a group of 
laughable presentations in which the    
feature specially fixated by the        
observer's mental eye is some breach of 
order and rule4 ,laughable displays of  
vice involve this element1 of course1   
but in the cases now to be considered   
the violence done to rule is the more   
conspicuous feature4 ,on the other hand1
 laughable violations of rule are       
closely related to the oddities dealt   
with above4 ,the donkey rolling on his  
back may be said1 for the child's       
intelligence1 to break the rule of the  
donkey's normal behaviour2 yet here the 
laughableness seems to spring           
immediately out of the fresh stimulating
 character of the novelty of the        
spectacle4 ,in order that an action may 

impress us as disorderly1 we must       
recognise1 vaguely at least1 that some  
custom or rule is disobeyed4 ,the sight 
of a donkey stepping on to the pavement 
of a street1 or quietly browsing in a   
garden1 would amuse as an exhibition of 
the disorderly4 ,perhaps we have the    
boundary-line between what is merely odd
 and what is disorderly illustrated by  
the bizarre aspect of a boy in a class  
who deviates considerably in height from
 the approximately uniform height of the
 rest of the class4 ,it has been pointed
 out by ,dr4 ,lipps#ee that even a house
 in a row may assume an amusing         
appearance under like circumstances4    
,here the general uniformity1           
immediately presented to the eye1 seems 
to supply the spectator with the idea of
 a rule which the odd-looking individual
 is violating4#ef ,under the present    
head we shall keep to examples of the   
laughable where the breach of rule is   
palpable4 #ie  ,to begin with1          
disorderliness1 the upsetting of the    

usual orderliness of life1 is a great   
source of laughter to the young and even
 to many adults4 ,all the more          
extravagant forms of jollity or 8high   
spirits0 are wont to pass into the      
disorderly4 ,this applies not merely to 
uproar1 but to such 8jocose0 proceedings
 as smashing windows1 the enjoyment of  
which1 as ,addison reminds us1 is by    
some laid down as the test of humour4   
,this being so1 we might expect that the
 appearance of the disorderly would wear
 an amusing aspect for ordinary men4    
,this is certainly what we find4 ,the   
crowd loves the spectacle of lawlessness
 and misrule in the harlequinade and    
elsewhere4 ,the laughter-moving force of
 the presentment of a man always in a   
hurry1 or continually changing his      
purpose1 illustrates this effect of the 
disorderly4 ,the comic value of the man 
in a rage depends too in part on this   
circumstance4 ,all appearances of       
disorder where order is counted on1 as  
in dress1 are apt to provoke a smile of 

amusement4 ,a squad of soldiers marching
 out of time1 or out of line1 is a      
recognised stimulus to laughter4 ,even  
the sight of a room turned upside down  
for a cleaning1 or of the confusion of a
 dinner-table after a meal1 takes on    
something of this amusing aspect of the 
disorderly4  ,the droll aspect of the   
disorderly becomes specialised in the   
breach of commonly-recognised rules of  
behaviour4 ,the best marked cases are   
offences against the code of good       
manners1 and the rules of correct       
speech4 ,rude behaviour and gaucheries1 
solecisms1 provincialisms1 and          
confusions in the use of language1 amuse
 us as breaches of familiar rule1 though
 they may no doubt entertain us also as 
manifestations of a nave ignorance4  ,it
 is hardly needful to point out that    
men's judgments of the laughable element
 in breach of rule will be relative4 #if
 ,the code of manners will vary with the
 community and with the particular      
class1 and will tend to change with time

 in the case of the same group4 ,one has
 only to think of the variations1 from  
period to period1 in the fashionable    
modes of accost1 of pronouncing words1  
and so on4  ,the great force which tends
 to counteract this direction of        
laughter is the respect for order and   
rule1 which has been formed slowly and  
with much difficulty1 at least in the   
larger part of a community4 ,it follows 
that if men who are supporters of rule  
are to laugh at a violation of it1 the  
act of lawlessness must not seem of a   
gravity sufficient to offend this       
respect4 ,this condition will be        
satisfied if it is manifest that the    
upsetting of rule1 so far as it is      
intentional1 is not serious but a sort  
of make-believe2 or that it is confined 
within the limits of the harmless1 as in
 the case of the angry man vainly       
threatening denunciation against all and
 sundry2 or1 again1 that the failure to 
comply with rule is not intentional but 
due to ignorance4  7#e7 ,we may now pass

 to a group of presentations where the  
laughable feature seems to reside in a  
situation or condition which is         
distinctly undesirable4 ,small          
misfortunes1 especially those which     
involve something in the nature of a    
difficulty or 8fix10 are for the        
ordinary onlooker apt to wear an amusing
 aspect4 ,the loss of one's hat1 a fall 
due to a slip1 or a tilting against     
another pedestrian1 are recognised      
instances of the amusing in the         
spectacle of the streets4 ,such sights  
as ,ajax slipping in the foot-race and  
getting his mouth filled with dirt      
7,iliad1 xxiii41 #ggj-he71 ,john ,gilpin
 on his runaway steed1 a party in a boat
 left stranded on a sand-bank1 the down 
in the circus vainly trying to stop a   
runaway horse by clinging to its tail2  
these and other illustrations will      
readily occur to one familiar with the  
ways of laughter4 ,the older popular    
entertainments1 such as the #ig         
enjoyment of the performance of grinning

 through the horse-collar at the country
 fair1 owed something of their value to 
this delight in seeing a man in a       
fix--if only that of being compelled to 
make a fool of oneself--especially when 
it was due to his lack of foresight4#eg 
,a more refined sense of the laughable  
seizes on the many 8awkward0 situations 
of social life1 say the unconcealable   
gne that overtakes a fine lady when she 
makes a meritorious but ill-judged      
attempt to get into touch with one of   
the 8lower class04  ,it is to be noted  
that many situations involving not only 
an irritating amount of inconvenience   
but real suffering may excite this kind 
of laughter in the vulgar4 ,the         
spectacle of a cripple dragging his body
 along has its amusing aspect1 not only 
for jovial mortals but for superior     
beings4 ,homer represents the ,olympian 
gods as dissolved in laughter at the    
sight of the lame blacksmith trying to  
discharge the dainty office of the      
cup-bearer ,ganymede4 ,we see the same  

unfeeling rejoicing at mishap in the    
laughter of the savage and of the       
coarser product of civilisation at      
certain forms of punishment1            
particularly the administration of a    
good thrashing to a wife1 or to some    
ugly piece of mischief1 as ,thersites4  
,even 8polite society0 seems to have a  
relish for this form of amusement1 if we
 may judge from the entertainment which 
the fashionable crowd on one side of the
 ,english ,channel appears to find in   
scanning the gloomy figures and wan     
faces of the passengers as they land    
after a stormy passage4 ,here1 again1   
the deep malignity of man peeps out in a
 rejoicing at the sight of others' hurt 
7,schadenfreude74  ,among these         
mirth-provoking misadventures1          
situations and incidents which          
manifestly involve loss of dignity fill 
a large space4 ,the spectacle of a      
flying hat pursued by its #ih owner owes
 much of its 8funniness0 to the fact    
that the loss of a symbol of dignity is 

involved4 ,possibly certain bodily      
deformities1 especially a failure of the
 nose or of the chin1 may derive        
something of their laughableness from   
our perception of the loss of a         
dignified feature4#eh ,the laughter     
which is wont to greet the sight of a   
man left with a baby on his hands       
illustrates the same effect4 ,the       
favourite situations in the lighter     
popular comedy1 as that of the man who  
is henpecked1 and who is subject to a   
mother-in-law1 amuse so much because of 
the deep descent of the 8head0 of the   
house which they involve4 ,the          
stimulating force of this kind of       
presentation is the greater where the   
undignified situation overtakes one who 
is holding at the time an exalted       
position1 as when a preacher in the     
pulpit is caught stumbling on too homely
 an expression1 or a judge on the bench 
giving way to an oppressive somnolence4 
,as in the other instances1 we have here
 to note the limitations introduced by  

the variable nature and circumstances of
 the spectator4 ,misfortune1 the        
suffering of indignity1 clearly appeals 
to a kind of feeling quite dissimilar to
 that of mirth4 ,where pity is strong   
and alert much of the laughter at       
mischances1 at difficulties1 and so     
forth1 is restrained4 ,on the other     
hand1 this pity for men in misadventure 
comes of knowledge and of insight2 and  
where experience and training have not  
given these1 the restraining influence  
on laughter will be wanting4 ,hence the 
familiar fact that youngsters1 though   
not less capable of pity than their     
elders1 will laugh at sights1 such as   
the old lady slipping and falling1 which
 touch the heart of those who know what 
they really mean4  7#f7 ,we may now     
touch on a group of laughable objects   
#ii which has a close kinship with more 
than one of the groups already          
illustrated1 though it stands apart by  
right of well-marked peculiarities4 ,i  
refer to laughter at the indecent or    

obscene1 whether in actual presentation 
or in suggestion4  ,any serious attempt 
to illustrate the variety of the sources
 of men's ordinary laughter must1 ,i    
think1 find a place for this group4     
,among men1 and one may add the gods1   
the uncovering of that which decency    
insists on hiding is a powerful         
provocative of laughter4 ,in their more 
direct and potent workings indecent     
presentations appeal to the loud        
mirthfulness of the coarse mind1 to the 
gros rire of the man tossing the gros   
sel1 as ,mr4 ,meredith has it4 ,they    
bulk among the jocosities of savage     
tribes--or at least many of these--and  
of the less refined among civilised     
societies4 ,culture is a great          
restraining influence here4 ,yet it     
would be an error to suppose that       
educated men who are also of the        
laughter-loving are destitute of this   
sensibility4 ,the impulse to greet      
merrily an allusion to the indecent1    
when it comes unexpectedly1 taking us   

off our guard1 so to speak1 and when it 
is neither too pronounced nor enlarged  
upon1 is1 ,i believe1 universal among   
men who laugh4  ,the laughter at a      
suggestion of what not only civilised   
but even savage society seeks to veil   
from view would seem to be most         
naturally regarded as a case of the     
improper1 or breach of accepted rule4   
,to make reference to these matters is  
to break through a well-understood      
social convention4 ,this breach1        
moreover1 carries with it a plump       
descent into the depths of the          
undignified2 for since society has      
willed to throw the veil here any       
attempt to uplift it implies something  
shameful4 ,the disgrace falls on the    
person who is the subject of the        
allusion--in all cases where there is a 
definable person concerned4 ,in others1 
where #ajj the allusion is directed to a
 common 8infirmity0 of human nature1 the
 indignity done is1 of course1 more     
widespread4 ,not only so1 we feel on    

hearing such an allusion that there is a
 lapse of dignity all round in speaker  
and hearers alike4 ,the blush of the    
refined hearer attests this feeling of  
shame4  ,yet to describe the effect here
 as due to breach of rule and lapse of  
dignity is certainly not to give a full 
account of the modus operandi of this   
variety of the laughable4 ,if to speak  
of these things is forbidden and branded
 as an offence to good taste1 on the    
other hand that which is alluded to is a
 real and an inseparable part of our    
nature4 ,the enjoyment of these         
allusions may accordingly be viewed     
under another aspect as a rejection of  
the artificial in favour of simple      
unadorned nature4 ,the casting aside for
 the moment of the decent veil and the  
facing of what is customarily hidden    
away seems1 indeed1 to be attended by a 
distinct feeling of liberation from     
restraint and of joyous expansion4      
,hence1 probably1 the fact noted by     
historians of medival manners that the  

coarseness of the jocosity appeared to  
increase with the magnitude of the      
feast4 ,the mood of exuberant hilarity  
favours the slackening of all artificial
 restrictions4 ,the same consideration  
may1 perhaps1 explain the hold which    
coarse jokes1 if only they have just the
 right quantum of salt1 maintain on the 
humorous palate of the strong and virile
 among men of intellect4  ,in this brief
 account of the mirthful aspect of the  
indecent ,i have confined myself to what
 discloses itself to consciousness in   
the moderate forms of laughter1 common  
among civilised men who practise a      
certain self-restraint4 ,yet we know    
that the outbursts which are provoked1  
in coarser men at least1 by the         
uncovering of sexual matters have a     
deeper #aja source in the obscure parts 
of our animal organisation4 ,our sources
 of knowledge with respect to the       
condition of men when they are seized   
with the sexual orgasm1 including the   
testimony of mythology1 suggest that    

laughter here assumes the function of   
voicing a state of riotous              
self-glorification of the animal part of
 our nature1 when fully released for a  
moment2 and1 further1 that here1 as in  
some forms of nervous laughter1 it has  
an organic connection with a condition  
of emotional paroxysm4  ,it is hardly   
necessary to point out that relativity  
has a large empire in this branch of the
 laughable4 ,a man's idea of what is    
obscene will be relative to the         
standards of his society1 which may vary
 considerably4 ,the ,englishman living  
abroad is apt to be impressed by the    
fact that men and women1 otherwise as   
refined as his own people1 hesitate less
 to call a spade a spade and to allude  
in conversation to subjects which are   
tabu at home4 ,similarly1 the modern    
reader of ,shakespeare may be shocked by
 the freedom of speech of the cultivated
 women of another age4  ,further1 as    
implied above1 the readiness to laugh   
here will be modified profoundly by     

refinement of feeling4 ,if it is true   
that all men are capable of enjoying an 
allusion to the indecent1 provided that 
it is delicately executed1 it is no less
 true that only coarse-minded men are   
able to drink frequently or deeply at   
this rather muddy spring of laughter4#ei
  7#g7 ,another group of laughable      
presentations has a certain analogy with
 the last4 ,popular mirth has made a    
#ajb prominent target of men's          
pretences4 ,to peep behind the mask and 
seize the make-believe is a sure means  
of providing ourselves with laughter4   
,so large1 indeed1 is the part of       
affectation and disguise in social life1
 that not only the ruder popular art1   
but comedy has made them one chief      
source of its entertainment4 ,the       
flavour of the laughter varies greatly  
according to the moral complexion of the
 pretence4 ,seeing through the          
transparent make-believe of the child   
sets us laughing in one key2 the        
detection of the half-unconscious       

humbug1 in another2 and that of the     
artful impostor1 in yet another4  ,that 
the appreciation of this embodiment of  
the laughable is relative1 may not be at
 once evident4 ,yet a glance at the     
numerous little hypocrisies not only    
allowed1 but even exacted by polite     
society1 will suffice to show how the   
standard may vary4 ,the dulling         
influence of use is exceptionally       
apparent here4 ,the shams of life cease 
to amuse us--save a very few--when they 
are numerous and ubiquitous4 ,the       
,englishman who laughs at the little    
pretences of society abroad1 may be     
quite incapable of discerning the       
amusing side of quite similar           
simulations and dissimulations in the   
ways of his own society4  ,here1 too1 as
 in the case of moral blemishes         
generally1 the impulse will be          
restrained by the tendency to judge     
seriously1 and by the higher degrees of 
moral sensitiveness4 ,men of easy morals
 will laugh cynically1 perhaps1 at forms

 of imposture which would shock those of
 a finer moral texture4  7#h7 ,we may   
now pass to a species of the laughable  
which has a more markedly intellectual  
character4 ,among the exhibitions of    
human quality none appears to have had  
its ludicrous mark more widely          
recognised than that of want of         
knowledge or of skill4 ,here1 again1 our
 friend1 the clown #ajc of the circus1  
comes to our aid4 ,the spectacle of his 
futile attempts to imitate the exploits 
of the skilled horseman and other       
experts stirs the risibility of the     
multitude to one of its fortissimo      
outbursts4 ,ignorance of locality1      
especially when it lands a traveller in 
a mess1 is a common source of merriment 
to the rustic onlooker4 ,children1      
savages1 and all simple folk delight in 
such exhibitions of ignorance and       
incompetence4 ,the more restrained      
amusement of 8society0 at the want of   
savoir faire in the uninitiated shows   
that this enjoyment of the spectacle of 

ignorance by the well-informed is       
widespread4 ,the value of the spectacle 
is evinced by the fact that when in     
argument a man desires to win the laugh 
of onlookers to his side1 he will do his
 best to show up a laughable degree of  
ignorance in his fellow-disputant4 ,the 
presence of the expert in a gathering of
 bucolics is a situation pregnant with  
possibilities of mirthful enjoyment4    
,let the delightful discussions of ,mr4 
,hardy's ,wessex folk suffice as        
illustration4  ,these amusing           
uncoverings of ignorance and inability  
are a spicy ingredient in the mutual    
quizzings of men belonging to distinct  
peoples or classes1 such as the savage  
and the white man1 the sailor and the   
landsman4 ,this will be illustrated     
later on4  ,in these cases the spectator
 may not count on the possession by     
others of knowledge or skill4 ,the man  
who laughs has at most a vague          
expectation that outsiders should be    
equal to those of his own set4 ,the     

laugh at ignorance and incompetence     
takes on another and more ironical ring 
when knowledge and competence are       
reasonably to be expected1 as for       
example when an official shows a        
striking incompetence for the duties of 
his office4  ,the spectacle of human    
ignorance grows particularly            
entertaining when it has to do with     
matters supposed to be #ajd of common   
knowledge4 ,m4 ,bergson gives us an     
example in the observation of a         
disappointed traveller on hearing that  
there was an extinct volcano in the     
neighbourhood3 8,they had a volcano and 
allowed it to go out04#fj ,it is this   
element of ignorance of what is         
generally known which1 in part1 gives   
the amusing aspect to many breaches of  
rule1 particularly those of language4   
,so firm is our assumption that         
everybody1 even the foreigner1 ought to 
be able to speak our language that we   
cannot hear a gross mispronunciation or 
misapprehension of meaning without      

feeling it to be nave4 ,shakespeare in  
the same play makes us laugh at the bad 
,english of ,dr4 ,caius and ,sir ,hugh  
,evans4 ,of course the fun is greater if
 the foreigner stumbles unwittingly into
 an observation which tells against     
himself2 as when a ,german visitor to   
,london1 being asked how his wife was1  
answered1 8,she is generally lying1 and 
when she is not lying she is swindling10
 meaning to say 8lying down0 and        
8feeling giddy0 78hat ,schwindel074     
,the ludicrous side of the paradoxical1 
of what is violently opposed to         
common-sense--a matter to be dealt with 
more fully presently--illustrates the   
effect of intellectual navet4 ,all      
exaggeration in description and other   
extravagance of statement are laughed   
at1 in part at least1 as showing        
ignorance of what is credible4 ,on the  
other hand1 insistence on the well known
 and the obvious1 especially when it is 
accompanied by a laboured argument1     
amuses us by ignoring the circumstance  

that the hearer or reader is already    
quite familiar with the matter4  ,a     
delightful exhibition of the nave       
intelligence is given by a gross        
misapprehension of what is happening or 
of what is being said at the moment4    
,the ,londoner may delight his country  
listener with his misunderstandings of  
#aje what to the latter seems perfectly 
self-explanatory4 ,the tickling force of
 such misapprehension is heightened when
 it involves an idea which is the very  
reverse of the truth4 ,the good story of
 the ,yorkshire juryman who remarked    
that 8,lawyer ,scarlet gets all the easy
 cases0 turns on the delicious inversion
 of causal relations4 ,when travelling  
once in a train ,i heard a mother say to
 her little girl1 who had been          
complaining of the heat1 8,the more you 
think of it the worse it will be02 upon 
which the child remarked in a drily     
humorous tone1 8,i should say the worse 
it is the more ,i shall think of it04   
,the mother's remark had probably seemed

 an inversion of the true relation4     
,other examples of what we call navet   
come1 in part at least1 under this head4
 ,the want of tact1 the bringing in of  
that which has no relevance to the      
circumstances or the ideas of the       
moment1 is an excitant of laughter for  
men of all levels of culture4 ,the      
inappropriate ways in which the kindly  
savage or child tries to minister to his
 visitor's comfort are a pretty example 
of such simplicity4 ,irrelevances in    
conversation and discussion1 such as mal
  propos1 mistakings of the issue1      
unfortunate suggestions of reasons1 and 
the like1 are among the recognised      
tributaries of the river of laughter4   
,these irrelevances make a large        
contribution to the lighter enjoyment of
 social intercourse4 ,an irrelevance    
having a peculiarly broad effect is a   
response to a question which wholly     
misses its point1 as when one reads of a
 man on a descending balloon who asked a
 yokel1 8,where am ,i80 and received for

 answer only the absurdly obvious1 8,in 
a balloon04  ,children's navet--a mine  
of wealth to the discerning seeker after
 the laughable--illustrates this        
tickling property of a perfect          
simplicity of intelligence1 and of those
 #ajf irrelevances of behaviour and of  
utterance which by their mighty compass 
seize and occupy for the instant the    
field of contemplative vision4 ,one of  
its most valuable manifestations is the 
habit of quietly substituting the       
child's point of view for the adult's4  
,a large number of the 8funny remarks0  
of children illustrate this4 ,here is an
 example4 ,an improver of occasions     
asked a child who had seduced her       
grandfather into a rather alarming romp1
 8,isn't grandpapa very kind to play    
with you1 dear80 and received the sharp 
correction1 8,i'm playing with him04  ,a
 bare reference may be made to other    
illustrations of the intellectual       
simplicity which entertains the mirthful
 eye4 ,the effect of prejudice and      

passion in narrowing the mental outlook 
and setting up erroneous views of things
 is a favourite subject of comic        
treatment4 ,as we shall see1 the        
spectacle gains a higher value when the 
degraded intelligence approaches that of
 the disordered1 and the amusing person1
 wholly preoccupied with his illusions1 
utters a string of remarks so widely    
irrelevant to the actual circumstances  
of the moment as to upset the gravity   
even of a serious spectator4  ,the      
limiting influence of relativity in the 
appreciation of this branch of the      
amusing has been pretty plainly         
illustrated in what has been said4 ,the 
lack of skill or of knowledge which     
excites our merriment is the lack of    
that which is a familiar possession of  
our set1 which accordingly we1 at least1
 tend to look for in others4 ,hence1 the
 man of society is amused at your not   
knowing one kind of thing1 say1 the     
history of the ,british ,peerage1 the   
bucolic at your ignorance of another1   

say1 the ways of calves1 and so forth4  
,the simplicity of a child's mind only  
impresses us in relation to our own     
grown-up and complex ways of thinking4  
,even the absurdities of paradox are    
relative1 for what we are #ajg pleased  
to regard as the stable1 unalterable    
body of common-sense is1 in reality1    
subject to change4  7#i7 ,we will now   
touch on a group of facts on which      
writers on the ludicrous are accustomed 
to lay stress4 ,the spectacle of a child
 wearing a man's hat1 fully considered  
above1 shows us the laughable directly  
and unmistakably as a juxtaposition of  
two foreign elements1 the semblance of a
 whole made up of incongruous parts4    
,here we see the sense of fun fixing its
 eye on relations4 ,it is recognised by 
all that the perception of certain      
relations1 more particularly the        
unfitting1 the disproportionate1 the    
incongruous and the logically           
inconsistent1 plays a large part in     
calling forth the more refined sort of  

laughter4  ,in dealing with this        
laughable aspect of relations we must   
draw a distinction4 ,when a person      
laughs1 say1 at the imbecile movements  
of a skater as he tries to save himself 
from a fall1 or at an outrageous        
costume1 or at the fantastic language of
 some prcieuse1 he may be aware of      
half-perceiving a relation2 such as want
 of fitness1 extravagant departure from 
the normal4 ,he knows1 however1 that his
 mental eye is not focussed for this    
relation2 on the contrary1 he feels as  
if the presentation in itself1 by giving
 the required jerk to his apperceptive  
tendencies1 were directly provocative of
 mirth4  ,on the other hand1 he will1 ,i
 believe1 hold that there are cases     
where the enjoyment of the laughable    
depends on the mental eye directing     
itself to a relation4 ,the relation may 
not be apprehended in a perfectly       
precise way2 but the point is that it is
 mentally seized1 if only for the       
fraction of a second2 and1 further1 that

 a degree of definiteness is given to   
the apprehension of the relation by a   
glimpse1 at least1 of the related terms4
  ,this localising of the laughable in a
 relation is most #ajh evident in the   
case of those complex presentations     
where lack of harmony and of mutual     
fitness--what we call                   
incongruity--appear in the several parts
 of the whole which are present to the  
eye1 and forces itself on the attention 
in a thoroughly aggressive fashion4 ,a  
country woman displaying in her dress or
 in her speech a bizarre mixture of the 
peasant and the fine lady1 a proposal to
 climb a mountain in dainty high-heeled 
shoes1 the couching of a vote of thanks 
in language far below or above the needs
 of the occasion1 these pull at the     
muscles of laughter because they strike 
us as a forcing together of things which
 hurtle and refuse to consort4 ,the same
 holds true of cases in which the       
incongruity lies between one            
presentation and another which has      

preceded and is still present to the    
imagination1 as in the clown's utter    
failure to reproduce the model action of
 the expert which he sets out to equal4 
,even in cases where the laughable      
incongruity holds between things both of
 which are not present at the same or   
nearly the same moment1 a direct        
glancing at the relation1 involving at  
least a dim representation of the absent
 member of the related twain1 may be    
requisite for a full enjoyment4 ,it is  
probable1 for example1 that ,homer's    
gods1 when they laughed uproariously at 
the sight of the grimy and lame ,vulcan 
essaying the part of ,ganymede1 mentally
 recalled the image of the latter and   
carried out a comparison between the    
two4 ,similarly in many of our nicer    
judgments of the amusingly excessive in 
dress1 speech and so forth1 we may1 as  
suggested above1 envisage the relation  
to a standard of measure in this direct 
way4#fa  ,it may1 no doubt1 be a        
question whether the relation made      

8focal0 in consciousness in such cases  
lies between two parts of a complex     
presentation1 or between the #aji       
presentation as a whole and a           
represented standard arrangement4 ,when1
 for example1 we laugh at the intrusion 
of a too lively gesture into the pulpit1
 do we mentally fixate the incongruity  
between the situation and the action1 or
 mentally go back to the idea of the    
customary and suitable kind and amount  
of gesture1 and view the present        
performance as disagreeing with these8  
,this point may be reserved for later   
consideration4  ,the view that in the   
cases just illustrated we have to do    
with another variety of laughter1 that  
of the mind or intelligence1 is         
confirmed by the reflection that much of
 it is excluded from the popular        
category4 ,the masses can enjoy a       
palpable contradiction between          
profession and performance--witness the 
enjoyment afforded to the populace of   
the ,middle ,ages by the spectacle of   

the moral inconsistencies of the        
monks4#fb ,but when it comes to the     
appreciation of inherent inconsistencies
 within the character1 such as want of  
stability of purpose1 fickleness in the 
affections and so forth1 the need of a  
certain acuteness in perceiving         
relations1 and of quickness in mentally 
reinstating what is not present1 may    
greatly restrict the area of the        
enjoyment4 ,gross and palpable          
inconsistencies1 such as those          
represented in the delightful monologue 
,l',indcis1 with which ,m4 ,coquelin    
7an7 rejoices us1 are accessible to     
popular laughter1 but most of the       
self-contradictions with which a        
,molire1 a ,george ,eliot1 or a ,george 
,meredith refreshes our spirits are     
8caviare to the general04 ,much the same
 is true of the laughter which gladdens 
the measuring eye when it lights on the 
unmeasured1 the excessive1 the          
disproportionate4 #aaj  ,one subdivision
 of this domain of the laughable is the 

logically incongruous or the absurd4    
,here1 again1 we touch on a region into 
a large part of which culture must give 
the key of admission4 ,an example of    
such a laughable absurdity is found in  
that which conflicts with our deepest   
and most unalterable convictions4 ,what 
is logically far-fetched or paradoxical 
is a familiar provocative of mirth4     
,since this case1 like that of laughing 
at an extravagant costume1 does not     
imply a direct and clear perception of  
relation1 but only a kind of harmless   
shock to our firmly rooted apperceptive 
tendencies1 we may expect to find       
illustrations of it low down in the     
scale of intelligence4 ,as we shall see 
later1 children will be moved to mirth  
by the presentation of an idea that     
directly conflicts with their crude     
standards of the possible2 and savages  
show the same impulse to laugh at what  
is manifestly opposed to their fixed    
traditional standards of truth4 ,so it  
is with suggestions and proposals which 

strike the more mature intelligence as  
paradoxical1 that is to say1 as a kind  
of assault on its deeply fixed habits of
 belief1 and what it is pleased to call 
its 8common-sense04 ,ideas which strike 
it as revolutionary1 whether they appear
 in the domain of social custom1 of     
political activity1 of morals1 or of    
scientific explanation1 are greeted by  
voluminous laughter4 ,darwin's idea of  
man's descent from an ape-like ancestor1
 when first introduced1 probably excited
 almost as much hilarity as indignation4
  ,more restricted is the area for      
amusement supplied by logical           
inconsistencies4 ,the spying out of     
amusing inconsequences in a man's       
various utterances is the work of an    
expert4 ,a contradiction must be very   
palpable1 and the contradictory         
statements must be very near to one     
another in time1 in order that food for 
laughter may reach the many4 ,the best  
example of this laughter at             
contradiction in popular #aaa mirth is1 

,i suppose1 the 8bull10 where the       
incompatibility stares out at you from a
 single statement1 and sets your sides  
shaking2 as in the argument1 attributed 
to an ,irish statesman1 that1 in the    
prosecution of a certain war1 8every man
 ought to be ready to give his last     
guinea to protect the remainder04#fc    
,one might naturally suppose that in the
 appreciation of these more intellectual
 forms of the laughable there would be  
no room for the restraining action of   
relativity4 ,an incongruous relation    
would seem to be one and the same object
 for all men's intuitions1 and the least
 affected by accidents of temperament   
and external circumstances4 ,yet this   
supposition is not quite correct4 ,such 
incongruities as moral and logical      
inconsistencies have1 it must be        
remembered1 their disagreeable and even 
their painful aspect4 ,when discovered  
in the character or in the intellect of 
a person known to be of a high          
consistency1 a contradiction would      

naturally offend the admiring spectator4
 ,here1 too1 then1 we have to add the   
qualification1 8provided that there is  
nothing disagreeable and repellant in   
the manifestation04 ,not only so1 with  
respect to much that is popularly called
 paradox it is to be remembered that the
 standard of truth employed is far from 
being that of the eternal verities4 ,as 
the allusion to the ridicule poured on  
,darwin's theory of natural selection   
shows1 what one generation laughs at as 
plainly contradictory to fundamental    
notions may be quietly recognised as a  
familiar truth by its successor4  7#aj7 
,a group of laughable presentations     
making large appeal to the more         
intellectual kind of laughter meets us  
in #aab verbal play and amusing         
witticism4 ,a closer examination of the 
nature of wit will come later4  ,what   
seems most manifestly characteristic of 
verbal forms of the 8funny0 is the      
intrusion of the playful impulse4       
,children's word-play shows this clearly

 enough4 ,new words are for them sounds 
to be reduced to familiar ones1 and the 
funnier the results of this reduction   
the better are they pleased4 ,this leads
 by a step to punning1 where quite      
intelligible words or phrases are       
purposely altered so as to bring in a   
new meaning2 or where without any verbal
 alteration the substitution of a new   
meaning for the primary and obvious one 
effects the required change4 ,the       
playful impulse to get as far away as   
possible from rule and restriction1 to  
turn things topsy-turvy1 to seize on the
 extravagant and wildly capricious1 is  
clearly enough recognisable here4 ,much 
of this word-play1 too1 has a close     
kinship with make-believe2 a natural and
 obvious meaning is the pretence in this
 case1 whereas the reality is the       
half-hidden meaning introduced by the   
inventive wag4 ,all the same it seems to
 me that this group of laughable objects
 has its place close to that of the     
incongruous and absurd4 ,a pun that     

claims any intellectual rank must have a
 point1 a bite1 and this would appear to
 be most naturally secured by           
introducing an element of irony and     
rendering the primary and obvious       
meaning of the sentence ludicrously     
false4 ,when1 for example1 a preacher   
whose ponderous dulness had set his     
congregation genteelly scuttling was    
said to have delivered 8a very moving   
discourse10 the point of the witty      
thrust lay in the complete opposition   
between the best and the worst result of
 eloquence brought together in the two  
meanings of 8moving10 an opposition     
which gives the trenchant irony to the  
description4  ,in cases1 too1 where     
there is no verbal trickery the lighter 
#aac kind of wit shows the same tendency
 to a playful capriciousness of fancy4  
,it delights in substituting for our    
ordinary points of view and standards of
 reference others which strike the      
hearer as amusingly fanciful and        
extravagant4 ,this is illustrated by    

much of our entertaining talk1 which is 
wont to try to escape for a moment from 
the leading-strings of sober sense2 as  
when a person  propos of a moon looking 
wan and faint some hours after an       
eclipse observed that she seemed not yet
 to have got over the effects of the    
eclipse4  ,in this department of        
contemplative amusement we see once more
 the limitations introduced by          
differences of temperament and mental   
attitude1 as well as of experience and  
knowledge4 ,nowhere1 perhaps1 is the    
habitual inclination of the balance     
between seriousness and love of fun in a
 man more clearly indicated than in his 
readiness to tolerate and enjoy         
word-play and the entertaining side of  
nonsense generally4 ,one to whom words  
and serious points of view are sacred   
things1 will barely suffer any form of  
this recreation4 ,on the other hand a   
ready appreciation of these pranks of   
wit means that the listener's fancy has 
the requisite speed of wing4 ,it means1 

too1 commonly1 that his intelligence is 
in touch with the wit's standpoint1 with
 his experience and circle of ideas4    
,bucolic wit is a sealed book to the    
superior gentleman from the town2 the   
merry verbal sports of the judge1 the   
statesman1 the theologian and so forth1 
reflecting like their dreams daily types
 of experience and habits of thought1   
are apt to fall flat on the ears of     
those who are not in touch with these4  
,the above may1 perhaps1 serve as a     
sufficiently full enumeration of the    
more prominent of those attributes or   
aspects of laughable things which1 some 
in some cases1 others in others1 make   
direct appeal to our mirth4 #aad  ,that 
each of these may of itself thus start  
the currents of laughter will1 ,i       
believe1 be admitted by those who are   
familiar with the field of human mirth4 
,there is1 ,i hold1 ample evidence to   
show that what is embarrassing1 what is 
contrary to rule1 what is demeaning1    
what is unreal and pretentious1 and the 

rest1 do each1 under certain limiting   
conditions1 move men's laughter4  ,it   
is1 no doubt1 difficult to supply a     
perfect demonstration of the fact of the
 intrinsic laughableness of each of     
these features4 ,it has already been    
pointed out that in many of the most    
agreeable instances of the laughable    
different stimuli combine their forces4 
,this is so much the case that it is    
sometimes difficult to decide which of  
the co-operating attributes is the most 
prominent4 ,for example1 the spectacle  
of the lackey donning the externals of a
 fine gentleman--a favourite subject of 
mirthful treatment by ,molire and       
others--may amuse us as a transparent   
pretence1 as a fine display of insolent 
vanity1 or1 again1 as an amusing        
caricature of the extravagant           
absurdities of fine manners4            
,extravagance in dress and the like is  
frequently found in the company of a    
deliciously erroneous idea of one's own 
importance4 ,intellectual navet may peep

 out at us and a moral navet look over  
its shoulder1 as in the remark of a lady
 whom the astronomer ,cassini had       
invited to see an eclipse1 when she     
found that she had arrived too late3    
8,m4 de ,cassini will be good enough to 
begin again for my sake04#fd ,as ,i have
 remarked1 the unfitting is in a large  
number of cases an introduction of      
something unworthy2 as when a man at a  
dinner-party almost suggests something  
of an animal violence in his mode of    
eating1 or an orator resorts to a       
8wooden0 manner of speech or gesture1 or
 when an unhappy simile hurls #aae the  
hearer into the lowest region of the    
commonplace1 a proceeding satirised in  
the well-known lines from ,butler's     
,hudibras3--      ,and like a lobster   
boil'd1 the morn     ,from black to red 
began to turn4  ,as a last example of   
the many-sidedness of the laughable we  
may name affectation1 particularly when 
it takes the form of aping another's    
manners2 for this may amuse us as a bit 

of acting seen through1 or as an        
incongruous intrusion of a foreign      
element into the natural character of   
the imitator1 or1 again1 as a weakness1 
a lack of intellectual or of moral      
initiative4  ,nevertheless1 the         
appearance of cross-division in our     
scheme is really no objection to it4 ,by
 collecting a sufficient number of      
instances1 and noting how the           
presentation of a certain feature       
affects us when it is plainly the       
preponderant stimulus1 and how it will  
continue to affect us in much the same  
way when its concomitants vary1 we may  
satisfy ourselves that each of the      
aspects here named is effective as a    
provocative of laughter4 ,it will be for
 experimental psychology1 if ever its   
methods are competent to grapple with   
the subject1 to make this clearer4      
,there is another objection1 which1     
though related to the last1 is to be    
carefully distinguished from it4 ,even  
in cases where the laughable feature is 

clearly localised there may seem        
something arbitrary in our mode of      
describing it4 ,for example1 it may be  
said1 why distinguish the relation of   
the unfit and kindred relations as a    
special group1 since in all cases they  
may be regarded as products and         
expressions of a defective intelligence 
or taste8 ,to raise this difficulty now 
is1 however1 to anticipate our          
theoretical problem1 how far these      
several varieties of laughable feature  
lend themselves to reduction to a #aaf  
common principle4 ,in naming each of the
 above groups ,i have sought to envisage
 the laughable aspect as the natural    
man1 innocent of theoretic aims1 would  
envisage it4  ,what is important here is
 to emphasise both the frequent         
combination of entertaining features in 
the objects which excite our laughter1  
and the fact that one and the same      
feature may be envisaged in more than   
one way4 ,these two circumstances throw 
an interesting light on the meaning of  

the long discussions and the want of    
agreement among theorists4  ,in drawing 
up this list of the laughable features  
in things ,i have said nothing about the
 connection between this part of the    
inquiry and that which preceded it4 ,yet
 the connection has not been wholly     
hidden4 ,in the entertaining effect of  
new things we have found an element of  
the laughter which springs from a sudden
 expansion of joy4 ,in the laughter     
excited by the indecent we have noted a 
trace of the laughter of 8sudden glory0 
and of what ,i have called nervous      
laughter4 ,lastly1 in dealing with the  
entertaining quality of the more        
sportive wit we seem to have got near   
the laughter of play4  ,this connection 
would appear the more clearly if we were
 to extend our list by adding a pair of 
groups4 ,these are 7#aa7 laughable      
objects which affect us as expressions  
of a merry mood2 and 7#ab7 laughable    
situations which involve a relation akin
 to that of victor and vanquished4 ,a   

word or two on each of these must       
suffice4  7#aa7 ,there is little doubt  
that all presentations which are        
instantly interpreted as manifestations 
of a fun-loving disposition tend to     
excite merriment4 ,this is true of      
series of sounds1 musical as well as    
non-musical1 which have in their rapid  
staccato movement a resemblance to those
 of laughter4 ,it holds good also of    
play-like movements1 such as the #aag   
freakish gambols of a just loosened     
pony1 or of a circus clown4 ,the        
expression of the mirthful temper in    
things awakens a sympathetic laughter in
 the observer4 ,here1 perhaps it would  
seem to be more correct to say that we  
laugh not at or over1 but1 if one may so
 say1 to the playful freak4             
,nevertheless1 we shall find that what  
we recognise as objectively laughable   
cannot be understood save by reference  
to these appearances of playful         
challenge4  7#ab7 ,that the sight of a  
man winning in a struggle or getting the

 better of another in some way is fitted
 to furnish amusement1 is indisputable4 
,this obviously falls in part under the 
head of laughter at the spectacle of    
another's difficulty or scrape2 but it  
certainly deserves a separate place in  
an enumeration of the larger and        
popularly distinguished sources of      
merriment4  ,there is no need to        
emphasise the fact that the social      
spectacle owes much of its interest to  
combat1 competition1 all that is        
understood by men's measuring their     
powers one against the other4 ,the      
amusing side of this interest is found  
in the gleeful satisfaction which the   
impartial spectator derives from each   
successful stroke1 whether on the one   
side or on the other4 ,the attraction of
 all encounters of wit in the           
market-place1 in the political domain1  
on the stage and so forth1 illustrates  
this4 ,popular literature will show that
 the plain man has fed his mirth        
bounteously from this source4  ,the     

situations which minister to this       
feeling of 8sudden glory0 in an onlooker
 are not confined to those of contest4  
,all displays of a capacity to get the  
better of another seem to be            
entertaining to the many4 ,just as the  
sight of a man chastising his wife is   
good sport for the savage onlooker1 so  
the spectacle of taking down1 of        
discomfiture and humiliation--especially
 if it involves an element of deception 
or #aah befooling1 and so takes on the  
look of outwitting--may yield excellent 
fun to the civilised spectator4  ,a more
 refined variety of the perception of   
the laughable occurs when we look on    
,nature or fate as discomfiting man1    
playing tricks on him or outwitting him4
 ,so far as this idea of irony comes    
into our view of things1 any misfortune1
 especially if it involves              
disappointment of hopes and frustration 
of efforts1 may excite a note of        
laughter which has an 8over-tone0 of    
triumphant mockery4  ,the enjoyment of  

the spectacle of one man triumphing over
 another or showing superiority to him  
will in all cases be limited by         
conditions already sufficiently         
indicated4 ,since the laughter excited  
here is1 presumably1 in its             
characteristic ingredient a reflection  
by way of sympathetic imagination of the
 victors sudden glory1 it must be       
included in the more brutal variety4 ,if
 a lively sensibility produces quickly  
enough a sympathetic apprehension of the
 feelings of the vanquished1 it will    
effectually check the impulse to laugh4 
,finally1 a bare allusion may be made to
 the way in which the laughter of relief
 from emotional or other strain comes   
into our appreciation of the laughable  
in things4 ,the amusing aspect of all   
lapses from dignity in religious and    
other ceremonies cannot1 ,i believe1 be 
understood merely as an illustration of 
an inconsequence and irrelevance1 but   
must be connected with the powerful     
tendency to throw off a heavy and       

depressing mental load by a moment's    
mirth4 ,the laughter at what is lawless1
 and still more at the indecent and the 
profane1 certainly derives a part of its
 gusto from a sense of relief from      
restraint1 which is a main ingredient in
 the enjoyment of all license4 ,but the 
fuller discussion of the way in which   
the primal sources of laughter          
contribute to the impressions we receive
 from laughable objects belongs to      
another chapter4  #aai     ,,chapter ,v4
  ,,theories ,,of ,,the ,,ludicrous4    
,our survey of laughable things has led 
us to recognise certain groups which    
appear to induce the laughing mood3 each
 presenting its special variety of      
laughable feature4 ,one group may be    
said1 prim facie1 to exhibit mischances1
 another some form of human defect1     
another1 again1 something of the        
misfitting or incongruous1 and so forth4
 ,we may now advance to the theoretic   
problem of unifying and explaining these
 varieties of the laughable4  ,here1 for

 the second time1 we must touch on the  
views propounded by authorities on the  
subject under the name of ,theories of  
the ,ludicrous4 ,happily1 it is not     
necessary to burden the reader with a   
full account of these4 ,we shall of     
course pass by all doctrines deduced    
from a priori metaphysical conceptions1 
and confine ourselves to those which    
make a show1 at least1 of grounding     
themselves on an analysis of facts4 ,of 
these ,i shall select two or three      
typical theories which come to us with  
the claims of distinguished authorship4 
,we shall test these by examining how   
far they succeed in comprehending the   
diversity of fact now before us4  #a4   
,the first of these typical theories    
localises the secret force of the       
laughable in something unworthy or      
degraded in the object4 ,according to   
this view1 the function of laughter is  
to accompany and give voice to what may 
be called the derogatory impulse in man1
 his tendency to look #abj out for and  

to rejoice over what is mean and        
undignified4 ,this may be called the    
,moral ,theory1 or ,theory of           
,degradation4  ,aristotle's brief       
remarks on comedy in the ,poetics may be
 taken as illustrative of this way of   
envisaging the laughable4 ,comedy1 he   
tells us1 is 8an imitation of characters
 of a lower type--not1 however1 in the  
full sense of the word bad02 and1 again1
 the ,ludicrous 7 7 is a subdivision of 
the ugly 7 71 and consists in 8some     
defect or ugliness which is not painful 
or destructive04#fe ,of an adequate     
theory of the subject there is here1 of 
course1 hardly a pretence4 ,it seems    
strange1 indeed1 that a great thinker   
with the works of his compatriot        
,aristophanes before him should have    
placed the ludicrous wholly in          
character1 altogether overlooking the   
comic value of situation4 ,still1 the   
reference of the laughable to the       
category of ugly and disgraceful        
things--for   on its moral side connotes

 the disgraceful 7compare the ,latin    
8turpe07--may be said to imply a germ of
 the principle of degradation4  ,a more 
careful attempt to construct a theory of
 the ludicrous by a reference to        
something low or degraded in the object 
is embodied in the famous doctrine of   
,thomas ,hobbes4 ,according to this     
writer1 8the passion of laughter is     
nothing else but sudden glory arising   
from sudden conception of some eminency 
in ourselves1 by comparison with the    
inferiority of others1 or with our own  
formerly04 ,in this theory our laughter 
is viewed as arising1 not immediately   
from a perception of something low or   
undignified1 but only mediately from    
this perception1 through a recognition  
of our own superiority and an           
accompanying emotional movement1 namely1
 an expansion of the 8self-feeling10 a  
sudden quickening of the sentiment of   
pride or power4 ,nevertheless1 the #aba 
theory may be said to come under the    
principle of degradation1 in so far as  

it makes the process of laughter start  
with a perception of some point of      
inferiority1 that is to say of a        
comparative loss of dignity1 in the     
laughable object4  ,the main point of   
this theory1 that whenever we enjoy the 
ludicrous we are consciously realising  
our superiority to another1 will1 ,i    
think1 hardly bear examination4 ,that in
 this enjoyment there may be1 and often 
is1 an element of this agreeable sense  
of elevation ,i readily allow1 and ,i   
shall try to show presently how it gets 
there4 ,but it is altogether inadequate 
as an exhaustive account of the several 
varieties of our laughing satisfaction4 
,even in the groups of cases to which it
 seems to be most plainly applicable1   
for example1 those of mischances and    
awkward situations1 it is not a         
sufficient explanation4 ,is there any   
discoverable trace of the uplifting of  
pride1 of the temper of                 
8,schadenfreude0--the malicious         
satisfaction of watching from the safe  

shore the tossings of mariners in a     
storm--in the instantaneous response of 
our mirth to the spectacle of the       
skater's wild movements when for a      
moment he loses equilibrium1 or of the  
hat wind-driven far from its proper seat
 on the respectable citizen's head8 ,is 
there time here for mentally bringing in
 the contrasting idea of our own        
immunity8 ,has the laugh the            
characteristic taste of the outburst of 
contempt which is excited by the        
consciousness of victory1 of taking     
somebody down8  ,in dealing with this   
type of theory1 it seems only fair to   
test it in the more mature form given it
 by a recent writer4 ,prof4 ,alexander  
,bain defines 8the occasion of the      
ludicrous0 as 8the degradation of some  
person or interest possessing dignity in
 circumstances that excite no other     
strong emotion04 ,the most marked       
improvements here on ,hobbes' statement 
are 7#a7 that consciousness of our own  
superiority #abb need not come in1 since

 we may laugh sympathetically with      
another who scores off his adversary1   
and so forth2 7#b7 that the object      
degraded need not be a person1 since    
human affairs in general1 e4g41         
political institutions1 a code of       
manners1 a style of poetic composition1 
may be taken down2 and 7#c7 that1 as in 
,aristotle's theory1 certain limiting   
conditions1 namely1 absence of          
counteracting emotions1 such as pity or 
disgust1 are recognised4 ,these         
extensions on the one hand and          
limitations on the other are clearly    
meant to safeguard the ,hobbesian       
principle against the attacks to which  
it so dangerously exposes itself4#ff    
,even in this new and more guarded form1
 however1 the theory will not bear the  
strain put upon it4 ,it will account    
fairly well for some of the forms of the
 laughable in our list1 such as slight  
misfortunes or mischances1 defects1     
moral and intellectual1 which do not    
shock or otherwise hurt our feelings1   

also certain forms of make-believe which
 are distinctly hypocritical and so     
capable of being regarded at once as    
moral defects1 and 7being seen through7 
as discomfitures4 ,it may apply also1 as
 has been hinted above1 to the effect of
 the obscene2 though ,i1 at least1 feel 
that without some forcing the effect    
cannot be interpreted in this way4      
,there seems to me to lurk in our       
laughter here something of the joy of   
the child1 of the ,naturkind1 ,walt     
,whitman1 at the sight of what is       
customarily hidden away4#fg  ,leaving   
this1 however1 as a more doubtful case1 
let us turn to other groups4 ,is it     
possible to regard all laughable        
exhibitions of incongruities as         
degradations8 ,is the #abc charming     
unsuitability of the 8grown-up's0 coat  
and hat to the childish form viewed by  
the laughing spectator as a degradation 
when he 8lets himself go08 ,are we      
laughing at the clothes as degraded by  
being thus transformed1 or at the       

child's navet as a degradation of human 
intelligence8 ,i confess that such a way
 of interpreting the spectacle strikes  
me as grotesquely forced4 ,the look of  
the whole thing in the complete         
unfitness of its parts seems to affect  
one as a delicious absurdity before the 
sweet simplicity below the surface is   
detected4  ,our author does his best to 
show that mere incongruity1 where       
nothing is degraded1 does not raise the 
laugh4 ,i readily grant that he has made
 out his case1 so far as to show that in
 most of the pungent and potently moving
 examples of the incongruous an element 
of degradation1 of malicious detraction 
is present4 ,but this is not enough4    
,the question is whether it is always   
present1 and whether in the cases where 
it is present it is the sole excitant of
 our mirth4 ,i believe that a finer     
analysis shows that this is not so4     
,where1 for example1 is 8the degraded0  
in a child's laughter at the sight of   
his nursery all topsy-turvy on a        

cleaning day8 ,does he view the nurse as
 put to shame by the setting of chairs  
on tables and so forth1 instead of      
observing the proper local congruities8 
or does he think of the room as         
something quasi-human which takes on an 
improper look as he himself does when he
 makes himself in a glorious mess8      
,slight movements of fancy of this kind 
may be present3 but do they lie at the  
sources of his laughter and constitute  
its main moving force8  ,as another way 
of testing the theory1 we may glance at 
those examples of the odd or out of the 
way in which we find nothing of         
deformity1 and do not seem to focus our 
mental glance on any loss of dignity1   
but are content to be #abd amused at the
 queer spectacle for its own sake4 ,i   
have seen a child of three or so go into
 a long fit of laughter at the antics of
 a skittish pair of horses just turned  
loose on a common4 ,did the child see   
anything of the mean1 disgraceful1      
undignified in these new and lively     

movements8 ,were they not immensely1    
overpoweringly funny1 just because they 
were outrageous deviations from the     
customary proper behaviour of horses    
when saddled or harnessed to a carriage8
 ,i feel the impulse to laugh at a 8guy0
 in the street who captures my roving   
nonchalant eye long before ,i reflect on
 any loss of dignity which the bizarre  
costume may signify4 ,in sooth1 if1 in  
this first happy moment1 any distinct   
thought of the personality behind the   
wild1 startling figure floats up to the 
surface of consciousness1 it is a       
friendly one4 ,i am disposed to like and
 feel grateful to the person who thus   
for an instant relieves for me the      
insufferable dulness of the spectacle of
 ,london citizens all dressed according 
to one stupid fashion4  ,or let us take 
another group3 the relish for word-play 
and the lighter kinds of wit4 ,here1    
again1 ,i concede to ,bain that the     
taking down of something a good         
peg-interval intensifies our            

satisfaction3 but it seems impossible to
 maintain that our mirth depends        
altogether on the recognition of this4  
,a good pun1 a skilful turning of words 
so as to give a new and startlingly     
disconnected meaning1 can hardly be said
 to owe its instant capture of our      
laughing muscles to our perception of a 
degradation of language and the habits  
of serious speech4 ,on the contrary1 ,i 
should say that any focussing of thought
 on this aspect would considerably      
weaken and might altogether arrest the  
laughing impulse4 ,it is to the serious 
person who keeps his mouth firmly closed
 that this feature of the case addresses
 itself4 ,is there not here1 even in the
 case of mirthful men1 some of the      
delight #abe of the playful child who   
amuses himself by turning words and     
expressions into queer nonsense just for
 the fun of the thing8  #b4 ,we may now 
pass to the second of the main types of 
theory which have been proposed as      
explanations of the working of the      

laughable on our feeling and the        
correlated muscular mechanism4 ,its     
distinctive mark is that1 instead of    
setting behind our enjoyment of the     
ludicrous an emotion1 or a change in our
 moral attitude1 namely1 a sense of our 
own superiority or of something else's  
degradation1 it sets a purely           
intellectual attitude1 a modification of
 thought-activity4 ,the laughter1       
according to this second theory1 results
 from a peculiar effect on our          
intellectual mechanism1 such as the     
nullification of a process of           
expectation or of an expectant tendency4
 ,it is this perfectly disinterested    
intellectual process which brings about 
the feeling of the ludicrous and its    
expression in laughter4 ,this may be    
called the ,intellectual ,theory1 or    
,theory of ,contrariety or ,incongruity4
 ,since we have already touched on this 
mode of conceiving of the effect of the 
ludicrous in criticising the view of    
,dr4 ,lipps1 a brief examination of it  

may content us here4  ,it may be noted  
in passing that this way of dealing with
 the ludicrous is characteristically    
,german4 ,the dominant note in the      
philosophy of ,kant and his successors  
has been to regard all determinations of
 experience as fundamentally a rational 
process4 ,just as in the domain of      
ethics these thinkers conceive of what  
,british ,ethicists have been wont to   
call the ,moral ,sentiment as           
essentially a process of ,reason1 so in 
that branch of sthetics which deals with
 the ,comic we find them disposed to    
regard the effect of the ludicrous1 less
 as the excitation of a concrete and    
familiar emotion1 such as ,pride or     
,power1 than as a special modification  
of the process of thought4 #abf  ,kant  
may be taken as the first great         
representative of this theory4          
,according to him1 wit--the only variety
 of the ludicrous which he touches      
on--is a kind of play1 namely1 that of  
thought4 ,in everything that is to      

excite a lively laugh there must be     
something absurd4 ,it is 8an affection  
arising from the sudden transformation  
of a strained 7gespannte7 expectation   
into nothing04 ,the transformation is1  
of course1 not directly enjoyable to the
 understanding3 it seems to induce      
gratification indirectly by means of a  
furthered bodily process4 ,this1 by the 
way1 is a noteworthy concession by a    
,german thinker to the claims of the    
poor body to recognition in these high  
affairs of the understanding1 a         
concession which his followers quickly  
struck out4 ,he gives as an example of  
his theory the story of a ,hindoo who1  
when sitting at an ,englishman's table1 
and seeing a bottle of beer turned into 
froth1 expressed astonishment4 ,being   
questioned as to the reason1 he         
remarked3 8,i am not at all astonished  
that it should flow out1 but ,i do      
wonder how you ever got it in04  ,i have
 enlarged on ,kant's theory mainly      
because of the authority of the author4 

,german critics themselves recognise how
 absurdly inadequate is the little he   
says on the subject as an explanation of
 the effect of the laughable4#fh ,a few 
words will perhaps make this plain4  ,it
 is evident that what ,kant was thinking
 of under the head of the ludicrous was 
merely those exchanges of witty words   
and amusing stories which naturally     
enough formed a principal pastime of the
 devoted ,knigsberg thinker4 ,yet1 even 
when considered under this narrow       
aspect1 his theory shows itself to be   
palpably insufficient4 ,it is noteworthy
 #abg that1 in seeking to make it fit   
the remark of the ,hindoo quoted above1 
,kant feels himself called upon to      
contradict the suggestion that we laugh 
8because we deem ourselves cleverer than
 this ignorant man04 ,this objection1   
which could not fail to occur to one who
 remembers ,hobbes1 cannot1 however1 be 
summarily dismissed by a bare assurance 
such as ,kant gives us2 and1 as a recent
 writer remarks1 8there is good reason  

to suppose that we laugh at the         
ignorance 7better1 #8at the navet'7 of  
the man who seeks the difficulty in a   
wrong place04#fi  ,one may go farther   
and venture the assertion that it is    
impossible to explain any laughable     
incident1 story or remark as due        
altogether to dissolved expectation or  
surprise4  ,in examining the adequacy of
 ,kant's theory to this purpose1 ,i set 
out with the natural presupposition     
that1 when using the word expectation1  
he does not mean a definite anticipation
 of some particular concrete sequel to  
what is presented to the mind at the    
moment4 ,in the illustration given1 he  
would not have meant that the questioner
 had a well-defined expectant idea of   
another explanation of the ,hindoo's    
astonishment4 ,it is only fair to assume
 that he meant merely what the word     
8expect0 means when1 on meeting a friend
 in a ,london street whom ,i had        
supposed to be out of ,england1 ,i say  
8,i did not expect to see you04 ,in     

other words1 8expectation0 stands here  
for a general attitude of mind1 a mode  
of apperceptive readiness to assimilate 
any idea of a certain order1 that is to 
say1 standing in a recognisable relation
 to what is presented4 ,it is the       
attitude in which we appreciate the     
evolution of a plot in fiction when this
 appears natural and does not give a    
shock to consciousness4 #abh  ,employing
 the word in this sense1 one may say    
that1 even when we laugh on receiving   
the solution to a conundrum which has   
teased and baffled us1 it is not because
 of the dissipation of an expectant     
attitude4 ,this conclusion is suggested 
by the familiar fact that1 when at the  
end of our self-puzzling we are told    
that there is no solution1 and when     
consequently we are unmistakably the    
subjects of an annulled expectation1 we 
are very likely not to laugh2 or1 if we 
are good-natured enough to do so1 it is 
as a result1 not of any disappointment1 
but of a discovery that we have been    

hoaxed4 ,this laugh at one's befooled   
self--which we shall not be disposed to 
repeat if the trick is tried a second   
time--so far from illustrating the      
principle of annulled expectation is a  
particularly clear example of that of   
lowered dignity4  ,the best kind of     
example of the laughable for ,kant's    
purpose would seem to be something odd  
and fantastic in dress or manners4      
,here1 as ,i have allowed1 a kind of    
shock is inflicted on our fixed         
apperceptive tendencies4 ,but to speak  
of a process of dissipated expectation  
here seems to be hardly accurate4 ,as ,i
 have hinted1 the sudden appearance of  
the unexpected moves us to laughter     
primarily as a delightful novelty4  ,it 
seems to follow that ,kant's principle  
of nullified expectation offers no      
adequate explanation of those forms of  
the ludicrous which are most promising  
for his purpose4 ,i may add that it     
fails because it makes no serious       
attempt to mark off the domain of the   

laughable by certain well-defined       
characteristics4 ,we have seen that the 
objects which excite our laughter are   
things human1 or akin to the human4 ,the
 theory of degradation evidently        
recognises this3 by making the ludicrous
 consist in a loss of dignity it points 
at once to the human sphere4 ,but the   
theory #abi that the effect of the      
ludicrous comes from an annihilation of 
a strained expectation suggests that it 
has nothing specially to do with the    
spectacle of human life4  ,as ,i have   
not included the capability of          
dissipating expectation among the       
laughable features of objects1 ,i may   
indicate what ,i hold to be the function
 of surprise in the effect of the       
ludicrous4 ,surprise1 the effect of a   
presentation for which the mind is not  
perfectly pre-adjusted at the moment1   
seems to be a common condition of vivid 
and exciting impressions1 certainly of  
those which induce a state of gladness4 
,hence we need not wonder that it should

 be found among the antecedents of that 
outburst of gladness which we call      
laughter4  ,nevertheless1 it seems      
probable that the part played by        
surprise in the enjoyment of the        
laughable has been exaggerated4 ,does   
the ,londoner who laughs again and again
 at the rough jocosities of the ,punch  
and ,judy show1 depend on annihilated   
expectation for his mirth8 ,dogberry's  
love of a mildewy old story is by no    
means peculiar to him4 ,a really good   
joke continues to amuse long after the  
first effect of surprise has worn off4  
,a like conclusion is reached by        
remembering that even when a definite   
attitude of expectation for the coming  
of the ludicrous turn is assumed1       
laughter's greeting is none the less    
hearty4 ,when racy stories are          
circulating and the lips move in        
anticipation of some new joke it seems  
an odd way of describing the effect to  
say that it is due to a dissipation of  
expectation4 ,there surely seems to be  

more of realisation than annihilation   
here1 even though the precise form of   
the impending attack on our laughter is 
unknown4 ,in certain cases1 moreover1 as
 when we are watching with amusement the
 actions of one on whom a practical joke
 is being played--actions which we1     
being in the secret of the plot1 are    
able to #acj forecast with a            
considerable degree of precision1 the   
element of surprise dwindles to the     
vanishing point4 ,the essential         
condition of our laughter would thus    
appear to be1 not the meeting of the    
amusing presentation with a state of    
complete unpreparedness of mind at the  
moment1 but such a degree of contrariety
 between the presentation and our fixed 
and irrepressible apperceptive          
tendencies as will1 even in spite of a  
pre-adjustment1 secure something of a   
mild1 momentary shock4#gj  ,a more      
carefully developed example of the mode 
of conceiving of the laughable which    
finds its essence in the annihilation of

 a rational attitude is supplied by     
,schopenhauer4 ,according to this       
writer1 the process which determines our
 laughter is describable as an          
intellectual effort and its frustration4
 8,in every instance 7he tells us7 the  
phenomenon of laughter indicates the    
sudden perception of an incongruity     
between a conception 7,begriff7 and a   
real object1 which is to be understood  
or #8thought' through 7i4e41 by means   
of7 this conception40 ,the incongruity  
between the perception and the          
conception under which the understanding
 necessarily strives to bring it must be
 of such a degree that the perception   
strikingly differs from the conception4 
,the greater and the more unexpected the
 incongruity1 the more violent          
7heftiger7 will be our laughter4  ,the  
author's example of the absurdity of the
 presentation of the curve and straight 
line trying to force itself under the   
incongruent conception of an angle is   
intended to illustrate this theory4#ga  

,here is another which has a #aca more  
promising look4 ,a man who has been     
arrested by soldiers is allowed to join 
them in a game of cards4 ,he is found   
cheating and is kicked out1 his         
playmates quite forgetting that he is   
their prisoner4 ,here1 according to     
,schopenhauer1 we laugh because the     
incident1 the ejection of a prisoner    
just arrested1 will not fit into the    
general rule1 8cheats at the card-table 
should be thrust out04  ,this form of   
the ,intellectual theory clearly avoids 
the objection to ,kant's version1 that  
we frequently laugh at things when there
 is no discoverable trace of a preceding
 expectation involving something in the 
nature of an idea2 for we take it as    
meaning that the conception arises      
after1 and as a result of1 the          
perception4 ,it is further indisputable1
 as ,kant has shown us1 that in our     
explicit judgments1 as when we say1     
8,this painting is 7or is not7 a work of
 ,rubens10 a general form of            

representation or something in the      
nature of a concept may take part1 the  
percept being 7or refusing to be7       
subsumed under this4  ,at the same time1
 as was urged in the first chapter1 the 
distinct calling up of this general     
representation is occasional only1 and1 
therefore1 not a pre-requisite of a     
perception of conformity or             
non-conformity to the normal type4 ,when
 ,i envisage a person as correctly or as
 oddly dressed1 ,i do not in either case
 need to have a schematic representation
 of the proper typical style of dress4  
,the same holds good of many cases in   
which a definite rule1 say of language  
or good manners1 is felt to be complied 
with or to be broken3 we do not need to 
call up a distinct representation of the
 rule4 ,at most we can speak here of a  
conceptual tendency1 of an apperceptive 
acceptance or rejection of a            
presentation1 certain features of which 
are specially attended to as            
characteristic of the type or general   

form2 or1 on the other hand1 as marks of
 deviation from this4 #acb  ,even if we 
adopt this amended form of              
,schopenhauer's theory1 we find that it 
is not sufficient for explaining his    
examples4 ,of the funny tangential angle
 no more need be said4 ,nor will his    
illustration of the self-befooled       
warders bear close inspection4 ,to begin
 with1 one may note a certain           
arbitrariness in the use of a mode of   
interpretation which plainly allows of  
an alternative4 ,we can say equally     
well1 either 7with ,schopenhauer7 that  
the extrusion of a cheat who is also a  
prisoner will not fit into the general  
rule 8cheats have to be ejected10 or    
that the extrusion of a prisoner who is 
also a cheat will not fit into the rule 
that prisoners have to be confined4#gb  
,it seems to be more fitting here also  
to regard the incongruity--so far as the
 perception of this is the direct cause 
of our laughter--as holding between two 
aspects of the incident presented4 ,the 

man is envisaged at once as a cheat and 
as a prisoner1 and as such comes under  
two rgimes which directly conflict4 ,the
 perception of the fun of the story     
surely begins with a discernment of this
 mutual interference of two systems of  
rule4  ,yet this is certainly not all or
 the chief part of the perception4 ,the 
unstinting laugh comes only when we view
 the keepers as navely 8giving          
themselves away0 to their prisoner by   
consenting to become playmates1 and so  
putting themselves under a rule which   
wholly destroys their rle as custodians4
 ,here1 too1 then1 the principle of     
incongruity shows itself to be          
insufficient4  ,it only remains to add  
that if ,schopenhauer's theory turns out
 to be inadequate even when applied to  
an example chosen by himself1 it is     
pretty certain to fail when applied to  
other groups of instances of the        
laughable in our list1 in which         
incongruity does not seem to be a potent
 #acc ingredient1 if indeed it is       

present at all4 ,to suggest1 for        
example1 that our laughter at small and 
harmless vices1 such as ,aristotle      
speaks of1 is the outcome of a suddenly 
conceived incongruity between a 8real   
object0 or presentation and a conception
 sounds sufficiently forced4 ,would the 
author of the theory have been prepared 
to say that in these instances we have  
present to our mind the concept of a    
perfectly virtuous man1 and that our    
laughter comes of our failing to bring  
the perception under this conception8   
,surely the intrusion of any such       
exalted 8concept0 would be fatal to our 
enjoyment of the laughable aspect of    
vice4  ,facts1 moreover1 contradict this
 view on every hand4 ,it may suffice to 
allude to one of the world's great      
purveyors of laughter1 ,sir ,john       
,falstaff4 ,according to this theory1 we
 ought to laugh most at his vices when  
he first reveals them1 since this is the
 moment when we should be most likely to
 bring to bear on him the 8concept0 of a

 proper decent gentleman4 ,but is it not
 the fact that we laugh more freely when
 we have quite ceased to think of him as
 a possible embodiment of sobriety and  
decency1 and when we apperceive his     
behaviour by help of the conceptual     
tendency answering1 not to the type of  
virtuous citizen1 but to the general    
manner of behaviour or the character of 
,john ,falstaff himself8 ,the same is   
true in everyday life4 ,we are1 ,i      
think1 most ready to laugh at a man's   
foibles1 say1 his vanity or his         
exaggerations of speech1 when we know   
the man and can say1 8,oh1 it is only   
,so-and-,so60  ,neither the theory of   
,kant nor of ,schopenhauer seems1 then1 
to be competent to do what it undertakes
 to do1 to explain the various forms and
 impressions of the laughable4 ,these   
two theories1 in spite of their         
difference1 agree in regarding the      
incongruity which excites our laughter  
as lying between what we perceive and   
what our previous #acd experience and   

our pre-existing ideas and apperceptive 
habits have prepared us to accept as    
natural and proper4 ,but our examination
 of the instance of the ill-matched hat 
and head supplied by ,dr4 ,lipps1 as    
also our fuller discussion of the       
relation of incongruity in the preceding
 chapter1 has led us to recognise an    
amusing contrariety between different   
parts of a presentation1 of what may be 
called internal incongruity in          
contradistinction to the external dealt 
with by ,kant and ,schopenhauer4 ,hence 
we have to inquire how these two modes  
of apprehending incongruity are related4
  ,that1 prima facie1 we have to do in  
this case with a real difference in the 
mode of perception1 seems indisputable2 
let the reader compare the effect of the
 two spectacles1 a man wearing an       
extravagantly tall hat1 and a small boy 
wearing a hat of the height of a man's2 
or1 again1 a tiny man alone1 and a short
 man by the side of a tall woman4 ,in   
some instances1 indeed1 we may see that 

there is an intrinsic repugnance between
 the parts of a presentation1 as when   
two colours in a woman's dress violently
 clash1 or when a statement is palpably 
self-contradictory4 ,here there seems to
 be no reference1 however vague1 to     
previous experience or the customary4   
,at the same time we may easily see that
 this field of the internally           
incongruent is a very narrow one4 ,much 
of what looks like this turns out1 on   
closer inspection1 to be1 in part at    
least1 externally determined4 ,this is  
true of what we call a bizarre mixture  
of incongruent elements in mode of      
attire or in manners2 for it is         
experience and the habits of social life
 which dispose our minds to regard them 
as foreign one to the other4 ,much of   
our mirthful gratification at           
exhibitions of the incongruous arises   
through a perception of the intrusion of
 something foreign into a situation4    
,when1 for example1 we observe a #ace   
rather sprightly gesture in the pulpit1 

we mentally view this action against a  
background which is the situation of the
 moment4 ,now this situation is by no   
means wholly presented3 it is a         
presentation greatly enlarged and       
profoundly modified by the addition of a
 general significance4 ,the attitude of 
the spectator's mind1 face to face with 
the scene1 is determined by apperceptive
 tendencies which imply a readiness to  
expect a certain kind of behaviour4 ,and
 this1 again1 evidently means that      
certain directions of imaginative       
activity1 and something in the nature of
 a 8generic image0 and of conceptual    
thought1 are stirring4 ,this effect of  
experience and apperceptive habits in   
modifying our perceptions is probably   
illustrated in all our appreciations of 
the amusingly incongruous4 ,to revert   
once more to the spectacle of the man's 
hat on the child's head1 may we not say 
that in this case1 also1 we envisage the
 hat as an interloper in the            
situation--the sweet sanctum of the     

nursery8  ,it seems to follow that ,kant
 and ,schopenhauer were wise1 when      
dealing with incongruity1 in emphasising
 the apperceptive factor4 ,contrariety  
to what we are accustomed to is         
undoubtedly the great determining       
element in the ill-assortments of things
 which provoke our laughter4 ,hence1 in 
examining the theories of these two     
writers1 we seem to have dealt with the 
intellectual principle in its most      
comprehensive and most favourable form4 
,nor do ,i see how any transformation of
 this principle will make it an adequate
 theory4 ,the entertaining instances of 
mischances and awkward situations1 of   
takings down1 of moral and intellectual 
failings1 these and other varieties of  
the laughable dealt with above steadily 
refuse to yield up their secret at the  
bidding of this theory4  ,let us now sum
 up the results of our criticism of the 
theories4 ,we seem to have found that1  
whereas neither of #acf the two chief   
types of theory covers the whole field  

of the laughable1 each has its proper1  
limited domain4 ,it is certain that in  
many cases we laugh at an incident1 a   
situation1 an action1 where the         
provocative is best described as a loss 
of dignity4 ,it is equally certain that 
in many other cases our laughter springs
 directly out of a perception1 more or  
less distinct1 of incongruity4  ,that   
these principles have each a large sway 
over our laughter has been sufficiently 
illustrated in the preceding chapter3   
also that they frequently co-operate in 
one and the same amusing presentation4  
,hence we might expect that the advocate
 of each theory would be able to find   
his illustrations1 and would sometimes  
manage to pounce upon one just after it 
had been carried off by his rival4#gc   
,but1 it may be urged1 even if both     
principles are shown to be valid they   
may be unified4 ,if by this is meant    
that the incongruous and the undignified
 or unworthy1 considered as abstract    
ideas1 are identical1 or that logically 

each involves the other1 ,i am not      
concerned to discuss the point4 ,it is  
enough for our present purpose to urge  
that the modes of perception and the    
shades of feeling involved are clearly  
distinguishable4  ,the same fundamental 
distinction would nullify the attempt to
 subsume one of these principles as a   
special case under the other4 ,if we set
 out with the ,intellectual principle1  
we may1 without doubt1 succeed in       
showing that many1 if not all1 amusing  
losses of dignity--such as a slight     
disgrace1 or a bungling into a          
8fix0--logically involve a contrariety  
between what is presented and the normal
 custom or rule4 ,but our question is   
one not of the logical analysis of      
meaning but of the psychological        
analysis of process1 and ,i can find no 
evidence in favour of the theory #acg   
that when we laugh at these things we   
have at the moment any apprehension of  
such a contrariety4  ,it is the same if 
we start with the other or ,moral       

principle4 ,incongruities which are     
lapses from standard ideas may          
certainly1 as already conceded1 be      
regarded as degradations4 ,and it may be
 possible to show that in all cases of  
incongruity some loss of dignity is     
logically implied4 ,yet even if it be   
so1 the psychological contention will   
still stand that in many cases of       
incongruity1 including our old friend   
the child in the father's hat1 we have a
 full sense of relishing the incongruity
 and yet none at all of enjoying a      
degradation4 ,where is the degradation  
in the spectacle of a crow on a sheep's 
back which may flood a child with mirth8
 ,in truth1 if our theorists had only   
condescended to take note of so small a 
matter as children's enjoyment of the   
world's fun1 the hypothesis of          
degradation could never have stood its  
ground so long4  ,yet another way of    
evading a glaring dualism may suggest   
itself4 ,allowing that the two          
principles are each valid1 we might1 at 

least1 be able to combine them in the   
form of a single generalisation4 ,this  
is what is done by ,hazlitt1 for        
example1 who1 though he finds the       
essence of the laughable in the         
incongruous1 defines the ludicrous as   
involving disappointment of expectation 
by something having deformity or        
7something7 inconvenient1 that is what  
is contrary to the customary and        
desirable4#gd ,herbert ,spencer's       
expression1 a 8descending incongruity10 
is clearly a very similar mode of       
combining the principles4#ge ,lipps'    
theory of incongruity1 with its         
distinction of a little1 and a          
belittling presentation1 might also1 ,i 
think1 easily be made to illustrate     
another mode of such combination4 ,more 
recently ,fouille #ach and others have  
urged that the one principle in a manner
 supplements the other4#gf  ,it is      
evident1 however1 that this apparent    
mode of escape will not avail us4 ,the  
combined theory implies that all cases  

of the laughable are at once            
incongruities and degradations1 that is 
to say1 perceived and felt to be such4  
,in dealing with the principles         
separately1 however1 we have seen that1 
in the case of each alike1 there are    
well-recognised examples of the         
laughable to which it does not apply4   
,this conclusion manifestly carries with
 it the proposition that there are cases
 to which a combination of the          
principles does not apply4  ,a last     
attempt to escape this theoretic dualism
 would be to urge that the two          
principles rule in distinct realms4 ,in 
that of the ludicrous proper1 it might  
be urged1 we have to do with the        
intellectual principle3 it is only when 
the sphere is enlarged to include all   
that is laughable1 and so the region of 
the ridiculous1 that the principle of   
lowered dignity comes in4#gg ,theorists 
may insist on such distinctions1 but it 
seems to me that they cannot be         
maintained as hard and fast boundaries4 

,as has been shown above1 laughable     
things do not all affect us in quite the
 same way4 ,a spice of malice comes into
 much of the laughter that greets the   
spectacle1 say of a bit of successful   
trickery2 yet this does not make the    
experience substantially different from 
that of enjoying some striking example  
of incongruity1 say a good ,irish       
8bull04 ,when the note of derision      
begins to sound clearly1 there is of    
course no longer any suggestion of an   
effect of the laughable pure and simple4
  ,the attempt to analyse our           
perceptions of the laughable #aci in the
 hope of discovering some single uniting
 principle has proved to be abortive4   
,we find in the end that two causes of  
laughter remain on our hands4#gh  ,the  
most promising way of bringing the      
several laughable qualities and aspects 
of things under one descriptive head    
would seem to be to say that they all   
illustrate a presentation of something  
in the nature of a defect1 a failure to 

satisfy some standard-requirement1 as   
that of law or custom1 provided that it 
is small enough to be viewed as a       
harmless plaything4 ,much1 at least1 of 
our laughter at the odd as opposed to   
the customary1 at the deformed1 at      
failure in good manners and the other   
observances of social life1 at defects  
of intelligence and of character1 at    
fixes and misfortunes--so far as the    
situation implies want of foresight--at 
the lack of a perception of the fitness 
of things1 and at other laughable       
features1 may undoubtedly be regarded as
 directed to something which fails to   
comply with a social requirement1 yet is
 so trifling that we do not feel called 
upon to judge the shortcoming severely4 
,i am sure that to look at the laughable
 in this way is an indispensable step in
 the construction of a theory of the    
subject4 ,we must1 as we shall see      
presently1 supplement the common mode of
 dealing with laughter as an abstract   
psychological problem1 by bringing into 

view its social function4 ,yet this does
 not necessarily mean that the          
consideration of this function will lead
 us straightway to a simple theory of   
the ludicrous4 ,as hinted in the        
preceding chapter1 we may easily        
exaggerate the more serious function of 
laughter1 and this point will be made   
clearer in subsequent chapters4  ,that  
the effects of the laughable cannot all 
be brought under the head of means of   
social correction or improvement1 #adj  
may1 even at this stage of our inquiry1 
be seen by considering another point1 to
 which we will now turn4 ,no analysis of
 the qualities of things in which the   
laughable resides will enable us to     
account for the mirthful effects of     
these1 even while we remain within the  
limits of what is commonly recognised as
 the ludicrous4 ,this has been          
illustrated in the preceding chapter1   
and a word or two more may suffice to   
make it clear4  ,i have tried to show   
that some at least of the spectacles    

that shake us with laughter do so by    
satisfying something within us akin to  
the child's delight in the gloriously   
new and extravagant4 ,this1 again1 means
 that these spectacles make appeal to   
that primitive form of laughter1 already
 illustrated1 which is called forth by  
some sudden increase of joy4 ,our       
rejoicing at the sight of the clown's   
droll costume and funny movements has in
 it something of the laughing joy of the
 savage when he is shown some mechanical
 wonder of ,europe1 something of the    
laughing joy of the infant at the sudden
 invasion of his nursery wall by a      
dancing sunbeam4#gi  ,a little more     
reflection on the groups of laughable   
things will show that other ingredients 
of this primitive laughter are present  
in our appreciation of the ludicrous4   
,dr4 ,bain finds himself compelled to   
eke out the deficiencies of the         
,hobbesian principle by urging that the 
spectacle of degradation may move us to 
laughter1 not merely by exciting the    

feeling of power or superiority 7as     
,hobbes said71 but by supplying a sudden
 release from a state of constraint4    
,the abandonment of the serious attitude
 in church when some trivial incident   
occurs is an instance of a lowering of  
the dignity of a thing1 or an occasion1 
which refreshes #ada us with a sense of 
liberation4#hj ,this idea carries us    
much farther than the author thinks4    
,the joyous deliverance from pressure   
and constraint will1 ,i think1 be found 
to reinforce other mental agencies in   
many cases of ludicrous presentation in 
which no degradation is discoverable4   
,sometimes the constraint is very       
severe2 witness the effect when the     
narrator of a funny story knows how to  
wind up the emotion of fear to just the 
right pitch in order to give us the     
delicious run down of the mental works  
when the funny dnouement bursts upon us4
 ,here our laughter has a large support 
in the joyous relief from nervous       
tension4  ,in other cases1 again1 the   

release comes as an interruption of a   
solemn occasion by the intrusion of     
something disconnected1 and1 by         
contrast1 trifling4 ,the tittering in a 
church at a small contretemps has been  
our illustration4 ,there is incongruity 
here between two orders of ideas1 if you
 like2 or1 as ,i should prefer to put   
it1 between two levels of interest4 ,for
 the point is that the interruption must
 seem ludicrous by exhibiting clearly a 
trifling character1 by powerfully       
suggesting a non-reverent point of view4
  ,as hinted above1 these two sources of
 laughter1 a sudden oncoming of gladness
 and a relief from restraint1 are       
closely connected4 ,the unexpected      
presentation which gladdens us seems    
commonly to bring a kind of relief4     
,this is certainly true of all cases in 
which the preceding state was one of    
conscious depression and ennui4 ,the    
laughter of the young1 in response to   
our often cumbrous attempts to amuse    
them1 may be an escape from a certain   

strain which belongs to a state of      
ennui1 from the confinement or restraint
 which the poverty of their surroundings
 at the moment imposes on them4#ha #adb 
,there is another conceivable way of    
bringing together the effect of sudden  
gladness and relief from restraint4 ,it 
has been urged that all laughable things
 affect us by way of a shock of surprise
 followed by a sense of relief4 ,leigh  
,hunt1 for example1 thinks that when we 
laugh at something we receive a shock of
 surprise which gives a check to the    
breath1 a check which is in proportion  
to the vivacity of the surprise2 and    
that our laughter is a relief from      
this4#hb ,this theory embodies a sound  
physiological principle1 one which we   
have already adopted1 but it seems to go
 too far4 ,as ,i have tried to show1 a  
shock of surprise1 as we ordinarily     
understand the expression1 is not an    
invariable antecedent of our response to
 laughable things4 ,on the other hand1  
it may be urged with some reason that   

even in cases where this full shock of  
the unexpected is wanting1 there is a   
moment of strain as the presentation    
affronts the custom-trained eye1 and    
that the laughter is the expression of  
the condoning of this affront1 the      
acceptance of it as harmless play4  ,in 
order to complete our psychological     
analysis of the tendencies which combine
 in our enjoyment of ludicrous things1  
we need to glance at one other variety  
of primitive laughter1 that of contempt4
 ,in dealing with this in ,chapter      
,,iii4 we drew the line between it and  
the true enjoyment of the laughable as  
something 8objective04 ,yet it would be 
a profound error not to recognise the   
fact1 that there is a real kinship      
between the two4 ,to begin with1 the    
laugh of contempt1 say over a prostrate 
foe1 or over one whom we have succeeded 
in teasing by playing off on him some   
practical joke1 readily passes into an  
enjoyment of the laughable proper4 ,it  
is obviously in part a laugh at         

something4 ,not only so1 as a laugh it  
may be presumed to involve a less #adc  
serious attitude in the successful      
spectator than a sneer1 say1 or the     
hurling of opprobrious words4 ,it will  
naturally direct itself to something in 
the undignified look of the discomfited 
party which would be likely to be       
recognised by others also as            
laughter-moving4  ,again1 though ,i hold
 that ,hobbes' theory1 as he himself    
formulates it1 errs by insisting on the 
swelling of the spectator's             
self-consciousness into a feeling of    
superiority or power1 it seems to me to 
be indisputable that all examples of the
 laughable which clearly fall into the  
category of mild degradations do give us
 a sense of uplifting1 something akin to
 ,hobbes' 8sudden glory04 ,as we are    
reminded by ,dr4 ,bain1 malevolence or  
malice has its protean disguises1 and   
one of them is undoubtedly the joy of   
the laugher4 ,the note of malicious     
crowing1 of ,schadenfreude1 may1 no     

doubt1 be most distinctly heard in some 
of the laughter of satire and of the    
more brutal sort of joke4 ,yet ,i       
suspect that a trace of it lurks1 like a
 beaten foe1 inexpugnable though greatly
 reduced in strength1 in a large part of
 our laughter4  ,there are one or two   
facts which seem to me to point to the  
conclusion that superiority is implied  
in1 if not tacitly claimed by1 the forms
 of laughter which have a distinctly    
personal aim4 ,one of these is the      
familiar fact that anything in the shape
 of a feeling of inferiority to1 or even
 of respect for1 the laughable person   
inhibits the laughter of the            
contemplator4 ,but other facts seem to  
me to be still more conclusive4 ,of     
these the first is that if a person     
finds himself distinctly involved in the
 disgrace1 the absurd situation1 or     
whatever else provokes laughter1 he no  
longer laughs1 or laughs in another key4
 ,i see my estimable fellow-pedestrian  
lose his hat at a street corner where   

the wind lies in ambush3 my soul expands
 exultingly4 ,the moment after1 ,i1 too1
 may fall a victim to the ambuscade1 in 
#add which case ,i probably stop        
laughing and become the subject of a    
different emotion4 ,or1 if ,i am        
8laughing animal0 enough to keep up the 
hilarity1 the laugh will have changed4  
,all the glory1 the sense of uplifting1 
the exultation will have fled1 and the  
new laugh1 which embraces myself along  
with another unfortunate1 will have in  
it something of humiliation1 will at    
most have shrunk into a 8chastened joy04
  ,the second fact is still more        
decisive4 ,if no superiority is implied 
in our common laughter at others1 how   
does it come about that we all have so  
very obstinate a dislike to be made its 
object8 ,the most amiable of men find it
 hard enough to rise to the level of a  
bare toleration of others' laughter3 the
 man who can reach the sublime height of
 finding a real and considerable        
gratification in it must be a hero1     

or--as some would say--a craven4 ,there 
are men of a genuine and most blameless 
humour who are hardly1 if at all1 less  
keenly sensitive to the attack of       
another laugher than the most serious of
 prigs4 ,is this understandable unless  
we suppose that laughter at a person is 
instinctively interpreted as an         
assertion of superiority over him8  ,it 
would seem then to be a reasonable view1
 that if laughter in ordinary cases     
involves superiority1 and is so regarded
 by its object1 the enjoyment of it by  
its subject will be very apt to bring   
with it a taste of superiority4 ,this1  
,i conceive1 is the element of truth in 
,hobbes' theory4  ,the foregoing        
considerations seem to show clearly that
 the realm of the ludicrous is not a    
closed and clearly bounded territory1 as
 the theorists for the most part assume 
it to be4 ,our enjoyment of its amusing 
sights connects itself with1 and indeed 
absorbs into itself1 tendencies which we
 may observe in the laughter of children

 and uncivilised adults4 ,and1 if so1   
the fact seems to require us to go back 
upon those primitive tendencies in order
 to see how far the connection #ade     
holds1 that is to say1 how far the      
effects of the ludicrous can be regarded
 as due to the play of those tendencies4
  ,an analysis of the primitive forms of
 laughter1 which precede its regulation 
by a reference to ideas1 has disclosed  
the fact that it is the expression of   
pleasure1 yet not of all pleasure1 but  
only of the sudden oncoming or increase 
of pleasure1 of what we call gladness4  
,it has shown us1 further1 that this joy
 of laughter is1 in many1 if not in all 
cases1 conditioned by a sudden          
relaxation of mental strain1 and may1   
indeed1 be described by reference to    
this condition as a sense of relief from
 pressure4 ,this was seen to hold good  
alike in those graver situations in     
which nervous laughter is apt to occur1 
in the lighter ones1 such as the escape 
of schoolboys from the classroom to the 

playground1 and in the still lighter    
ones in which the strain relaxed is     
momentary only1 of which the laughter   
induced by tickling is the best         
representative4  ,now it seems evident  
that we have in all these experiences   
something analogous to play4 ,the       
natural alliance of laughter with the   
play-mood has already been touched      
on4#hc ,we may now go a step farther and
 say that these spurts of joyous        
consciousness which1 in simple natures  
untrammelled by thought of appearances1 
express themselves in laughter are of   
the essence of ,play4 ,to be glad with  
the gaiety of laughter1 to throw off the
 stiff and wearing attitude of          
seriousness and to abandon oneself to   
mirth and jollity is1 in truth1 to begin
 to play4  ,the deep kinship between    
laughter and play discloses itself as   
soon as we begin carefully to compare   
them4 ,let us look at some of their     
common characteristics4  ,play contrasts
 with work1 not as rest or inactivity   

contrasts with it1 but as light         
pleasurable activity contrasts #adf with
 the more strenuous and partly          
disagreeable kind4 ,the same holds good 
of laughter4 ,it is light pleasurable   
activity in contrast to the more        
burdensome activity of our serious      
hours4  ,again1 play is free activity   
entered upon for its own sake4 ,that is 
to say1 it is not directed to any end   
outside itself1 to the satisfaction of  
any want1 save that of the play-impulse 
itself2 and so it is free from external 
restraint1 and from the sense of        
compulsion--of a 8must0 at the ear1     
whether embodied in the voice of a      
master or in that of a higher           
self--which accompanies the attitude of 
the worker4 ,similarly1 when we laugh we
 are released from the strain and       
pressure of serious concentration1 from 
the compulsion of the practical and     
other needs which keep men1 in the main1
 serious beings4  ,it follows at once   
that play is relative to work1 that it  

is enjoyed as a relief from graver      
occupations1 and cannot be indefinitely 
prolonged4 ,and1 as has been hinted     
above1 the same holds true of laughter  
and what we appropriately describe as   
playing the fool4  ,in saying that play 
is spontaneous activity1 freed from the 
imperious rule of necessity1 ,i do not  
mean that it is aimless4 ,the           
play-impulse provides its own ends2 for1
 without something to aim at1 it could  
not become conscious activity in the    
full sense4 ,thus in the case of        
children1 at any rate1 and possibly of  
young animals also1 playing at some form
 of combat implies1 as ,prof4 ,groos    
urges1 a keen striving for something    
akin to conquest4 ,in other words1 the  
instinct which underlies the activity   
seems to bring with it the setting up of
 something like an end4 ,similarly with 
respect to those varieties of children's
 play which aim at the realisation of an
 idea1 and so resemble art4 ,in this    
case1 too1 an instinct1 namely1         

imitative production1 prompts to the    
semblance of a serious conative process1
 the striving #adg after an end4 ,the   
same applies to mirthful activity4 ,in  
playing off a joke on another we        
certainly have a definite aim in view4  
,in neither case1 however1 is the end   
regarded as a serious or important one4 
,play ceases to be pure play just as    
soon as the end1 for example conquest1  
begins to be regarded as a thing of     
consequence to the player2 and1 in like 
manner1 laughter ceases to be pure mirth
 just as soon as the end1 say the       
invention of a witticism1 is envisaged  
as a solid personal advantage1 such as  
heightened reputation4#hd  ,a like      
remark applies to the intrusion of the  
serious attitude into play when this    
takes on an elaborate form requiring    
some concentration of attention4 ,this  
does not destroy the playful character  
of the activity so long as the end is   
not viewed as matter of serious import4 
,in this respect1 too1 laughter         

resembles play1 for we may take         
considerable pains in shaping our       
practical joke without ever losing hold 
of fun as our end4  ,this brings us to  
another point of kinship between play   
and laughter4 ,each1 though marked off  
from the things of the real serious     
world1 has to do with these in a manner4
 ,the play both of animals and of       
children is largely pretence1 that is to
 say1 the production of a semblance of  
an action of serious life1 involving    
some consciousness of its illusory      
character4 ,this seems inferrible1 in   
the case of animal play1 e4g41 the      
make-believe combats1 from the palpable 
restriction of the movements within the 
limits of the harmless4#he ,and with    
regard to the play of the nursery1 it   
#adh is probable that all through a     
play-action there is1 in spite of the   
look of absorbing seriousness1 a dim    
awareness of the make-believe4 ,it is   
fairly certain that we have to do in    
this case with a double or 8divided0    

consciousness4#hf ,and1 as has been     
illustrated above1 laughter is wont to  
hover about the domain of the serious4  
,in both cases we find the love of      
pretence playing pranks with the real   
world1 divesting things of their        
significance and value for the serious  
part of our mind1 and transmuting them  
by fancy into mere appearances for our  
amusement4  ,another point of similarity
 may be just alluded to4 ,recent        
discussions on the nature of play have  
served to bring out its utility or      
serviceableness4 ,not only is the       
sportive activity of children and young 
animals of physiological benefit as     
wholesome exercise1 it is now seen to be
 valuable as a preliminary practice of  
actions which later on become necessary4
 ,thus in play-combats children and     
young animals begin to learn the arts of
 skilful attack and defence4#hg ,much of
 this benefit of play-activity is due to
 the circumstance that it is a mode of  
organised co-operation and supplies a   

kind of training for the serious social 
activity of later years4 ,i shall hope  
to show later that laughter has a like  
value1 not merely as a source of        
physiological benefit to the individual1
 but as helping us to become fit members
 of society4 ,it seems hardly needful to
 point out that since the fact of this  
utility is known neither to the player  
nor to the laugher1 it does not in the  
least affect the truth of our           
contention1 that their activity is not  
controlled by external ends which have a
 practical or other serious value4 #adi 
,our comparison justifies us in         
identifying play and mirth1 so far as to
 say that when we play and when we laugh
 our mood is substantially the same4    
,common language seems to support this  
view4 8,fun10 8frolic10 8sport10        
8pastime10 these and the like may be    
said to cover at once all joyous play   
and all varieties of mirth4 ,we are     
justified1 therefore1 in making the     
principle of play fundamental in our    

theory of laughter4#hh ,we may now      
proceed to illustrate rather more fully 
the presence of the play-attitude in the
 higher domain of laughter1 the         
enjoyment of ludicrous spectacle4  ,to  
begin with1 much of the laughable       
illustrated above may be regarded as an 
expression in persons or things of the  
play-mood which seizes the spectator by 
way of a sympathetic resonance4         
,examples have been given in the        
laughter excited by the spectacle of    
aimless actions which have the look of  
frolicsomeness4 ,as our name 8word-play0
 clearly suggests1 verbal jokes are     
recognised as an outcome of the         
play-mood which throws off for the nonce
 the proper serious treatment of        
language4 ,again1 the odd when it       
reaches the height of the extravagant   
has an unmistakable look of             
play-license4 ,much of the amusing      
effect of disguise1 of pretence1        
including certain kinds of 8aping10     
appears to involve some recognition of  

the make-believe aspect of play4 ,the   
disorderly1 even when it applies to a   
room1 is1 to say the least1 powerfully  
suggestive of the ways of rompish play4 
,many irregularities of thought and     
action readily take on the look of a    
self-abandonment to play2 for example1  
irrelevances and confusions of idea1    
droll1 aimless-looking actions1 such as 
going off the scene and coming back     
again and again1 #aej senseless         
repetitions of actions by the same      
person or by others--a common           
entertainment of the circus and the     
popular play-house4 ,as a last example1 
we may instance the effect of the       
incongruous when it assumes a trifling  
aspect on a solemn occasion4 ,this is   
surely amusing because it is so like the
 interruptions of child's play4  ,how   
far can this principle be carried8 ,may 
not a good deal of the amusingly        
incongruous in behaviour and in         
circumstances1 of intellectual and of   
moral collapse1 when this wears the     

aspect of folly1 be said to affect us as
 an expression of the play-mood8 ,and is
 not our amusement at the sight of      
certain mischances which have the look  
of a tripping up1 an outwitting or      
befooling1 either by others or by       
circumstance or 8fate10 traceable to a  
perception of something                 
indistinguishable from playful teasing8 
,yet we must not rely on this expression
 of the playful too much4 ,there seem to
 be many cases of the laughable1 for    
example1 amusing vices1 absences of     
mind1 and all irrelevances which bring  
in the solemn where it is out of place1 
where that which is expressed is a mood 
the very opposite of the playful4 ,nor  
do we need to push this principle to an 
extreme4 ,even if the laughable         
spectacle does not wear the look of a   
play-challenge1 it can bring up the     
playful mood in the spectator in another
 way4 ,it may so present its particular 
feature as to throw us off our serious  
balance1 and by a sweet compulsion force

 us to play with it rather than to      
consider it seriously4 ,a brief         
reference to our store of laughable     
things may suffice to illustrate this4  
,to begin with our laughter at          
novelties1 the odd1 the extravagant1    
what is it but the outcome of a         
play-impulse1 a gay caprice which wills 
for the instant not to take objects     
seriously1 but to disregard their real  
nature and significance1 #aea practical1
 theoretical1 and even sthetic1 for the 
joy of making them playthings for the   
eye8 ,or1 if the suggestion of a rule1  
broken by the newcomer into our field of
 perception1 obtrudes itself1 our       
laughter announces that the infraction  
does not matter1 that the violation of  
custom's good law itself is passed over 
and turned into fun by the blithe       
play-spirit in us4  ,it is the same with
 mischances1 awkward fixes1 and all     
sorts of moral and intellectual         
shortcomings4 ,these things obviously   
have in them what should appeal to our  

seriousness3 they come up for judgment  
as pitiable1 as regrettable1 often as   
distinctly culpable4 ,yet we laugh and  
cast aside our judicial responsibilities
 just because the mood of the moment    
disposes us to be indulgent1 and because
 the attitude we take up in viewing the 
offence as a little one instantly brings
 up the love of play1 the impulse to    
turn the significant into enjoyable     
nonsense4  ,once more1 in our laughter  
at artful allusion to the obscene1 it is
 the same swift transition from the     
serious attitude to that of play which  
seems to be at the bottom of our        
merriment4 ,here again it is the        
littleness--a quantity1 as pointed out1 
varying considerably with the quality of
 the laugher--which disarms the serious 
attitude and allures it to play4  ,in   
pretences1 both hypocrisies and less    
serious kinds1 which raise the laugh1 we
 note the same swift lapse into the     
play-attitude4 ,for1 in order to enjoy  
these vain shows with perfect gaiety1 we

 must be ready to bring a mental 8blind 
spot0 to bear on everything in them     
which has serious moral significance4   
,here1 too1 we take a leap into the     
world of the player1 transmuting what   
has something of seriousness1 something 
even of offending hurtfulness1 into a   
mere plaything4 #aeb  ,the more         
intellectual varieties of the ludicrous 
disclose the same deep-seated           
characteristic4 ,the incongruous1 the   
absurd1 the tricks of ambiguous speech1 
these are things which offend us as     
serious mortals bent on having          
consistency of ideas and clearness of   
utterance in our social world4 ,they    
evoke our laughter when they take such a
 form as to upset this serious attitude 
and to win us over to regarding them as 
nothing but entertaining show4  ,in all 
the more intellectual laughter at things
 we seem to find the perfect form of the
 mind's play4 ,i say 8perfect0 because  
psychologists as well as others are wont
 to speak of poetic imagination as      

playful activity1 though this1 as       
controlled by the ends of art1 is       
seriousness itself compared with the    
freer movements of ideas when the       
sportive temper takes us4  ,one other   
illustration of the rle of the playful  
spirit in the sphere of the laughable   
must not be overlooked4 ,i have dealt   
with the intrusion of the trivial into  
solemn scenes as an expression of the   
child's playfulness4 ,but1 as has been  
suggested above1 it is more than this4  
,scenes of great formality1 where a     
degree of severe self-control is        
enforced which is trying to mortals of  
only a limited gravity1 are apt to throw
 us into a state of highly unstable     
equilibrium4 ,hence the welcome we are  
disposed to give to anything which      
touches the playful susceptibilities in 
us4 ,under such circumstances small     
occurrences1 which at other times would 
pass wholly unmarked1 are grasped at and
 become laughable things for us1 just   
because of the great necessity of man to

 escape now and again into the freedom  
of play4  ,as already implied1 this     
saturation of laughter with the spirit  
of playfulness is characteristic only of
 the gayer kind1 that which is purified 
from all tinge of seriousness4 ,so far  
#aec as our jocose impulses lend        
themselves to serious purposes1 as for  
example in the laughter of satire1 the  
playful character tends to become less  
clearly recognisable4 ,not that here1   
too1 we are unable to find a resemblance
 between laughter and play2 for1 as we  
know1 much of what we call play or sport
 has its serious interest1 and the      
player1 like the laugher1 may easily    
slip across the line which divides the  
playful from the serious attitude4      
,nevertheless1 we shall need to insist  
on the point that laughter is a thing of
 different tones1 some more playful than
 others1 and that its nature and its    
function can only be clearly determined 
by distinguishing these4  ,the result of
 our inquiry is that the impressions of 

the laughable cannot be reduced to one  
or two principles4 ,our laughter at     
things is of various tones4 ,it gathers 
up into itself a number of primitive    
tendencies2 it represents the products  
of widely removed stages of intellectual
 and moral evolution4 ,this is virtually
 admitted by all who recognise the      
,intellectual and the ,moral principle2 
for our laughter at seeing dignity      
unfrocked is presumably of more ancient 
origin than the 8laughter of the mind10 
which discoursers on the ludicrous are  
for the most part thinking of4 ,our     
argument takes us farther1 namely1 to   
the conclusion that the effect of the   
laughable1 even of what is given by     
philosophers as a sample of the         
ludicrous1 is a highly complex feeling1 
containing something of the child's     
joyous surprise at the new and unheard  
of2 something too of the child's gay    
responsiveness to a play-challenge2     
often something also of the glorious    
sense of expansion after compression    

which gives the large mobility to       
freshly freed limbs of young animals and
 children4  ,a consequence of this      
recognition of the relation of the      
laughable to our laughter as a whole is 
that we shall need to alter our method  
of treating the subject4 ,our problem   
#aed naturally transforms itself into   
the question3 can we trace out the      
organic differentiation and integration 
of the several psychical tendencies     
which our analysis has disclosed8 ,in   
other words1 we find that we must resort
 to the genetic method1 and try to      
explain the action of the ludicrous upon
 us in the modest scientific fashion by 
retracing the stages of its development4
 ,such explanation may some day be      
crowned by a distinctly philosophical   
one1 if a finer logical analysis        
succeeds in discovering the essence of  
the ludicrous2 for the present it seems 
to be all that is available4  ,it will  
at once be evident that a large         
investigation into the origin and       

development of the laughing impulse will
 take us beyond the limits of pure      
psychology4 ,we shall have to consider  
how the impulse grew up in the evolution
 of the race2 and this will force us to 
adopt the biological point of view1 and 
ask how this special group of movements 
came to be selected and fixed among the 
characters of our species4 ,on the other
 hand1 laughter is more than a          
physiological and psychological         
phenomenon4 ,as hinted above1 it has a  
social significance1 and we shall find  
that the higher stages of its evolution 
can only be adequately dealt with in    
their connection with the movement of   
social progress4  ,lastly1 it will be by
 tracing the evolution of laughter in   
the human community that we shall best  
approach the problem of the ideal which 
should regulate this somewhat unruly    
impulse of man4 ,such a study would seem
 to promise us a disclosure of          
tendencies by which laughter has been   
lifted and refined in the past1 and by  

the light of which it may consciously   
direct itself in the future4  #aee      
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,the ,,origin ,,of    
,,laughter4   ,to attempt to get back to
 the beginnings of human laughter may   
well seem to be too ambitious a         
proceeding4 ,beginnings are small       
things1 and may easily escape detection1
 even when they lie well-lit not far    
from the eye4 ,how1 then1 can we hope to
 get at them when they are hidden in the
 darkness of the remote past8  ,it is   
evident that our method here can only be
 the modest one of conjecture1 a method 
which must do its best to make its      
conjecture look reasonable1 while it    
never loses sight of the fact that it is
 dealing with the conjectural4 ,our aim 
is to get an intelligible supposition1  
by the help of which we may explain how 
laughter broke on the earthly scene1    
adding one more to the many strange     
sounds of the animal world4  ,this bit  
of conjectural inquiry will begin by    
trying to answer the question3 ,by what 

process did the laugh1 from being a     
general sign of pleasure1 become        
specialised into an expression of the   
uprising of the mirthful1 fun-loving or 
jocose spirit8 ,it will then address    
itself to the problem3 ,what has been   
the course of development of the spirit 
of fun and of its characteristic mode of
 utterance8  ,it would not1 of course1  
be possible to attempt even a           
conjectural account of these far-off and
 unchronicled events1 but for the new   
instruments of hypothetical construction
 #aef with which the ,theory of         
,evolution has furnished us4 ,in        
attempting so hazardous a task we have1 
at least1 the example of one of the most
 modest of men to draw us on4 ,charles  
,darwin has taught us how to be at once 
daring and cautious in trying to        
penetrate the darkness of the ages      
behind us2 and one can wish nothing     
better than to be able to walk worthily 
in his steps4  ,it will be evident that 
in essaying an effort which can at best 

end in only a plausible guess we must   
use every available clue4 ,this means1  
not merely that we try to trace back the
 history of mirthful utterance1 alike in
 the evolution of the individual and of 
the species1 to its rude inchoate forms1
 but that we search for vestiges of     
utterances vaguely resembling human     
laughter in the animal world4  ,this    
last suggestion may well seem to the    
reader like another blow to man's early 
pride of race4 ,the worthy naturalist   
who called his species the 8laughing    
animal0 did not probably trouble himself
 about the question of the dignity of   
the attribute4 ,since laughing was one  
of the things that only man could do1 it
 served as a convenient way of          
describing him4 ,yet1 since the later   
evolutional psychology has led us to be 
more generous in recognising in the     
lower animals something closely similar 
to our own processes of reasoning1 we   
need not be greatly shocked to hear that
 it is actually crediting other species 

than our own with a simple sense of fun1
 and a characteristic manner of         
expressing the feeling2 that is to say1 
an utterance answering to our laugh4    
,now here1 if anywhere1 we must be on   
our guard4 ,in attempting to detect     
traces of mirthful expression in animals
 we are exposed to a two-fold danger3   
that common to all observation of animal
 ways--a too anthropomorphic kind of    
interpretation2 and that of mistaking in
 other beings1 #aeg whether human or    
sub-human1 what we envisage as funny1   
for their conscious fun4 ,it is         
eminently natural1 when we do not screw 
ourselves up to the severely scientific 
attitude1 to see signs of chuckling glee
 in animals4 ,i remember how ,i watched 
somewhere in ,norway1 in the early      
morning1 a magpie as he stood for some  
time ducking his head and throwing up   
his long tail1 accompanying these       
movements with chuckle-like sounds2 and 
how ,i found it exceedingly hard not to 
believe that he was having a good laugh 

at something1 possibly the absurd ways  
of the foreign tourists who visit his   
coast4 ,yet1 judged by the standard of  
scientific observation1 this 8natural0  
interpretation was scarcely             
satisfactory4  ,since our aim compels us
 to be scientific1 we cannot accept     
common modes of interpreting the        
8mischievous0 performances of animals4  
,many of a monkey's tricks are 8funny0  
enough2 yet we may seriously doubt      
whether he enjoys them as practical     
jokes4 ,his solemn mien certainly does  
not suggest it2 but then it may be said 
that human jokers have a way of keeping 
up an appearance of gravity4 ,a         
consideration of greater weight is that 
what looks to us much like a merry joke 
may be a display of the teasing         
instinct1 when this goes beyond the     
playful limit1 and aims at real         
annoyance or mischief4 ,the remark      
probably applies to some of the         
well-known stories of 8animal humour10  
for example1 that of ,charles ,dickens  

about the raven4 ,this bird1 it may be  
remembered1 had to share the garden with
 a captive eagle4 ,having carefully     
measured the length of this formidable  
creature's chain1 he turned to good     
account the occasion of the giant's     
sleep by stealing his dinner2 and then1 
the rightful owner having presumably    
woke up1 made an impudent display of    
eating the same just safely outside the 
#aeh eagle's 8sphere of influence04     
,this doubtless showed some cunning1 and
 something of spite2 but it is not clear
 that it indicated an enjoyment of the  
fun of the thing4  ,that this teasing   
and playing of tricks by animals may now
 and again approach the human attitude  
of malicious mirthfulness is not        
improbable4 ,a cat that 8plays0 with its
 captive mouse1 half-pretending1 as it  
seems1 not to see the small thing's     
hopeless attempt to 8bolt10 may1        
perhaps1 be enjoying something of the   
exultant chuckle of a human victor4 ,so1
 too1 some of the mischievous behaviour 

of a lively and imperfectly domesticated
 monkey1 which a simple-minded sailor   
has brought to his mother by way of     
making her happy1 may disclose a germ of
 the spirit of fun1 of a malicious      
playfulness which is capable of enjoying
 its jokes as such4  ,yet1 while we may 
question the truth of the proposition   
that these mischievous actions are      
enjoyed as practical jokes--in the way  
in which ,uncle ,remus represents       
them--we need not hesitate to attribute 
to animals a simple form of the child's 
sense of fun4 ,this trait appears most  
plainly in the pastimes of the young of 
many familiar species1 including our two
 domestic pets1 pastimes which are quite
 correctly described as animal play4    
,the particular forms of this playful   
activity1 the tusslings1 the attacks and
 retreats on both sides1 the chasings   
and the rest1 are pretty certainly      
determined by special instincts4#hi     
,but1 as play1 these actions are an     
expression of high spirits and of       

something analogous to a child's love of
 8pretending04 ,is it not a bit of      
playful make-believe1 for example1 when 
a dog1 on seeing the approach of a      
canine stranger1 8lies low0 wearing the 
look of an alert foe2 yet1 as soon as   
the stranger approaches1 8gives #aei    
away the show0 by entering with an      
almost disgraceful celerity into        
perfectly friendly relations with him8  
,it is the same when a dog teases       
another dog by startling him1 showing   
signs of enjoying the trick4 ,h4 ,m4    
,stanley writes3 8,my dog took the same 
delight in coming up quietly behind a   
small dog and giving a terrifying bark  
as does the child in jumping out from a 
corner and crying #8boo'04#ij  ,owing1  
to no little extent1 perhaps1 to the    
fact of its education by man1 the dog   
gives much the clearest indications of a
 sense of fun4 ,no one can observe a dog
 during a walk with his child-comrades  
without noting how readily he falls in  
with their playful proposals4 ,the      

infectiousness of an announcement of the
 playful temper is clearly illustrated  
here4 ,the dog imitates the gambols1 and
 will even seem to respond to the vocal 
outbursts of his merry playmates4       
,darwin has rightly recognised a germ of
 our 8sense of humour0 in a dog's       
joining in the game of stick-throwing4  
,you throw a bit of stick for him to    
fetch1 and having picked it up he       
proceeds to carry it away some distance 
and to squat down with it on the ground 
just before him4 ,you then come quite   
close as if to take the stick from him1 
on which he seizes it and bears it off  
exultingly1 repeating the little        
make-believe with evident enjoyment4#ia 
,i have tested a dog again and again    
when playing with him in this fashion1  
and have satisfied myself that he is in 
the play-mood1 and knows perfectly well 
that you are too2 so that if you pretend
 to be serious and to command him in    
your most magisterial voice to give up  
the stick he sidles up with a hollow    

show of obedience which could impose on 
nobody1 as if to say1 8,i know better3  
you are not really serious2 so ,i am    
going on with the game04 ,all #afj the  
notes of a true sense of fun seem to be 
present in this case3 the gay and       
festive mood1 a firm resolve desipere in
 loco1 and a strong inclination to play 
at 8pretending04  ,prof4 ,lloyd ,morgan 
gives an example of what certainly looks
 like a dog's merry make-believe in     
which man's lead takes no part4 ,the    
writer tells us that he used at one time
 to take an intelligent retriever to a  
sandy shore1 where the dog engaged      
spontaneously in the following pastime4 
,he buried a number of small crabs in   
the sand1 and then stood waiting till a 
leg or a claw appeared1 8upon which he  
would run backwards and forwards giving 
short barks of keen enjoyment04#ib  ,i  
find it hard to doubt that this was a   
genuine outburst of joyousness and of   
something indistinguishable from a love 
of fun1 and that it was connected with  

the 8coming off0 of a practical joke4   
,the repetitions of the burial when the 
dog had seen that it was ineffectual1   
points clearly to a consciousness of the
 make-believe character of the          
performance4  ,whatever a dog's powers  
of jocosity when uninstructed by man1 it
 seems safe to set down a good share of 
his highly developed sense of fun to his
 profound susceptibility to man's       
educative influence2 which again 7as the
 difference between the educability of  
the dog and of the cat at once shows7   
implies an unusual strength of those    
instincts of attachment to man which    
have made him almost the type of        
fidelity4  ,how far1 one wonders1 will  
this educative influence of man be      
likely to go in the case of the most    
companionable of our domestic pets8 ,w4 
,preyer tells us1 that the dog is       
capable of imitating the signs of human 
gaiety1 that an #afa intelligent        
specimen1 when confronted with our      
laughter will draw back the corners of  

his mouth and leap into the air with a  
bright lustre in the eye4#ic ,here we   
seem to have a rudiment of a genuine    
laugh1 and may perhaps cease to speak   
rather confusingly of a dog's 8laughing 
with his tail04 ,g4 ,j4 ,romanes relates
 that he had a dog who went some way    
towards qualifying himself for the      
office of clown4 ,this animal would     
perform a number of self-taught tricks  
which were clearly intended to excite   
laughter4 8,for instance1 while lying on
 his side and violently grinning1 he    
would hold one leg in his mouth40 ,under
 these circumstances 8nothing pleased   
him so much as having his joke duly     
appreciated1 while1 if no notice was    
taken of him1 he would become sulky04#id
  ,this animal must1 one supposes1 have 
been in an exceptional degree a 8funny  
dog04 ,it seems a pity that the observer
 did not take a 8snapshot0 at that grin 
so that it might be a shade less        
abstract and 8in the air0 than the grin 
of the ,cheshire cat1 as treated by ,mr4

 ,lewis ,carroll4 ,what seems clear is1 
that the physiognomy of a dog manages to
 execute a weirdly distorted semblance  
of our smile4 ,with respect to the vocal
 part of the expression1 we must not    
expect too much4 ,the bark may not be   
able to adjust itself to our quick      
explosions of gaiety4 ,it is commonly   
said that the dog has a special bark for
 expressing pleasure1 and it seems      
likely that he employs this when he is  
said to be seized by the sense of the   
funniness of things4  ,on the moral     
side1 the possibility of the dog's      
becoming a humorous beast looks more    
promising4 ,he certainly exhibits       
rudiments of feelings and mental        
attitudes which #afb seem in man to be  
closely related to a reflective humour4 
,as the inner circle of his human       
friends know1 he can be terribly bored4 
,i saw1 not long since1 a small dog     
undergoing the process of chaining by   
his mistress before she took him into a 
shop4 ,he drew a long yawn1 and his     

appearance was eminently suggestive of a
 keen sense of the absurdity of the     
shopping habits of ladies1 a sense which
 only wanted the appropriate utterance  
to become a mild1 tolerant kind of      
satire4 ,yet one must be mindful of     
one's own warning against a too hasty   
interpretation of such actions4  ,we may
 now turn to animals much nearer        
ourselves in the zoological scale4      
,among monkeys we obtain1 undoubtedly1  
something more closely akin to our smile
 and laugh4 ,darwin has made a careful  
inquiry into the similarities between   
the two4 ,he tells us that some of the  
essential features of the facial        
expression during a laugh1 the drawing  
backwards of the corners of the mouth1  
the formation of wrinkles under the     
eyes1 etc41 are 8characteristic and     
expressive of a pleased state of mind in
 various kinds of monkeys04#ie  ,with   
respect to laughter-like sounds1 ,darwin
 gives us several pertinent facts4 ,a   
young chimpanzee will make a kind of    

barking noise when he is pleased by the 
return of any one to whom he is         
attached1 a noise which the keeper      
interprets as a laugh4 ,the correctness 
of this interpretation is confirmed by  
the fact that other monkeys utter a kind
 of 8tittering sound0 when they see a   
beloved person4 ,a young chimpanzee when
 tickled under the armpits produces a   
more decided chuckling or laughing      
sound4 8,young ourangs1 also1 when      
tickled will make a chuckling sound and 
put on a grin40  ,it has been found by  
,dr4 ,l4 ,robinson that the young of    
#afc the anthropoid apes are specially  
ticklish in the regions of the surface  
of the body which correspond with the   
ticklish regions in the case of the     
child4 ,not only so1 a young chimpanzee 
will show great pleasure when tickled1  
rolling over on his back and abandoning 
himself to the pastime1 much as a child 
does4 ,when the tickling is prolonged he
 resembles a child further by defending 
ticklish spots4 ,so1 too1 does a young  

ourang4 ,it may be added that young     
apes1 like many children1 make a        
pretence of biting when tickled4  ,to   
sum up3 the young of the higher apes    
have something resembling our smile and 
laugh1 and produce the requisite        
movements when pleased4 ,their attempt  
at laughter1 as we might be disposed to 
regard it1 appears as a sign of sudden  
joy in circumstances in which a child   
will laugh1 e4g41 on the reappearance of
 a beloved companion after a            
considerable interval4 ,it further      
occurs when the animal is tickled1 along
 with other manifestations which point  
to the existence of a rudiment of the   
child's capacity for fun and for the    
make-believe of play4  ,one more fact   
should be added in order to bring out   
the similarity here to the human        
attitude towards the laughable4 ,it is  
probable1 from the testimony of several 
observers1 that monkeys dislike being   
laughed at4#if ,now1 it is true that the
 enjoyment of fun and the dislike to    

being made its object are not the same  
thing4 ,nor do they seem to vary        
together in the case of men2 otherwise  
the agelast would not be so often found 
among those who keenly resent being the 
object of others' laughter4             
,nevertheless1 they may be regarded in  
general as correlative traits2 creatures
 which show a distinct distaste for     
being made the objects of laughter may  
be supposed to be capable of #afd the   
laughing attitude1 so far at least as to
 be able to understand it4  ,turning now
 from sub-human kinds of laughter to the
 full expression as we know it in       
ourselves1 we may briefly trace the     
history of the smile and laugh during   
the first years of life4 ,here the      
question of the date of the first       
appearance of these expressive movements
 becomes important2 and happily we have 
more than one set of careful            
observations on the point4  ,with       
respect to the smile1 which is commonly 
supposed to be the first to show itself1

 we have notes made by ,darwin and by   
,preyer4 ,according to the former1 the  
first smile appeared1 in the case of two
 of his children1 at the age of         
forty-five days1 and1 of a third1 at a  
somewhat earlier date4#ig ,not only were
 the corners of the mouth drawn back1   
but the eyes brightened and the eyelids 
slightly closed4 ,darwin adds that the  
circumstances pointed to a happy state  
of mind4 ,preyer is much fuller here4#ih
 ,he points out the difficulties of     
noting the first true smile of pleasure4
 ,in the case of his own boy1 it seems1 
the movements of the corners of the     
mouth1 accompanied by the formation of  
dimples in the cheek1 occurred in the   
second week1 both in the waking and in  
the sleeping state4 ,the father thinks1 
however1 that the first smile of        
pleasure occurred on the twenty-sixth   
day1 when after a good meal the child's 
eyes lighted on the mother's face4 ,this
 early smile1 he adds1 was not an       
imitation of another's2 nor did it imply

 a joyous recognition of the mother4 ,it
 was just the instinctive expression of 
a feeling of bodily satisfaction4 #afe  
,other observers differ1 too1 in respect
 of the date of the first occurrence of 
the true expressive smile4 ,for example1
 ,dr4 ,champneys puts it in the sixth1  
,sigismund in the seventh week1 agreeing
 roughly with ,darwin2 whereas ,miss    
,shinn gives as the date the latter half
 of the first month1 and so supports    
,preyer's observations4 ,another lady1  
,mrs4 ,k4 ,c4 ,moore1 would go farther  
than ,preyer and say that the first     
smile occurs on the sixth day of        
life4#ii ,it may be added that ,miss    
,shinn is more precise than ,preyer in  
her account of the early development of 
the smile4 ,she tells us that1 whereas  
the first smile of her niece--whom we   
will henceforth call by her name1       
,ruth--7latter half of first month7 was 
merely the outcome of general comfort1 a
 smile occurred in the second month     
which involved an agreeable perception1 

namely1 that of faces bending over the  
child in which she took great interest4 
,this smile of special pleasure1        
expressing much gaiety1 occurred when   
she was lying fed1 warm1 and altogether 
comfortable4  ,it is fairly certain that
 these differences indicate some        
inequalities of precocity in the        
children observed4 ,at the same time1 it
 seems probable that the several        
observers are dealing with different    
stages in the development of the smile4 
,preyer shows clearly that it undergoes 
considerable expansion1 involving       
increased complexity of movement1 and   
the addition of the important feature1  
the brightening of the eye4 ,mrs4 ,moore
 gives no description of what she saw on
 the sixth and seventh days1 and is     
presumably referring to a vague         
resemblance to a rudiment of a smile    
which had no #aff expressive            
significance2 and some things in        
,preyer's account lead us to infer that 
he is speaking of a less highly         

developed smile than ,darwin4#ajj  ,all 
that can certainly be said1 then1 is    
that the movements of a smile1 as an    
expression of pleasure1 undergo a       
gradual process of development1 and that
 an approach to a perfect smile of      
pleasure occurs some time in the second 
month of life4  ,if we turn to the dates
 assigned to the first occurrence of a  
laugh1 we find the uncertainties are at 
least equal to those encountered in the 
case of the smile4 ,darwin illustrates  
how a smile may gradually take on an    
accompaniment of sound which grows more 
and more laughter-like4 ,one of his     
children1 who1 he thinks1 first smiled  
at the age of forty-five days1 developed
 about eight days later a more distinct 
and impressive smile1 accompanied by a  
little 8bleating0 noise1 which1 he adds1
 8perhaps represented a laugh04 ,it was 
not1 however1 till much later 7#aacth   
day7 that the noises became broken up   
into the discrete sounds of a laugh4    
,another child of his1 when sixty-five  

days old1 accompanied his smile by      
8noises very like laughter04 ,a         
laughter1 with all the indications of   
genuine fun behind it1 occurred in the  
case of one of his children on the      
#aajth day1 when the game was tried of  
throwing a pinafore over the child's    
face and then suddenly withdrawing it1  
this being varied by the father's       
suddenly uncovering his own face and    
approaching the child's4 ,he adds that1 
some three or four weeks before this1   
his boy appeared to enjoy as a good joke
 a little pinch on his nose and cheeks4 
,preyer puts the date of the first      
laughter-like sounds1 as #afg he puts   
that of the first smile1 earlier than   
,darwin4 ,he says he observed a visible 
and audible laugh in his boy on the     
twenty-third day4 ,this was a chuckling 
at the view of a rose-tinted curtain4   
,the sounds were repeated in the        
following weeks at the sight of slowly  
swinging coloured objects and at new    
sounds1 e4g41 those of the piano4 ,at   

the same time he tells us that a        
prolonged loud laughter1 recognisable as
 such by a person not looking at what   
was going on1 first occurred in the     
eighth month when the boy was playing   
with his mother4 ,among the other       
observers it may suffice to refer to one
 of the most careful1 ,miss ,shinn4     
,this lady1 who1 it will be remembered1 
puts the date of ,ruth's first smile as 
early as the first month1 assigns the   
child's first genuine laughter to the   
#aahth day4 ,it was excited by the sight
 of the mother making faces4 ,it is     
worth adding that ,ruth reached her     
third performance eleven days later4#aja
  ,in this case1 too1 it is probable    
that we have to do1 not merely with     
differences of precocity in the children
 observed1 but with the difficulties of 
determining what is a clear example of  
the expression concerned4#ajb ,there is 
no doubt that the full reiteration of   
our laughter is reached by stages4 ,this
 is brought out fully by ,darwin1 and is

 allowed by ,preyer4 ,yet how much of   
the series of more or less laughter-like
 sounds produced by an infant during    
states of pleasure is to be regarded as 
entering into the development of        
laughter1 it is not easy to say4 ,miss  
,shinn heard ,ruth give out curious     
little chuckling sounds of two syllables
 on the #ajeth day1 that is thirteen    
days before she produced her #afh laugh4
 ,she adds under the date1 #aacth day1  
that is to say1 five days before the    
laugh1 that the child had developed new 
throat sounds1 crowing1 croaking1 etc41 
and showed a strong disposition to vary 
sounds in a pleasurable mood4 ,it seems 
highly improbable that these sounds were
 not preparatory stages in the          
development of the laugh4#ajc  ,it is   
fairly certain that laughing comes after
 smiling4 ,preyer's words may no doubt  
seem to suggest that the first laugh    
7twenty-third day7 comes before the     
first smile 7twenty-sixth day72 but his 
account of the development of the two   

shows plainly that this is not his      
meaning4 ,he distinctly says that       
laughter is only a strengthened and     
audible 7laut7 smile2 and remarks1      
further1 that 8in all 7children7 alike  
the utterance of pleasure begins with a 
scarcely noticeable smile1 which quite  
gradually passes into laughter in the   
course of the first three months04 ,he  
adds that this development depends on   
that of the higher brain centres1 and   
the capability of having                
perceptions4#ajd  ,the first laughter   
is1 like the smile1 an expression of    
pleasure4 ,as ,preyer puts it1 the      
laughter is a mere heightening of the   
look of pleasure4 ,it marks1 however1 a 
higher level of agreeable consciousness4
 ,whereas the first clumsy experiments  
in smiling denote nothing but a         
comfortable state of repletion1 the     
first attempts at laughter are responses
 to gladdening sense-presentations1 such
 as swinging coloured objects1 and the  
new sounds of a piano4 ,this laughter at

 new visual and aural presentations was 
followed1 according to ,preyer1 between 
the sixth and the #afi ninth week by a  
laughter more distinctly joyous or      
jubilant1 as the child regarded his     
mother's face and appeared to recognise 
it4 ,this laughter of mental gaiety     
seems at an early age--about the fourth 
month--to ally itself with movements of 
the limbs 7raising and lowering of the  
arms1 etc47 as a complex sign of high   
spirits or gladness4#aje  ,how far the  
provocative of laughter mentioned by    
,darwin1 namely1 suddenly uncovering the
 child's head 7or his own7 implied a    
rudiment of fun1 ,i am not sure4 ,it    
shows1 however1 the early connection    
between laughter and agreeable surprise1
 that is to say1 a mild shock1 which1   
though it borders on the alarming1 is on
 the whole gladdening4  ,one other early
 form of laughter1 which is found also  
in certain young animals1 is that       
excited by tickling4 ,this has been     
first observed1 in the case of the      

child1 in the second or the third month4
 ,preyer's boy laughed in response to   
tickling in the second month4#ajf ,dr4  
,leonard ,hill tells me that his little 
girl1 who was by-the-bye specially      
sensitive to titillation1 responded     
first by laughter in the tenth week4    
,since our analysis has led us to regard
 the effect of tickling as largely      
mental1 and as involving a playful      
attitude1 this fact confirms the        
conclusion that the specialised laughter
 which is the accompaniment of play     
occurs in a well-defined form within the
 first three months4  ,to sum up3 ,we   
find1 within the first two or three     
months1 both the smile and the laugh as 
expressions of pleasure1 including      
sensations of bodily comfort and        
gladdening sense-presentations4 ,we     
find1 further1 in the reflex reaction of
 laughter under tickling1 which is      
observable about the #agj end of the    
second month1 the germ of a sense of    
fun1 or of mirthful play2 and this is   

indicated too in the laughter excited by
 little pinches on the cheek at the end 
of the third month4  ,it is certain that
 these tendencies are not learned by    
imitation4 ,this is proved by the fact1 
established by ,preyer1 that imitative  
movements do not occur in the normal    
child till considerably later1 and by   
the fact that the child1 ,laura         
,bridgman1 who was shut out by her      
blindness and deafness from the lead of 
companions1 developed these expressions4
 ,we must conclude1 then1 that they are 
inherited tendencies4  ,here the        
psychologist might well stop in his     
inquiries1 if ,darwin and others had not
 opened up the larger vista of the      
evolution of the species4 ,can we1 by   
carrying the eye along this vista1      
conjecture how these instinctive        
movements came to be acquired in the    
course of animal evolution8  ,the first 
question that arises in this inquiry is 
whether the smile or the laugh was the  
earlier to appear in the course of      

racial development4 ,the expressions of 
animals below man do not offer any      
decisive clue here4 ,the anthropoid apes
 appear both to produce a kind of smile 
or grin1 and to utter sounds analogous  
to our laughter4 ,it may1 however1 be   
contended that this so-called laughter  
is much less like our laughter than the 
grin is like our smile4 ,in the absence 
of better evidence1 the fact that the   
smile appears first in the life of the  
child must1 according to a well-known   
law of evolution1 be taken as favouring 
the hypothesis that man's remote        
ancestors learned to smile before they  
could rise to the achievement of the    
laugh4 ,this is further supported by the
 fact that1 in the case of the          
individual1 the laugh when it occurs    
announces a higher form of pleasurable  
consciousness1 the level of perception  
#aga as distinguished from the level of 
sensation which is expressed by the     
first smile4 ,lastly1 ,i am informed    
that among imbeciles the smile persists 

lower down in the scale of degeneration 
than the laugh4 ,dr4 ,f4 ,e4 ,beddard   
writes to me3 8,i remember once seeing a
 defective human monster 7with no       
frontal lobes7 whose only sign of       
intelligence was drawing up the lips    
when music was played04#ajg  ,it is     
commonly held that1 since the expression
 of pain1 suffering1 or apprehension of 
danger among animals is a much more     
pressing necessity for purposes of      
family and tribal preservation than that
 of pleasure or contentment1 the former 
is developed considerably earlier than  
the latter4 ,according to this view1 we 
can understand why the adumbrations of a
 smile and a laugh which we find in     
animals closely related to man have been
 so imperfectly developed and appear    
only sporadically4  ,supposing that the 
smile was the first of the two          
expressive movements to appear in the   
evolution of the human species1 can we  
conjecture how it came to be the common 
and best-defined expression of          

pleasurable states8 ,in dealing with    
this point we may derive more definite  
aid from ,darwin's principles4  ,the    
fact that the basis of a smile is a     
movement of the mouth at once suggests a
 connection with the primal source of   
human as of animal enjoyment2 and there 
seems1 moreover1 to be some evidence of 
the existence of such a connection4 ,a  
baby after a good meal will1 ,i believe1
 go on performing something resembling  
sucking movements4 ,the first smiles may
 have arisen as a special modification  
of these movements when there was a     
particularly lively feeling of organic  
contentment or well-being4 ,i believe1  
further1 #agb that an infant is apt to  
carry out movements of the mouth when   
food is shown to it4 ,a similar tendency
 seems to be illustrated by the         
behaviour of a monkey which1 when a     
choice delicacy was given it at         
meal-time1 slightly raised the corners  
of the mouth1 the movement partaking of 
the nature of 8an incipient smile04#ajh 

,again1 our hypothesis finds some       
support in the fact that1 according to  
,preyer and others1 the first smiles of 
infants were noticed during a happy     
condition of repletion after a good     
meal4#aji  ,supposing the smile in its  
origin to have thus been organically    
connected with the pleasurable          
experience of sated appetite1 we can    
easily see how it might get generalised 
into a common sign of pleasure4 ,darwin 
and ,wundt have made us familiar with   
the principle that expressive movements 
may be transferred to states of feeling 
resembling those of which they were     
primarily the manifestations4 ,the      
scratching of the head during a state of
 mental irritation is a well-known      
instance of the transference4  ,there   
are1 ,i believe1 facts which go some way
 towards verifying the supposition of a 
transference of eating-signs to states  
of lively satisfaction and pleasure     
generally4 ,savages are wont to express 
keen pleasure by gestures1 e4g41 rubbing

 the belly1 which seem to point to the  
voluminous satisfactions of the primal  
appetite4 ,the clearest evidence1       
however1 seems to be furnished by the   
account of a baboon given us by ,darwin4
 ,this creature1 after having been made 
furiously angry by his keeper1 on making
 friends again1 8rapidly moved up and   
down his jaws and lips and looked       
pleased04 #agc ,darwin adds that a      
similar movement or quiver of the jaws  
may be observed in a man when he laughs 
heartily1 though with us the muscles of 
the chest rather than those of the lips 
and jaws are 8spasmodically             
affected04#aaj  ,judging from the       
interval between the occurrence of the  
first smile and of the first laugh in   
the life of the individual1 we may      
conjecture that laughter did not grow   
into a full reiterated sound in         
8primitive man10 or his unknown         
immediate predecessor1 till much later4 
,we should expect that a considerable   
development of vocal power would be a   

condition of man's taking heartily to   
this mode of emotional utterance4 ,the  
study of the infant certainly supports  
this idea4 ,the babble of the second and
 third months1 which is made up of a    
reiteration of many vocal and           
consonantal sounds1 may prepare for     
laughter1 as it certainly does for      
speech4 ,the observations of ,miss      
,shinn1 quoted above1 on the expansion  
of the range of vocal sound before the  
occurrence of the first laugh are most  
significant here4 ,they seem to point to
 the fact that in the evolution of the  
species the first laughter was selected 
from among a great variety of sounds    
produced in pleasurable states4  ,let us
 now suppose that our immediate animal  
ancestor has reached the level of clear 
perceptions1 and is given to the        
utterance of certain reiterated sounds  
during states of pleasure4 ,let us      
further conceive of him as having his   
sympathies developed up to the point of 
requiring a medium for expressing not   

only pains but pleasures1 and more      
particularly for calling others'        
attention to the presence of cheering   
and welcome objects1 e4g41 of a member  
of the family who has been abroad for a 
time4 ,such an animal would need to     
improve on his primal smiles and grins4 
,he would require vocal utterances of   
some strength in order #agd to reach    
distant ears1 something answering to the
 cackle of the hen when she has         
discovered some choice morsel and       
desires to bring her brood to her side4 
,how is this improvement to be effected8
  ,one may hazard the guess that the    
process may have been something of this 
kind4 ,the position of the open mouth   
during a broad smile was1 we may reason1
 in itself favourable to the production 
of vocal sounds4 ,we may1 after the     
analogy of positions of the eyes1 speak 
of it as the 8primary position0 of the  
vocal chamber when opened4 ,this primary
 position would pretty certainly be     
specially favourable to the utterance of

 a certain kind of sound1 let us say    
that commonly indicated by 8eh10#aaa    
together with something of the guttural 
or chuckling accompaniment of this in   
the sound of laughter4 ,we may then     
infer that1 when some of the reiterated 
babble-like sounds were produced during 
states of pleasurable satisfaction1 the 
same 7primary7 position would be taken  
up4 ,we should thus get1 as             
psycho-physical concomitants of the     
sensed position of the opened mouth     
during a broad smile or 8grin10 not only
 a disposition to reiterate the 8eh0 or 
some similar sound as a completion of   
the whole action1 of which the opening  
of the mouth is the first stage1 but a  
definite associative co-ordination      
between the movement of opening the     
mouth and the reiterated actions of the 
muscles of the respiratory and vocal    
apparatus4 ,in this way we may          
understand how1 when the pleasurable    
state expressed by a smile increased in 
intensity1 as1 for example1 when the    

happy feeling excited by the sight of a 
face passed into the joy of recognising 
a member of the family1 the #age        
movements would widen out into those of 
a laughter-like utterance4  ,it appears 
to me that1 in this connection1 the     
observed course of development of       
laughter in the individual is not       
without its suggestiveness4 ,miss ,shinn
 remarks that ,ruth's mouth was opened  
wide on the #aacth day--five days before
 the first laugh--while the child was   
tossed and tumbled4 ,under date of the  
#acdth day1 again1 we read of much      
laughter of an inaudible kind1          
consisting of broad laughter-like       
smiles2 and these observations certainly
 show that about the date of the first  
laughter an expanded smile1             
indistinguishable from a laugh save by  
the absence of the respiratory and vocal
 adjunct1 was frequent4 ,in other words1
 they tell us that about the time when  
she achieved her first laugh she was    
freely practising the intermediate      

facial step between the earlier smile   
and the true laugh4  ,this theory would 
plainly illustrate ,mr4 ,herbert        
,spencer's principle1 that states of    
feeling affect the voluntary muscles in 
the order of increasing calibre1 the    
smaller being called into play by       
feelings of lower intensity1 the larger 
by those of higher intensity4 ,but this 
theory is not enough4 ,we must take into
 account also the order of frequency of 
use1 and of consequent liability to     
discharge in the connected              
nerve-centres4 ,it seems probable that  
the muscles engaged in the movements of 
the mouth and those exercised in        
phonation would1 for these reasons1 be  
specially liable to be acted upon4      
,these wider tendencies would1 according
 to the above hypothesis1 be assisted by
 special associations4 ,these would     
secure the combination of the two groups
 of movements1 which ,i have assumed to 
have been employed independently as     
utterances of pleasurable feeling3      

namely1 those involved in smiling1 and  
those underlying the first happy        
reiterated sounds of a quasi-infantile  
babbling4 #agf  ,one element in the     
laugh1 its explosive vigour1 seems      
unaccounted for on this hypothesis4     
,here1 ,i think1 the effect of relief   
from strain1 which is so common a factor
 in human laughter1 may be called in4   
,the earliest laughter of the child     
seems to illustrate this element4 ,for  
example1 that which occurs during       
tickling1 in a game of bo-peep1 and at  
the sight of the mother making faces may
 be said to arise from a serious        
attitude suddenly dissolved4 ,perhaps   
the first great laugh was produced by   
man or by his proximate progenitor1 when
 relief came after fear or the strain of
 battle4 ,so far as primitive laughter  
was the outcome of such concentrated    
energy seeking relief1 this circumstance
 would help to account for the          
prolongation as well as for the strength
 of the sounds4  ,our conjecture cannot 

lay claim to be a hypothesis4 ,it makes 
no attempt to explain the precise forms 
of the changes which enter both into the
 smile and into the laugh4 ,at best1 it 
is only a rough hint as to a possible   
mode of genesis4  ,i have here treated  
of the genesis of laughter under its    
more general aspect as an expression of 
pleasurable states of feeling4 ,we have 
seen1 however1 that within the first    
three months of life another and clearly
 specialised variety of laughter        
emerges1 namely1 that called forth by   
tickling4 ,it follows from our analysis 
of the effect of tickling that it is one
 of the earliest manifestations1 in a   
clear form1 of the laughter of fun or of
 play4 ,as such1 it demands special     
attention in any attempt to explain the 
development of laughter4  ,as a         
specialised reaction having a clearly   
marked reflex form1 it is natural to ask
 whether laughter in response to        
tickling is not inherited1 and1 if so1  
how it arose in the evolution of the    

race4 ,and we find that suggestions have
 #agg been made for explaining the      
genesis of this curious phenomenon4 ,we 
will first glance again at the facts1   
and then examine the hypotheses put     
forward for explaining them4  ,here1    
again1 the question how far animals are 
susceptible of the effect becomes       
important4 ,i have already alluded to   
,darwin's remark1 that if a young       
chimpanzee is tickled1 more particularly
 under the armpits1 he responds by a    
kind of laughter4 ,the sound is of a    
chuckling or laughing kind4 ,the        
emission of these sounds is accompanied 
by retraction of the corners of the     
mouth1 and sometimes by a slight amount 
of wrinkling in the lower eyelids4#aab  
,dr4 ,louis ,robinson publishes other   
observations of the effect of tickling  
on the young of anthropoid apes4 ,he    
tells us that a young chimpanzee when   
tickled for some time under the armpits 
would roll over on his back showing all 
his teeth and accompanying the simian   

grin by defensive movements1 just as a  
child does4 ,a young ourang at the      
,zoological ,gardens 7,london7 behaved  
in a very similar way4 ,the young of    
other animals1 too1 betray some degree  
of ticklishness4 ,stanley ,hall remarks 
that a dog will retract the corners of  
his mouth and thus go some way towards  
smiling if tickled over the ribs4#aac   
,dr4 ,robinson finds that horses and    
pigs are also ticklish2 and he thinks   
that these animals have specially       
ticklish regions1 which correspond to a 
considerable extent to those which have 
been ascertained in the case of the     
child4  ,we may now refer to the first  
appearances of the tickling reflex in   
the child4 ,as pointed out above1 the   
response by defensive movements appears 
shortly after birth1 whereas #agh the   
earliest instance of a response by      
laughter occurs in the second1 or in the
 first half of the third month4 ,it is  
to be noted that this date is distinctly
 later than that of the first laughter  

of pleasure1 though it is not far       
removed from that of the first clear    
appearance of the laughter of gaiety or 
jubilation4  ,these chronological facts 
bear out the theory that the laughter of
 a tickled child has a distinct         
psychical antecedent4 ,on this point    
,dr4 ,l4 ,robinson writes to me as      
follows3 8,i have never been able to    
succeed in eliciting laughter from young
 infants under three months old by means
 of tickling1 unless one also smiled and
 caught their attention in some such    
way04 ,this evidently points to the     
influence of mental agencies even in the
 first stages of laughter from tickling4
  ,with respect to the parts in which   
the tickling first excites laughter1    
different observers appear to have      
reached dissimilar results4 ,preyer     
distinctly speaks of the tickling of the
 sole of the foot as provoking laughter 
in the second month4 ,whether he tried  
other parts he does not say4 ,dr4       
,leonard ,hill tells me that one of his 

children first responded to tickling    
when the titillation attacked the palm  
of the hand1 or ran up the arm4         
,responses to the tickling of the neck  
and soles of the feet came later4  ,the 
fact that the effect of tickling becomes
 so well defined by1 or soon after1 the 
end of the second month1 proves pretty  
conclusively that it is an inherited    
reflex2 and the evolutionist naturally  
asks what it means1 what its            
significance has been in the life of our
 ancestors4  ,dr4 ,stanley ,hall carries
 back evolutional speculation very far1 
and suggests that in tickling we may    
have the oldest stratum of our psychic  
life1 that it is a survival of a process
 in remote animal progenitors for which 
touch was the only #agi sense4 ,he      
supposes that in these circumstances    
even light or 8minimal0 touches1 say    
those coming from the movements of small
 parasites1 being unannounced by sight  
or other far-reaching sense1 would be   
accompanied by disproportionately strong

 reactions4 ,he does not attempt to     
explain how laughter grew out of these  
reactions4 ,he does indeed call them    
reactions 8of escape10 but he does not  
follow up the idea by hinting that the  
violent shakings of the body by         
laughter1 when it came1 helped to get   
rid of the little pesterers4 ,in truth1 
this ingenious thinker hardly appears to
 make the explanation of the laughter of
 tickling1 as distinguished from the    
other reactions1 the subject of a       
special inquiry4#aad  ,a more serious   
attempt to explain the evolution of the 
laughter of tickling has been made by   
,dr4 ,louis ,robinson4 ,he1 too1 hints  
at the vestigial survival of experiences
 of parasites1 but appears to think that
 these account only for the disagreeable
 effects which are brought about when   
the hairy orifices of the nostril and   
the ear are tickled4 ,this limitation   
strikes one as a little arbitrary4 ,the 
reaction of laughter1 which ,dr4 ,l4    
,hill called forth when he made his     

fingers run up the arm of his infant1 is
 surely suggestive of a vestigial reflex
 handed down from ages of parasitic     
pestering4#aae  ,with regard to the     
laughing reaction1 which1 as we have    
seen1 he considers to involve a distinct
 mode of stimulation1 he suggests that  
it is an inherited form of that common  
mode of play among young animals1 which 
consists in an exchange of good-natured 
and make-believe attacks and defences1  
or a sort of game of sham-fight4 #ahj   
,in support of this theory he lays      
stress on the fact that susceptibility  
to tickling is shared in by the young of
 a number of species of animals standing
 high in point of intelligence1         
including not only the higher apes1 but 
the dog and the horse4 ,he adds that1 in
 general1 there is a concomitance       
between the degree of playfulness of a  
young creature and that of its          
ticklishness1 though lambs and kids     
which are not ticklish are allowed to be
 an awkward exception4  ,if tickling is 

a playing at fighting we may expect it1 
like other kinds of play1 to mimic      
serious forms of assault4 ,now we know  
that the first rude attacks of man1 so  
far as we can gather from the movements 
of a passionate infant1 took the forms  
of striking1 tearing with the nails and 
biting4 ,tickling may be said to be a   
sort of mild pretence at clawing4 ,dr4  
,robinson tells us that about #aj per   
cent4 of the children he has examined   
pretended to bite when they were        
tickled1 just as a puppy will do4  ,dr4 
,robinson goes a step farther and seeks 
to show that the areas of the bodily    
surface which are specially ticklish in 
children are those likely to be attacked
 in serious warfare4 ,in nearly all of  
them1 he says1 some important structure1
 such as a large artery1 is close to the
 surface and would be liable to injury  
if the skin were penetrated4 ,they would
 thus be highly vulnerable regions1 and 
consequently those which would be       
singled out for attacks by teeth or     

claws4 ,he argues that the same relation
 holds in the case of animals which     
attack one another in the same way as   
man4 ,the regions of special            
ticklishness in their case1 too1 appear 
to correspond1 roughly at least1 with   
vulnerable regions4 ,indeed1 in the     
young chimpanzee and the young ourang   
these ticklish areas are approximately  
the same as in the child4 #aha  ,from   
all this he concludes that ticklishness1
 being bound up with the mimic warfare  
which fills so large a space in the life
 of many young animals1 has its utility4
 ,the strong liking to be tickled1 which
 children and1 apparently1 some other   
young animals express1 serves1 in       
combination with the playful impulse to 
carry out this gentle mode of attack1 to
 develop mimic attacks and defences     
which are of high value as training for 
the later and serious warfare4  ,these  
applications of the evolution theory are
 certainly interesting and promising4 ,i
 think the idea of relief from parasites

 might be worked out further4 ,may it   
not be that the light touches given by  
the fingers of the parent1 or other     
member of the ancestral family when     
hunting for parasites on the surface of 
the young animal1 have1 by association  
with the effects of relief from the     
troublesome visitors1 developed an      
agreeable feeling-tone8 ,as we have     
seen1 the laughter of tickling has a    
distinctly mental antecedent2 it appears
 in the child1 only when he is beginning
 to enjoy laughingly little pinches on  
the cheek1 and otherwise to show a germ 
of a sense of fun4 ,the light touches1  
reminiscent at once of unpleasant       
settlers1 and of delivering fingers1    
would1 one imagines1 be exactly fitted  
to supply that dissolution into nothing 
of momentary apprehension indicated by  
our analysis of the mental factor in    
tickling4  ,with respect to ,dr4        
,robinson's hypothesis1 it may be       
acknowledged ungrudgingly to be a       
brilliant piece of hypothetical         

construction4 ,but1 as the writer       
frankly confesses1 the facts1 here and  
there1 do not point in its direction4 ,a
 very serious objection is the fact that
 the sole of the foot and the palm of   
the hand are not taken into account in  
his attempt to establish a              
correspondence between the ticklish     
areas of #ahb the surface and a high    
degree of vulnerability4 ,in ,stanley   
,hall's returns it is the sole of the   
foot which is most frequently mentioned 
as a ticklish area2 and1 as we have     
seen1 it was the first to give rise to  
laughter in the case of one child at    
least4#aaf  ,there is another and more  
serious objection to ,dr4 ,robinson's   
theory as an explanation of laughter4   
,one may urge that the occurrence of    
such violent movements would1 by shaking
 the body and by inducing fatigue much  
earlier than need be1 pretty certainly  
be detrimental to that prolonged        
practice of skill in attack and defence1
 to which ,dr4 ,robinson attaches so    

much importance4  ,the supposition that 
tickling is a variety of play developed 
by natural selection among combative    
animals is1 ,i think1 highly probable4  
,the play of animals1 like that of      
children1 is largely a form of social   
activity involving a playmate2 and is   
apt1 as we know1 to take the form of    
attack and defence1 as in chasing1      
throwing over1 pretending to bite1 etc4 
,these playful attacks are1 as we have  
seen1 closely related to teasing2       
indeed1 teasing may be viewed as merely 
a play-imitation of the first stage of  
combat1 that of challenging or exciting 
to contest4#aag ,tickling pretty        
obviously finds a fitting place among   
the simpler forms of playful combat     
which have a teasing-like character4    
,moreover1 these forms of social play   
all seem to show1 in a particularly     
clear manner1 the utility referred to in
 the preceding chapter4 #ahc  ,now1 this
 idea will1 ,i think1 help us to        
understand how loud and prolonged       

laughter came to join itself to the     
combative game of tickling and being    
tickled4 ,if play--pure1 good-natured   
play--was to be developed out of teasing
 attacks1 it would become a matter of   
the highest importance that it should be
 clearly understood to be such4 ,this   
would mean1 first of all1 that the      
assailant made it clear that his aim was
 not serious attack1 but its playful    
semblance2 and secondly1 that the       
attacked party expressed his readiness  
to accept the assault in good part as   
sport4 ,it would be of the greatest     
consequence to the animal that chanced  
to be in the play-mood and wished to    
make overtures of friendly combat that  
he should be sure of an equally gamesome
 attitude in the recipient of the       
challenge4 ,one may see this by watching
 what happens when a dog1 unwisely      
trying to force a frolic on another dog1
 is met by a growl and possibly by an   
uncovering of the canine teeth4 ,now1   
what better sign of good-temper1 of     

readiness to accept the attack as pure  
fun1 could nature have invented than the
 laugh8 ,the smile is1 no doubt1 a      
pretty good indicator in some           
circumstances4 ,yet one must remember   
that the rudimentary smile of an        
ape-like ancestor may1 now and again1   
have been misleading1 as our own smiles 
are apt to be4 ,a laugh would presumably
 be less easy to affect in such         
circumstances than a smile2 and1 in any 
case1 it would be far less liable to be 
overlooked4  ,in saying that the        
laughter which accompanies tickling and 
other closely allied forms of play in   
children owes its value to its being an 
admirable way of announcing the friendly
 playful mood1 ,i do not mean that other
 signs are absent4 ,dr4 ,l4 ,robinson   
reminds us that a tickled child will    
roll over on his back just like a puppy4
 ,the laughter and the rolling over seem
 to be two congenitally connected #ahd  
modes of abandonment to the playful     
attack4 ,in the young of other ticklish 

animals1 e4g41 the puppy1 the rolling   
over may of itself suffice to give the  
friendly signal4  ,it seems not unlikely
 that this consideration1 the utility of
 laughter as a guarantee to a playful   
challenger that his overtures will be   
received in the proper spirit1 applies  
to the evolution of all laughter which  
enters into such forms of social play as
 the pretence to attack1 to frighten1   
and generally what we call good-natured 
teasing4 ,it has been suggested that    
teasing might well be taken as the      
starting-point in the evolution of      
play4#aah ,by adopting this idea1 and by
 regarding laughter1 in its elementary  
form1 as essentially a feature of social
 play1 we might set out with this       
consideration of utility in constructing
 our theory of the evolution of         
laughter4 ,one is tempted1 too1 to      
follow this course by the fact1         
recognised in common language1 that     
much1 at least1 of the later and more   
refined laughter is analogous to the    

effect of tickling4#aai  ,nevertheless1 
as we have seen1 the best evidence      
attainable points to the conclusion that
 this simple form of the laughter of    
social play was preceded by1 and grew   
out of1 a less specialised kind of      
laughter1 that of sudden accession of   
pleasure4 ,we may conjecture that the   
laughter provoked by tickling was       
reached in the evolution of our race    
soon after this reaction passed out of  
its primal and undifferentiated form as 
a general sign of pleasurable           
excitement1 and began to be specialised 
as the expression of mental gaiety and  
of something like our hilarity4 ,the    
fact1 noted above1 #ahe that children   
only laugh in response to tickling when 
they are in a pleasurable state of mind 
seems to confirm the hypothesis that the
 love of fun1 which is at the bottom of 
tickling and makes it perhaps the       
earliest clear instance of mirthful play
 with its element of make-believe1 first
 emerged gradually out of a more general

 feeling of gladness4  #ahf             
,,chapter ,,vii4  ,,development ,,of    
,,laughter ,,during ,,the ,,first       
,,three ,,years ,,of ,,life4   ,having  
examined the earliest and distinctly    
hereditary germs of the laughing impulse
 in the child1 we may pass to the       
consideration of its expansion and      
specialisation during the first years4  
,although1 so far as ,i am aware1 the   
new child-study has not yet produced a  
methodical record of the changes which  
this interesting expression of feeling  
undergoes1 we may by help of such data  
as are accessible be able to trace out  
some of the main directions of its      
development4  ,two closely connected    
problems are involved here3 7a7 how the 
expressive movements1 the laugh and the 
smile1 themselves change and get        
differentiated2 and 7b7 how the         
psychical process which precedes and    
excites these expressive movements grows
 in complexity and differences itself   
into the various forms of gaiety or     

amusement enumerated above4  ,in dealing
 with these early manifestations we     
shall1 of course1 look for reactions    
which are spontaneous1 in the sense of  
not being due to imitation and the lead 
of others4 ,yet it will not always be   
easy to determine what are such4 ,it has
 been pointed out above that laughter is
 one of the most contagious of the      
expressive movements4 ,children1        
therefore1 who are much given to        
imitation may be #ahg expected to show  
this contagiousness in a particularly   
clear manner4  ,the difficulties are1   
however1 not really so formidable as    
they might at first seem to be4 ,if a   
child is1 on the one hand1 highly       
susceptible to the contagion of         
laughter1 there is1 on the other1 no    
expression of his feeling in which he is
 more spontaneous4 ,the swift directness
 of the 8natural0 or spontaneous laugh  
may be readily discriminated by a fine  
observer4 ,not only so1 but a difference
 may be detected in the tone of the     

laughter when it is perfectly natural   
and real1 and when it is merely         
imitative and artificial4 ,the note of  
affected laughter is well known to      
careful observers of children4 ,it is   
particularly plain where a child is not 
merely reproducing the laughter of      
others at the moment1 but has it        
suggested to him by others that a thing 
is laughable4 ,miss ,shinn's niece      
developed at the end of the second year 
a forced laugh on hearing the word      
8funny0 employed by others4  ,the best  
safeguard against this error is to      
choose an only child who is well        
isolated from mirthful surroundings4    
,this need not be so cruel an experiment
 as it looks4 ,in the social world of   
the merry little ,ruth1 nobody1 we are  
told1 was a 8laughing person04 ,this    
circumstance gives great value to the   
observations made on this child4 ,her   
laughter was probably as purely         
self-initiated as anything in child-life
 can be4  ,it may be added that1 even if

 we could not eliminate the imitative   
and the artificial element1 there would 
still be a pretty wide field for careful
 observation in the child's own freer   
type of mirth4 ,for1 as all his friends 
know1 his hearty laughter is frequently 
a response to things which leave us dull
 8grown-ups0 wholly unaffected1 or      
affected in quite another way4 #ahh     
,with regard to the development of the  
expressive movements themselves ,i can  
find but few data at hand4 ,these are   
enough1 however1 to show that the       
process of differentiation commences    
during the first year4 ,mrs4 ,moore     
tells us that her boy in the            
thirty-third week acquired a new form of
 smile 8which gradually but not entirely
 supplanted the 7earlier7 broad         
open-mouthed smile4 4 4 4 ,the nose was 
wrinkled up1 the eyes nearly closed4 4 4
 4 ,this smile seemed to express an     
extreme and more conscious              
enjoyment40#abj ,preyer remarks that his
 boy developed in the last three months 

of the first year 8a more conscious     
movement of laughter10 which1           
presumably1 had a different character as
 an expressive movement4 ,in the case of
 the boy ,c41 of whom ,i have written   
elsewhere1 a new and clearly differenced
 note was detected in the laugh of      
defiance 7to be referred to later7 which
 appeared early in the second year4     
,mrs4 ,hogan says she noticed a         
8mischievous laugh0 at the age of       
fifty-five weeks1 whereas ,preyer       
remarks that the first 8roguish laugh0  
occurred in his boy's case at the end of
 the second year4 ,a more precise record
 of the phonetic changes in laughter    
during the first two or three years is  
greatly to be desired4  ,the movements  
of laughter are subject to the laws of  
movement in general1 ,repetition and    
,habit4 ,they tend to perfect themselves
 by practice2 and the result probably   
involves a strengthening and an         
expansion of the wide-ranging organic   
commotion which makes up the reaction4  

,a child of four will laugh on being    
tickled much more vigorously than one of
 two4#aba ,moreover1 the effect of      
repeated exercises of the function would
 seem1 as already #ahi hinted1 to       
involve the setting up in the           
motor-centres1 from which the discharge 
in laughter issues1 a condition of high 
instability1 so that a very slight      
application of the stimulus1 or 7as in  
the case of tickling7 the mere threat to
 apply this1 suffices to evoke the      
reaction4 ,lastly1 this work of         
organisation will plainly involve a     
fixing of the connection in the         
brain-centres between the effect of the 
stimulation and the motor reaction4 ,we 
say that the impulse of laughter has    
become associated with a definite kind  
of sense-presentation4 ,the instant     
response of a child to the threatening  
fingers is a clear example of the result
 of such an associative co-ordination4  
,other examples are seen when a         
particular sight or sound takes on      

permanently a funny character4 ,a child 
that has come to regard a figure in a   
picture book or an odd sound made by the
 nurse as funny will laugh whenever this
 recurs or is spoken of1 provided that  
the mood of the moment is favourable4   
,this is a noteworthy illustration of   
the way in which the action of the novel
 and unexpected--which1 as we all allow1
 has a large rle in the excitation of   
laughter--may be replaced by that of an 
antagonistic force1 namely1 habit1 which
 itself appears to secure the hilarious 
response4  ,it may be added that so far 
as ,habit comes in1 reducing the        
importance of the initial psychical     
stage1 and rendering the reaction       
automatic1 the theory of ,lange and     
,james applies fairly well4 ,the feeling
 of genial hilarity is in this case     
largely the reflex mental effect of the 
movements themselves1 including the     
whole organic commotion brought about4  
,coming now to the development of the   
psychical element in laughter1 we may1  

by way of introduction1 refer to certain
 principles which ought to be useful4   
7a7 ,to begin with1 any variety of      
emotional reaction #aij excited by a    
particular kind of presentation appears1
 as it is repeated1 to undergo a process
 of development1 taking on more of      
fulness and complexity4 ,a feeling of   
attachment to a person or to a place1 or
 of admiration for a cherished work of  
art1 grows fuller and deeper with the   
establishment of a relation of intimacy4
 ,dimly realised resonances of former   
like experiences melt into1 and deepen  
the feeling1 and new elements are woven 
into it by associative complication1 and
 by growing reflection4 ,this increasing
 complexity affects both the ideational 
basis of the emotion and the closely    
connected emotional tone itself4#abb    
,at first sight we might be disposed to 
think that the feeling of sudden joy at 
the back of a merry explosion would     
prove to be an exception to this law4   
,since an element of novelty1 a sense of

 joyous mental collapse under a sudden1 
yet harmless stimulus1 runs through all 
our laughter1 there might seem to be no 
room for any increase of depth and      
volume4 ,but this is not so4 ,a child's 
feeling of the 8fun of it0 at the       
approach of the tickling hand seems to  
gain in volume and force with the       
repetition of the experience4 ,the zest 
of the enjoyment of a laughing romp with
 the nurse1 or1 better1 with the father1
 of watching the funny ways of a kitten1
 and so forth1 grows fuller because of  
the increasing complication of the      
psychosis behind the laughter4#abc  7b7 
,in the second place the development of 
an emotion is essentially a             
differentiation of it1 not merely into a
 more definite kind of experience as a  
whole1 but into a number of #aia        
distinguishable sub-varieties of        
feeling4 ,in other words1 the reaction  
is called forth by new excitants and new
 modes of stimulation which give rise to
 mental complexes somewhat different    

from those caused by the earlier        
excitants4 ,thus1 as we mentally        
develop1 admirations having a richer    
ideational structure and more complexity
 of feeling-tone take the place of the  
first simple ones1 which last die out or
 survive only as rudimentary processes4 
,this enlargement of the field of       
exciting objects1 with the concomitant  
differencing of the emotional state into
 a larger and larger number of shades1  
is the outcome of the whole process of  
mental growth4 ,it means1 first of all1 
the growing differentiation of the      
child's experience1 that is1 of his     
perceptions and ideas1 as well as the   
expansion of his reflective processes4  
,in this way a modified admiration      
attaches itself to a new kind of object1
 e4g41 works of art1 virtuous actions1  
when these come to be perceived and     
reflected on in such a way as to        
disclose their admirable side4  ,in all 
such extensions the emotional reaction  
remains in its essential elements one   

and the same experience4 ,we may say1 if
 we like1 that the expression has been  
8transferred0 to a new situation or a   
new experience1 through the working of a
 force which has been called 8the       
analogy of feeling04#abd  ,this process 
of extension by analogy of situation and
 attitude may be seen to be a           
constituent in the development of       
laughter4 ,taking its primitive form to 
be the expression of a sudden raising of
 the feeling-tone of consciousness to   
the level of gladness--which elevation  
may be supposed to #aib involve at least
 an appreciable sense of relief from a  
foregoing state of strain or oppressive 
dulness--we may readily see how the     
reaction is passed on1 so to speak1 to  
analogous mental attitudes which are    
developed later4  ,let us take as an    
example a child who1 having reached a   
dim apprehension of the customary       
behaviour of things begins to laugh at  
certain odd deviations from this4 ,here 
the transition appears clearly to be a  

kind of transference mediated by the    
identity of the mental attitude with    
that of the laughter of an earlier      
stage1 say at the sight of the new and  
entertaining baubles4 ,similarly when1  
after the consciousness of rule is      
developed1 a child roguishly 8tries it  
on0 by pretending to disobey1 we may    
regard the new outburst of the spirit of
 fun as a natural transition from an    
earlier variety1 the laughing pretence  
of running away from mother or nurse4   
,nevertheless1 we have to do here with  
more than a mere transference4 ,such    
extensions always involve some amount of
 complication and enrichment of the     
mirthful experience4 ,these later forms 
of mental gaiety depend on the          
development of more complex psychoses1  
both on the intellectual and on the     
emotional side4 ,the first amusement at 
the sight of the ill-matched1 the       
inconsequent1 implies the advance of an 
analytic reflection up to the point of a
 dim perception of relations4 ,a large  

part of the extension of the field of   
the laughable depends on this           
intellectual advance1 a finer and more  
precise apprehension of what is         
presented1 in its parts and so as a     
whole1 as also in its relations to other
 things4 ,with respect to the other     
condition1 expansion of the emotional   
life1 it is enough to remark that       
certain forms of laughter which fall    
within the first years of life arise    
directly out of a deepening of the      
emotional consciousness as a whole1     
e4g41 the awakening of the              
8self-feeling10 as seen #aic in the     
laughter of success or triumph2 or1 on  
the other hand1 of tenderness and       
sympathy1 as illustrated in the first   
rudiments of a kindly humour4  ,we see1 
then1 that1 as a feature in development1
 differentiation into a multiplicity of 
forms is inseparably connected with     
another feature1 complication4 ,the     
gradual appearance of a number of       
laughters variously toned1 such as that 

of slightly malicious elation at        
collapse of dignity1 of entertainment at
 an intellectual inconsequence1 and of a
 kindly amusement at a petty disaster1  
means that the elemental feeling of joy 
is getting modified by accretions or    
absorptions of new psychical elements4  
,a final remark is needed to prevent    
misapprehension4 ,among the several     
processes of complication which underlie
 this differentiation of the laughing   
psychosis1 some tend to arrest or tone  
down the reaction4 ,it is thus that1    
when sympathy comes to be united with   
the laughing impulse1 the gaiety of the 
latter is apt to become subdued into    
something between a smile and the       
gentlest of laughs4 ,in addition to this
 inhibitory effect of heterogeneous     
emotional elements we have that of new  
conative attitudes4 ,a child soon finds 
out that a good deal of his rollicking  
laughter is an offence1 and the work of 
taming the too wild spirits begins4#abe 
,with these general considerations to   

help us1 we may now look at the course  
of development of the laughing          
experience during the first three years4
  ,it may be premised that the smile and
 the laugh only become gradually        
differentiated as signs of qualitatively
 dissimilar attitudes4 ,in the case of  
,ruth the two expressions remained for a
 time interchangeable1 and frequently   
#aid alternated in the same fit of      
joyous delight4 ,but about the #abith   
day the smile1 it is remarked1 began to 
take on one of its specialised          
functions1 the social one of greeting4  
,coming now to laughter1 we have found  
that it begins at an early date to pass 
from a general sign of sudden increase  
of pleasure or good spirits into        
something akin to mirthful play4 ,this  
has been illustrated in the early       
responses to tickling1 and1 a little    
later1 to simple forms of a laughing    
game 7e4g41 bo-peep74  ,by what process 
of change1 one may ask1 does the impulse
 to laugh when the heart suddenly grows 

glad pass into the laughter of play8    
,allowing1 as seems certain1 that the   
play-impulse is inherited1 can we point 
out any psychological connection between
 the two8  ,the answer has already been 
given in substance in our general       
analysis of the causes of laughter4 ,a  
sudden rise of pleasurable              
consciousness1 when it possesses the    
mind and becomes gladness1 say the      
infant's flood of delight at the        
swinging coloured baubles1 necessarily  
dissolves1 for the time1 the tense1     
serious attitude into a loose1 play-like
 one4 ,the child's consciousness is now 
all gladness in face of his bauble2 and 
play is just another way of effecting   
this dissolution of the serious attitude
 into a large gladness4 ,not only so1   
but the elemental mood of laughter      
resembles the play-mood1 since it finds 
its satisfaction in pretence or         
make-believe4 ,the gladdening object    
divested of all serious interest becomes
 a play-thing1 a mere semblance of the  

thing of practical account which the    
child observed in the serious moments4  
,its greeting by the senses may be      
described1 indeed1 as a kind of play of 
these senses4 ,hence1 the specialisation
 of the primal laughter of delight into 
that of fun would appear to be one of   
the simplest processes in the whole     
development of the emotion4 #aie  ,we   
may now briefly trace out some of the   
phases of development of these two      
primal forms of laughter4  ,with regard 
to the laughter of delight and jollity1 
we find1 to judge from the careful      
record of ,ruth's emotional utterances1 
that there is a rapid development during
 and after the fourth month4#abf ,in    
this month1 we read1 the child was      
thrown into a state of vivacious        
delight--which expressed itself in      
smiles1 in movements1 in cooing and     
crowing--by the faces and voices which  
may be said to have 8played0 to her as  
she sat at table4 ,the advent of the    
meal was that of a new joyous world1    

and1 if the child could have spoken1 she
 would probably have exclaimed1 8,oh1   
what fun60 ,the large change effected by
 the return of a familiar face and voice
 after an absence was only another way  
of transforming her world into a merry  
one4  ,towards the end of the fifth     
month1 the note-book speaks over and    
over again of 8jollity0 and 8high       
spirits10 of the child's 8laughing with 
glee when any one smiled or spoke to    
her10 of 8being exceedingly jolly1      
smiling1 kicking and sputtering10 and so
 forth4 ,this growing gleefulness seemed
 to be the outcome of new expansions of 
the pleasurable consciousness1 of a pure
 8,lebenslust04 ,no doubt it had its    
obscure source in a pleasurable         
cnaesthesis1 the result of merrily      
working digestive and other processes of
 organic life4 ,yet it had its higher   
conditions1 also1 in the expansion of   
the life of the senses and in the       
growing range of the muscular           
activities4 ,laughter and shouts of joy 

would1 we are told1 accompany not merely
 the inrush of delightful sights and    
sounds1 but the new use of bodily powers
 in exploring and experimenting4 #aif   
,this gaiety in taking possession of her
 new world showed itself in the greeting
 of friendly faces4 ,the new appearance 
of her grandfather after an absence     
excited her laughter on the #accrd day4 
,by about the middle of the year1 the   
child had1 like ,preyer's boy1 developed
 a jubilant greeting for her social     
belongings1 nodding a friendly nod with 
all the signs of huge delight4  ,these  
outbursts of laughing joy may sometimes 
be seen to have been preceded by a      
distinctly disagreeable state of        
feeling4 ,in the case of ,ruth1 we are  
told that the fit of jollity broke out1 
on one or two occasions1 upon           
8instantaneous relief from great general
 discomfort04 ,again1 on the #bbbnd day1
 having awoke and felt timid1 she       
laughed with joy and a sense of relief  
when her mother came into the room4 ,i  

have other evidence to show that this   
laughter of overflowing gladness is     
often to some extent a relief from      
constraint4 ,thus1 a boy of one and a   
half years who had a new nurse1 and for 
some days behaved with great gravity    
when with her1 was during the same      
period 8extremely hilarious0 when alone 
with his parents4  ,the gladness of the 
world grew larger to this happy girl    
when1 towards the end of the seventh    
month1 she was taken into the open air1 
and1 shortly after1 allowed to lie on a 
quilt and roll on the ground4 ,the      
wooing of the passing freshness1 the    
play of sun and shadow1 the large stir  
of life in moving and sounding things1  
all this possessed her and made her     
8laugh and ejaculate with pleasure04    
,with this may be compared a note on a  
boy nine months old1 who1 lying in a    
clothes-basket in a garden one summer's 
day1 looked up at the leaves dancing in 
the sunshine and laughed with 8a hearty 
noisy laugh04  ,the development of      

bodily power in this same half-year     
brought our little maiden much gleeful  
laughter4 #aig ,any experience of       
movement1 passive as well as active1    
filled her with noisy hilarity4 ,to ride
 on anybody's foot brought out1 at the  
end of the fifth month1 the unmistakable
 signs of hilarious rapture4 ,a month   
later1 the gleeful explosion was called 
out by the new frolicsome experience of 
being jumped and tossed4 ,similar       
expressions of mirth occurred when new  
active movements were accomplished4 ,in 
the record of the middle of the ninth   
month1 we are told of a medley of       
movements1 tumbling on the floor or     
lawn1 sitting up and lying down1 raising
 herself on the feet and hands1 etc41   
which brought her 8singular joy04  ,a   
part of the gleefulness of this widening
 experience of movement is due to its   
unexpected results4 ,it seems probable  
that the first successful experiments in
 crawling1 climbing and the rest may    
give rise to new complexes of muscular  

and other sensations which come as a    
joyful surprise4 ,such delightful       
surprises grow more varied and          
impressive when the arms and hands begin
 to experiment4 ,for example1 a little  
girl1 aged two and a quarter years1     
happened when throwing a ball at random 
to jerk it over her head1 and was seized
 with a spasm of hilarity4 ,the gleeful 
outburst is apt to occur1 too1 later on 
when a child first achieves the         
feat--half-wonderful1 half-amusing--of  
walking1 of running and of jumping4#abg 
,in these expanding processes of jollity
 or gleefulness we may detect the       
beginnings of more specialised forms of 
laughing enjoyment4 ,thus1 in the       
outburst of merriment which winds up a  
successful attempt to climb1 we         
recognise the germ of that mode of      
reaction which is apt to follow at the  
moment of sudden relaxation of tension  
on the attainment of an end4 ,we may be 
sure that a child #aih of nine months   
finds the effort to stand a very serious

 and exhausting strain2 and may infer   
that the laughter which occurs in this  
case is largely due to momentary        
relaxations of this strain4  ,but again1
 these experiences clearly supply       
conditions favourable to the emergence  
of that 8sudden glory0 which enters into
 successful effort4 ,the 8shouting and  
laughing0 of little ,ruth 7forty-five   
weeks7 on completing the magnificent    
exploit of climbing the staircase had1  
as her aunt's epithet 8exultant0        
recognises1 something of the            
free-breathing jubilation of the        
successful mountain-climber4 ,we are    
told further that1 in the tenth month1  
,ruth would break into the same exultant
 laugh after some successful mental     
effort1 such as pointing out the right  
picture when this was asked for4  ,here1
 then1 we have the laughter of a joyous 
feeling-tone complicated by new         
elements4 ,these include1 not merely the
 delightful feeling of relief after     
prolonged effort1 but some dim form of  

an agreeable consciousness of growing   
power and of an expanding self4 ,in the 
glee on mastering a new movement1 e4g41 
riding on somebody's foot1 we see traces
 of a more distinctly playful mood4 ,we 
may now follow out the development of   
this large variety of gamesome mirth4   
,the overflow of the health-filled      
reservoirs of muscular activity begins  
at an early stage to wear an            
unmistakable aspect of playfulness4 ,the
 first exercises in crawling1           
accompanied by various sounds of        
contentment and gladness1 are indeed    
recognisable by all as a kind of play4  
,as the forces of the organism establish
 themselves a more manifest bent to a   
romping kind of game appears4 ,this1 as 
a game in which co-operation enters1    
involves a development of the social    
consciousness1 and its gleefulness comes
 #aii in part from the reverberations of
 mutual sympathy4 ,a good example of the
 hilarity of a romping game is ,ruth's  
uproarious delight1 in the seventh      

month1 when dragged about on a carpet1  
an experience which involved1 of course1
 much loss of equilibrium and some      
amount of awkward bumping4 ,that the    
bumps were of the essence of the        
enjoyment is confirmed by the fact that1
 in the tenth month1 she would like to  
stand1 holding on to a chair1 and then  
deliberately to let herself go so as to 
8come down sitting with a thud10 winding
 up the performance by 8looking up      
laughing and triumphant04 ,another game 
involving exciting jolts was liked in   
the middle of the twelfth month4 ,the   
child was shot in her carriage1 now from
 the aunt to the mother1 and now back1  
each little ride ending up with a jolt1 
over which she grew very merry4 ,later  
on1 7at the end of the twentieth month7 
she laughed heartily on being knocked   
down by her dog in a too pushful bit of 
play2 and she enjoyed in like manner    
some pretty rough play at the hands of a
 nine-year-old boy companion4  ,this    
mirthful treatment of romps1 which must 

have involved a palpable amount of      
discomfort1 is interesting as showing   
how laughter plays about the confines of
 the serious4 ,this little girl seems1  
up to the age of three1 at least1 to    
have been curiously indifferent to pain4
 ,yet she was not wanting in the common 
childish timidity4 ,it looks1 then1 as  
if the fun of these rather rough games  
turned on dissolutions of nascent       
attitudes of apprehension1 and1         
consequently1 the laughter expressed    
something of a joyous contempt of fear4 
,indeed1 it seems likely that an element
 of this joyous rebound from a          
half-developed state of fear entered    
into much of this child's laughter1     
already illustrated1 on succeeding in a 
rather risky experiment1 such as        
climbing the staircase4 ,we read that1  
like other vigorous #bjj children1 she  
was a keen pursuer of new experiences1  
even in cases in which she knew that    
some pain was involved4 ,the passion for
 trying new experiments seems to have   

urged her on1 in spite of nascent fear2 
and the final shouting and laughing may 
well have announced1 along with the joy 
of successful effort1 a sense of triumph
 over the weaker timid self4 ,the       
ability1 illustrated in these hardy     
experiments1 to turn situations         
suggestive of danger into 8larkish0     
play1 was a singular proof of the firm  
foundation on which this child's        
prevalent mode of gaiety reposed4  ,in  
some cases ,ruth's play would take on a 
form which clearly involved a triumphing
 over fear4 ,thus1 we are told that     
when1 on the #dbith day1 she was asked  
to find 8auntie0 in the dark she at     
first stood still and silent4 ,then1    
when her head was touched by somebody's 
hands1 she broke into laughter and      
started off by herself to explore in the
 dark4 ,later on1 with the growth of a  
bolder spirit1 this laughing triumph    
over fear extended itself1 so that in   
the twenty-ninth month she played at    
bear with her uncle1 going into a dark  

room1 with her hand in her aunt's1 and  
enjoying 8the exhilaration of unreal    
alarm02 and when the uncle sprang out   
from his dark hiding-place1 growling    
fearfully1 she 8laughed1 shrieked and   
fled all in one04 ,if the uncle went a  
little too far in the use of the        
alarming she would check him by saying1 
8,don't do that again04  ,in these      
cases1 it is evident1 we have a complex 
psychosis with alternating phases4 ,the 
awful delight which vents itself at once
 in a laugh and in a shriek and a flight
 is certainly of a mixed feeling-tone4  
,the laughter is the note of a          
triumphant spirit1 and yet of one in    
which1 in the moment of triumph1 the    
nascent fear leaves its trace4  ,in     
these laughing games we have clearly an 
element of #bja make-believe4 ,a firm   
persuasion1 low down in consciousness1  
of the harmlessness of the coming bump  
and of the human bear in the blackness  
keeps the little girl's heart steady and
 turns the adventure into fun4 ,at the  

same time1 the play as 8pretending0     
would seem to involve at least a        
half-formed expectation of something1   
and probably1 too1 a final taste of     
delicious surprise at the fully realised
 nothingness of the half-expected4 ,in  
some forms of play-pretence this element
 of final annihilation of expectation   
becomes more conspicuous and the        
distinct source of the hilarious        
exultation4 ,when1 for example1 in the  
eleventh month1 ,ruth sitting on the    
floor held out her arms to be taken up1 
and the mother1 instead of doing this1  
stooped and kissed the child1 there was 
a perfect peal of laughter again and    
again4  ,the increase of muscular       
activity shown in the laughing romps    
leads to the extension of mirthful      
enjoyment in another way4 ,a vigorous   
child1 even when a girl1 grows          
aggressive and attempts various forms of
 playful attack4 ,as we have seen1 to   
tickle another is merely one variety of 
a large class of teasing operations1 in 

which the teased as well as the teasing 
party is supposed to find his merriment4
 ,regarding now the child as teaser1 we 
see that he very early begins to        
exercise at once his own powers and     
others' endurance4 ,the pulling of      
whiskers is one of the earliest forms of
 practical jokes4 ,ruth took to this    
pastime in the first week of the fifth  
month4 ,by the end of the sixth month   
the little tormentor had grown aware of 
her power1 and 8became most eager to    
pull1 with laughter and exultant        
clamour1 at the nose1 ear1 and          
especially the hair1 of any one that    
held her04 ,the boy ,c41 at the same    
age1 delighted in pulling his sister's  
hair1 and was moved by her cries only to
 outbursts of laughter4 ,as intelligence
 develops1 these practical jokes grow   
more cunning4 ,another little #bjb girl1
 of whom ,i have written elsewhere under
 the initial ,m41 when seventeen months 
old1 asked for her father's 8tick-tick10
 looking very saucy2 and as he stooped  

to give it1 she tugged at his moustache1
 8and almost choked with laughter04     
,with this teasing of human companions  
we have that of animals4 ,when sixteen  
months old1 ,ruth would chase the cat   
with shouts of laughter4 ,another child1
 a boy1 about the same age1 went        
considerably further1 and taking the    
toilet puff from its proper place went  
deliberately to 8,moses10 the cat1 who  
was sitting unsuspectingly before the   
fire1 and proceeded to powder him1 each 
new application of the puff being       
accompanied by a short chuckle4  ,there 
is no need of reading into this laughter
 the note of cruel exultation over      
suffering4#abh ,ruth's mischievous      
doings would take forms which had not   
even the semblance of cruelty4 ,there   
was merely impish playfulness in the act
 of snatching off her grandmother's     
spectacles and even her cap1 with full  
accompaniment of laughter1 in the       
twenty-second month when lifted to say  
good-night4 ,in much the same spirit the

 other little girl1 ,m41 delighted1 when
 two years old1 in untying the maid's   
apron strings and in other jocose forms 
of mischief4  ,the laughing mood in     
these cases is understandable as a      
rioting in newly realised powers1 a     
growing exultation as the consciousness 
of ability to produce striking effects  
grows clearer4 ,ruth1 in her eleventh   
month1 blew a whistle violently and     
looked round laughing to her aunt and   
the others present4 ,here1 surely1 the  
laughter was that of #bjc rejoicing in a
 new power4 ,this sense of power implies
 a clearer form of 8self-feeling04 ,a   
child may grow keenly conscious of the  
self in such moments of newly tried     
powers1 as he grows in 8the moments of  
intense pain04 ,this laughter1 then1    
furnishes a good illustration of the    
sudden glory on which ,hobbes lays      
emphasis4  ,i have assumed that in this 
laughing mischief we have to do with a  
form of 7playful7 teasing4 ,the little  
assailant enjoys the fun of the attack  

and counts on your enjoying it also4    
,the indulgence of others1 even if they 
do not show an equal readiness for the  
pastime1 removes all thought of         
disobedience1 of lawlessness4  ,yet     
things do not commonly remain at this   
point of perfectly innocent fun4 ,the   
gathering energies of the child1        
encouraged by indulgence in games of    
romp1 are pretty certain to develop     
distinctly rowdyish proceedings4 ,ruth1 
for example1 when about twenty-one      
months old1 scrambled defiantly on to   
the table at the close of a meal1 seized
 on the salts1 and scampered about      
laughing4 ,about the same time this new 
spirit of rowdyism showed itself in     
flinging a plate across the room and    
other mutinous acts4 ,little boys1 ,i   
suspect1 are much given to experiments  
in a violent kind of fun which they know
 to be disorderly4 ,one of them1 aged   
two years eight and a half months1 was  
fond of 8trying it on0 by pulling       
hair-pins out of his mother's hair1     

splashing in the puddles in the road1   
and so forth1 to her great perplexity   
and his plainly pronounced enjoyment4   
,in these outbursts of laughing rowdyism
 we see more than an escape of pent-up  
energies1 more than a mere overflow of  
8high spirits02 they are complicated by 
a new factor1 something of the defiant  
temper of the rebel4 ,a child of two has
 had some experience of real            
disobedience1 and may be said to have   
developed simple ideas of order #bjd and
 law4 ,we may reasonably infer1 then1   
that in this turbulent fun there is some
 consciousness of setting law at        
defiance4 ,the presence of this new     
psychical factor is seen in the         
alteration of the laughing sounds       
themselves4 ,in ,ruth's case1 we are    
told1 they were 8rough0 and unlike the  
natural and joyous utterance4 ,it is    
further seen in the method of the fun1  
for1 as ,miss ,shinn observes1 ,ruth    
8tried repeatedly to see how far she    
could go safely in roguish naughtiness04

  ,i think we find in this behaviour a  
clear instance of laughter becoming an  
ingredient in the attitude of throwing  
off a customary restraint4 ,it is the   
early analogue of the laughter of the   
rowdies bent on window-smashing1 of the 
riotous enjoyment of the people at      
festal seasons when the lord of misrule 
holds sway4  ,the degree of conscious   
defiance of order may1 no doubt1 vary   
greatly4 ,in much of what we view as the
 disorderly mirth of a child this       
ingredient of the laughing mood may be  
small and sub-conscious2 yet at times it
 grows distinct and prominent4 ,thus1   
,ruth1 in the eleventh month1 developed 
a special expression for the attitude of
 defiance when disobeying1 namely1 a    
comical face with a wrinkling of the    
nose1 together with laughter4 ,the boy  
,c41 early in the third year1 would give
 out a laugh of a short mocking ring on 
receiving a prohibition1 e4g41 not to   
slap his dog companion4 ,he would remain
 silent and laugh in a half-contemptuous

 way4 ,sometimes in his moods of        
defiance he would go so far as to strike
 a member of his family and then laugh4 
,his laugh was sometimes highly         
suggestive of the mood of derision4  ,in
 this note of warlike challenge we have 
a point of kinship with the 8crowing0   
laughter of the victor4 ,yet it is      
doubtful whether a child at this early  
age reaches the #bje mental attitude of 
a mocking contempt4 ,preyer tells us    
that he has never observed scornful     
laughter within the first four          
years4#abi  ,when the consciousness of  
the unruly in these 8high jinks0 becomes
 distinct and begins to be oppressive1  
the laughter will be less boisterous and
 express more of playful pretence4 ,the 
child learns to be satisfied with making
 a feint to rebel1 with a make-believe  
unruliness4 ,ruth1 on the #bcfth day1   
laughed when pretending to disobey by   
biting off the petals of flowers1 and on
 the #deeth day1 by stuffing buttons    
into her mouth4 ,the boy ,c41 when about

 the same age1 had his little way of    
turning disobedience into a game4 ,in   
the seventeenth month1 when he was      
bidden by his mother to give up a       
picture he had got possession of1 he    
walked up to her and made a show of     
handing over his unlawful possession1   
and then drew his hands back with much  
laughing enjoyment4  ,a more complicated
 psychical attitude appears when such   
laughing pretence at disobedience takes 
on a 8roguish0 aspect4 ,here we have1   
not only an element of slight           
uneasiness1 but one of                  
self-consciousness1 which together give 
a distinct complexion to the whole      
mental attitude and to its expression4  
,this ingredient of a timid             
self-consciousness or shyness under the 
scrutiny of others appears1 as we know1 
some time after the simpler forms of    
fear4 ,in ,ruth's case it seems to have 
showed itself on the #abcrd day in a    
distinctly 8roguish0 attitude4 ,when at 
dinner and spoken to by her grandfather1

 she turned her head as far as she      
could4 ,on the #adast day1 too1 when    
held in her nurse's arms1 she #bjf      
smiled at her grandfather and others and
 then ducked her head4 ,this expression 
of roguish self-consciousness had more  
of the look of a nervous explosion in   
the eleventh month1 when the girl       
laughed on being set on her feet in a   
corner where she was much noticed2 and  
again1 in the thirteenth month1 as she  
tumbled about and showed herself off4   
,this laughter1 with something of the   
gne of self-consciousness in it1 was1 we
 are told1 not to be confounded with the
 expression of a complacent             
self-consciousness4  ,the element of an 
awkward shyness comes into much of the  
early playful 8trying it on04 ,in the   
case of the boy ,c41 just mentioned1 it 
was seen in the sly1 upward look of the 
eyes and the short1 half-nervous laugh1 
when he was face to face with authority 
and disposed to play at disobedience4   
,the fuller roguish laugh occurs        

frequently along with a risky bit of    
play1 as when a boy of one and a half   
year would point to himself when asked  
for a finger-recognition of somebody    
else4 ,in such cases the laughter seems 
like an attempt to get rid of the       
element of risk4 ,when the masking of   
the impulse of fun by timidity is       
greater1 the expression reaching only to
 a tentative smile1 the roguishness of a
 child may easily wear a look of kinship
 with our grown-up humour4#acj  ,a full 
account of the development of laughter  
during these first years1 as an         
ingredient of the play-mood1 would be of
 great value4 ,it would1 in particular1 
help us to see how the reaction comes to
 be definitely co-ordinated with the    
sense of make-believe1 and the attitude 
of throwing off the burdensome          
restrictions of reality4 ,the vocal     
mirth of children1 as they give reins to
 their fancy1 attests to #bjg the weight
 of this burden and to the intense      
delight which comes from its momentary  

abandonment4  ,in seeking for the first 
traces of the laughter of play and of   
defiance1 we are not greatly troubled by
 the interfering influence of others4   
,no doubt this influence is at work even
 here4 ,the nurse and the parents are   
pretty certain to laugh at much of the  
roguish 8trying it on02 and this        
laughter will react upon the child's own
 merriment4 ,in play1 too1 in which     
others usually take some part1 there is 
this action of older persons' laughter4 
,still1 in the main1 the utterances are 
spontaneous1 and at most are reinforced 
by way of some sympathetic rapport with 
another4  ,it is otherwise when we come 
to consider the first instances of      
laughing amusement at the presentation  
of 8funny0 objects4 ,the lead of others 
now complicates the phenomenon to a much
 more serious extent4 ,the recognition  
of an object as 8funny0 implies some    
detection of a quality which acts on    
others as well as on the self2#aca      
consequently1 it presupposes a certain  

development of the social consciousness4
 ,hence1 some cautiousness is needed in 
noting the first clear examples of a    
perception of the quality4 ,before      
language comes and supplies a means of  
self-interpretation1 we cannot safely   
say that because a child laughs in      
presence of an object there is a        
recognition of something objectively    
8funny04 ,as we have seen1 such laughter
 may be fully accounted for by supposing
 that the object has an exhilarating or 
gladdening effect on the child's        
feeling4 ,on the other hand1 when       
language is added we have to cope with  
the difficulty1 already touched on1 that
 a child's pronouncements are apt to be 
controlled by what others laugh at and  
call funny4 ,nevertheless1 here1 too1   
the child's spontaneity and his way of  
discovering his own #bjh sources of     
amusement may enable us to overcome the 
difficulties4  ,our study of the        
conditions of the perception suggests   
that a true enjoyment of presentations  

as oddities is not to be expected at a  
very early date4 ,and this1 first of    
all1 for the reason that the new1       
especially if it is strange1 even though
 fitted to draw forth a joyous laugh1   
may easily excite other and inhibitory  
attitudes4 ,an infant1 during the first 
year of life1 if not later also1 is apt 
to be disturbed and apparently alarmed  
at the approach of new objects1 so as to
 be unaffected by its rejoicing aspect2 
or1 if he feels this1 the laughter may  
be accompanied by signs of fear4 ,ruth1 
on her #bedth day1 greeted a kitten     
which her father brought to show her    
with 8all gradations from laughter and  
joy to fear04 ,in the second place--and 
this is of more importance--the         
recognition of an object as funny       
presupposes the work of experience in   
organising a rudimentary feeling for    
what is customary4 ,this1 again1        
involves a development of the social    
consciousness and of an idea of a common
 order of things4  ,now all this        

requires a certain amount of time4 ,it  
hardly seems reasonable to look for a   
true apprehension of the laughable till 
some time after the appearance of an    
imitation of others' laughter and       
play-gestures1 which was first observed1
 in the case of the boy ,c41 in the     
ninth month4 ,nor could it well be      
expected until after a child had        
acquired some understanding of others'  
language1 so as to note how they agree  
in naming and describing certain objects
 as funny1 which understanding only     
begins to be reached in the second half 
of the year4 ,hence1 ,i should hesitate 
to speak of a clear recognition of a    
laughable object as such before the last
 quarter of the year4 ,it seems to me1  
for example1 a little rash to say that a
 boy of five months1 who always laughed 
inordinately when a very jolly-looking  
physician1 #bji the image of ,santa     
,claus1 paid him a visit1 displayed a   
8sense of humour04#acb  ,when once the  
idea of objects of common laughter      

begins to grow clear a child is1 of     
course1 able to develop perceptions of  
the funny along his own lines4 ,this he 
certainly seems to do pretty briskly4   
,the freshness of his world1 the absence
 of the dulling effect of custom which  
is seen in the perceptions of older     
folk1 renders him an excellent pioneer  
in the largely unknown territory of     
,king ,laughter4  ,among the            
sense-presentations which awaken the    
infantile laugh are new and queer sounds
 of various sorts2 and they may well be 
selected for a study of the transitions 
from mere joyous exclamation to a       
hilarious greeting of what is 8funny04  
,early in the second half of the first  
year1 a child in good health will begin 
to surmount the alarms of the ear1 and  
to turn what is new and strange into    
fun4 ,about the #bbbnd day brave little 
,ruth was able to laugh1 not only at    
such an odd sound as that produced when 
her aunt rattled a tin cup on her teeth1
 but at that of a piano4 ,preyer's boy1 

later in the year1 was given to laughing
 at various new and out-of-the-way      
sounds1 such as that of the piano1 of   
gurgling or clearing the throat1 and    
even of thunder4  ,odd sounding         
articulations appear to be especially   
provocative of laughter about this time4
 ,as early as the #adith day1 ,ruth     
laughed at new sounds invented by the   
aunt1 such as 8,pah6 ,pah60 ,queer      
guttural sounds seem to have a specially
 tickling effect4  ,after words and     
their commoner forms have begun to grow 
familiar1 new and odd-sounding words1   
especially names1 are apt to be greeted 
with laughter4 ,the child ,m41 when one 
year nine months old1 was much impressed
 by the #baj exclamation 8good          
gracious60 made by her mother on        
discovering that the water was coming   
through the ceiling of a room2 and the  
child would sometimes repeat it in pure 
fun 8shaking with laughter04 ,when she  
was two years seven months old she      
laughed on first hearing the name       

8,periwinkle04  ,in these and similar   
cases of the hilarious response to      
sounds we seem to have1 well within the 
first nine months1 a germ of a feeling  
for the odd or droll4 ,the early        
development of this sense of the funny  
in sounds is aided by their aggressive  
force for the infant's consciousness1   
and by the circumstance that for the    
young ear they have pronounced          
characteristics which are probably lost 
as development advances1 and they are   
attended to1 not for their own sake1 but
 merely as signs of things which        
interest us4  ,the psychical process    
involved in the transition may be       
described as follows4 ,sounds1 while by 
reason of their suddenness and          
unexpectedness they are apt to take the 
consciousness off its guard and to      
produce a kind of nervous shock1 are of 
all sense-stimuli the most exhilarating4
 ,the sudden rousing of the             
consciousness to a large joyous         
commotion is the fundamental fact4 ,nor 

will the jar of the shock1 when the     
sense-organ develops and becomes        
hardier1 interfere with this4 ,on the   
contrary1 it will add something in the  
shape of an agreeable rebound from a    
nascent attitude of uneasiness4#acc ,the
 laughter of the child at the first     
sounds of the piano1 which have         
frightened many a child and other young 
animal1 is1 in part1 a shout of victory4
 ,there is here1 too1 an element of     
8sudden glory0 in the rejoicing1 as the 
new expanding self is dimly conscious of
 its superiority to the half-alarmed and
 shrinking self of the moment before4   
#baa  ,in this case1 it is evident1 we  
have to do with a greeting of the       
laughable which will vary greatly       
according to the psycho-physical        
condition of the child4 ,the same child 
that laughs at a new sound to-day will  
to-morrow1 when in another mood1 be     
disturbed by a quite similar surprise of
 the ear4  ,but more is involved in this
 laughter4 ,the sudden and slightly     

disturbing attack of the ear by new     
sounds is apt to wear for the child's   
consciousness a game-like aspect4 ,we   
have only to think of the nursery       
rhymes1 alluded to by ,miss ,shinn1 in  
which the excitement of fun is secured  
by an explosive shock at the end1 games 
closely analogous to the rides which    
terminated in a good bump4 ,in these    
rhymes the fun lies in the shock1 though
 only half-unexpected--a shock which has
 in it the very soul of frivolous play1 
since it comes at the end of a series of
 quiet orderly sounds4 ,may not the new 
sounds1 the guttural utterances and the 
rest1 affect a child in a like manner as
 a kind of disorderly play8 ,for a      
child's ear1 pitched for the intrinsic  
character of a sound1 they may hold much
 which is expressive of the play-mood4  
,this will apply not only to utterances 
like the 8,pah6 ,pah60 which are clearly
 recognised as play1 but to many others 
produced by a nurse or a mother who is  
given to entertaining4 ,perhaps the     

gurgling sounds which moved the mirth of
 ,preyer's boy appeared laughter-like4  
,this tendency to look on certain sounds
 as a kind of play seems to supply a    
psychical link in the development of a  
feeling for the odd and out-of-the-way  
as such4 ,we have seen how the          
play-impulse 8tries it on0 when the     
restraints of rule grow too irksome4 ,i 
suspect that the mirthful appreciation  
of the queer and out-of-the-way grows   
out of this inclination to a playful    
disorderliness or law-breaking4 ,a child
 is apt to feel oppressed with the rules
 of propriety #bab imposed on him4 ,by  
these rules quite a terrible            
multiplicity of noises is branded as    
8naughty10 and the prohibition tends to 
fix the playful impulse precisely in the
 direction of the forbidden sounds4     
,children have a way1 moreover1 of      
projecting their experiences and their  
inclinations into things which we call  
lifeless4 ,what more natural1 then1 that
 they should feel these incursions of   

violent and quite improper-sounding     
noises to be a kind of playful throwing 
aside of order and rule8  ,in the domain
 of the visible world1 suddenness of    
presentation rarely reaches1 perhaps1   
the point of shock or joltiness4 ,yet   
there is ample scope1 here1 too1 for the
 working of the unexpected on the       
child's sensibilities4 ,the first visual
 excitants of laughter1 the sudden      
uncovering of the face in bo-peep1 the  
unexpected return of the familiar face  
after an interval of absence1 the       
instant transformation of the accustomed
 features when the mother 8makes a      
face10 show how directly the            
surprisingly new may act on the young   
muscles of laughter4  ,here1 too1 we may
 see how the hilarious enjoyment of the 
new and out-of-the-way emerges out of   
play-mirth4 ,the distorted face of the  
mother produces a laugh when it has     
ceased to alarm and is taken as fun4#acd
 ,according to one observer1 this making
 of faces grows into a standing pastime 

towards the end of the second year4#ace 
,is not the greeting of the baby-face in
 the mirror1 which in ,ruth's case      
occurred on the #bbast day 7eighth      
month71 and in that of ,preyer's boy at 
the end of the ninth month1 a kind of   
accost of a newly discovered playmate8  
,perhaps the laughter of a little boy1  
of one and a half year1 already referred
 to1 at the jumping of a ping-pong ball 
and at a #bac spring-blind going up or  
coming down with a run1 expressed a     
recognition of something play-like4     
,this co-operation of the               
play-inclination in the perception of   
the laughable in visual presentations is
 still more plainly illustrated in the  
effect of actions and postures4 ,the    
quickness of the eye of mirth for       
expressions of the mood of romping play 
is seen in a child's laughter1 already  
referred to1 at the gambols of a horse  
or other animal4 ,ruth was much         
entertained on her #ddast day by the    
antics of a dog4 ,especially enlivening 

is the appearance of quick1 play-like   
movements in grave elders addicted to   
decorous deportment4 ,the girl ,m41 at  
the age of eighteen months1 broke into  
boisterous laughter on seeing her father
 as he ran to catch a train1 with his   
handkerchief hanging out of his pocket4 
,this sudden revelation of the playful  
temper may come to the child by way of  
postures and expressions4 ,the awful    
laws of propriety soon tend to give the 
look of playful licence to certain      
bodily postures1 especially that of     
lying down4 ,the boy ,c41 when twenty   
months old1 laughed heartily on seeing  
his sister lying on the ground out of   
doors4 ,making faces1 pouting lips and  
the rest become playful just because    
they are felt to be improper1 the sort  
of thing one only does in a disorderly  
moment1 playful or other4 ,may not the  
drolleries--to the child's              
consciousness--of animal form1 for      
example the long neck of the giraffe1   
owe something to suggestions of improper

 jocose actions1 such as trying to      
stretch oneself into ,alice-like        
dimensions8  ,in this blithe recognition
 of the irregular in others' behaviour  
we have the rudiment of an appreciation 
of the laughable1 not only as a         
violation of rule but as a loss of      
dignity4 ,this is apparent in such cases
 as the boy's laughter at the prostrate 
form of his sister1 illumined as #bad it
 was by the observation that1 at the age
 of twenty-six months1 he expressed     
great contempt at the spectacle of a    
,japanese gentleman stretched on the    
grass in the suburban ,heath1 which was 
the child's daily resort1 and which he  
seemed strongly disposed to subject to  
his own code of manners4 ,possibly1 too1
 there was a touch of this appreciation 
of lowered dignity when the same boy1 at
 the age of twenty-eight months1 laughed
 greatly on seeing his father batter in 
an old hat4 ,the laughter1 complicated  
now by a new element of conscious       
superiority1 probably took on a crowing 

note1 though our dull ears may not be   
equal to a clear detection of the       
change4 ,not only so1 it is possible    
that the laughter of children1 common in
 the second year1 at signs of           
disorderliness in the hair or dress of  
others1 and especially superiors1       
implies a perception of something like  
lowered rank4  ,in this effect of the   
new in the visible world different tones
 of mirth are no doubt distinguishable4 
,as the higher forms of perception begin
 to develop the primitive laughter of   
joy may persist and combine with later  
and more specialised kinds4 ,ruth's     
voicing of merriment1 in the thirteenth 
month1 on having a new pair of mittens  
put on her1 was largely an outburst of  
joy1 though some dim sense of the oddity
 of the thing probably combined with    
this4 ,on the other hand1 the laughter  
called forth in the little girl ,m41 at 
the age of twenty-one months1 by the    
spectacle of a doll that had lost its   
arms presumably had in it1 along with a 

sense of something weirdly absurd in the
 mutilated form1 a pretty keen          
sub-consciousness of dollish proprieties
 set at defiance4  ,other directions in 
the development of this early laughter  
at entertaining spectacles may be said  
to have their origin in the fun of play 
with its pretence or make-believe4 ,mrs4
 #bae ,hogan's boy1 at the age of two   
years and two months1 would laugh at his
 nurse's pretended efforts to put on his
 shoes1 which1 instead of getting on1   
flew away wildly into freedom4 ,this    
laughter was evoked at the fun of the   
thing1 and probably involved an         
interpretation of the nurse's action as 
play4 ,yet it had in it also1 ,i think1 
the trace of an appreciation of the     
absurdity of the farcical collapse of   
effort4 ,this is borne out by the fact  
that the boy1 about the same time1 would
 also laugh when the nurse1 not in play1
 tried by jumping to hang a garment on a
 nail just too high for her4 ,he may1 of
 course1 have regarded this1 too1 as but

 a continuation of the play4 ,yet it    
seems reasonable to suppose that the    
merry current had one of its sources in 
the perception of the amusing aspect of 
failure1 of effort missing its mark and 
lapsing into nothingness4  ,i confess to
 have been surprised at what looks like 
the precocity of some children in the   
matter of honouring the proprieties of  
conduct4 ,the little girl ,m41 when only
 fourteen months old1 is said to have   
laughed in an 8absurdly conscious way0  
at a small boy who stood by her         
perambulator asking for a kiss4 ,that   
kiss1 we are told1 was not forthcoming4 
,was the laugh merely an incident in a  
mood of nervous shyness1 or did it      
signify a dim perception of 8bad form0  
on the part of the proposer8 ,much care 
is needed in the interpretation of such 
expressive reactions4 ,a small boy of   
eighteen months laughed when his pants  
slipped down4 ,but this may only have   
resulted from a sense of the fun of the 
irregularity of the proceeding1 aided   

perhaps by others' amusement4 ,a true   
feeling of shame is1 of course1 not     
developed at this age2 yet a child may  
have caught from instruction a feeling  
of the shocking impropriety of an       
ill-timed casting aside of the          
clothes-trammels4 #baf  ,we may find in 
the laughter of the child1 within the   
period of the first three years1 pretty 
clear indications of the development of 
a rude perception of amusing            
incongruities in dress and behaviour4   
,the young eye has a keen outlook for   
the proprieties in the matter of        
clothes4 ,ruth1 who was in the          
thirteenth month amused at seeing her   
new mittens put on1 showed amusement    
about the same date when her pink bonnet
 was put on her aunt's head4 ,in this   
case1 the play-significance of the      
action for the child's consciousness is 
apparent4 ,it seems fairly certain1     
indeed1 that this higher form of a      
recognition of the laughable grows out  
of the play-interpretation4 ,when at    

play children not only throw off rules  
of decorum and do improper things1 they 
put aside ideas of appropriateness and  
launch out into bizarre discontinuities 
and contrarieties of action and speech4 
,the play-attitude1 as lawless and free1
 tends to inconsequence4 ,hence the     
readiness with which a child interprets 
such inconsequences as play4  ,it is the
 same when a child laughs at droll      
stories of the doings of animals and    
persons4 ,he may take fables and other  
fancies seriously enough at times1 but  
if his mind is pitched for merriment1 he
 will greatly appreciate the extravagant
 unsuitabilities of behaviour of the    
heroes of his nursery books4 ,the little
 girl ,m41 when two years seven months  
old1 laughed gaily at a passage in a    
story about kittens1 in which they are  
made to say1 8,waiter1 this cat's meat  
is tough20 asking in the midst of her   
merriment1 8,did you ever saw such funny
 tits80  ,along with this rudiment of   
merry appreciation of the spectacle of  

the incongruous1 we have the first crude
 manifestation of the closely related   
feeling of amusement at the absurd4     
,children are said to have no measure of
 the probable and possible1 and to      
accept the wildest fancies in #bag      
unquestioning faith4 ,yet experience    
begins her educative work during these  
first three years1 and one may detect   
sporadic traces of a feeling for what is
 gloriously incredible4 ,a boy1 already 
alluded to1 aged about one and a half   
year1 laughed as his aunt asked him what
 the waves1 which he was gravely        
observing1 were saying4 ,the boy ,c41   
when twenty-two months old1 grew quite  
hilarious over the idea of flying up    
into the air4 ,some one had suggested   
his flying like a bird1 and he proceeded
 to cap the suggestion1 adding1 8,tit   
7sister7 fy air10 8gee-gee 7horse7 fy   
air04 ,the last idea of a flying horse  
especially delighted one innocent1 as   
yet1 of ,greek mythology4  ,lastly1 a   
bare allusion may be made to the early  

development of an appreciation of       
word-play and the lighter kind of wit4  
,that this grows out of the             
play-element1 the love of pretence1 is  
at once evident4 ,verbal fun1 8trying it
 on0 with an incorrect use of words and 
so forth1 is a common outlet of the     
rollicking spirits of childhood4 ,mrs4  
,hogan's boy1 at the age of one year    
eight months1 developed a fancy for     
calling things by their wrong names1 a  
knife a 8fork10 for example4 ,ruth did  
the same towards the end of the third   
year4 ,the fun derived from punning     
seems to be immense in the case of many 
children at the close of our period1 as 
when a boy on hearing his mother say she
 had just called on ,mrs4 ,fawkes asked1
 8,did you call on ,mrs4 knives too80   
,this easy childish mode of satisfying a
 jocose bent is seen also in the use of 
false statements1 not seriously1 but 8in
 fun10 as the child has it4 ,ruth had a 
fit of such merry fibbing at the end of 
the third year4 ,a child will often 8try

 on0 this kind of verbal game1 when     
called up for a moral lesson4#acf  ,this
 same roguish impulse to 8try it on0    
with the #bah authorities leads to      
something like a play of wit in         
repartee4 ,the merry interchange of     
intellectual attack and defence1 which  
relieves so many serious relations of   
adult life1 grows naturally enough in   
the case of children out of their       
relation of subjection to the grown-ups4
 ,the playful experiment in the         
direction of disobedience is frequently 
accompanied by pretty exercises in      
verbal fencing1 the joke of which the   
perpetrator himself1 at any rate1       
greatly enjoys4 ,such sportive dialectic
 may arise1 too1 by way of meeting      
serious correction4 ,a girl of two and a
 quarter years was told by a foolish    
nurse that if she put out her tongue she
 would get spots on her face4 ,after    
listening gravely she turned on her     
instructress and1 putting her finger on 
a little pimple on the latter's chin1   

asked with 8a most mirthful smile10     
8,how ,lizzie 7the nurse7 det dat 'pot  
dere den80  ,enough has been said1      
perhaps1 even in this slight examination
 of children's laughter1 to show that   
within the first three years all the    
main directions of the mirth of adults  
are foreshadowed4 ,humour itself1 which 
is supposed only to come with maturity  
of feeling and reflection1 begins to    
announce itself in a modest way during  
this period4 ,the boy ,c41 in his       
twenty-first month1 had managed to twist
 his india-rubber horse1 so that the    
head was caught between the tail and the
 legs4 ,he laughed out loudly at first1 
then waxed tender1 saying in a pitiful  
tone1 8,poor ,gee-gee10 and so swung    
from the one emotional attitude to the  
other4#acg  ,this appearance of the two 
feelings1 distinct though contiguous1   
is1 of course1 a very different thing   
from the highly organised sentiment     
which we call humour4 ,miss ,shinn #bai 
tells us that1 in the case of ,ruth1 the

 period of infantile gaiety has been    
followed by one of serious practicality1
 into which humour does not enter4      
,perhaps it will come later4 ,in any    
case we have to recognise in this       
laughter of the first years something   
far removed from the humour of the      
adult4 ,it is a pure primitive gaiety1  
uncomplicated by reflection and sadness4
 ,it is enough for my purpose if it can 
be seen to disclose faint embryonic     
tracings of the main lines of           
differentiation in the development of   
human laughter4  #bbj     ,,chapter     
,,viii4  ,,the ,,laughter ,,of          
,,savages4   ,in the last chapter we    
took a glance at the primitive forms of 
human laughter as illustrated in        
children4 ,we may now supplement this by
 a brief inquiry into the merriment of  
the childhood of the race1 so far as    
this is reflected in the laughter of    
those savage tribes which have come     
under the direct observation of the     
civilised man4  ,we shall expect the two

 domains to disclose similar features1  
spontaneity1 absence of reflection1     
whole-hearted simplicity4 ,at the same  
time we shall expect the study of the   
laughter of savages to bring us more    
directly in touch with the social       
conditions which help to determine the  
directions of mirth4 ,the study of the  
savage mind is the study of a collective
 mind1 that is to say1 of a typical form
 of ideas1 sentiments1 and psychical    
tendencies generally1 running through a 
community4 ,its modes of merriment1 like
 its more serious emotional             
manifestations1 have been observed as   
common traits of members of a tribal    
society4  ,a word may be said at the    
outset with respect to the sources of   
our information4 ,it is a commonplace   
that civilised man finds all his powers 
taxed when he tries to get into touch   
with the mind of a savage4 ,the         
difficulties of this access will        
naturally be greater when the trait to  
be observed is an emotion which1 while  

it is wont to display itself with an    
instinctive directness so long as the   
#bba surroundings secure freedom1 tends 
to hide itself as soon as anything      
strange appears which induces a feeling 
of gne4 ,the presence of strangers1 so  
far removed from the plane of life of   
savages as the missionaries or officials
 of a civilised nation1 would1 one      
supposes1 act as such a check to their  
risible impulses4 ,it is possible1 too1 
that the stranger who visits a savage   
tribe may supply1 quite unknowingly     
perhaps1 in his look1 dress1 and manner 
of behaviour1 a number of provocatives  
of laughter which are resisted from a   
feeling of what is due to a guest4      
,that there is some hiding of the merry 
mood here is not a mere matter of       
inference1 since travellers distinctly  
testify to the fact4 ,the undisciplined 
savage will now and again show a degree 
of self-restraint comparable with that  
which an educated ,frenchman will show  
when in a ,paris street he is addressed 

by a hardy ,british youth in what the   
latter cheerfully supposes to be the    
language of the country4 ,the following 
story may serve as an example4 ,a public
 meeting was being held in a native     
village in ,africa4 ,an ,englishman who 
was present got up on a recumbent trunk 
of a tree1 which is used as a seat in   
native villages4 ,the log rolled and the
 ,englishman fell heavily4 ,yet the     
whole meeting looked as grave as if the 
accident had been a part of the         
programme4 ,an uninstructed observer    
might have hastily inferred that the    
tribe was wanting in a 8sense of        
humour04 ,the narrator of the incident  
knew better1 and gives the incident as a
 proof of the great power of            
self-restraint displayed4 ,the same     
writer observes that ,african savages1  
while allowing a ,european traveller to 
humour them and treat them as children1 
will 8amuse themselves at his expense   
after he is gone1 and1 indeed1 while he 
is present1 if they know that he cannot 

understand their speech04#ach #bbb      
,these considerations will prepare us to
 understand how some have regarded      
savages as dull creatures1 who know not 
how to laugh4 ,that this view is        
commonly held by those who have not     
visited them is suggested by a passage  
in one of ,peacock's stories4 ,in       
,crotchet ,castle ,mr4 ,mac,queedy puts 
forward the thesis that laughter is 8an 
involuntary action developed in man by  
the progress of civilisation10 and adds 
that 8the savage never laughs04#aci  ,it
 is only fair to say that travellers    
themselves have not been so foolish as  
to uphold this view4 ,at the same time1 
some of them have drawn hasty           
conclusions from the fact that they     
happened never to have heard members of 
a particular tribe indulge in laughter4 
,a curious illustration of this         
reasoning from inadequate negative      
evidence is the dispute that took place1
 not so long ago1 as to whether a people
 of ,ceylon1 known as ,weddas 7or       

,veddas71 came into the category of the 
laughing animal4 ,it was confidently    
asserted by a certain ,mr4 ,hartshorne  
that they never laughed1 even when they 
were experimented upon1 and were        
confronted with the spectacle of others 
convulsed4 ,another visitor may help us 
to understand this by his remark that   
they vary 8between a taciturn and almost
 morose mood when hungry1 and a laughing
 reckless mood when not hungry04        
,hartshorne must evidently have observed
 them in a hungry mood4 ,could it have  
been that1 unlike ,mary ,kingsley1 as   
some of us remember her playfully       
observing1 he had something about him   
which kindled appetite8#adj #bbc  ,other
 illustrations of a too confident basing
 of a conclusion on failure to observe  
may be found4 ,thus it is said by one   
traveller1 ,bates1 that the ,brazilian  
,indians are of a phlegmatic1 apathetic 
temperament4 ,a more recent visitor1    
,von den ,steinen1 gives us a different 
impression1 remarking in one instance   

that 8the silent ,indian men and women  
continually chattered1 and ,eva's       
laughter sounded forth right merrily0   
7lustig heraus74#ada  ,these apparent   
discrepancies in the notes of different 
observers point1 ,i suspect1 to         
something besides such accidents as the 
particular mood in which the tribe is   
found4 ,the ability to provoke laughter 
is not possessed by all3 witness the    
failure of many meritorious attempts by 
adults to excite children's merriment4  
,something of the easy good-nature which
 disarms timidity1 of fraternal         
sympathy1 and of the knack of making    
your audience believe you are like      
themselves1 seems needed to draw forth  
all the mirthfulness of these children  
of nature4#adb ,we must always allow for
 this factor in the personal equation of
 the observer of savage ways4 ,it is    
refreshing to find that missionaries    
have so often succeeded in getting at   
the lighter moods of the heathen4 ,it   
speaks well for their genial humanity4  

,the general impression one derives from
 these accounts is that savage tribes   
are certainly not given over to a sullen
 despair1 but on the contrary have a    
large and abundant mirth4 ,like         
children1 they appear to express #bbd   
their emotions with great freedom1 and  
their laughter and other signs of good  
spirits are of the most energetic kind4 
,darwin tells us that his               
correspondents1 missionaries and others1
 satisfied him on this point4 ,loud     
laughter accompanied by jumping about   
and clapping of the hands1 and          
frequently carried to the point of a    
flooding of the eyes--these are         
conspicuous characteristics to be met   
with among the ,australians and other   
savage tribes4#adc ,other testimony     
supports ,darwin4 ,sturt1 for example1  
tells us that the natives of ,central   
,australia are a merry people1 and sit  
up laughing and talking all the night   
long4#add ,the more recent observations 
of ,lumholtz support the view that the  

natives are 8very humorous04#ade ,the   
,maoris 7of ,new ,zealand7 are said by  
one traveller to be 8remarkable for     
their natural gaiety3 they are merry    
fellows3 always laughing and joking1    
especially during the adventures of a   
journey04#adf ,of the ,tasmanians we    
read3 8,there is not a little love of   
fun in the despised aborigine04#adg     
,similarly1 the ,south ,sea ,islanders  
are 8more accustomed to jesting1 mirth  
and humour than irritating and          
reproachful language04#adh ,the natives 
of ,tahiti1 again1 8jest upon each other
 with greater freedom than the          
,europeans04#adi ,so1 the ,tongans have 
8a strong sense of the ludicrous0 which 
they show in 8the ordinary intercourse  
of life04#aej ,mr4 ,ling ,roth1 writing 
of the natives of ,borneo1 speaks of    
8the chaff and fun so dear to the heart 
of every ,kanowit04#aea #bbe  ,in other 
regions1 too1 and among other races we  
light on the same exuberance of mirth4  
,this is true of the natives of ,africa1

 when they are unspoiled by ,europeans4 
,the ,kafirs were said1 by one who knew 
them earlier1 to be generally speaking a
 good-humoured people with a keen relish
 for amusement1 and ready to join in a  
jest4#aeb ,visitors to the ,gold ,coast 
found that the natives dearly loved a   
joke1 and had a most lively sense of the
 ludicrous4#aec ,miss ,kingsley1 as is  
well known1 found in the ,west ,africans
 a people still given to mirth and      
jokes4 ,in a letter to me she writes3   
8,i think the ,west ,african1           
unadulterated1 the most humorous form of
 human being there is1 and this makes   
him exceedingly good company for me04   
,nor is this joyous exuberance confined 
to the natives of warm climates4 ,we    
find examples of it in the chilly       
,north4 ,one who visited the ,indians of
 the ,canadian ,red ,river 7the         
,chippewas7 about forty years ago says1 
that they are 8full of frolic and fond  
of relating anecdotes2 they laugh       
immoderately at any trifling joke or    

absurdity and seem thoroughly to enjoy  
existence04#aed  ,these recurring       
statements of travellers about the      
mirthfulness of savages are to some     
extent supported by other evidence4 ,the
 writer on the ,tasmanians1 already     
quoted1 gives us a number of their      
different local names for fun4 ,when a  
people--and especially a savage         
people--has a name for a thing1 it is a 
fair inference that it has some         
considerable acquaintance with the thing
 itself4  ,to say that this or that     
tribe is given to laughter and joking   
does not1 of course1 imply that the     
merry temper is #bbf the constant or    
even the predominant one4 ,we are told1 
indeed1 in certain cases that the mood  
is a changeable one1 and that these     
undisciplined men and women resemble    
children in their rapid transitions from
 grave to gay4 ,thus one traveller to   
the ,gold ,coast remarks that the       
inhabitants will change suddenly from   
reckless gaiety to despondency4#aee ,on 

the other hand1 as may be seen from our 
quotations1 the predominance of the gay 
temper1 as expressed in the habitual    
smile and readiness to laugh1 seems to  
be a distinguishing trait of certain    
savage peoples4 ,one traveller1 writing 
of the ,patagonians1 tells us that their
 faces were 8ordinarily bright and      
good-natured10 and that two of them in  
particular1 whom he knew intimately1    
8always had a smile on their faces04#aef
  ,on the other hand1 there is reason to
 think that some tribes stand out from  
the general run of good-natured1 merry  
folk by a habitual preponderance of the 
grave and austere in their bearing4     
,rengger1 for example1 remarks of the   
,indians of ,paraguay that they are     
serious and gloomy 7dster71 laugh only  
rarely1 and never break into loud       
laughter4#aeg ,there are probably       
serious savage tribes1 as there are     
serious children in ,england and other  
civilised countries4 ,it would be       
strange1 too1 if the treatment of       

,american ,indians and other aboriginal 
races by their civilised conquerors     
should not have developed now and again1
 even in naturally merry folk1 something
 of a gloomy demeanour1 at least in     
presence of the white man4 ,hence1 these
 exceptional cases do not seem to impair
 our general conclusion1 that laughter  
has a large dwelling-place among the    
uncivilised peoples of the earth4 #bbg  
,the descriptions of the movements      
expressive of mirth1 given by these     
visitors to savage tribes1 are not as a 
rule full or exact4 ,this might be taken
 to mean that the laughter of a savage  
is much like our own4 ,yet this would be
 a rash inference2 for we must remember 
that it is not easy for one untrained in
 the finer kinds of observation to note 
with precision movements so complex and 
so rapidly changeful as those which     
express gladness and mirth4 ,the        
apparatus of the photographic camera and
 of the phonograph has not as yet1 ,i   
believe1 been made use of for the       

purpose of registering these presumably 
primitive forms of laughter ere they    
vanish from the earth4  ,darwin1 as we  
have seen1 has satisfied himself as to  
the flooding of the eyes4 ,the          
concomitant movements of hands and feet 
seem to be common4 ,a more precise      
account of these movements is given by  
,ling ,roth4 ,the ,tasmanians1 he tells 
us1 accompanied their loud bursts of    
laughter with movements of the hands to 
the head and quick tapping movements of 
the feet4#aeh ,the loud1 deep-chested   
character of the men's laughter is      
sometimes specially noted4 ,a recent    
visitor to ,central ,africa regrets     
that1 under ,european influence1 the    
deep-chested1 hearty laughter of men is 
being replaced by what is known as the  
8mission giggle0 in the younger         
folk4#aei  ,i have come across1 too1 one
 attempt to describe with some exactness
 the expression of a happy mood when it 
flows on more quietly4 ,the good spirits
 of the ,andamanese1 it appears1 show   

themselves in a sparkling of the eyes1  
and a wrinkling of the surrounding skin1
 also in a drawing back of the corners  
of the mouth which remains partially    
open4#afj ,it may be concluded that the 
facial movements and #bbh other changes 
correspond broadly with what we have    
seen to be the characteristic expression
 in the case of the children of         
civilised races2 though differences of  
racial physique undoubtedly introduce a 
slight amount of dissimilarity into the 
expressive movements of laughter4#afa   
,much of this savage laughter is just   
the outcome of a 8gladsome mind10 a flow
 of good spirits undisturbed by the     
thought of care or trouble4 ,this       
persistent 8cheerfulness10 to describe  
it by our inadequate language1 stands   
their possessors in good stead4 ,the    
natural gaiety of the ,maoris1 we are   
assured1 comes to their aid when they   
encounter hardship4 ,they are full of   
fun even when short of food on a        
journey4#afb  ,but the laughter of      

savages does not appear merely as a     
general sign of gaiety and rollicking   
spirits4 ,it has become specialised into
 the expression of particular mental    
conditions and attitudes similar to     
those which are expressed by the        
laughter of our own children4  ,for     
example1 we find instances of laughter  
occurring as a recoil from something    
like timidity or shyness4 ,two boys1    
relates a missionary1 had had the       
small-pox and had not seen one another  
for a month4 ,when they met in the      
missionary's house they began by shyly  
hiding from one another their disfigured
 faces4 ,at last they summoned courage1 
and after many side looks at one another
 they faced round and burst out         
laughing1 the elder boy saying1 8,we are
 alike marked04#afc ,here escape from   
gne1 from a feeling akin to shame1 was  
the primary condition of the laughter1  
though this was no doubt reinforced by a
 sense of triumph as each discovered    
that he was1 at least1 not worse off    

than the other4 ,a writer tells us that 
in ,east ,africa #bbi 8a slave never    
breaks a thing without an instinctive   
laugh of pleasure04#afd ,this laugh is  
set down to the love of destruction2 yet
 it may be1 in part at least1 like that 
of a naughty child1 a laugh of bravado  
hiding a consciousness of naughtiness1 a
 mode of drowning a nascent sense of    
shame2 for it is presumable1 from what  
this same writer tells us1 that an ,east
 ,african slave does not destroy his    
owner's property with impunity4 ,at the 
same time1 one must allow that the      
process of destruction in itself may be 
to a savage1 as alas it often is to an  
,english boy1 an easy way to the        
attainment of a 8sudden glory04         
,savages appear to resemble children    
more clearly in their introduction of   
jocose attack into their play4 ,here we 
see an analogy between the mental       
attitude of a savage and that of an     
older child4 ,nothing comes out more    
plainly in the reports on these         

uncivilised peoples than their fondness 
for teasing1 including practical jokes4 
,the love of teasing is testified to by 
more than one writer4 ,a good authority 
tells us that savages 8tease one another
 much more freely and jokingly          
7scherzhaft7 than ,europeans04#afe ,this
 fondness for teasing comes out strongly
 in their mimicries of one another's    
defects1 a point to be illustrated      
presently4 ,in certain cases1 the       
teasing1 as with our own boys1 is apt to
 take on a decidedly rough form4 ,a     
lady1 writing of the inhabitants of     
,funafuti1 observes3 8,it is thought a  
good practical joke in ,funafuti for a  
girl to saw an unsuspecting youth with a
 pandanus leaf10 which produces a very  
painful scratch3 8a good deal of        
laughter on the one side and volubility 
on the other is the usual result of this
 joke04#aff #bcj  ,practical jokes grow 
out of the teasing instinct3 they are   
new inventions which take the victim by 
surprise1 if they do not distinctly     

mislead4 ,the savage intelligence is    
quite boyish in the fecundity of its    
invention in this domain4  ,the younger 
folk seem to practise rude jokes very   
like those carried out by our own       
youngsters4 ,here is an instance4 ,a    
young ,african negro1 seeing an old     
woman carrying a pumpkin1 approached her
 and shouted that there was something on
 her head4 ,she forgot all about the    
pumpkin1 shrieked at the thought of some
 hideous object on her head1 and ran    
forward1 allowing her tormentor         
laughingly to pick up the prize she had 
let fall4#afg ,as is natural1 these     
practical jocosities are sometimes      
directed1 with a certain caution1 of    
course1 against the ,european4 ,a young 
savage of ,tasmania once slyly removed a
 bag of shell-fish laid down by a sailor
 at the foot of a rock1 and let him     
search for it in vain1 and1 when tired  
of his joke1 replaced the bag1 showing  
himself 8highly diverted0 at the trick  
he had played the ,european4#afh  ,as   

with ourselves1 these practical jokes   
are wont to be paid back1 and with      
8interest04 ,a story is told of certain 
,hottentots who played off a joke on    
some sleeping companions by shooting a  
couple of arrows close to them1 which   
made them start up and hurry for arms to
 their waggons1 where they were received
 with a shout of laughter4 ,the victims 
of this false alarm afterwards paid out 
the perpetrators4 ,they succeeded in    
terrifying them by a skilful imitation  
of the roar of a lion1 which drove them 
into camp screaming with terror4#afi ,in
 other cases the #bca practical joke may
 be retaliative of some serious         
annoyance1 and may even be inflicted on 
some ,european 8superior04 ,miss        
,kingsley relates how some of her ,west 
,african 8ladies0 had been piqued by the
 employee of a trading company1 who     
tried to get them apart1 when planting  
manioc1 so as to hinder them from       
talking4 ,they took their playful       
revenge by making a haycock over their  

tyrant and shouting3 8,get along1 white 
man6 ,i 'spectable married woman10 and  
so forth4 ,she gives another instance of
 this disposition to playful punishment 
in her ladies4 ,a young black official  
had been rude to some of them1 whereupon
 they resorted to the broader joke of   
throwing him into 8the batter that      
passes for #8water'04#agj  ,closely     
connected with these modes of teasing1  
we have the practice of taking off      
bodily defects by mimicry and by        
nicknames4 ,these modes of playful      
attack appear to be directed most       
commonly against outsiders1 but         
instances are given of a discreet       
mimicry of a fellow-tribesman in his    
absence4 ,it seems probable1 though ,i  
have not found the fact brought out     
explicitly1 that much of the amusement  
derived by these simple folk from their 
nightly talks1 which are made gay with  
laughter1 consists in teasing attacks on
 the bodily defects or peculiarities of 
certain members2 though1 from the       

evidence forthcoming1 one would infer   
that a choral laughter over the stranger
 is the more usual feature in these     
social entertainments4  ,in all this    
mirthful teasing it is easy to see much 
that strikes us as cruel1 or1 at least1 
as unfeeling4 ,it is only natural that  
the hilarity of peoples low down in the 
scale of culture should now and again   
take on this aspect2 as when1 for       
example1 they are said to laugh         
exultantly at #bcb the struggles of a   
drowning man4#aga ,yet1 on the whole1   
the merriment of these peoples1 when the
 butt is a fellow-tribesman1 though     
undoubtedly rough and often very coarse1
 does not seem to be so brutal as one   
might expect4  ,we can understand the   
diversion of so large an amount of      
savage mirth into these practical       
channels--teasing1 bantering and        
playing-off jokes upon members of ones  
tribe1 by reflecting that laughter is a 
social process1 and plays1 as we shall  
see presently1 a large part in the      

smooth working1 if not also in the very 
maintenance1 of the social fabric4  ,in 
order to see the meaning of this teasing
 laughter1 we must note the way in which
 it is accepted4 ,there is no doubt1 to 
begin with1 that savages have by nature 
a lively dislike to being laughed at4   
,it would be strange indeed if this were
 not so1 seeing that both the monkeys   
below them and the white men above them 
display this aversion4 ,this seems to   
have been specially noted in the case of
 certain races4 ,the ,weddas of ,ceylon1
 who1 as we have seen1 have not         
impressed all visitors as               
laughter-loving1 show a marked          
displeasure at being made the butt of a 
joke4 ,we are told that they are much   
provoked 7gereizt7 when they are laughed
 at 7ausgelacht74 ,it is related of one 
of these men that1 when during a dance  
he was thus treated by a ,european1 he  
shot an arrow at the laugher4#agb ,poor 
old folk among ourselves will1 we know1 
do much the same when they are jeered at

 by #bcc incautious boys1 and even a    
youth has been known to shy a stone at a
 too robust jeerer4 ,this dislike of    
being made the object of a facetious    
attention holds good of other savages as
 well4 ,a writer tells us that a common 
fireside amusement among certain savages
 is to tease the women till they become 
angry1 which always produces great      
merriment4 ,the teasing1 it is added1 is
 of a rough and not very decent         
kind4#agc ,further evidence of this     
distaste for the douche of a voluble    
laughter is supplied by the curious     
ordeals of the ,greenlanders1 to be     
spoken of presently4  ,on the other     
hand1 there is ample evidence to show   
that the rough jocosities of the teasing
 game are1 as a rule1 accepted in good  
part4 ,the youth who bore the biting    
satire of the pandanus leaf seems to    
compare favourably in this respect with 
a ,london policeman1 who recently       
complained in court of the soft         
attentions paid him by a lady of the    

,east ,end in tickling some part of his 
official visage with her dainty feather4
 ,sometimes we are distinctly told that 
jokes are taken in good part1 so long as
 they are seen to be intended as such4  
,so of the ,african ,hottentots and     
,kafirs1 according to the authority     
already quoted4#agd ,of the ,tahitians  
it is said that the jests played off at 
their expense are never taken in ill    
part4#age  ,it is evident that the      
rougher kinds of jocosity here described
 allow considerable scope for something 
of the spirit of superiority and        
contempt4 ,one fears that this was felt 
to be present1 for example1 by the women
 victimised by the men's coarse teasing4
 ,as with boys1 so with savages1 we may 
suppose that playful attack does not    
always respect its limits1 but that now 
and again it allows itself #bcd to be   
infected by the brutish element in man4 
,nor is this surprising when we remember
 how much of so-called humour in        
civilised men owes its piquancy to the  

same brutish ingredient4  ,this attitude
 of superiority and contempt seems1 as  
one might have expected1 to be more     
apparent in what may be called the      
extra-tribal direction of jocosity1 more
 particularly in the common laughter at 
members of other rival and possibly     
hostile tribes4 ,in certain cases we are
 told that this is of the nature of     
mockery and ridicule4 ,among savages and
 early communities1 writes one          
authority1 when their chieftain sat in  
his hall with his warriors1 they amused 
themselves by turning enemies and       
opponents into mockery1 laughing at     
their weaknesses1 joking on their       
defects1 giving them nicknames1 and so  
forth4#agf ,the savage--again like a    
boy--is apt to be a vain sort of fellow1
 and to think that his ways are a lot   
better than those of the rest of        
mankind4 ,hence he will1 with something 
of contempt in his heart1 laugh at the  
bungling efforts of men of another tribe
 to kill a turtle1 and will give a      

nickname to the white man or take off   
with admirable mimicry some of his      
crazes1 such as his passion for         
road-making or for bartering4  ,yet it  
would1 ,i think1 be an error to treat   
this laughter at the outsider as a form 
of serious ridicule1 with its feeling of
 the corrective superior4 ,it is1 even  
when lightly touched with contempt1     
savage play1 and has for its chief      
ingredient the love of fun1 and that    
delight in the mere contemplation of    
what is foreign and odd which the savage
 shares with his ethnic betters4  ,one  
characteristic of this savage jocosity  
is so frequently referred to by         
travellers that ,i cannot pass it by4   
,we have seen that the teasing of the   
women is apt to take #bce on an indecent
 form4 ,we are told1 again and again1   
that savage jokes are commonly low and  
immoral4 ,the coarser the joke1 we are  
informed1 the better it is liked by the 
natives of the ,gold ,coast4#agg ,the   
jests of the natives of the islands in  

the ,pacific are said to be 8low and    
immoral to a disgusting degree04#agh    
,possibly the ,european is not permitted
 to know the worst of this aspect of    
savage mirth4 ,it is easy1 however1 to  
give it too serious a significance4 ,to 
the simpler feeling of savages1         
untrammelled by the laws of decency as  
civilised people know them1 there may be
 no suggestion here of a delight in the 
immoral as such4 ,their laughter may    
well indicate the fact that for them an 
undisguised reference to what we insist 
on hiding up has in it nothing improper2
 that they are just within sight of the 
stadium of culture at which convention  
begins to brand such references as      
obscene4 ,young children among ourselves
 will1 ,i believe1 often laugh at such  
open and direct mention of unmentionable
 things and much in the same way4 ,it is
 hardly more in many cases1 ,i surmise1 
than a little bravado1 a glorying in    
doing something unusual which they are  
beginning to suspect is forbidden1      

though this is no doubt apt to be       
accompanied by a perception of the      
indignity done by this uncovering to the
 person involved4#agi  ,we may now turn 
to those forms of savage laughter which 
involve a more disinterested            
contemplation of things1 and a          
rudimentary sense of their ludicrous    
phases4 ,there #bcf is no doubt that the
 enjoyment of the droll side of their   
world fills a large place in the life of
 savages4 ,one may conjecture that it is
 a larger pastime in their case than in 
that of most boys2 for though the       
intellect of a savage may not surpass   
that of a boy1 his experience and       
matured good sense enable him to judge  
of the unseemly and the incongruous with
 considerable skill and quickness1 and  
to derive much mirth from the           
contemplation of them4  ,the simplest   
form of this merriment1 serving1 as in  
the case of the child1 as a bridge from 
joyous expansion under a new sensuous   
excitement to an appreciation of the    

odd1 is the common laughter of savages  
at what is strikingly new to them1 and  
at the same time takes their fancy4 ,for
 example1 the natives of ,borneo were   
very much amused at a piano1 and when   
they saw the dampers of the keys jumping
 up and down they 8fairly laughed       
aloud04#ahj ,in like manner the ,indians
 of ,hudson ,bay took a compass for a   
toy and laughed at it1 refusing to      
accept the owner's account of its       
use4#aha ,these are pretty clear        
examples of a mirthful delight at       
something which is new1 devoid of       
import1 and appealing to the            
play-appetite4 ,the later stages of the 
laughter at the lively little           
compass-toy were1 perhaps1 more         
expressive of a dim sense of the        
absurdity of the suggestion that a dear 
wee play-thing could do such marvels4   
,this gleeful greeting of what is at    
once new and exhilarating to sense      
answers in the case of these simple     
people to what in ourselves is joyous   

admiration4 ,thus1 we read of certain   
,african ladies1 wives of a king1 who   
expressed their delight at ,european    
works of art by repeated loud bursts of 
laughter4#ahb ,our own children show us 
now and again how the new1 when it not  
only captures the sense by its novelty1 
#bcg but holds it by its charm1 may     
evoke this purely mirthful greeting1 as 
free from the stiff attitude of         
curiosity as it is from                 
fearsomeness4#ahc  ,it is a good step   
from this childish abandonment to the   
fun of a new toy-like thing to the      
recognition of something as foreign and 
opposed to the tribal custom4 ,in these 
simple communities the unwritten laws of
 custom play a most important part4     
,violations of them on the part of any  
tribesman are apt to be dealt with      
seriously4 ,this at once tends to limit 
the range of savage laughter2 the       
pressure of custom is too tyrannical to 
allow of a full display of the odd and  
irregular in human behaviour4 ,these    

elements of the amusing have accordingly
 to be supplied from without2 and they  
are supplied in good measure1 partly by 
other neighbouring tribes whose manners 
are observable1 and to a still larger   
extent by the ,europeans who visit them 
with a virtuous intention to reform and 
civilise4  ,let us first take a glance  
at the hilarious appreciation of the    
other tribe's ways4 ,the spectacle of   
the foreigner will grow particularly    
entertaining when he seems to bungle in 
doing something which is perfectly      
familiar to the observer's own tribe4   
,the ,tahitians1 it seems1 are laughed  
at by the dwellers in the neighbouring  
islands when they try to kill a turtle  
by pinching its throat4 ,as may be      
supposed1 the trick1 so useful to the   
beast1 of drawing in the head gives a   
veritable look of the absurd to these   
attempts4 ,so1 too1 the enlightened     
people of one island drew voluminous    
amusement from the news that those of   
another island who had just come into   

possession of the novelty1 a pair of    
scissors1 tried to sharpen them by      
baking them4#ahd ,these two             
illustrations show a dim apprehension of
 the fitness of things as #bch          
determined1 not by the relative standard
 of 8my way10 but by an objective       
standard4  ,the field in which they cull
 most of their facetious enjoyment of   
the doings of outsiders would seem to be
 the ways of their white visitors4      
,there the differences1 the departure   
from 8our way0 and the inability to     
acquire this are great enough to appeal 
strongly to their crude sense of the    
ludicrous4 ,they see the odd white      
people do a number of things which      
strike them as extraordinary and quite  
useless4 ,if the ,englishman laughs at  
the foreigner for not taking his morning
 tub1 the simple savage will turn the   
tables by making merry over our         
elaborate washings4 ,thus the ,fuegians1
 though living much in the water1 have  
no idea of washing themselves2          

accordingly 8when ,europeans first came 
among them1 the sight of a man washing  
his face seemed to them so irresistibly 
ludicrous that they burst into shrieks  
of laughter04#ahe ,here is an example of
 a rather more complex feeling in       
presence of new-fangled ,european ways4 
,it seems that a ,south ,african        
,prince1 presumably as a compliment to  
the white man's custom1 wished to shave 
himself and1 as our youths frequently do
 on first attempting the feat1 cut      
himself4 ,he then asked his ,european   
visitor to perform the office for him4  
,the natives present 8stood mute with   
admiration during the whole performance1
 gazing with the utmost eagerness in    
their countenances1 and bursting at     
length into a general peal of           
laughter--this being their customary    
mode of expressing delight1             
astonishment1 nay even embarrassment and
 fear40#ahf ,the last part of this      
statement is a little loose1 since1 as  
we have seen1 it is not so much the     

astonishment1 the embarrassment1 or the 
fear in itself1 which laughter          
expresses1 as a relaxation of the strain
 involved in these attitudes4 #bci  ,the
 laughter excited is of a rather more   
intellectual kind when the action of the
 white man presents itself as absurd1   
not merely because it rudely diverges   
from the customs of the natives1 but    
because it involves something out of the
 range of their comprehension1 and so   
appears incredible4 ,it is then that the
 white man shows his superiority in     
evoking laughter3 his arts1 his         
apparatus--when like the photographic   
camera they do not excite fears--are apt
 to evoke incredulous laughter4 ,a      
traveller in ,south ,africa had learned 
some sentences of the speech of a tribe 
7the ,sichuana language7 from his man4  
,he then wrote them down and read them  
off before the man4 ,this simple fellow 
laughed 8most heartily0 when his white  
master told him that it was the marks he
 had made in the book which showed him  

what he was to say4#ahg ,a child would  
pretty certainly join the savage in     
laughing at the idea of getting sounds  
out of the inert1 stupid-looking        
word-symbols1 if it were suddenly       
introduced to him in this way4  ,when   
the white man's doings are not          
absolutely new1 he may expose himself to
 the laughter of these merry folk by the
 odd manner of them4 ,one would like to 
know all the jokes which the natives of 
,south ,africa1 of ,polynesia1 and the  
other abodes of the mirthful            
8,naturkind0 have had over the dress1   
the gestures1 and the speech of their   
white visitors4 ,yet this would be hard 
to get at4 ,we do know1 however1 how    
they are wont to greet some of our      
highly civilised performances4 ,this is 
the way in which some ,tasmanian women  
behaved on a first introduction to the  
,european manner of singing4 ,they      
listened attentively while it lasted2   
then some applauded by loud shouts2     
others laughed to splitting1 while the  

young girls1 #bdj no doubt more timid1  
remained silent4#ahh ,this laughter was1
 presumably1 more than the expression of
 a wild delight4 ,those who laughed may 
be supposed to have been the most       
susceptible to the absurdity of this    
unheard of manner of song4 ,in the case 
of the closely allied art of dancing1 we
 are distinctly told that our highly    
approved style may appear ridiculous to 
the savage onlooker4 ,the ,sumatrans1   
writes one authority1 have very slow    
dances which are thought to be ludicrous
 by ,europeans4 ,yet1 funnily enough1   
they think our customary dances 8to the 
full as ludicrous04 ,they compared our  
minuets to the fighting of two game     
cocks4#ahi ,did they also see a galop1  
one wonders1 and if so1 what did the    
lovers of slow dances say about this8   
,the 8refinements0 of the arts of       
civilised men are ever apt to appear    
laughable to those lower down4  ,the    
laughter of these uninstructed people   
grows loud when the clever white man    

fails to achieve one of their own simple
 accomplishments4 ,more particularly1   
his inability to pronounce the sounds of
 their language seems to be a prolific  
source of merriment4 ,the ,tasmanians1  
writes one whom we have quoted more than
 once1 often laughed to splitting when1 
wishing to repeat their words1 8,i made 
mistakes or pronounced them badly04#aij 
,another traveller1 speaking of the     
natives of the ,west ,coast of          
,vancouver's ,island1 writes3 8,that    
they had some standard of correct speech
 is evident from the readiness of the   
children to ridicule a stranger who     
mispronounces native words04#aia ,a     
third example comes from ,borneo4 ,the  
girls1 a visitor reports1 made          
,europeans repeat sentences of their    
language after them1 and burst out into 
loud laughter 8either at our            
pronunciation or at the #bda comical    
things they had made us utter04#aib     
,nothing1 perhaps1 more clearly exhibits
 the ludicrous value of the violation of

 a perfectly uniform custom than a      
mispronunciation of language4#aic ,nor  
is this all4 ,it seems absurd to a      
savage1 just as it does to an average   
,english child1 that the foreigner      
should fail to do what seems to him not 
merely to require no effort1 but to be  
something one cannot help doing1 like   
laughing itself or crying4 ,no doubt    
some feeling of superiority to the      
foreign ignoramus enters into the       
enjoyment here4 ,perhaps the children of
 ,vancouver's ,island felt this         
superiority most of all4 ,in some cases1
 however1 we are distinctly told that   
the ineptitude of ,europeans1 when it   
provokes laughter1 calls out also the   
soothing accompaniment of kindly        
encouragement4  ,the exhibition of      
another kind of incompetence to do the  
thing 8we do10 highly provoking to the  
hilarious mood1 is a breach of good     
manners2 for here there comes in        
something of the sense of social        
superiority1 and something of the joyous

 momentary relief from the burden of    
rules of etiquette4 ,just as 8,society0 
gets nearest to a genuine laugh when    
confronted with the vulgarities of      
,midas as he pushes into her inner      
circle1 so the savage keenly enjoys his 
opportunity of detecting gaucherie and  
want of savoir faire on the side of his 
white visitors4 ,indeed1 he seems ready1
 when he is sure of not offending1 to   
treat these breaches of etiquette with  
good-natured merriment4 ,a traveller    
tells us that on visiting the house of  
an ,indian chief in ,canada he sat down 
on what he took to be a bundle of       
buffalo robes4 ,the composure of mind   
proper to a guest of royalty must have  
been slightly disturbed at the discovery
 that the robes began to move and       
undulate beneath him1 till to his utter 
confusion #bdb he felt himself projected
 into the middle of the tent among the  
embers4 ,the chief1 his three wives and 
the other native people in the tent     
8shrieked with laughter0 at the         

catastrophe4 ,the full measure of the   
good humour that lay behind this        
laughter revealed itself to the white   
visitor when he saw emerging from the   
heap of robes the fourth and youngest   
wife of the chief1 who1 to her credit be
 it said1 joined in the hilarity4#aid   
,something of the reflective element    
seems to peep out in one variety of this
 laughter at the odd ways of the white  
man4 ,a missionary1 one of the          
discerning ones as it would seem1 found 
the ,sea ,dyaks disposed to treat the   
idea of our religious services as a     
joke4 ,they were curious to learn what  
was required of the religious           
worshipper1 and particularly wanted to  
know whether he was forbidden to laugh2 
and they explained their inquisitiveness
 by confessing that1 like ,mr4 ,barrie's
 8,humorist10 they were far from sure of
 being able to restrain themselves4#aie 
,solemn ceremony with its severe demands
 will be apt1 when its meaning is       
hidden1 to provoke in savages and in    

children alike a keen desire for the    
relief of a laugh4  ,a palpable         
ingredient of mind appears in the       
laughter of savages at the white man's  
ideas about the beginnings and the      
endings of things4 ,the inquirer into   
their beliefs may present himself to    
them as a quite unreasonable sceptic1   
grubbing at the very roots of things    
which sensible men accept as            
self-explanatory4 ,the members of a     
tribe in ,central ,australia 7,arunta   
tribe7 were immensely tickled by the    
question how their remote ancestors came
 by the sacred stones or sticks which   
they had handed down to them4 ,the idea1
 that anything could have existed before
 these #bdc original ancestors1 struck  
them as ridiculous4 ,the ultimate       
explanation of any custom of the tribe  
was1 8,our fathers did it1 and therefore
 we do it04 ,to try to go behind        
tradition was to challenge its          
sufficiency1 and so to put forward an   
absurd paradox4#aif ,here we have a     

mental attitude at once like and unlike 
that of our children2 for the latter are
 conservative of tradition and disposed 
to accept authority1 but at the same    
time very energetic in pushing back     
inquiry into 8what came before04        
,intelligence would seem not merely to  
be stirring1 but to be capable of adroit
 play when the savage detects the       
ridiculous in the white man's ideas of  
the future of his race4 ,how many of the
 simple savages who are instructed in   
the dogmas of the ,christian religion   
accept them unquestioningly it would be 
hard to say4 ,many1 perhaps1 fail to put
 any definite meaning into what they    
hear4 ,now and again1 however1 we meet  
with an instance of a daring laugh at   
what strikes the hearer as utterly      
absurd4 ,a teacher of the native        
,australians had once tried to explain  
to an intelligent black the doctrine of 
the immateriality and immortality of the
 soul4 ,he afterwards learned that his  
pupil had gone away from the lesson to  

have a hearty fit of laughter at the    
absurdity of the idea 8of a man's living
 and going about without arms1 legs1 or 
mouth to eat04#aig ,the crass           
materialism of this tyro's effort to    
assimilate spiritual ideas was much the 
same as we observe in our children4  ,in
 this laughter at our ways and our ideas
 we superior people are inclined to see 
merely the ignorance and narrowness of  
mind of the laughers4 ,yet it is        
possible that the savage may1 once and  
again1 in making merry at our #bdd      
expense show himself really our         
superior4 ,his good sense may be equal  
to the detection of some of the huge    
follies in the matter of dress and other
 customs to which the enlightened       
,european so comically clings4 ,and he  
has been known to strike the satirical  
note and to look down upon and laugh 8at
 the stupid self-satisfied ,europeans   
who preached so finely but practised so 
little what they preached04#aih  ,we may
 now glance at the intra-tribal activity

 of the mirthful impulse4 ,that this    
fills some place in the life of savage  
communities has been illustrated in our 
account of their teasings4 ,we must not 
expect to find here a large field for   
the play of what we call the comic      
spirit4 ,as we shall see presently1 this
 spirit only begins to fly bravely when 
the movement of civilisation introduces 
more diversity of class1 and1 further1 a
 greater liberty of utterance--for women
 as well as for men4  ,a pretty clear   
illustration of laughter directed to    
fellow-tribesmen is supplied by the     
merriment that is said to accompany     
athletic and other competitions in which
 skill is tested4 ,among the natives of 
,victoria1 we are informed1 a favourite 
amusement of the young men is the       
throwing of the spear and other similar 
exercises4 ,the trials of skill are     
accompanied by a good deal of laughter1 
notwithstanding that the older men are  
present to instruct the boys and that   
some effort is made to preserve         

discipline4#aii ,this merriment is no   
doubt largely the counterpart of our    
schoolboys' laughter in the playground4 
,it is the expression of a keen         
enjoyment of the triumphs of the game4  
,at the same time #bde if1 as one may   
assume1 it is directed against blunders 
it has a sociological significance4 ,it 
becomes a 8social sanction10 which urges
 a youth to do his best in the field4   
,another example illustrates the impulse
 to laugh at a comrade's failure to     
accomplish a feat for which he is       
totally unprepared4 ,a member of a      
,european party which was visiting the  
,weddas could move his ears4 ,a native  
was asked to do the same2 and the       
others1 knowing what was to be done1    
watched him attentively4 ,the man       
singled out for the feat looked blankly 
towards the sky1 his ears remaining 8as 
if nailed to his head02 at this moving  
spectacle one of the onlookers suddenly 
broke out into laughter1 the others at  
once joining in4#bjj ,here we have      

laughter at a fellow-tribesman1 in face 
of ,europeans too1 exactly similar to   
that which is directed against the      
,european himself4 ,doubtless1 there is 
much of this kind of laughter at those  
who make an exhibition of their         
limitations1 especially when the attempt
 is preceded by a display of vanity and 
boastfulness4 ,in this respect1 too1    
savage laughter has the ring of the     
merriment of the playground and of the  
circus4  ,one of the first forms of a   
reciprocal mirthful attack or bantering 
between classes is that between the     
,sexes4 ,savage life supplies us with   
clear cases of inter-sexual jocosity    
besides that of the teasing which1 as we
 have seen1 is a two-sided game4 ,in a  
collection of sayings and stories of    
,west ,africa we find the following3 ,a 
woman left her husband to look after a  
8pot-au-feu04 ,on returning she found   
that he had skimmed off the bubbling    
foam and hidden it in a calabash1 navely
 supposing that this was the cream of   

the dish4 ,she twits him with it and    
discovers to his slow wits that the     
savory scum has melted into nothing4#bja
 ,this #bdf reminds one of many a story 
of the ,middle ,ages1 and shows how     
wide-spread is the exposure of the male 
incompetence to the lash of woman's     
merry wit4  ,these jocose thrusts at the
 opposite sex are interesting as        
illustrating the differentiation of     
class-standards4 ,if the male is laughed
 at for his bungling at the mysteries of
 cooking1 how much more when he actually
 fails to keep up with the women folk in
 his own domain6 ,mr4 ,ling ,roth1 whose
 eye seems to have been specially       
focussed for records of the mirthful    
utterances of savages1 tells us that a  
boat-load of women who had been         
gathering oysters rowed a race with a   
visitors' crew and managed to beat them2
 whereupon there was a fine outburst of 
feminine hilarity and much quizzing of  
the men who had allowed themselves to be
 beaten by women4#bjb ,here1 surely1 was

 a touch of a higher feeling1 a dim     
perception at least of the permanent and
 universal forms of the fitness of      
things4  ,the clearest example1 ,i have 
met with1 of what we should call a dry  
humour is to be found in the work just  
quoted4 ,it seems that a stupid old     
soothsayer once called together a large 
concourse of chiefs to deal with the    
problem of naming his children4 ,these1 
he contended1 were not properly his1 but
 had been begotten by certain spirits   
7the ,antus or ,hantus74 ,one of the    
chiefs did not enjoy having to come many
 miles to listen to this sort of stuff1 
so 8he pretended in the midst of the    
soothsayer's discourse to faint away1   
and fell back gasping for breath1       
kicking his legs spasmodically in the   
air at the same time04 ,this            
interruption brought the tedious        
proceedings to an end1 and so saved the 
chief from further boredom4 ,but this   
was not all3 the disappointed humbug had
 to pay the chief #bdg who had spoilt   

his performance some fowls as a         
punishment for allowing the spirits to  
attack him4#bjc ,the story is           
instructive as illustrating the         
tendency1 as soon as classes begin to be
 marked off1 to score off a man of      
another class4 ,perhaps1 indeed1 we have
 in this jocose imposition on the       
imposer a suggestion of the merry-making
 of kings and peoples at the expense of 
the clergy which was so marked a feature
 in medival hilarity4  ,a word may well 
be expended on the subject of the       
organisation of the laughing propensity 
into regular amusements among savage    
tribes4 ,one of the things which a white
 man can learn from these               
much-misunderstood peoples is the art of
 social entertainment4 ,without         
luxurious salons1 without plate and rare
 wines1 without the theatre and the     
concert hall1 they manage to obtain a   
good deal of genuine1 unpretentious     
conviviality4 ,when1 writes one         
traveller1 they are relieved of the     

presence of strangers they have much    
easy social conversation4 ,round their  
own fires they sing and chat1 and older 
men lie and brag about feats in war and 
chase4 8,jokes pass freely and the laugh
 is long if not loud40#bjd  ,a standard 
dish in these social entertainments is  
taking off the peculiarities of other   
tribes and of ,europeans4 ,mimicry1 the 
basis of the actor's art1 is often      
carried to a high degree of perfection  
among these uncouth savages2 and it is  
highly prized4 ,when1 writes a          
missionary of the tribes of the remote  
part of ,victoria1 a native is able to  
imitate the peculiarities of some absent
 member of the tribe1 it is very common 
to hear all in the camp convulsed with  
laughter4#bje ,the ,indians of ,brazil  
hold the peculiarities1 e4g41 the beard1
 of other tribes up to laughter by means
 #bdh of a lively pantomime4#bjf ,this  
mimicry1 as might be expected1 embraces 
the odd ways of the white man4 ,the     
natives of ,new ,south ,wales used to be

 so skilful in this art that one wrote  
of them3 8,their mimicking of the       
oddities1 dress1 walk1 gait and looks of
 all the ,europeans whom they have seen 
from the time of ,governor ,phillips    
downwards1 is so exact as to be a kind  
of historic register of their several   
actions and characters04#bjg ,the same  
authority tells us that the ,tahitians  
are acute observers of the manners1     
actions1 and even looks of strangers2   
and if they have any singular           
imperfections or oddities1 they will not
 fail to make themselves merry at their 
expense4#bjh ,another traveller         
certifies to the fact that the          
aborigines of ,victoria were splendid   
mimics1 and would1 after attending the  
white man's church1 8take a book and    
with much success imitate the clergyman 
in his manner1 laughing and enjoying the
 applause which they received04#bji ,a  
turn for mimicry is found also among the
 ,north ,american ,indians4 ,the        
,californian ,indians gave to the       

,american whites the name 8,wo'hah10    
formed from 8whoa-haw10 the sound they  
heard the early emigrants produce when  
they drove their oxen4 8,let an ,indian 
see an ,american coming up the road1 and
 cry out to his fellows3 #8,there comes 
a wo'hah1' at the same time swinging his
 arm as if driving oxen1 and it will    
produce convulsive laughter40#baj       
,along with this skill in mimicry1      
savages show considerable readiness in  
the verbal arts of descriptive          
caricature1 witty sayings and repartee4 
,in practising these1 we are told1 they 
make ample use of the instrument of     
irony4  ,the possession of these        
rudiments of talent naturally leads #bdi
 to a certain amount of specialisation4 
,it is attested again and again that our
 uncultured savage communities possess  
their professional pantomists1 jesters  
and wits4 ,indeed1 we read of crude     
forms of a comic art among savages so   
low in the scale as the ,australians and
 the ,tasmanians4 ,thus1 ,lumholtz      

writes of the pantomimic dances of the  
,australian blacks1#baa and ,ling ,roth 
assures us that the ,tasmanians have    
their drolls and mountebanks1 who       
exhibit the peculiarities of individuals
 with considerable force4#bab ,among the
 ,sumatrans1 again1 are to be found     
8characters of humour10 who by          
buffoonery1 mimicry1 punning1 repartee  
and satire are able to keep the company 
in laughter at intervals during a       
night's entertainment4#bac ,in some     
cases jesters are appointed by a chief1 
just as a fool used to be selected by   
one of our kings4 ,in ,samoa every chief
 has his regular clown1 a privileged    
person who1 among other liberties1 is   
allowed that of taking the food out of  
the chiefs mouth4#bad ,a privileged     
buffoon in ,kanowit1 who had been given 
an old gun1 told the ,resident that he  
had killed fourteen deer with one       
bullet4 ,the ,resident being puzzled1 he
 explained that he had cut the bullet   
out each time4#bae ,here we have the    

exact counterpart to the trick of the   
,european clown of the circus4  ,among  
the ,eskimo of ,greenland1 it seems1    
there is a regular performance in which 
the aspiring 8funny men0 compete for    
popular favour4 ,after a repast they get
 up1 one after the other1 each          
exhibiting his musical resources by     
beating a drum and singing1 and adding a
 touch of the actor's art by making     
comical gestures1 and playing ridiculous
 tricks with the face1 head and         
limbs4#baf ,much the same kind of       
contest takes place #bej in connection  
with their peculiar ordeals1 already    
referred to4 ,each of the two litigants 
tries to make the other ridiculous1 by  
singing satirical songs and relating    
misdeeds2 and the one who succeeds in   
getting the audience to laugh most at   
his jibes or invectives is pronounced   
the conqueror4 ,even such serious crimes
 as murder are often expiated in this   
merry fashion4#bag  ,in one or two cases
 we read of more elaborate              

entertainments4 ,thus1 some of the      
natives of the ,western ,pacific have a 
regular masquerade performed before the 
,king1 into which may enter a histrionic
 representation of a ,british sailor    
with his cutlass1 acted by a leading    
buffoon1 who combines with the rle of a 
8premier0 the 8fool's0 privilege of     
breaking through the strict laws of     
decorum by pointing to the ,king and    
asking ironically if that was the       
,king--amid shouts of laughter4#bah     
,other traces of a rudimentary art of   
the comic are to be found in the amusing
 songs and stories which can be traced  
to savage invention4 ,the ,australians  
had songs in which the peculiarities of 
,europeans were caricatured1 the chorus 
being sung amid shouts of laughter4#bai 
,another comic song1 heard among some of
 the aborigines of ,australia1 took off 
the bodily peculiarities of some        
men--presumably of another tribe--in the
 graceful lines3--      ,oh1 what legs1 
oh1 what legs6     ,the ,kangaroo-rumped

 fellows4     ,oh1 what legs1 oh1 what  
legs6#bbj  ,in these crude forms of art 
we probably find traces of the influence
 of ,european models4 ,there are1       
however1 stories #bea which seem to be a
 perfectly spontaneous growth4 ,of these
 it is enough to refer to the originals 
of the delightful tales of ,uncle       
,remus1 the substance of which1 as their
 author tells us1 he obtained from the  
blacks in the ,american plantations4#bba
 ,miss ,kingsley writes to me of these3 
8,i know the tales are not made up4 ,i  
struck the ,tar ,baby ,stories in the   
,lower ,congo04 ,it may be added that   
the device of the tar baby is to be     
found in its essentials in a collection 
of ,african stories4#bbb  ,our study    
seems to tell us that savage laughter is
 like our own in representing different 
levels of refinement4 ,much of it is    
just nave1 unthinking gaiety1 like that 
of the little girl spoken about in the  
preceding chapter4 ,co-existing with    
this infantile gaiety we have the coarse

 brutal forms of laughter which we      
associate with the rougher kind of      
schoolboy4 ,along with these lower forms
 we find higher ones1 in which some     
amount of reference to social standards 
is discoverable4 ,lastly1 we may detect 
here and there1 as in the story of the  
man tickled by the idea of dead men     
going about sans arms1 legs1 etc41 and  
of him who jocosely stripped a humbug of
 his disguise1 germs of a more          
thoughtful laughter2 and on the other   
hand1 in the kindly tempering of the    
laughter of the girls at the            
,englishwoman's inability to make mats1 
a movement towards sympathetic laughter4
 ,in other words1 we detect the dim     
beginnings of that complex feeling or   
attitude which we call humour4 ,it seems
 probable that the quality1 if not also 
the quantity1 improves as we pass from  
the lowest and most degraded to the     
higher savage tribes4#bbc #beb  ,hence1 
no doubt1 the difficulty which has been 
felt by travellers in describing the    

common characteristics of the hilarity  
of savage tribes4 ,miss ,kingsley writes
 to me with respect to the humour of the
 ,west ,african3 8,it is peculiar1 it is
 not child-like--it is more feminine in 
quality1 though it is very broad or     
coarse4 ,it is difficult to describe4 ,i
 can only say what seems to me an       
excellent joke seems so to him--there   
are many jokes neither of us can see the
 point of3 others1 we chuckle over1     
superior persons look down on and would 
call buffoonery40#bbd  ,one practical   
reflection to close with4 ,any civilised
 community which has much to do in the  
way of managing the 8lower races0 would 
surely be wise to take some heed of     
their love of fun4 ,and this1 because it
 has been found that appeals to this    
side have been more effective than the  
harsher measures to which even a gentle 
,briton may think himself sometimes     
driven4 ,an ,african missionary1 already
 quoted1 writes that in cases where a   
disposition to quarrel shows itself 8one

 joke is worth ten arguments04#bbe ,this
 is borne out by one who has not much   
good to tell of his savages1 when he    
says of the ,east ,african that he      
delights #bec in a joke 8which manages  
him like a ,neapolitan04#bbf ,in a      
letter to me ,miss ,kingsley writes3 8,i
 have always found ,i could chaff them  
into doing things that other people     
could not get them to do1 with blows--,i
 could laugh them out of things other   
people would have to blow out of them   
with a gun04  #bed     ,,chapter ,,ix4  
,,laughter ,,in ,,social ,,evolution4   
,in the two preceding chapters we have  
followed the earlier stages of the      
development of laughter in the          
individual and have glanced at its      
counterpart in the life of savage       
communities4 ,if now we try to push the 
psychological inquiry farther1 and ask  
how the mirth of the child develops into
 that complex sentiment which in these  
days we call humour1 we find ourselves  
forced to pause4 ,one thing is clear1   

however4 ,no one of us would ever have  
acquired this valuable endowment but for
 the educative action of that advanced  
stage of social culture which is our    
intellectual and moral environment4 ,it 
seems to follow that we shall need to   
look for a moment at the movement of    
social culture itself1 to consider the  
impulse of laughter as one of the       
features in the life of a community1 and
 to inquire how it has become           
transformed1 almost beyond recognition1 
by the movement of social progress4  ,to
 attempt to give an exhaustive account  
of these social changes would clearly   
lead us very far4 ,it may be argued with
 force that every one of the great      
directions of social evolution1 such as 
that of intellectual conceptions1 of    
moral sentiments1 of political and      
social liberty1 of wealth1 of the       
differentiation of classes and ranks1   
has involved as its effect some change  
in the intensity1 the mode of           
distribution1 and the manner of         

expression in daily life and in #bee    
art1 of the laughing impulse4 ,but we do
 not need to consider so deeply4 ,it    
will be enough if we briefly retrace    
those phases of social evolution which  
appear to carry with them as their      
immediate accompaniments considerable   
modifications of the mirthful spirit4   
,we must in this inquiry begin by       
defining the social aspect of laughter4 
,this was touched on in the last chapter
 in connection with our study of the    
mirth of savages4 ,we have now to       
examine it more closely4  ,one of its   
most obvious characteristics is its     
contagiousness1 already referred to4#bbg
 ,the potent appeal of laughter to a    
mechanical imitativeness is significant 
in more ways than one4 ,it suggests how 
large a part of human hilarity is       
nothing but a kind of surface resonance1
 as empty of ideas as the infectious    
yawn or cough4 ,but it suggests also    
that laughter is social in the sense    
that it is essentially choral and so    

uniting4 ,a gathering of yokels at a    
fair laughing at a clown tends for the  
moment to become a coherent group2 and  
the habit of laughing together will tend
 to consolidate the group4  ,when the   
conjoint laughter is less automatic and 
issues from community of ideas and      
sentiments1 the contagious property     
still plays a part4 ,it is as if the    
swift response of others' laughter1 the 
drowning of one's own outburst in the   
general roar1 effaced for the time the  
boundaries of one's personality4 ,to    
rejoice together in the full utterance  
of the laugh1 though it moves us less   
deeply than to weep together1 is perhaps
 no less potent in cementing a lasting  
comradeship4  ,the social side of       
laughter comprehends1 however1 much more
 than this4 ,it is commonly recognised  
that the feeling expressed has something
 human for its object4 ,now those #bef  
who directly or indirectly serve as the 
butt are all the world over disposed1   
till the grace of a genial tolerance has

 been added1 to dislike and resent the  
part thrust on them4 ,so far1 then1     
laughter would seem to be anti-social   
and dividing1 and1 alas1 the history of 
literature will furnish the student with
 notable illustrations4 ,yet this       
hurtful edge in laughter becomes one of 
its valuable social properties4 ,as the 
despised ,greenlanders may teach us1    
laughter supplies a mode of punishment  
which combines with effectiveness1      
economy and humanity1 a good deal of    
enjoyment for the onlookers4 ,in all    
societies1 if not exactly in the        
,greenland fashion1 it has been accorded
 an important place among the agencies  
which1 by castigating vices and follies1
 seek to lower their vitality4  ,the    
sharp edge of laughter represents1      
however1 only one of its effects on the 
sensibilities of the butt4 ,savage life 
has given us illustrations1 not only of 
its disagreeable consequences turned to 
judicial purposes1 but of its agreeable 
consequences in cajoling others out of  

attitudes of hostility and stubbornness4
 ,this curious effect1 as it may seem1  
of a mode of treatment which is         
primarily hurtful is to be explained in 
the main by its playful function4 ,to   
substitute a joke for argument or       
coercive pressure is1 like tickling1 to 
challenge to play1 and tends to call up 
the play-mood in the recipient of the   
challenge4 ,the mutual teasings of      
savages serve1 as we have seen1 as a    
training1 an 1 in simple and estimable  
virtues1 such as the maintenance of good
 temper1 toleration1 and the setting of 
comradeship above one's private         
feelings4  ,one other social aspect of  
laughter illustrated by savage life     
needs to be touched on4 ,in the         
instinctive tendency of the savage to   
ridicule the customs and ideas of       
outside folk we have one expression of  
the self-protective attitude of a #beg  
community against insidious outside     
influences4 ,just as the ,hebrews       
ridiculed the religious ideas of the    

worshippers of ,baal and so helped to   
keep their national faith intact1 so    
these tribes low down in the culture    
scale have in their laughter at what is 
foreign a prophylactic against any      
contamination from outside peoples4 ,no 
doubt this tendency in laughter will    
help to preserve once useful tribal     
characters when altered circumstances1  
introduced1 for example1 by the coming  
of the white man1 require new           
adaptations4 ,in this we see the        
essentially conservative function of    
laughter in the life of societies4 ,on  
the other hand1 as we have seen1        
novelties in dress introduced by the    
white man may attract and delight4 ,in  
dealing with the connection between     
social progress and laughter1 we shall  
need to consider very carefully the     
attitude which the mirthful spirit takes
 up towards social changes4  ,now these 
aspects of laughter point1 as we have   
seen1 to a social utility in laughter4  
,as offspring of the play-impulse1 it   

might1 indeed1 be expected to share in  
those benefits which1 as recent research
 has made clear1 belong to play4 ,in our
 study of its development and           
persistence in the life of progressive  
communities1 we shall have occasion to  
illustrate this utility much more fully4
 ,that laughing is good1 physically and 
morally1 for its individual subjects has
 become a commonplace1 at least to the  
student of literature4 ,here we shall be
 concerned with its distinctly social   
advantages1 such as the maintenance of  
customs which from the point of view of 
the community1 or of some class of the  
community1 are to be regarded as good1  
the keeping down of vices and follies1  
and the furtherance of social           
co-operation4  ,the question how far    
this utility extends is one which cannot
 be answered simply4 ,it will be found  
that societies1 #beh so far from        
universally recognising laughter as a   
useful habit1 have taken vast pains to  
restrain it4 ,indeed1 our study of the  

fortunes of mirth in the advance of     
social life will show us that it has had
 throughout to struggle for its         
existence4  ,from what has just been    
said it will be clear that we shall have
 to consider the history of laughter and
 the movement of social evolution as    
inter-connected4 ,not only does a change
 in ideas1 sentiments or institutions   
tend to modify the expression of the    
mirthful mood1 there is a reciprocal    
influence of laughter upon ideas1       
sentiments and institutions4 ,such      
interaction holds good generally between
 amusements and serious pursuits2 the   
recreations of a community serve in     
important ways to determine the measure 
of the vigour thrown into serious       
activities4 ,in the case of laughter    
this reciprocal influence is much more  
marked1 owing to the circumstance that  
mirth has been wont to play about       
serious things1 to make these the target
 for its finely tipped shafts1 now and  
again going so far as to shoot one into 

the midst of the solemnities of social  
life4  ,in the savage tribe we find but 
little of class division4 ,the          
perception of what is unfit and the     
laughter which accompanies this are     
directed1 for the most part1 to members 
of other communities4 ,the laughter is  
choral because it is that in which the  
whole tribe joins or is prepared to     
join2 but for that very reason it has a 
monotonous sound4 ,some differentiation 
of groups within the community seems    
necessary1 not merely for the           
constitution of a society1 but for the  
free play of the laughing spirit4       
,diversity in thought and behaviour is a
 main condition of the full flow of     
social gaiety4  ,the germ of such       
diversity is present in the lowest #bei 
conceivable type of human community4    
,the institution of male and female in  
which ,nature1 as if to combine divine  
work with human1 at once joins together 
and puts asunder1 has been with us from 
the beginnings of human society2 and it 

might be an amusing pastime to speculate
 how the males of our ape-like ancestors
 first gurgled out their ridicule of    
female inferiority1 and how the females 
managed to use their first rudiment of  
speech-power in turning the tables on   
their lords and masters4 ,some          
differentiation of rank1 too1 must have 
been found in the simplest human        
societies in the contrast between the   
old and the young1 and the closely      
connected opposition of the rulers and  
the ruled4 ,but it would be hazardous to
 reason that1 in the early stages of    
social evolution1 much in the way of    
exchange of fun passed between those who
 were presumably kept solemnly apart by 
the sense of their relative station4    
,it is only when we move on to a society
 with a considerable amount of class    
differentiation that its relation to the
 nurture and distribution of the spirit 
of mirth grows apparent4 ,in glancing at
 these divisions we may conveniently    
adopt ,m4 ,tarde's expression1 8social  

group04 ,such a group may be either a   
class1 the members of which have like   
functions and a common character        
connected with these1 such as priests   
and traders2 or it may be a set         
constituted merely by community of      
knowledge and taste1 as the members of a
 society standing on a particular level 
of culture4 ,although this double way of
 dividing social groups necessarily     
leads to overlapping1 it seems desirable
 to adopt it here1 so as to give an     
adequate account of the relation of     
group-formation to the particular       
directions of social laughter4  ,the    
development of distinct groups within a 
community influences the behaviour of   
the laughing impulse1 first of #bfj all1
 by introducing diversity of            
occupations1 abilities and intelligence4
 ,in this way it enlarges the field for 
those relative judgments about          
competence and fitness with which1 as   
savage laughter illustrates1 simple     
forms of mirth have so much to do4      

,thus1 the establishment of distinctions
 of employment and mode of life between 
the sexes has contributed copiously to  
that mirthful quizzing of each by the   
other which seems to have been a prime  
ingredient in human jocosity from the   
lowest stages of culture4 ,the slightly 
malicious laughter of the male at female
 incompetence1 which is seen in the     
schoolboy's treatment of his sister1 is 
illustrated throughout the course of    
literature4 ,and good examples are not  
wanting of a turning of the tables by   
the female on the male4 ,the story of   
,king ,alfred's misadventure with the   
cakes--of which we have found the       
counterpart in savage life--is an       
example of the more shrewish criticism  
of the male ignoramus by the female     
expert4 ,when the sense of injury is    
less keen1 and the impression of the    
folly of the performance fills the soul1
 the shrewish note is apt to fall to the
 genial pitch of laughter4 ,the         
differentiation of industrial and other 

employments1 such as those of countryman
 and townsman1 of landsman and seaman1  
of soldier and civilian1 serve to       
develop new centres of concerted        
laughter1 and new points of attack4     
,the formation of social groups further 
enlarges the material and the           
opportunities for laughter by           
introducing noticeable and impressive   
differences of behaviour1 dress and     
speech4 ,in this way the field of the   
odd1 the absurd1 that which contradicts 
our own customs and standards1 has been 
made wide and fertile4 ,a mere          
difference of locality may suffice to   
generate such differences4 ,not so many 
years ago1 one could hear in the ,west  
of ,england the #bfa jibes which the    
people in one small town or district    
were wont to hurl at those in another4  
,we read that in the ,middle ,ages1 when
 local differences of dress and speech  
were so much more marked than now1      
satires on people of particular         
localities were not uncommon--though    

probably much more than a perception of 
the laughably odd was involved in these 
rather fierce derisions4#bbh  ,the      
immediate utility of this mirthful      
quizzing of other sets would1 like that 
carried out by one savage tribe on      
another1 consist in the preservation of 
the characteristics of one's own set4   
,but the play of laughter about         
class-distinctions illustrates another  
of its benefits4 ,when one set gets used
 to the distinctive ways of another1 it 
tends to regard them as right and proper
 for the latter2 and it may carry its   
regard for their propriety so far as to 
support the inner sentiment of the other
 group by deriding those members who do 
not conform to their group-customs4     
,distinctive customs have been conserved
 not only--to adopt ethical terms having
 a somewhat different meaning--by       
8internal sanctions0 in the shape of    
serious penalties as well as ridicule   
administered by fellow-members of the   
set1 but by 8external sanctions0 in the 

shape of outside mockery4 ,the imposing 
soldierly attitude has perhaps been kept
 up quite as much by the merry quizzing 
of civilians as by any military         
discipline and esprit de corps4 ,a poor 
tottering hero in uniform could1 one    
opines1 never have escaped the eye of   
citizens lying in wait for the          
laughable4  ,the finer opportunities for
 this mirthful screwing up of men of    
other groups to their proper moral      
height would occur when the             
peculiarities of the mode of life       
imposed a special rule of behaviour1    
and1 particularly1 when this rule was a 
severe one4 ,the hollow hero1 trying to 
hide the #bfb poverty of his courage in 
braggadocio1 has been a favourite figure
 in comic literature1 classic and       
modern4 ,a notable illustration of this 
situation is the laughter heaped on the 
clergy by the people during the ,middle 
,ages4 ,the caricatures of the          
monk--representing him1 for instance1 as
 a ,reynard in the pulpit with a cock   

below for clerk1 and the many ,contes   
which exposed his cunningly contrived   
immoralities1 and frequently visited    
them with well-merited chastisement1    
show pretty plainly that the popular    
laughter in this case had in it         
something of hate and contempt1 and was 
directed in part to the exposure and    
punishment of the celibate class4 ,this 
may be asserted1 even though it must not
 be forgotten that in these ,contes the 
holy man by no means infrequently       
emerges from his dangerous experiment   
unscathed3 a fact which suggests that in
 the popular sentiment there lurked1 not
 merely something of the child's        
mirthful wonder at daring cunning1 but a
 certain sympathetic tolerance for a    
caste1 on the shoulders of which was    
laid a somewhat weighty yoke4 ,the      
mental attitude of the narrator rather  
suggests here and there that of an      
easy-going ,englishman when confronted  
with the spectacle1 say of a drunken    
sailor or soldier4#bbi  ,another class  

having high pretensions1 which has come 
in for much of the 8screwing-up0 kind of
 laughter1 is the physician4 ,next to   
the healer of the soul1 he undertakes   
the most for mortals4 ,in ,gil ,blas1 in
 the comedies of ,molire1 and in other  
works1 we may see how his ancient       
methods and his pedantries were apt to  
affect the intelligent layman with      
mirthful ridicule4 #bfc  ,so far nothing
 has been said of the rank of the groups
 thus formed4 ,the differentiating of a 
higher from a lower caste1 with more or 
less of authority on one side and       
subserviance on the other1 will turn out
 to be the most important feature in    
social grouping in its bearing on the   
calling forth of social laughter4 ,as we
 have seen1 our merriment has much to do
 with dignities1 with the claims on our 
respect made by things above us2 while1 
on the other hand1 the contemptuous     
laugh which has had volume and duration 
implies a relation of superior and      
inferior--if only the fugitive one      

created by the situation of quizzer4    
,all stages of group-formation seem to  
involve something of this distinction   
between an upper and a lower class4 ,the
 simplest conceivable structure of      
society includes a head and ruler of    
family1 clan or tribe1 and subjects4    
,hence1 the vast significance of social 
grouping as a condition of choral       
laughter4  ,how far persons in positions
 of authority have gratified their sense
 of superiority by derisive laughter at 
those below them1 it would1 of course1  
be hard to say4 ,when power is real and 
absolute there are other ways of        
expressing contempt4 ,literature        
undoubtedly furnishes examples of the   
ridicule by the social superior of the  
ways of a lower class1 as in the        
,provenal poem of ,bertran de ,born 7c4 
#aahj7 in which the villains are treated
 contemptuously4 ,yet the larger part of
 literature1 not being produced for a   
ruling caste1 does not throw much light 
on this subject4#bcj ,one can only infer

 with some probability1 from the        
relations of parents and adults1        
generally1 to children1 and of white    
#bfd masters to their coloured slaves1  
that power has always been tempered by  
some admixture of good-nature1 which    
composition has produced a certain      
amount of playful jocosity1 at once     
corrective and cementing4  ,the derisive
 laughter of the superior is            
particularly loud in certain cases where
 the authority is not so real as it     
might be4 ,man's ridicule of his not too
 obedient spouse may be said almost to  
shriek adown the ages4 ,we may read in  
papyri of ,egypt of the fourteenth or   
thirteenth century ,b4,c4 of the        
misfortunes of a husband1 named         
,anoupou4#bca ,the ,greek comedians     
thought no abuse of the sex too bitter  
or too coarse4#bcb ,in ,latin literature
 we have satirical portraits of         
different types of women1 drawn under   
the figures of various brutes1 a fox1 a 
mare1 etc4#bcc ,in medival society1 the 

low opinion of women entertained by     
their lords is illustrated in the firm  
persuasion that the only way to treat   
them was to beat them--watching them was
 quite vain--so that they might be      
occupied all the day with crying4#bcd   
,sometimes1 as in the ,arabian ,nights1 
this contempt takes the form of bitter  
denunciation2 but1 for the most part1 it
 has laughed in the brighter key of     
comedy4 ,even the satire here is wont to
 lose all trace of savageness1 and to   
assume the tone of a good-natured       
acceptance of the incurable4  ,while the
 formation of social ranks has thus     
secured a wide range for supercilious   
mocking of inferiors1 it has guaranteed 
these ample opportunity of avenging     
themselves by laughter at the expense of
 the authorities4  ,how soon in man's   
history any such laughter became #bfe   
possible1 it would be hard to say4 ,in  
the simpler types of community1 the     
severe restraints laid on youths by the 
men of the tribe must1 one supposes1    

have been fatal to any indulgence by    
sons in laughter at the expense of      
fathers1 such as is illustrated in      
comedy both ancient and modern4 ,the    
penalties attached to breach of         
ceremonial rule must have stifled any   
impulse of laughter1 if it happened to  
arise4 ,it is said that when the chief  
of a certain tribe chanced to stumble1  
his subjects were bound to pretend to   
stumble in order to cover up his        
defect4#bce ,the utility of this quaint 
custom may have lain in its effectual   
suppression of the risible impulse4     
,this theory1 however1 postulates a kind
 of courtier widely removed from the    
modern1 of whom it seems safe to say    
that he might be trusted to see         
stumblings and worse without feeling an 
over-mastering temptation to laugh4     
,one can only conjecture that men began 
to discern and enjoy the amusing side of
 authority and its solemn ways of       
asserting itself1 in their free moments1
 at a safe distance from tell-tale eyes4

  ,what is known of the hard-worked     
slave of antiquity is suggestive not    
merely of play after toil1 but of a safe
 turning on task-masters4 ,when1 as we  
read1 the ,egyptian workman got fun 8out
 of the smallest incident in the day's  
work--an awkward apprentice cutting his 
finger1 a comrade sleeping over his task
 whom the overseer lashes to awaken     
him10 and so forth1 did not something of
 a spirit of malicious crowing over the 
overseer express itself too8 ,the       
analogy of the judiciously              
half-smothered laughter of the ,english 
schoolboy in playground or dormitory    
suggests the answer4 ,we must not wonder
 if these dangerous excursions of the   
spirit of fun have failed to be         
recorded4 #bff ,still more significant  
is another picture from the same hand1  
representing a tussle between overseer  
and workmen in which 8the stick vainly  
interferes10 so that 8at least an hour  
elapses before quiet is                 
re-established04#bcf ,this looks like   

the rollicking laughter of schoolboys at
 the spectacle of an orderly ceremony   
suddenly turned to disorder4 ,the       
interpretation is borne out by the fact 
that these same ,egyptians were able to 
enter into the fun of a loss of dignity 
in a solemn function1 for example1 the  
upsetting by a collision of the richly  
supplied table in the funereal boat1 and
 the falling of a mummy on a priest     
during the ceremony of conveying it to  
its resting-place4#bcg  ,the return of  
contemptuous laughter from the slave to 
his master was certainly allowed to some
 extent among the ,romans4 ,it became a 
well-recognised privilege during one of 
the chief annual festivals              
7,saturnalia74 ,the slaves in the plays 
of ,plautus treat the tyranny under     
which they live 8in a spirit of gay     
bravado04#bch ,nor need we be surprised 
at these liberties if we remember that  
the modern schoolmaster must almost be  
perfect if he does not find it          
expedient1 not merely to permit his     

pupils desipere in loco1 but to allow   
them now and again to have a mild joke  
at his expense4 ,the cajoling by means  
of jokes1 which ,miss ,kingsley found so
 serviceable for managing the ,west     
,african1 may of course stop short of   
this1 and its virtue lie in the         
substitution of a light1 laughing       
treatment for bullying4 ,yet genial     
laughter1 when the contempt has been    
vaporised out of it1 necessarily tends  
at the moment to a levelling of planes1 
as is seen in the immediate assertion of
 #bfg the right of reciprocity4 ,this is
 perhaps the main reason why the        
schoolmaster is1 in general1 chary of   
introducing the method of jocosity4 ,his
 laughter is apt to sound as if it held 
some of the gritty deposit of contempt4 
,the really delightful illustration of  
the turning of the tables on masters by 
those in subjection is to be found in   
woman's retort on man's contemptuous    
treatment4 ,she has again and again     
managed to outwit him1 as we have found 

him dolefully admitting1 and has had her
 full laugh at his cumbrous attempts to 
manage her4 ,the medival fabliaux are   
certainly disposed to award success in  
strategy to her1 rather than to her     
lord4 ,her ways of befooling him1 too1  
have often been so simple--as when she  
persuades him that he has been dreaming 
what he fancies he has observed--that   
the poor dupe ought1 one supposes1 to   
have died of chagrin4 ,and1 when there  
has been a call for the finer sort of   
manuvring1 she wins the unprejudiced    
reader to her side by displaying an     
admirable ingenuity and subtlety of     
invention1 qualities which ,mr4 ,herbert
 ,spencer would probably regard as      
secondary sexual characters evolved     
during ages of marital tyranny4 ,of her 
modes of turning on him in these latter 
days there is no need to speak4 ,the    
shout of contemptuous laughter seems to 
have passed from the one side of the    
eternal fray to the other4 ,but this    
hardly belongs to the present division  

of our subject4  ,it may be added that  
the laughter of the laity at the clergy 
illustrates1 in addition to the impulse 
already dealt with1 the itching of      
spirited mortals to turn on oppressors4 
,the denunciations and anathemas of this
 class1 backed1 as they asseverate1 by  
supernatural sanctions1 have always been
 trying to untamed men and women4 ,and  
the appetite of our ancestors for       
stories disgraceful to monks and priests
 drew some of its keenness from this    
rebelliousness of #bfh the natural man  
against spiritual tyrannies4 ,here is an
 illustration of the feminine retort3 ,a
 woman was chatting with a gossip of    
hers in church3 bidden by the preaching 
friar to hold her peace she exclaimed1  
8,i wonder which babbles most of the    
two80#bci  ,still another variety of    
social laughter springs out of this     
distinction of superior and inferior    
groups4 ,the impulse of exalted persons 
to assert themselves and to strike their
 inferiors with awe--an impulse by the  

way which the peacock and other birds   
will betray in the presence of their    
inferior1 man--is apt to be disallowed  
by those for whom the display is        
intended4 ,it is one thing1 they feel1  
to acknowledge true authority1 another  
to bow down to the exaggeration of its  
claim1 to the boastful exhibition of    
power and rank4 ,hence1 perhaps1 some of
 the quickness of the mirthful eye for  
the entertainment latent in all         
braggadocio4 ,the soldier who needlessly
 emphasises the fact that he possesses  
the height and spirit of his calling by 
strutting1 by imposing vociferation and 
the rest1 has probably always been a    
source of comic merriment1 as the ,miles
 gloriosus of ,plautus and the ,bobadil 
of ,ben ,jonson may remind us4  ,it will
 be evident that all this laughter of   
inferiors at superiors1 whether these   
are so really or merely in their own    
opinion1 must1 so far as it has got     
home1 have had a valuable corrective    
function4 ,if the derision of the lord  

helps to keep in place his inferior dame
 or vassal1 much more does the laughter 
of his inferior serve to hold him to    
what befits his rank4 ,noblesse oblige  
is a rule largely maintained by the     
demands of those below who are expected 
to pay homage4 ,these1 as we know1 have 
been much employed in claiming modest   
rights from their 8betters04 ,the       
curbing of a king's tyrannies may have  
required a rebellion #bfi of his barons1
 or a riot of his people3 yet a good    
deal of checking of tyrannic            
propensities has been carried out by the
 unalarming expedient of ridicule4 ,even
 in a free and enlightened country we   
may observe in officials a tendency now 
and again to inflate their dignity      
unduly2 so that one infers that the     
restraining force of the laughter of    
inferiors still counts4  ,the results of
 this spirited turning of the worm have 
been considerable4 ,the impish spirit of
 mirth has taken up its abode with the  
common people1 and instructed them in   

the rich sources of the laughable which 
lie in all rank and dignity4 ,on the    
other hand1 the 8high and mighty0 have1 
from a true instinct of                 
self-preservation1 waged fierce war with
 this irreverent attitude of the        
multitude4 ,the struggles between the   
two will be spoken of presently4  ,the  
scope for laughter which1 given the     
disposition1 these divisions of group   
and of rank bring with them is further  
widened by the vital circumstance that1 
as groups in the same community1 they   
have to enter into various relations    
with one another4 ,a judicious mixture  
of opposition and harmony of interest   
seems to be most favourable to a rich   
production of mirth4 ,this is           
illustrated even in such masterful      
relations as that of the overseer and   
the commanding officer1 who may find    
that the compulsion of the rod is       
inadequate to the extraction of the     
required amount of work1 and so have to 
cast about for other instruments4  ,the 

good effect of a skilful use of the     
cajoling laugh has already been         
illustrated4 ,it is seen with particular
 clearness in the relation of husband   
and wife2 for the fun of the situation  
is that1 in spite of profound           
differences of taste and inclination and
 of a sharp antagonism1 the necessity of
 #bgj common interests and ends holds   
them together in daily association4     
,this necessity1 ever present to the    
wiser of them1 has tempered the contempt
 and forced the derider to at least a   
pretence of good humour4 ,the same may  
be said of the relation of the sexes in 
general4 ,the quality and range of the  
fun which is wont to lighten a talk     
between a young man and a young woman on
 a first introduction are pretty closely
 determined by the consciousness of     
sexual relation on either side4         
,shyness1 a disposition to regard the   
other suspiciously as opponent1 together
 with the instinct to please and win    
admiration1 and the desire to strike on 

points of sympathy--all this helps to   
bring about1 and is reflected in the    
peculiar wrigglings in which the        
mirthful spirit expresses itself on such
 an occasion4  ,one of the best examples
 of the combined effect of hostility and
 a desire to agree is to be found in the
 humours of the market place4 ,the      
relation of buyer and seller seems to be
 pregnant with opportunities for merry  
fooling on either side4 ,the direct and 
sharply felt opposition of interest is  
apt to beget a good deal of the rough   
sort of 8taking down04 ,not only will   
the tongue be stirred to derisive       
attack1 the situation may even beget    
retaliations in the shape of practical  
jokes4 ,the merchant1 as the expert1 has
 always had the upper hand in the       
contest of wits4 ,his customer has had  
to find consolation in satires on the   
cheat1 such as those which were common  
in the ,middle ,ages4#bdj ,on the other 
hand1 the need of coming to an agreement
 has served to bring into the haggling  

process a good deal of the conciliative 
kind of laughter4 ,the vendor has always
 known the value of good-natured banter 
as an instrument #bga of persuasion4    
,this overflow of the spirit of fun into
 the channels of serious business may   
still be seen as a faint survival in    
front of a cheap-,jack's van4 ,george   
,eliot has given us a charming picture  
of the play of this spirit in the south 
in her chapter on 8,the ,peasants'      
,fair0 in ,romola4  ,the same intrusion 
of fun as an auxiliary into the business
 relations of groups is seen in many    
other cases where opposition has to be  
toned down and a modus vivendi arrived  
at1 as in that of opposed political     
parties1 religious bodies and the like4 
,the appearance of the laughing imp1 if 
only he behaves himself1 in these rather
 warm encounters of groups serves to    
cool the atmosphere and to temper       
animosity by at least a momentary       
experience of genial contact4 ,it does  
much1 indeed1 to tone down the uneasy   

and half-suspicious attitude which      
members of any group are apt to take up 
on first having to do with those of a   
strange group1 especially one of higher 
rank4  ,we may now summarise the chief  
social utilities of the reciprocal      
laughter of classes at the ways of other
 classes4 ,in the first place1 it helps1
 like the laughter of the savage tribe  
at the ways of other tribes1 to         
counteract any tendency to imitate the  
manners and customs of foreign groups4  
,what we have laughed at1 we are not    
likely to adopt4 ,this is the           
self-protective function of laughter4   
,to laugh at the ways of another group  
is1 moreover1 in most cases at least1 to
 indulge in a feeling of our own        
superiority2 and this attitude would    
have a further conservative tendency1   
especially when it is the laugh of the  
expert in his own department at the     
outside ignoramus4  ,let us now glance  
at the effect on the group whose ways   
are being laughed at4 ,to be the object 

of another set's ridicule1 especially   
when we have the right of retort1 so far
 from necessarily weakening our hold on 
that which is #bgb ridiculed may        
strengthen it4 ,when we are strongly    
attached1 others' laughter may make us  
cling the more firmly to what we        
cherish4 ,laughter in this case is1     
indeed1 as we have seen1 an excellent   
training in a good-natured suffering of 
others' ridicule1 a training which has  
in it the virtue of a moral tonic4  ,yet
 this inter-groupal laughter is not     
wholly subservient to the maintenance of
 characteristic differences4 ,in all the
 higher forms of society1 at least1 such
 ridicule has an assimilative action as 
well4 ,it manages to some extent1 by    
inducing self-criticism1 to get rid of  
useless excrescences4 ,thus1 it helps to
 keep down class-vanity1 the            
professional narrowness which cries1    
8,there's nothing like leather60 a      
narrowness which is so delightfully     
satirised by ,molire in the wranglings  

of ,m4 ,jourdain's professors4  ,the    
correction of this exclusive feeling of 
self-importance of a group by outside   
laughter has always been at work1       
helping to keep groups in friendly      
touch1 and hindering the sectional or   
professional esprit de corps from       
overpowering the larger social          
consciousness which we call national    
sentiment1 and the common-sense of the  
community4 ,of this last more will be   
said presently4  ,so far1 we have       
illustrated the bearing on the ways of  
laughter of what may be called the      
structural features of societies4 ,there
 has been no reference to the effects of
 social movements1 of all that is meant 
by the successive changes of fashion in 
manners1 dress and so forth1 and of     
those more persistent movements which   
make up what we call social progress4   
,the least reflection will show that in 
this continual flux of things social1   
the unceasing modifications of the      
head-covering and the rest1 and the     

trampling down of old beliefs and       
institutions by the resistless 8march of
 intellect10 we have at least as large a
 field for the gambols #bgc of the      
laughing spirit as in the distinctions  
and oddly combined relations of classes4
  ,we may best begin by referring to the
 movements of fashion4 ,these may be    
defined as changes in dress1 manners and
 so forth1 which are marked off from the
 improvements entering into progress by 
two circumstances3 7#a7 that they are   
capricious1 not the products of a       
rational choice of the best2 and 7#b7   
that they are of comparatively short    
duration4 ,when we call a mode of doing 
a thing a fashion1 we imply1 quite      
unknowingly perhaps1 that it has not the
 cachet of a change for the better1 and 
that as such it has no security of      
tenure4  ,a fashion differs from a      
custom in being essentially communicable
 from one group to another1 and even    
from one nation to another4 ,its        
development thus belongs to a           

comparatively late period of social     
evolution4 ,its hold on men and women is
 explained by the fact that it appeals  
to two of their strongest instincts1 the
 craving for novelty and the impulse to 
imitate superiors4  ,keeping to the     
intra-national diffusion of manners1 we 
note that the movement of fashion is    
normally from the highest rank or ranks 
downwards4 ,this movement may well have 
commenced far back in the evolution of  
communities where class-distinctions    
were rigorously enforced4 ,the attitude 
of reverence towards superiors has for  
its psychological concomitant the       
impulse to imitate4 ,just as children   
will copy the voice and gestures of one 
whom they look up to1 so savages will   
copy the ways of ,europeans who manage  
to make themselves respected4 ,in the   
ceremonies of primitive tribes and even 
of highly complex societies1 e4g41      
church ritual1 a good deal of scope is  
offered for this flattery of imitation4 
,we may infer1 indeed1 that the impulse 

to adopt the ways of exalted personages 
must always have #bgd been at work4 ,in 
the earlier stages of human history this
 impulse was checked by the force of    
custom and of law1 e4g41 sumptuary laws4
 ,this imitation from below must strike 
at the root of those external           
differences1 such as style of dress1    
between group and group1 observance of  
which has helped greatly to maintain    
class-distinctions4 ,it could only have 
made way against these barriers         
gradually4 ,so difficult1 in sooth1 does
 the feat appear to be1 that ,mr4       
,herbert ,spencer suggests that fashion1
 as the imitation of those of high rank 
and authority1 began in a change of     
custom2 as in the rule already alluded  
to that when the king slipped the       
onlooking courtiers should at once      
imitate his awkwardness4  ,it is        
probable that the imitation of what is  
distinctive and fixed in the costume and
 manners of the higher class preceded by
 some interval the imitation of the     

changes we call fashion4 ,how the two   
are connected does not seem to be quite 
clear4 ,did the rulers and those        
immediately about them1 piqued at the   
adoption of their ways by the vulgar1   
try to steal a march on imitation by    
changing their customs8 ,to judge from  
what takes place to-day1 one would      
answer 8yes04 ,i am told that ladies    
strongly object to go on wearing a      
fashionable hat as soon as it becomes   
generally worn by factory girls1 or     
other inferior group4 ,however this be1 
it seems certain that the 8leaders of   
society10 while they reserve for special
 ceremonial occasions a distinctive     
dress1 mode of speech and the rest1     
choose to alter these from time to time 
for other purposes4 ,such alterations   
may be the result of the caprices of a  
8leader10 guided by some inventor1 or   
they may take the form of an            
assimilation of a foreign mode4 ,lastly1
 the leaders may include others besides 
the ,court people3 the universities are 

accredited with the origination of many 
of the pretty bits of slang1 the use of 
#bge which is supposed to betoken a     
certain social altitude and             
8up-to-dateness04  ,in the midst of     
these changes of fashion something of   
custom may be seen still to persist4    
,taking the dress of woman to-day1 we   
note that in spite of experiments like  
those of the ,bloomers1 skirts continue 
to be a permanent feature in female     
attire4 ,fashions in respect of width1  
and even of length1 may come and go1 but
 the skirt as skirt seems to go on for  
ever4  ,even when the impulse to adopt  
the dress and behaviour of the upper    
class was allowed a certain play1 it was
 probably long before it acted on all   
ranks4 ,each rank1 whilst keen in its   
imitation of the ways of the class above
 it1 would naturally resist any further 
descent of the imitative movement4  ,in 
this descent of fashion from higher to  
lower ranks we see a mutual modification
 of fashion and permanent custom4 ,in   

some cases imitation from below may be  
stopped pretty early through lack of    
means for giving effect to it4 ,the joy 
of wearing pearls1 or other precious    
stones in fashion at the moment1 is     
denied the young seamstress4 ,yet there 
are solaces here in the shape of        
8imitations04 ,again1 the lower middle  
class1 not to speak of the cottagers1   
are1 for obvious reasons1 not likely to 
be affected by a craze for the ,queen   
,anne style in domestic architecture4   
,even in the case of dress1 fine        
limitations which the 8mere male0 might 
find it hard to define1 seem to be      
imposed1 for example1 on the            
architecture of the hat1 when a new     
style is assimilated by lower ranks4    
,here1 again1 fashion is clearly        
restrained by class-custom4 ,ideas of   
neatness1 of an unaggressive quietness  
appear to be valued1 in theory at least1
 in milliners1 domestic servants1 and   
others who minister to the wants of the 
titled and the wealthy4 ,the very #bgf  

expression 8the fashionable world0      
implies that the full magnificence and  
luxury of fashion is a monopoly4  ,the  
imitation of the manners of high life by
 the middle class is in most cases a    
pretty clear acknowledgment of a        
superior social quality4 ,one of the    
most amusing examples of this           
thinly-veiled snobbism is the elevated  
hand-shake lately in vogue4 ,a fashion  
like this easily reaches the eye of the 
vulgar1 focussed for the first          
appearance of a new characteristic of   
8high life10 by way of the theatre or of
 the illustrated paper4 ,a point worth  
noting here is the exaggeration of what 
the imitators regard as of the essence  
of the new 8mode04 ,it would be curious 
to hear what symbolism 7if any7 those   
who appeared so eager to get the        
hand-shake up to the level of the eyes  
assigned to this fashionable rite4      
,this eager and almost simian mimicry of
 the ways of society's leaders must1 it 
is evident1 tend to the obliteration of 

recognisable class-distinctions in      
ordinary life4 ,we only need to compare 
the spectacle of a crowd in ,london     
to-day with that of a medival city      
crowd1 as represented in a drawing of   
the time1 to see what a depressing      
amount of assimilation in dress the     
forces of fashion have brought about4   
,the connections between these movements
 of fashion and the spirit of laughter  
are numerous and pretty obvious4 ,even  
the primal movement1 the adoption of a  
fashion by the head of a community from 
abroad1 offers a rich spectacle for     
those who lie in wait for the coming of 
the ludicrous4 ,how finely the folly    
that lurks in a slavish submission to   
fashion grins out at us from the story  
of those ,new ,zealand chiefs who1      
goaded by the fashion set by others of  
giving great feasts1 would often push   
their feast-givings to the point of     
causing a famine among their            
peoples6#bda ,the following #bgg of a   
foreign fashion by a court has in it1   

moreover1 always something to prick the 
spirit of malicious laughter in the     
subjects4 ,not so terribly long since1  
the importation of customs from one     
,european court to another1 and a       
reciprocation of the loan1 by way of    
family connections1 was the subject of a
 rather malicious laughter in each of   
the countries affected4  ,it is1        
however1 in the downward rush of fashion
 from rank to rank1 and the incidents   
which attend it1 that the seeker for the
 laughable will find his satisfaction4  
,the eagerness of persons to be in the  
van of the movement will of itself      
produce a crop of ludicrous aspects3 for
 the first sudden appearance of a large 
and capturing novelty1 say in a         
high-branded bonnet or manner of speech1
 brings to us something of the          
delightful gaiety which the sight of the
 clown brings to a child4 ,it is a huge 
folly1 which we greet with the full1    
unthinking roar of hilarity4 ,never1    
indeed1 does the inherent               

non-rationality of a large part of human
 behaviour reveal itself so directly and
 so unmistakably as when a fashion which
 has reigned long enough to become      
accepted as right is thus rudely thrust 
aside in favour of an interloper3 whence
 the laughing contempt poured on new    
fashions by comic poets and             
satirists4#bdb  ,nor is this all1 or the
 best4 ,the behaviour of the ardent     
aspirant has its absurd aspect even for 
dull souls4 ,the form of self-assertion 
which consists in stepping out of one's 
rank is always viewed by those of the   
deserted rank with an acidulated        
amusement2 and those who are too        
manifestly eager to appropriate a new   
fashion are wont to be regarded as      
persons who are trying to get above     
their set4 ,if the #bgh fashionable     
cosmetic is laid on thickly1 as it      
pretty certainly will be by those seized
 with the more vulgar form of social    
ambition1 the fun will wax still        
greater4 ,the display in this case adds 

to the delightful transformation of the 
clown a touch of the bombast of the     
mountebank4  ,new possibilities of mirth
 arise out of the collision between the 
imitative impulse to be fashionable1 and
 respect for the customs of one's group4
 ,an exaggeration of something in dress 
or speech which savours of an attempt to
 break through class-barriers cannot but
 amuse the onlooker disposed to mirth4  
,middle-class house-wives are1 one      
hears1 wont to enliven the dulness of   
their ,sunday afternoons by a stealthy  
quizzing of their 8maids0 as they set   
out for their parade4 ,the maid's       
village acquaintance--if it could       
succeed in stifling envious             
admiration--would doubtless draw a more 
rollicking enjoyment from the spectacle4
 ,in general1 any appearance of craning 
one's neck so as to overtop one's set is
 greeted by a slightly malicious        
laughter2 and the bold donning of       
fashionable array is the most easily    
recognisable manifestation of the       

craning impulse4 ,for a more purely     
disinterested spectator1 too1 the       
situation has its entertaining          
drollness4 ,the struggle in the panting 
bosom of a young woman1 whether of white
 or of coloured race1 as the passionate 
longing for some bewitching             
novelty--recommended1 too1 by the lead  
of her superiors--is sharply confronted 
with the sense of what befits her1 and  
possibly a vague fear of being plunged  
by a fiery zeal into the morass of the  
laughable1 has its comic pathos for the 
instructed eye4  ,one further           
contribution to the fun of the world    
made by this hot eagerness to pay homage
 to rank is perhaps worth a reference4  
,like the verbal kind1 the flattery of  
imitation is often visibly hollow4 ,when
 the soul of man or woman is held       
captive by the necessity of doing what  
is done by #bgi others--especially by   
others higher up--there is no room for  
thought of sincerity3 whence1 among many
 results1 this one1 that for him who can

 be pure spectator responsive to the    
amusing aspects of things1 the spectacle
 of a great national demonstration of   
loyalty cannot fail to have its         
diverting aspect4  ,no doubt the pushing
 worshippers of fashion1 if they only   
wait long enough1 get their chance of   
laughing back4 ,as soon as the new      
thing1 so charged with rollicking gaiety
 at first1 settles down to a commonplace
 habit1 there comes the moment for      
ridiculing the belated imitator4 ,that  
popular figure on the stage1 the 8old   
dowdy10 is commonly represented as      
ridiculously behind the times in respect
 of attire4 ,yet the range of jocosity  
inspired by respect for mere newness1 on
 the value of which reason has had      
nothing to say1 is evidently limited4   
,we may now turn to those deeper        
currents of change which together make  
up social progress2 including all       
distinct advance from lower to higher   
forms of intelligence1 sentiment and    
character1 as well as from lower to     

higher types of social life2 and1 along 
with these1 the growth of institutions  
in which these changes express          
themselves4  ,we may assume that these  
progressive changes arise1 either from  
the adoption of the products of superior
 mental capacity appearing in           
individuals who are members of the      
community1 or from the propagation of   
ideas1 inventions1 institutions from one
 country to another4  ,to say precisely 
how the production and circulation of a 
social improvement takes place is not   
easy4 ,men of imaginative minds1 with an
 exceptionally large mechanical1        
legislative1 or other insight1 or with a
 fine feeling for the subtle things of  
beauty or of the moral order1 there must
 be4 ,against all attempted innovation1 
however1 whether #bhj from within or    
from without1 the attitude of           
conservatism sets itself as a serious   
obstacle4 ,here1 too1 we seem to        
perceive the charm and influence of     
rank4 ,it is only when some recognised  

authority proclaims the value of the new
 discovery that the multitude1 which was
 perhaps a moment before doing its best 
to trample on it1 turns deferentially   
and kneels4 ,the free adoption of it as 
true or as good commonly follows much   
later4  ,a startlingly new idea1 whether
 in science1 religion1 or the utilities 
of life1 finds in its intrinsic         
reasonableness no defence against the   
attacks of malicious mirth4 ,the        
ordinary mind when it laughs1 just as   
when it is serious1 judges things by the
 standard of what is customary4 ,what   
violently jars with this is viewed as   
legitimate game for ridicule4 ,the      
history of ideas and of the social      
movements growing out of them is one    
long illustration of this truth4 ,the   
idea of a larger freedom and higher     
functions for women was treated by the  
theatre of ancient ,greece as matter for
 wild hilarity4 ,the idea came up again 
and again after this1 thanks to the zeal
 and courage of isolated advocates4 ,but

 it continued to excite the loud        
laughter of the crowd4 ,and less than   
half a century ago1 when ,j4 ,s4 ,mill  
advocated the spiritual and legal       
emancipation of women1 the response was 
at first largely an expression of       
amusement4 ,only to-day is a part of the
 civilised world beginning to recognise 
the naturalness and fitness of the idea 
that women should have their share1 both
 in the intellectual gains of the more  
advanced education1 and in the larger   
work of the world4  ,we may see by this 
illustration how mighty a force every   
new idea of a large revolutionary       
character has to meet and to overcome4  
,darwin's idea of the evolution of man  
seemed in the sixties to the mass of    
,englishmen1 including a bishop #bha of 
,oxford and many another high up in the 
scale of intellectual culture1 very much
 as some of the teachings of our        
missionaries strike a keen-witted       
savage4 ,the figure of the monkey1 which
 is1 by the way1 one of the oldest      

symbols of caricature1 rendered         
excellent service to those who1         
naturally enough1 greeted the proposed  
topsy-turvyness of ,darwinism with      
boisterous cachinnations4  ,it is much  
the same with the attitude of the crowd 
towards the first use of practical      
inventions4 ,much merriment accompanied 
the introduction from abroad by the     
gallants of the ,restoration of so      
simple an innovation as the use of the  
fork#bdc--;a fact to be remembered by   
the ,english tourist abroad when he is  
disposed to laugh at the sight of a too 
lavish use of the knife4 ,in such cases1
 the first adopters of the novelty are  
laughed at very much as in the case of a
 new fashion4 ,the absurdity of the     
adoption in either case turns on the    
delightful freshness and the glorious   
irregularity of the proceeding4  ,on the
 other hand1 we meet here1 too1 with a  
recoil of laughter upon the laugher4    
,though a respect for the customary     
prompts us at first to ridicule any     

sudden and impressive change in ideas or
 habits of life1 yet1 when the change is
 in a fair way of becoming fixed1 the   
same feeling will urge us to make merry 
over those who show an obstinate        
prejudice in favour of the old4         
,laughter finds one of its chief        
functions in ridiculing worn-out ideas1 
beliefs that have been proved illusory1 
and discarded habits of life4 ,nowhere1 
perhaps1 is the elation of mirth more   
distinctly audible than in this ridicule
 by an advancing age of survivals of the
 discarded ways of its predecessors4    
,art gives us many examples of this     
merriment over what is decaying and     
growing effete4 ,every age of stir and  
#bhb commotion has probably had its     
satirical literature1 striking with     
boisterous mirth at the disappearing    
phantoms4 ,the broad and genial comedy  
of ,aristophanes pushed against the     
tottering mythology of his time1 and the
 fall evoked a large outflow of mirth4  
,the great work of ,cervantes and the   

satires 7pasquins7 of the same period   
poked fun at the sentimental clinging to
 the decaying order of chivalry and     
feudalism4#bdd  ,merry-making over the  
death of outworn ideas and institutions 
has frequently been reinforced by the   
deep and refreshing expiration which    
accompanies relief from pressure4 ,this 
elemental form of laughter has entered  
into all those happy moments of national
 life when the whole people has become  
closely united in a joyous              
self-abandonment4 ,plautus1 the comedian
 of the people1 reflects in his broad   
merriment the rebound of the spirit     
after the second ,punic ,war from a long
 continued state of tension1 and the    
craving of the masses for a more        
unrestrained enjoyment of the pleasures 
of life4#bde ,the popular art of the    
,middle ,ages1 in which the demons seem 
to play the harmless part of the        
policeman in a modern pantomime1        
illustrates the rebound from an         
oppressive superstition4 ,a like relief 

of tension and outburst of pent-up      
spirits are recognisable in the         
literature of the ,reformation and of   
the ,english ,restoration4  ,the same   
exhilarant aspect of the vanishing of   
the outworn moves us in a quieter way   
when we ridicule the survivals of       
customs and rites which have lost their 
significance4 ,this form of hilarious   
enjoyment1 which implies a piercing     
through of appearances and a searching  
into meanings1 will be more fully       
considered later on4  ,it seems to      
follow from what has been said that     
laughter #bhc reacts in a double manner 
upon changes of social habit4 ,first of 
all1 it resists the wildness of the     
craving for the new 7neomania74 ,as     
schoolboys are wont to treat a newcomer1
 it applies its lash vigorously to a    
proposed innovation1 in order to see    
what 8stuff0 it is made of1 and whether 
it can justify its existence4 ,in this  
way it moderates the pace of the        
movement of change4 ,on the other hand1 

it completes the process of throwing off
 an outworn habit by giving it1 so to   
speak1 the coup de grce4 ,it thus       
combines the service rendered to a herd 
of sheep on the march by the shepherd   
who walks in front1 with that rendered  
by the sheep-dog which runs back again  
and again to the laggards4 ,it seems to 
be enforcing ,goethe's maxim3--         
8,ohne ,hast     ,aber ohne ,rast40  ,we
 may now glance at some of the workings 
of this complex movement of social      
progress on the formation of social     
sets1 and on their reciprocal attitudes4
  ,it is evident that1 by introducing   
much more subdivision of employment and 
exclusive knowledge of experts1 progress
 will tend to widen the area of mutual  
quizzing and chaffing1 already dealt    
with4 ,it is of more importance to point
 out that the advance of a community in 
knowledge and culture will lead to the  
formation of new groups involving       
certain differences of rank4 ,the       
importance of this kind of              

group-division shows itself in classic  
comedy4 ,juvenal expresses the lively   
contempt of the urban citizen for his   
provincial inferior1#bdf and our own    
comedy of the ,restoration1 taking town 
life as its standard1 pours ridicule on 
the country gentry4#bdg ,it is          
illustrated also in the relation of the 
clergy #bhd as the learned class1 to the
 ignorant laity4 ,as the contes         
amusingly suggest1 a large part of the  
authority of the clergy during the ,dark
 ,ages rested on this intellectual      
superiority4 ,if we view culture widely 
we may speak of an indefinite number of 
levels composing a scale of intellectual
 dignity4 ,these levels are commonly    
supposed to coincide with such groups as
 the professional class1 the man of     
business 7,kaufman71 and the lower      
class4 ,but no such coincidence can be  
assumed when once education has become a
 common possession4 ,a large portion of 
our 8upper0 class--which is determined  
no longer by descent but to a           

considerable extent by wealth--is       
neither cultured nor even well-informed4
 ,a clerk will often be found to have   
more general knowledge and literary     
taste than his well-dressed employer1   
and a working man1 in spite of the      
limitations of poverty1 may know more   
about such subjects as philosophy and   
history than the great majority of the  
middle class4 ,we see then that the     
strata representing gradations of       
culture are largely independent of      
commonly recognised divisions4 ,these   
older distinctions may1 indeed1 be very 
much toned down by the culture-movement4
 ,the ancient line of division between  
the superior man and his inferior spouse
 has been half effaced by the admission 
of women into the higher culture circle4
 ,the culture divisions are real social 
groups1 each being bound together by a  
large community of ideas1 tastes and    
interests2 and their importance in the  
system of social grouping tends to      
increase4  ,the development of culture  

groups introduces a new and important   
change in the standards of fitness1 to  
which laughter is1 so to speak1 tied4   
,when superiority is lacking in a       
clearly recognisable basis of reason1   
its ridicule of inferiors can only have 
its source in a pride which may be1 and 
often is1 of the most foolish4 ,when1   
however1 it resides #bhe in the         
possession of greater spiritual wealth1 
more refined ideas and a more acute     
sense of the fitting1 the laughter      
itself shows a finer quality4 ,it is    
less boisterous1 more discerning1 and   
more penetrating4 ,as such1 we need not 
wonder that1 though it is felt to be    
irritating1 it is not understood4 ,the  
nouveau riche1 whose vulgarity reveals  
itself as soon as he appears in a       
society having refined manners1 may     
wince under the half-repressed smile1   
though he seems for the most part well  
protected by an insensitive tegument4   
,as ,schopenhauer has observed1 the man 
of mediocre intelligence very much      

dislikes encountering his intellectual  
superior2 and it so happens1 for the    
gratification of merry onlookers1       
perhaps1 that social ambition not       
infrequently precipitates its possessor 
into a sharp encounter with those who   
have a whole world of ideas of which he 
knows nothing4  ,not but that the       
inferior here1 too1 may now and again   
have his chance of laughing back4 ,the  
possession of ideas and of an exacting  
taste is apt to appear affected to one  
wanting in them4 ,midas1 accustomed to  
measure values by incomes1 and to       
identify intelligence with the          
cleverness of the money-maker1 not      
unnaturally regards a habit of appealing
 to ideas as an eccentric superfluity2  
and so laughter may come consolingly to 
him who is utterly beaten in the        
encounter of wits4 ,the 8common-sense0  
of the average ,briton scores many a    
loud laugh in its confident             
self-assertion against any proposed     
introduction of ideas into the sphere of

 practical affairs4  ,a further effect  
of the movement of culture on           
group-formation is seen in the divisions
 into sects1 a phenomenon which seems to
 be conspicuous in the communities built
 up by our race4 ,this tendency to a    
minute subdivision of religious1        
political and other bodies introduces a 
new kind of relation4 ,we cannot well   
say that one section surpasses #bhf its 
rivals in intelligence4 ,this may or may
 not be the case1 but the rules of the  
social game require us to leave the     
question open4 ,on the other hand1 this 
differentiation of organised opinion    
into a number of particular creeds or   
8views10 the shade of opinion being     
often fine1 leads to a new bifurcation  
of 8higher0 and 8lower0 groups4 ,the    
8higher0 here is the mass or majority   
which naturally laughs at tiny          
minorities as faddists and cranks4 ,yet 
again1 the fine impartiality of the god 
of laughter1 to whom1 since mankind for 
the greater part is other than wise1 the

 difference of the many and the few may 
hardly count1 occasionally gives the    
despised minority its chance2 for       
minorities do sometimes represent ideas 
which are born for sovereignty4  ,while 
the progress of a nation in ideas and   
institutions thus serves in a manner to 
multiply groups1 and so to introduce new
 opportunities for the indulgence of    
group attack and retaliation1 it tends  
on the whole to break down their        
barriers4 ,it does this by means of the 
pulpit1 the press1 and the educational  
agencies which help to circulate new    
ideas through all classes4 ,these       
conduce1 both directly and indirectly1  
to a certain assimilation of groups2 and
 assimilative action is going on rapidly
 to-day4 ,yet1 as we have seen1 it      
leaves ample room for different grades  
of culture1 since natural differences of
 coarseness and fineness in the         
intellectual fibre will always secure   
the broad contrast of the cultured and  
the uncultured4  ,the spread of         

knowledge and culture through all       
classes acts indirectly on              
group-distinctions by throwing open the 
occupations of one class to members of  
others1 and more particularly of 8lower0
 ones4 ,the workman's son who has a     
brain and cultivates it may1 as we are  
often told1 find his way to the         
university and take his place           
unchallenged #bhg among the lawyers1 the
 doctors1 or the exalted 8dons0         
themselves4  ,now all sudden changes in 
class1 especially such as involve       
elevation1 are apt to appear laughable4 
,even when promotion comes by royal     
favour1 we feel the leap into a higher  
sphere to be anomalous1 and are wont to 
examine the grounds of the new title    
with some care4 ,the conservative       
instincts of men oppose themselves      
laughingly to the appearance of new     
dignitaries very much as they oppose    
themselves to the appearance of new     
ideas1 and some temporary unfitness in  
the person for his new social niche is  

to be expected4 ,in the comedy of the   
,restoration1 we are told1 8no measure  
is kept in pouring contempt on the      
mushroom growths of yesterday1 the      
knights of recent creation04#bdh        
,something of this impression of the    
incongruously new is produced for a     
moment even in the case of a well-earned
 rise in the social scale4 ,the young   
aspirant's family and connections1      
living on in the less brilliant light1  
will perforce laugh1 though perhaps with
 something of sympathetic admiration1 at
 the oddity of the sudden elevation2 and
 the rising young man will be singularly
 fortunate if he does not now and again 
betray an amusing unfamiliarity with the
 ways of the company he has joined4     
,yet the confusion of ranks due to the  
universalising of education is small and
 unimpressive when compared with that   
arising from another cause4 ,the great  
destroyer of fixed class-boundaries is  
the force which tends to transmute a    
community into a plutocracy4 ,this      

tendency may1 no doubt1 illustrate in a 
measure the effect of a diffused        
education2 for the successful           
fortune-builder will sometimes have     
attained success by scientific knowledge
 skilfully #bhh applied4 ,yet the       
presence--or the absence--of other      
qualities than the intellectual seems to
 have much to do in these days with     
sudden elevations in the plutocratic    
scale4  ,as the comedy of ,molire may   
tell us1 the spectacle of a man standing
 at the foot of the social ladder and   
looking up wistfully at its higher      
region has something entertaining in it 
both for those on his actual level and  
for those on the level of his ambition4 
,later1 when the wistful glance is      
followed by actual climbing1 the        
unrehearsed performances may grow       
mirth-provoking even to the point of    
tearful mistiness4 ,nor does the        
attainment of the goal make an end of   
the fun1 since the maintenance of a     
decorous equilibrium at the new altitude

 may turn out to be even more precarious
 than the climbing1 especially when     
relatives and other accidents of the    
humbler state persist in their          
attachment4  ,on the other hand1 these  
climbings exhibit much in the way of    
amusing imposture2 for men1 as          
,schopenhauer tells us1 have been known 
to push their way1 unqualified and      
impious1 even into literary circles1 and
 snatch a kind of reflected distinction 
by the use of arts at once ancient and  
vulgar4  ,the spectacle of changing     
one's class exhibits the amusing aspect 
of fraud in another way4 ,when leaders  
high up in 8society0 pay homage to the  
deity of the climbing money-maker by    
betaking themselves to trade under      
assumed names1 the mirth of ,midas and  
of his whole despised caste may find its
 opportune vent4  ,we may now briefly   
indicate the general effect of the      
social movements just sketched upon the 
quality and the mode of distribution of 
the hilarious moods of a people4  7a7   

,to begin with1 the advance and wider   
spread of the wave of culture will      
clearly tend to effect a general raising
 #bhi of the standard of taste1 and to  
develop an appreciation of the quality  
of the ludicrous4 ,this result1 though  
effected in part by the development of  
art and the extension of its educative  
influence1 is in the main the direct    
outcome of intellectual progress and of 
that increase in refinement of feeling  
which seems to depend on this progress4 
,one may describe this change by saying 
that the standard of ideas tends        
gradually to gain ground1 hemming in if 
not narrowing that of custom4 ,the      
primal laugh1 void of intellectual      
content1 becomes less general1 the laugh
 of the mind more frequent4 ,this effect
 of an introduction of ideas holds good 
in the case of members of all classes in
 so far as they enter into the higher   
culture group4 ,in this way particular  
standards of locality and of social     
group begin to count less in our        

laughter4  ,this effect of expansion of 
the intellectual view is reflected in   
all the more refined varieties of comic 
art4 ,any manifest insistence on dignity
 of rank1 more especially when the group
 is not of imposing aspect1 whether the 
petite noblesse in a small 8,residency0 
town on the ,continent or the families  
which compose 8,society0 in an obscure  
town in ,england1 is felt to be on the  
verge of the ludicrous4 ,on the other   
hand1 a magnifying of the dignity of a  
person or a class by those below1 when  
accompanied by a cringing demeanour1 is 
apt to take on the amusing aspect of    
flunkeyism1 the due appreciation of     
which presupposes a certain maturity of 
the laughter of the mind4  ,the general 
tendency of this advance of ideas is as 
yet very imperfectly realised4 ,the     
march of mind1 like some military       
marches1 is not quite so uniformly      
triumphant as it is wont to be          
represented4 ,a considerable part of the
 laughter among what are called the     

educated classes is still #bij but      
little influenced by the finer and      
deeper perception of ludicrous quality2 
while1 as for the uneducated majority of
 all social grades1 it would be hard to 
find in their mirth any distinct traces 
of a deposit from the advance of the    
culture-stream4 ,one might venture on   
the supposition that the appreciation of
 the ludicrous shown to-day by the      
frequenters of a 8high class0 ,music    
,hall in ,london is1 both as to its     
intellectual penetration and as to its  
refinement of feeling1 but little1 if   
anything1 above that of a medival crowd 
which gathered to see and hear the jokes
 of the jongleur4 ,so slow a process is 
the infiltration of refining influence  
from the higher strata of culture       
downwards4  7b7 ,this change in the     
quality of social laughter through an   
infusion of ideas has undoubtedly been  
accompanied by a change in its quantity1
 as seen in a decline of the older1     
voluminous merriment of the people4     

,this fall in the collective outburst1  
already touched on1 and recognised by   
all students of the past1 is largely due
 to a toning down of the simpler and    
heartier utterances of the common       
people4 ,this change is so important as 
to call for a short investigation4  ,in 
simpler types of society1 the more      
hearty and voluminous laughter probably 
came from the lowest strata4 ,it is     
enough to recall the mirth of the       
,egyptian and the ,roman slave4 ,later  
on1 the large scope for indulgence in   
laughter was supplied by an organisation
 of mirth in the shape of shows and     
other popular entertainments4 ,there was
 possibly the germ of such an           
organisation in the annual celebration  
8in honour of the most jocund god of    
laughter0 referred to by ,apuleius4#bdi 
,one may instance the merry-makings at  
the harvest and vintage festivals out of
 #bia which ,greek comedy took its rise1
 and the rollicking fun of the multitude
 at fairs and festivals during the      

,middle ,ages4 ,that the people were the
 true experts in the secrets of laughter
 is further suggested by the fact that  
slaves1 both ,greek and ,roman1 were    
selected as jesters and wits by         
well-to-do people4 ,the fools kept by   
,orientals were probably from the same  
class4#bej ,the later 8fools0 of        
,european courts were drawn from the    
simple folk4  ,the characteristics of   
this early type of popular mirth can be 
summed up in the word childishness4 ,the
 slave or other oppressed worker could  
without effort throw off ideas of toil  
and chastisement in his play hour4      
,towards his master and his treatment of
 him1 his attitude seems to have been on
 the whole the resignation of a         
life-long habit4 ,he might1 not         
improbably1 enjoy a quiet joke at the   
expense of his overseer1 but he seems to
 have entertained towards him none of   
the deeper animosity4  ,this nave form  
of popular laughter gave way to a less  
childish type when 8the common people0  

began to include a goodly number of     
free-men who were able to form opinions 
of their own1 and bold enough to assert 
the right of expressing these4 ,it      
follows from what has been said above   
that the newly gained freedom would     
naturally give rise to some             
laughter-bringing criticism of          
authorities4 ,this tendency of the      
mirthful mood of the crowd was instantly
 perceived by the authorities who waged 
war against it1 using the weapons of a  
repressive censorship4 ,we have an      
example of this censorship in the police
 regulations which hampered the         
introduction of comedy from ,athens into
 ,rome4 ,it was required by the         
authorities that the scene of the play  
should always be laid outside ,rome as  
if to guard against a direct attack on  
,roman #bib institutions and            
persons4#bea ,a like hostility to the   
pranks of a free and quite unfastidious 
mirth was shown by the medival church4  
,this may well have been in part the    

outcome of honest moral reprobation of  
the scurrilities of the songs1 the      
contes and the rest4 ,yet it looks as if
 the prohibitory enactments originated  
for the most part in the alarm of the   
ecclesiastics for the security of their 
hold on the mind of the people4  ,it was
 not1 however1 an easy matter to silence
 popular laughter when this had once    
heard itself and recognised its force4  
,aristophanes and his laughing public   
were1 for a time at least1 stronger than
 the demagogue whom they ridiculed4 ,no 
doubt the civil and the ecclesiastical  
power have again and again succeeded in 
half-stifling for a time the ruder sort 
of laughter4 ,yet the complete          
suffocation of it in free communities   
has proved to be impossible4 ,in the    
,middle ,ages1 we are told1 the         
atmosphere of fun would rise now and    
again to a kindling heat1 so that holy  
men themselves would join in the not too
 decent songs4#beb ,the modern history  
of ,political ,satire abundantly        

illustrates the force of popular        
laughter4 ,thus1 in the ,stuart period1 
satires were produced which were a      
popular protest against the grievance of
 monopolies4#bec ,how firmly it         
maintained its ground is illustrated by 
the fact that the politicians1 when they
 have failed to oust it from the stage1 
have endeavoured to turn it to their own
 ends4#bed ,if the more scurrilous sort 
has now been driven from the stage1     
political caricature #bic flourishes    
vigorously and has dared to attack      
royalty itself within a measurable      
period4#bee  ,the people has undoubtedly
 been the upholder of the wholesome     
custom of mirth4 ,taking the peasantry1 
the workmen1 and the lower middle class 
as representing the 8people0 of to-day1 
one has to confess that its merry note  
seems to have been lost4 ,the reservoir 
which in the past supplied the stream of
 national gaiety has certainly fallen   
and threatens even to dry up4 ,but of   
this more by-and-by4  7c7 ,as a last    

effect needing to be emphasised here1 we
 have underlying the laughter of a      
people a curiously composite attitude4  
,by this ,i mean an agglomeration of    
mental tendencies involving different   
manires de voir1 and different standards
 of the fit and1 consequently1 of the   
laughable4  ,in the preceding chapter we
 saw how the choral laughter of the     
savage followed the directions of the   
self-conservative tendencies of his     
tribe4 ,this unconscious self-adaptation
 of the mirthful mood to the ends of the
 tribal life has persisted through all  
the changes introduced by the play of   
fashion and by the movements of social  
evolution4 ,we of to-day who travel so  
much more than our ancestors in foreign 
lands1 and may even learn to speak their
 languages1 retain the tendency to      
resist the importation of what strikes  
us as un-,english4 ,in certain seasons1 
say when the war-temper heats the blood 
and foreigners criticise1 this feeling  
for what is national grows distinct and 

vivid1 and reflects itself unmistakably 
in the manifestations of such mirth as  
seems to be compatible with the mood of 
the hour4  ,this point of view of the   
tribe has always coexisted with #bid the
 narrower and more relative one of the  
group1 illustrated above1 though it has 
in ordinary circumstances been less     
prominent in men's mirthful utterances4 
,the medival laughter at the priest1 one
 may conjecture1 was now and again      
directed from the national or patriotic 
point of view1 as the people began to   
discern in him the servant of a foreign 
power4  ,not only so1 but in much of a  
people's laughter at what it deems the  
8absurd0--the laughter of               
8common-sense10 as we may call it--it is
 the point of view of the tribe or      
society which is still adopted3 and this
 holds good of the larger part1 at      
least1 of a community in the van of the 
march of civilisation4 ,when we smile at
 what appears to us a far-fetched view1 
or a quaint habit of life1 we are really

 guided by the standard1 8what people   
round about us say and do and expect us 
to say and do04 ,this contented         
reference to a vaguely formulated       
custom1 without any scrutiny of its     
inherent reasonableness1 holds good1    
indeed1 of the judgments passed by      
ordinary men on the laughable aspects of
 the immoral4 ,promptness in paying     
one's debts1 for example1 will for most 
men wear a reasonable or a foolish      
aspect according to the custom of their 
tribe--though here two class-standards  
make themselves distinctly felt2 and so 
the laugh may be turned1 as the custom  
changes1 from him whose tardiness in    
discharging liabilities suggests        
straitened means otherwise carefully    
concealed1 to him who displays an       
ungentlemanly haste in matters of a     
contemptible smallness4  ,it seems to   
follow that the adjustments of laughter 
to more universal norms1 to ideas of an 
inherent fitness in things1 are a kind  
of artificial addition to deeper and    

more instinctive tendencies4 ,the       
ordinary man1 even when he enjoys the   
spectacle of some laughable folly or    
vice1 #bie hardly transcends the point  
of view of custom1 from which what all  
men do is seen to be right4 ,it is only 
when a higher culture has made apparent 
the universality of the laughable1 as of
 its opposite the reasonable1 that a    
conscious resort to ideas becomes       
frequent4 ,this clarifying of our       
laughter by the infusion of ideas is1 in
 a special manner1 the work of experts1 
namely1 the moralist1 the literary      
critic1 and1 most of all1 the artist    
whose business it is to illumine the    
domain of the ludicrous4 ,this function 
of art will form the subject of a later 
chapter4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,in this chapter we have   
dealt merely with what ,i have called   
choral laughter1 that of groups1 smaller
 or larger4 ,there is1 however1 another 
kind1 the private laughter of the       
individual when alone1 or in the company

 of sympathetic friends4 ,this also has 
its pre-conditions in the processes of  
social evolution just touched upon4     
,such independent laughter would1 it is 
evident1 be impossible in the lowest    
stages of this evolution4 ,in the savage
 or quasi-savage state an oddly         
constituted member of a tribe--if such a
 being were possible--liable to be      
seized with a spasm of ridicule at the  
absurdities of tribal ceremonies would  
certainly encounter serious risks4 ,it  
has needed ages of social progress to   
establish the conditions of a safe      
individual liberty in the indulgence of 
the jocose temper4  ,this freedom in    
choosing one's own modes of laughter has
 gradually asserted itself as a part of 
all that we mean by individual liberty4 
,perhaps1 indeed1 it may be regarded as 
the highest phase and completion of this
 liberty4  ,this is not the place for a 
full inquiry into the complex conditions
 on which the development of a freer    
individual laughter depends4 ,it may be 

enough to point to the need #bif of an  
advance in ideas and the capability1    
among the few at least1 to form         
individual judgments1 which this advance
 implies4 ,a man who would laugh his own
 laugh must begin by developing his own 
perceptions and ideas4  ,a fuller       
understanding of the pre-conditions of  
an independent laughter will only be    
possible to one who has carefully       
examined its characteristics4 ,in the   
following chapter ,i propose to analyse 
that variety of the laughing temper     
which seems in a peculiar way to be an  
attribute of the developed individual4  
,this attribute is what is specially    
designated in these days by the term    
humour4  #big     ,,chapter ,x4         
,,laughter ,,of ,,the ,,individual3     
,,humour4   ,in the preceding chapter we
 have seen how the advance of           
civilisation has tended to still the    
louder choral voice of laughter4 ,yet   
man's best friend is not of the sort to 
take an affront too seriously4 ,driven  

out from the crowd1 he has known how to 
disguise himself and to steal back into 
the haunts of men1 touching here and    
there a human spirit and moving it to a 
quieter and perfectly safe enjoyment of 
things laughable4 ,this new endowment1  
this last inspiration of the mortal by  
the god1 is what we mean by ,humour4    
,perhaps hardly a word in the           
language--and it seems to be exclusively
 an ,english word--would be harder to   
define with scientific precision than   
this familiar one4 ,it is often used    
with the greatest degree of looseness1  
as when a man is endowed with humour    
because he laughs readily4#bef ,yet any 
one who takes pains in using words knows
 how far this is from being accurate4 ,a
 chronic garrulity of laughter1 typified
 in what ,mr4 ,meredith calls the       
8hypergelast10 stands1 indeed1 in marked
 contrast to what careful speech        
indicates by 8humour04 ,as its etymology
 might teach us1 the term connotes1 not 
so much the common endowment of #bih    

8risibility10 as a certain kind of      
temperament1 a complexion of sentiment1 
nay1 more1 a mode of psychical          
organisation4 ,we cannot1 therefore1    
think of the race as humorous1 and      
should even find it difficult to        
generalise the endowment so far as to   
speak of humorists as a class4 ,the     
humorous man or woman is so1 primarily  
and essentially1 by the unpurchasable   
possession of an individual mind4  ,this
 fact of a quite peculiar mixture of    
elements in the humorous person must    
never be lost sight of4 ,it dooms this  
person to a comparative solitude in the 
vocal expression of a feeling which is  
primarily social and communicative4 ,the
 idea of a large unison of utterance    
among humorous persons is not           
entertainable4 ,a man who has developed 
his humorous bent will be thankful if he
 finds in his social circle one or two  
who can understand1 and1 now and again1 
join in his quiet chuckle4  ,yet1 though
 essentially in every individual case a 

unique blend of elements1 humour has    
certain common characteristics4 ,what   
sort of temperament and mind are we     
thinking of when we agree to call       
,shakespeare1 ,cervantes1 ,goldsmith1   
,sterne1 ,lamb1 ,dickens1 and ,george   
,eliot humorists8  ,one thing we can say
 confidently1 that it is wanting in     
certain characteristics of the more     
diffused laughter4 ,it is far removed   
from the swift reflex gaiety of the     
child and the unthinking adult4 ,its    
laughter is not only quieter but has a  
slower movement1 and it is charged with 
a deeper meaning4 ,again1 its utterance 
differs in tone from the old brutal and 
contemptuous shout4 ,it voices itself in
 low and almost tender tones4 ,it is the
 laughter altogether farthest removed   
from the standpoint of the interested   
person3 there is in it nothing of the   
crowing over the vanquished1 hardly     
anything of a consciousness of the #bii 
superiority to which the uplifting of   
laughter may at the moment make valid   

claim4 ,hence1 one may hesitate to apply
 the name humorist to a writer in whose 
laughter--though it is commonly spoken  
of as humour--a note of derisive        
contempt begins to grow prominent4      
,these contrasts point clearly enough to
 certain positive characteristics of the
 moods of humour4 ,a quiet survey of    
things1 at once playful and reflective2 
a mode of greeting amusing shows which  
seems in its moderation to be both an   
indulgence in the sense of fun and an   
expiation for the rudeness of such      
indulgence2 an outward1 expansive       
movement of the spirits met and retarded
 by a cross-current of something like   
kindly thoughtfulness2 these clearly    
reveal themselves as some of its        
dominant traits4  ,at first it seems    
impossible to view this subtle and      
complex mental attitude as a development
 of the nave and rather coarse merriment
 of earlier times4 ,yet a slight        
examination of the choicest examples of 
what the discerning call humour would   

suffice to show that it finds its       
pasturage very much where the ,greek or 
the medival populace found it4          
,topsy-turvyness1 especially when it    
involves the fall of things from a      
height2 stumbling and awkwardness of all
 kinds2 human oddities when they grow to
 provocative dimensions2 all            
self-inflation with a view to force a   
reluctant notice2 the manifold          
masqueradings of mortals2 the           
unfitnesses of things to the demands of 
circumstances2 extravagances1           
perversities1 and the multitudinous     
follies of men2 these which move the    
rough man to his unconsidered           
cachinnation move also the humorous man 
to his slower and sotto voce note4  ,as 
our great woman humorist has it3        
8,strange as the genealogy may seem1 the
 original parentage of that wonderful   
and delicious mixture of fun1 fancy1    
philosophy and #cjj feeling1 which      
constitutes modern humour1 was probably 
the cruel mockery of a savage at the    

writhings of a suffering enemy--such is 
the tendency of things towards the      
better and more beautiful60#beg  ,in    
asserting that gentle humour has its    
descent from such an uncouth ancestry1  
we must not be supposed to imply that   
its genesis has been a sudden or a      
simple process4 ,as has been suggested1 
the sentiment is highly complex4 ,it    
presupposes in its possessor the        
presence of a particular assemblage of  
qualities which may be expected to be   
rare2 and a study of the development    
both of the individual and of the race  
tells us that this grouping of qualities
 is1 of all the products of nature's    
laboratory1 one of the most delicate1   
one exacting from her a very special    
effort of preparation4  ,although humour
 is correctly described as a sentiment1 
its most apparent1 if not most important
 condition1 is a development of         
intelligence4 ,it is plainly an example 
of what ,mr4 ,meredith calls 8the       
laughter of the mind10 an expression    

which makes the large presupposition    
that we have this mind4 ,it thrives best
 at the level of ideas4 ,yet the element
 of intellect which is vital to humour  
does not imply subtlety of mind1 still  
less the presence of ideas remote from  
the plane of ordinary men's             
understanding4 ,what is needed is a mind
 given to musing on what it observes--it
 may be that of a shrewd                
housewife--having a sufficient life and 
independence of movement to rise above  
the dull mechanical acceptance of       
things1 to pierce these with the ray of 
a fresh criticism4  ,the distinguishing 
intellectual element in humorous        
contemplation is a larger development of
 that power of grasping things together1
 and in their relations1 which is at    
#cja the root of all the higher         
perceptions of the laughable4 ,more     
particularly1 it is a mental habit of   
projecting things against their         
backgrounds1 of viewing them in their   
complete settings--so far as this       

involves those relations of contrariety 
which1 as we have allowed1 are of the   
essence of the ludicrous1 in the        
stricter sense of the term4 ,this       
comprehension of the setting is         
dependent on a process of imaginative   
reflection2 for the background which    
humour requires is not the same as the  
visible background1 but has1 to a       
considerable extent1 to be reinstated1  
or rather to be constructed4  ,this     
introduction into humour of something in
 the nature of a thinking process or    
reflection has this curious consequence1
 that it does not merely play about the 
realm of the serious1 as the earlier and
 simpler laughter does1 but comprehends1
 assimilates1 and becomes toned down    
into half-play by something of the      
weightier import of things1 of their    
value and their bearing on our welfare4 
,this is the paradox1 the secret of the 
humour-loving soul1 irritating at once  
to the merely serious person and to the 
light-hearted trifler4 ,in order to     

understand how this is effected1 we     
shall1 as will be seen presently1 need  
to look at other elements besides the   
intellectual4 ,yet we shall do well to  
note the fact that the possibility of   
this meeting of the playful and the     
serious in the mood of humour has its   
intellectual condition in an enlarged   
mental grasp of things4  ,our analysis  
of the objects which entice the laugh   
from man has suggested that the risible 
aspect nearly always coexists with other
 aspects4 ,the kind of physical defect  
which is amusing may also be wrong      
sthetically or hygienically1 and so on  
of the rest4 ,and though writers from   
,aristotle to ,bain have been careful to
 point out that the laughable defect or 
degradation must in its magnitude be    
below the threshold of the painfully    
ugly1 the #cjb blameworthy and so forth1
 it is perfectly clear that given a     
quick and comprehensive perception1 and 
a turn for musing on what is perceived1 
the serious tendency in that which      

amuses us will come into the margin of  
the field of vision4  ,in this way1 in  
the case of those who have developed the
 requisite combining organ1 a kind of   
binocular mental vision has become      
possible4 ,we enjoy pensively the       
presentation of ,don ,quixote1 of ,uncle
 ,toby1 and the other great humorous    
characters1 just because we are in a    
mood in which1 while giving ourselves up
 to an amusing spectacle1 we            
nevertheless embrace in our reflective  
survey1 and are affected by1 something  
of its deeper meaning4  ,a full account 
of the humorous way of regarding things 
would trace out all the subtle          
interpenetrations of merry fooling and  
serious inspection1 of a light and merry
 fancy and a sober reason4 ,a hint1     
only1 on their modes of combination1 can
 be given here4  ,a finer appreciation  
of contrasts1 and of relations          
generally1 will often serve to enrich   
the impression given by a palpable      
instance of the laughable4 ,a small     

plump child falls on the floor with     
sonorous effect3 the sudden flopping    
down is fraught with entertainment for  
all men4 ,the observer who can          
contemplate thoughtfully1 enjoys the    
fall also1 but more quietly and with a  
larger process of mental assimilation4  
,his mind discerns in the trivial       
incident such things1 perhaps1 as the   
compact sturdiness of nature            
re-establishing itself by vigorous      
efforts duly announced by grunts1 and   
the harmlessness of falls when bones and
 joints are young1 as compared with     
those of the old1 of which in many      
respects the child's fall may remind    
him4 ,it is a train of ideas of this    
kind1 though only half-consciously      
pursued1 which gives to the thumping    
fall much of its value for the humorous 
observer4 #cjc  ,again1 the development 
of the intelligence to a large and      
varied activity will1 by quickening the 
faculty of seizing relations1 open up   
new and spacious fields for the         

humorist's quiet contemplation4 ,to one 
bringing a mental eye focussed for the  
amusing juxtaposition1 and a temper     
disposed to muse on what he sees1 how   
much of the entertaining may reveal     
itself in common sights1 such as that of
 a thin wheezy man joining in shouts of 
a full-blooded ,jingo crowd1 or that of 
a woman1 whose head has just been       
pommelled by her rightful lord1 turning 
upon and 8slanging0 the bystander who   
has foolishly tried to curb an excessive
 assertion of marital rights4#beh ,the  
possession of ideas1 again1 will help a 
man at once sympathetically to realise  
and to transcend limited points of view 
when they come into collision1 and so to
 gather much ruminating amusement4 ,how 
large a scope1 for example1 for such    
quiet entertainment opens up in the     
rejoinder of ,mrs4 ,flynn1 an ,irish    
lady who had been brought before a      
magistrate for assaulting her husband1  
and commiserated by that compassionate  
functionary on her sad plight with one  

eye closed and the head bandaged3 8,och1
 yer worship1 just wait till yez see    
,flynn04 ,the recognition of the real   
proportions of a zest for battle and a  
taste for compassion in the stalwart    
,irish dame1 unsuspected by kindly      
magistrates1 at once gives us the point 
of view for a half-serious1 half-amusing
 contemplation of human relations4  ,as 
these illustrations suggest1 the point  
of view of the humorous observer is not 
a fixed one4 ,sometimes the freshness1  
the sense of liberation from the        
stupidly commonplace1 will come by      
applying a rational idea to things which
 are not accustomed to the treatment4   
,at other times1 when the intelligence  
happens to be more sprightly1 the new   
point of #cjd view is reached by a      
flight of fancy which loves to perch    
itself on some outlook far from that of 
a rational criticism4 ,the humorous sort
 of mind delights in the play of        
inverting ordinary arrangements1 say1 of
 making man and beast1 father and son1  

exchange places1 or1 as in ,lewis       
,carroll's delightful instance of an    
ideal experiment1 of putting the sane   
people in asylums and allowing the      
lunatics to go at large4#bei  ,it       
follows that humorous contemplation will
 have many shades of seriousness4 ,in   
some instances1 the proportion of the   
rational element leads us to speak of it
 as wisdom laughing1--8ridentem dicere  
verum02 in others1 in which the         
predominance of a capricious fancy      
brings the expression near that of      
sportive wit1 to describe it rather as  
laughter sobered by a word of wisdom4   
,yet it may be said that in every state 
which we describe as one of humorous    
enjoyment the rational element itself1  
affected by its alliance1 puts on a     
half-festive attire1 so that after all  
the whole mind may be said to join in   
the play4#bfj  ,the humorous state is1  
however1 much more than a peculiar      
modification of the processes of        
intelligence4 ,it cannot be constituted 

by a mere train of cold perceptions and 
ideas4 ,it means that the whole         
consciousness is for the time modified  
by the taking on of a new attitude or   
mood4 ,the play of young fancy about the
 grave elderly form of reason1 which is 
half-coaxed to play too1 comes from this
 new tone of the whole mind4  ,this     
mental tone involves a peculiar         
modification of the conative processes4 
,all laughing scrutiny of things1 as a  
play-attitude1 is a sort of relaxation  
of the set concentration #cje of a      
conative purpose4 ,whenever we laugh1 if
 it be only with a child at the         
jocosities of a clown1 we are freed from
 the constraining force of the practical
 and even of the theoretical interests  
which commonly hold and confine our     
minds when we observe closely4 ,in such 
moments we abandon ourselves to the     
tickling play of the object on our      
perceptions and ideational tendencies4  
,in humour this self-abandonment takes  
on a shade of seriousness1 not because  

the relaxation of the conative effort is
 less complete1 but because the         
self-abandonment is that of a mind so   
habitually reflective that1 even when it
 is at play1 it does not wholly lose    
sight of the serious import of the      
thoughts which minister to its          
entertainment2 because it dimly         
recognises the worth of the standard    
ideas1 by the lightest allusion to which
 it is able to indulge in a playful     
criticism of what is presented4  ,the   
deeper secret of the mood of humour1    
however1 lies in a peculiar modification
 of the feeling-tone of consciousness4  
,in this1 it is at once evident1 we have
 to do with a special example of        
complexity4 ,the laughter tinged with   
something akin to sadness is a mixture  
of feeling-tones2 of tones1 too1 which  
seem directly opposed and likely to be  
mutually repugnant4  ,the gaiety of     
laughter begins to be complicated with  
an undertone by the half-intrusion into 
consciousness of the serious import of  

things4 ,to be aware1 however           
indistinctly1 that the world has its    
serious side1 is to lose the child's    
note of pure mirth1 is to have a touch  
of sadness added to our laughter4  ,the 
more serious complication comes1        
however1 when the regrettable side of   
the laughable object makes itself felt4 
,the effect of this on the humorous     
person has nothing in common with that  
of the exhibition of folly on #cjf the  
contemptuous person4 ,it is the very    
opposite to the feeling of one who      
rejoices in another's discomfiture as   
such4 ,it is a sense of the implicated  
8pity of it04 ,a person completely      
humorous is essentially sympathetic1    
skilled in the humane art of            
transporting himself to others'         
standpoints1 of comprehending men's     
doings and words in the warm light      
thrown by the human affections4 ,by     
some1 indeed1 sympathy is regarded as   
the great distinguishing characteristic 
of humour4#bfa ,but it seems well to add

 that it is the infusion of a           
proportionate amount of the sympathetic 
into our blithe survey of things which  
carries us far in the path of humorous  
appreciation4 ,a sympathy of a step too 
quick for the sense of fun to keep      
abreast in friendly comradeship will1 as
 ,flaubert says happened in his case in 
later life1#bfb make an end of laughter4
  ,it is but a step from this           
recognition of the regrettableness of   
what amuses us to a discernment of what1
 in its turn1 tones down the sadness of 
regret1 of the fine threads which attach
 the laughable defect to elements of    
real worth4 ,humour1 of the richer kinds
 at least1 certainly includes something 
of consideration1 of a detection1 in the
 laughable quality or its attachments1  
of suggestions of what is estimable and 
lovable4  ,the disposition to think well
 of what amuses us may come in the first
 instance from an impulse of gratitude4 
,so ready are we in general to          
acknowledge another's entertainment of  

us that1 even when the pleasure bestowed
 is known to have been given quite      
unwittingly1 we cannot quite check the  
impulse to tender thanks4 #cjg  ,again1 
that which amuses us will often1 when   
thoughtfully considered1 show itself to 
be bound up with what is really         
estimable4 ,it is exaggerations of good 
qualities which are so amusing1         
especially when through sheer obstinacy 
they tend to become the whole man1 and  
to provoke while they entertain4 ,comedy
 will sometimes--in the figure of       
,molire's ,alceste1 for example--exhibit
 to us this clinging of the laughable to
 the skirts of excellence4 ,but it is   
only to the more reflective mood of     
humour1 to which comedy1 as we shall    
see1 does not appeal1 that this         
coexistence of the quality and its      
defects1 fully discloses itself4        
,sometimes1 too1 even though we fail to 
discern its partial redemption through  
an organic connection with a worthy     
trait1 a laughable defect may take on   

the appearance of a condonable and      
almost lovable blemish of character4    
,thus it is with the small imperfections
 seen in men recognised to be           
substantially good1 imperfections which 
bring them nearer to us and so make them
 comprehensible4 ,thus1 too1 is it with 
the ignorances and simplicities of      
children1 which1 even while they bring  
the smile1 disclose their worth as pure 
expressions of child-nature4  ,by       
speaking of a sentiment of humour we    
imply that the kindly feeling somehow   
combines with the gaiety of laughter in 
a new type of emotional consciousness4  
,this combination1 again1 seems to      
involve a simultaneous presence in      
consciousness of the two elements1 and  
not merely a rapid alternation of two   
phases of feeling4 ,it is this          
simultaneous rise and partial fusion of 
a gay and a sad tone of feeling which   
differentiates humour proper from the   
feeling of ages to which the proximity  
of the laughable and the pathetic in    

things was familiar enough1 as we may   
see1 for example1 from ,pope's lines on 
,addison3-- #cjh      ,who but must     
laugh if such a man there be8     ,who  
would not weep1 if ,atticus were he8    
,again1 as a harmonious blending of     
elements the sentiment of humour        
contrasts with that mere mixture of     
pleasurable and painful ingredients     
which ,plato thought he detected in all 
laughter4#bfc  ,the psychology of the   
emotions is still in a backward state1  
and we know very little about the laws  
of their fusion4#bfd ,one or two points 
may1 however1 be touched on4  ,it must  
be remembered that two feelings         
simultaneously excited may clash and    
refuse to combine in a peaceful whole4  
,this commonly happens1 indeed1 when    
they are repugnant in kind1 e4g41 pride 
and tenderness1 and when both are       
powerfully excited4 ,emotional fusion   
means that this repugnance is somehow   
overcome1 that the constituent emotive  
processes combine in some new current of

 consciousness4 ,not that the elements  
need be wholly submerged in the product2
 they may remain as tones remain in a   
chord1 half-disclosed1 though profoundly
 modified by their concomitants4 ,such a
 state of partial fusion may be         
illustrated in our moods of memory1 in  
which delight in the recovery of lost   
experiences is tempered with regret4    
,the conditions of such a peaceful1     
harmonious confluence of dissimilar     
feelings are various4 ,the effect may be
 furthered by the presence of points of 
affinity among the elements2 whence the 
sentiments which dignify their objects1 
such as love and admiration1 readily    
combine4 ,this holds good to some extent
 of the constituents of humour1 since   
amusement and something like tender     
regard for him who amuses us are plainly
 allied4 ,yet this #cji consideration   
does not seem to help us in             
understanding how the two polar moods of
 hilarity and sadness should be able to 
combine4  ,we may be helped here by     

setting out from the fact of a          
simultaneous appeal to the dissimilar   
feelings by the same presentation4 ,when
 this occurs again and again1 it is     
probable that organic modifications may 
be effected by the simultaneous action  
of the double stimulus4 ,nobody begins  
by feeling amused and sorry at the same 
moment4 ,the boy and the savage may have
 a moment of mild pity for an ugly piece
 of deformity2 but this moment comes    
after the laughing is over4 ,the        
co-presentation of the sad and the      
amusing had1 we may be sure1 to be      
repeated during many generations of men 
before the two currents could join in   
one smooth flow4  ,those who find the   
core of an emotion in a widely diffused 
organic process may reason that such    
repetitions of a complex emotional      
stimulation may modify the nervous      
system in some way1 so as to allow of   
the combination of some parts at least  
of the bodily resonances characteristic 
of the emotional constituents4 ,for one 

thing1 the fact1 already alluded to1    
that there is a certain community of    
physiological process in the case of    
laughter and of the expression of grief1
 may help us1 to some extent1 to        
understand the combination4#bfe ,yet    
mutual inhibition by the two sets of    
organic processes involved seems to be  
the principal agency in the case4 ,the  
more energetic movements of laughter are
 without doubt restrained by an         
admixture of sympathy4 ,perhaps if we   
understood the physics of organic       
processes1 we might speak here of an    
8interference10 or1 at least1 of some   
antagonistic action between the         
motor-impulses of the laugh and of the  
sigh4 #caj  ,one other condition seems  
to be important4 ,where emotions are    
widely dissimilar and likely to be      
antagonistic1 it is necessary that they 
should not both be excited in a high    
degree4 ,we may succeed in getting a    
blend between a gentle laugh and a mild 
pity1 though certainly not between a    

state of mirthful excitement and one of 
deep compassion4 ,the moods of humour   
run in low keys1 laughter and kindly    
sentiment being each toned down as if   
for smoother confluence4 ,this need of a
 reduction of the force of consorting   
emotions may1 too1 find its explanation 
in the conditions of the organic        
processes which have to be combined4    
,this does not imply1 however1 that the 
two feelings which unite in humour are  
of equal strength4 ,as hinted above1    
humour seems always1 even when an almost
 poignant sadness pierces it1 to        
maintain itself at the level of a quiet 
enjoyment4 ,it answers to the mood which
 has been called the luxury of pity1 in 
which the sense of pain has shrunk away 
to a scarcely heard over-tone1 while the
 ground-tone of alleviating tenderness  
sounds out clear and full4  ,this       
analysis may help us to understand why  
,mr4 ,meredith has called the laughter  
of ,shakespeare and ,cervantes 8the     
richer laugh of heart and mind in       

one04#bff ,it may help us1 too1 to      
interpret some things said by the       
,german metaphysicians about laughter4  
,kant1 for instance1 redeems the poverty
 of his general theory by a memorable   
passage on the amusing aspect of a navet
 of behaviour which does not know how to
 hide itself4 ,he allows that in this   
case there is mingled with the          
laughter--which he supposes to arise    
from an annihilation of the expectation 
of the customary--something of          
earnestness and of respect1 as we       
reflect that what is infinitely better  
than accepted codes of manners 7,sitte71
 namely1 purity of natural #caa         
disposition 7,denkungsart71 is not      
wholly extinguished in human nature4#bfg
  ,our analysis of humour may help us to
 understand some well-recognised facts4 
,it teaches us that a sentiment1 at once
 complex and implying a mature          
reflection1 must not be looked for in   
the young2 it is the prerogative of the 
years which have hoarded experiences and

 learned to reflect4 ,nor1 as implied in
 what was said above1 is it to be sought
 for in the youth of the world4 ,that   
humour is--in its clearest and fullest  
utterance at least--the possession of   
modern times1 the period ushered in by  
the appearance of the great trio1       
,rabelais1 ,cervantes and ,shakespeare1 
is explained by saying that1 like music1
 it fits itself into the ways of our new
 spirit4  ,the apprehension of this     
complex basis of humour helps us1       
further1 to understand somewhat the     
curious variations of the attitude among
 races and peoples4 ,there are regions  
of civilisation where1 so far as        
literary expression gives us the key1   
laughter seems to remain at1 or at most 
only a little above1 the level of the   
child's simple merriment4 ,this appears 
to be true of certain portions of the   
,east1 where a considerable love of fun 
coexists with a predominant gravity of  
mind without interpenetration1 almost   
without contact4#bfh ,among certain     

races of ,southern ,europe1 too1 which  
have produced a rich literature of      
amusement1 the blending of the serious  
and the playful1 which is of the essence
 of humour seems to be but very         
imperfectly reached4 ,the gaiety of the 
medival ,conte is the gaiety of the     
,frenchman who1 #cab in spite of one or 
two literary exceptions1 likes to keep  
his thinking and his mirth distinct1 in 
their original purity and nettet4#bfi   
,frenchmen1 such as ,m4 ,taine and ,m4  
,scherer1 have fully recognised the fact
 that what we mean by humour is a       
product of the triste nord4 ,what racial
 characteristics have served to further 
its growth in this region1 it may not be
 easy to say4 ,perhaps1 the closest     
approximation to an explanation may be  
found in the hypothesis that a vigorous 
germ of laughter fertilised by a        
disposition to brooding melancholy      
always tends to generate something of   
the nature of humour2 and that1 as we   
shall presently see1 utility does       

something for its preservation4  ,the   
consideration of the complexity of the  
sentiment may throw light1 further1 on  
its modifications among the peoples     
which are correctly spoken of as endowed
 with it4 ,these differences are roughly
 accounted for by saying that the       
proportions of gravity and gaiety1 of   
serious reflection and playful fancy    
vary indefinitely4 ,they are certainly  
different1 let us say1 in the case of   
the ,englishman1 the ,american1 the     
,scotchman and the ,irishman4 ,yet this 
consideration does not account for all  
the dissimilarity4 ,since humour is     
playfulness modified by the whole       
serious temper of a man1 we should      
expect it to differentiate itself into  
many shades according to the trend of   
the ideas1 interests1 impulses and the  
rest which distinguishes one sort of    
mind or character from another4 ,we can 
only fully understand the contrast      
between ,american and ,english1 or      
between ,irish and ,scotch1 humour1 when

 we understand the differences #cac of  
character4 ,an amusing ,irish or ,scotch
 story1 one1 that is to say1 which is   
produced for home-consumption1 seems to 
be redolent of the whole temperament1   
mind and character of the people4 ,it is
 this complexity of the sentiment which 
makes the amiable effort to illustrate  
the humour of other peoples by published
 selections a pathetic futility4 ,how   
can one expect1 for example1 the        
ordinary ,englishman to get into touch  
with that fine product of child's fun1  
quick fancy1 alert sympathy1            
open-heartedness1 and a deep brooding   
sentiment which meets him in the humour 
of the ,irishman8 ,it is enough to      
remember how he is wont to laugh his    
superior laugh at an ,irish bull1 as if 
this were necessarily an unconscious    
8howler10 whereas it may be1 in reality1
 a charming expression of a most amiable
 trait of character4#bgj  ,a due        
recognition of the complexity of the    
sentiment discloses to us a point of    

capital importance3 humour1 in the sense
 of a perfect fusion of play and        
gravity1 of the aggressiveness of       
laughter and kindly consideration1 is1  
as already hinted1 pre-eminently an     
endowment of individuals rather than of 
races4 ,it presupposes a basis of       
temperament which1 though it may be     
favoured by certain racial characters1  
is only realised where nature hits upon 
a particular proportion among the       
elements by the mixing of which she     
produces an individual2 and so nice an  
operation is this mixture1 that humour1 
of the full rich quality at least1 is   
perhaps less frequently handed down from
 parent to child than specific forms of 
talent4  ,the old writers treated humour
 by help of their general #cad theory of
 temperaments as compounded of certain  
physical elements4 ,the learned ,burton1
 for instance1 in the chapter already   
quoted1 discourses agreeably of pleasant
 vapours which break from the heart1 and
 thinks that these may explain why the  

melancholy are witty1 as ,aristotle     
suggested4 ,the passage is valuable as  
indicating that antiquity recognised the
 connection between laughter and the    
melancholy disposition4 ,modern         
testimony might be added4 ,thus ,savage 
,landor remarks that genuine humour1 as 
well as true wit1 requires a sound and  
capacious mind1 which is always a grave 
one2#bga and ,tennyson notes that humour
 8is generally most fruitful in the     
highest and most solemn human           
spirits04#bgb  ,the need of this deep   
and massive seriousness1 if not of a    
marked tendency to sombre reflection1   
seems to be borne out by what we know of
 the great humorists4 ,sainte-,beuve    
regards ,rabelais1 who was a grave      
doctor1 and who worthily represented in 
his public lectures at ,lyons 8the      
majesty of science10 as writing with the
 quite serious purpose of throwing out  
in advance certain ideas of deep import 
7de grand sens7 8dans un rire immense04 
,much the same is true of ,cervantes1   

who is said--though the assertion has   
been challenged--to have conceived of   
his delightful romance in the dreary    
surroundings of a sponging-house4#bgc   
,the germination of a mirthful sense in 
the soil of a serious character has been
 noted1 indeed1 in the case of some who 
represent the lighter moods of comedy--a
 fact which points to the more general  
relation of laughter to seriousness     
spoken of in an earlier chapter4 ,thus  
#cae ,sainte-,beuve1 writing of ,molire1
 says that he was called 8the           
contemplative02 and was wont to be taken
 with sadness 7tristesse7 and melancholy
 when he was alone4#bgd ,victor ,hugo   
has somewhere spoken of him as 8ce      
moqueur pensif comme un aptre04 ,it was 
remarked of ,sheridan and other dealers 
in the mirthful by those who knew them  
that they seldom even smiled4  ,it is   
easy to see that the transformation of  
laughter which we find in humour will   
carry with it a large modification of   
the range of enjoyment4 ,while1 as has  

been admitted1 the changes of feeling   
and mental attitude involved will tend  
to restrain the earlier reckless        
merriment1 they will also add vast      
regions to the territory of the amusing4
  ,with regard to restriction1 one must 
protest against the common              
misapprehension1 that the development of
 humour spoils the taste for simple     
modes of mirth4 ,i have known           
sad-looking humorists who were well     
endowed with the valuable capability of 
joining in children's fun4 ,what humour 
does undoubtedly restrain is any        
tendency in laughter which smacks of the
 brute and the bully in man4  ,on the   
other hand1 the field of objects over   
which humour wanders bee-like gathering 
its honey is vastly greater than any    
region known to the rougher and more    
brutal merriment4 ,the introduction of a
 reflective element and of higher points
 of view expands the horizon to an      
incalculable extent4  ,this change in   
point of view means at once that we     

penetrate below the surface of things1  
reaching the half-veiled realities1 and 
that we envisage them in a network of   
relations4 ,the former is illustrated in
 the humorist's finer contemplation of  
behaviour as a revelation of character4 
#caf ,an amplitude of enjoyment is      
secured by the circumstance that1 even  
in the case of the self-vigilant1       
intellectual and moral weaknesses have a
 way of peeping out which is most       
convenient for a humorous onlooker who  
has his mental eye duly accommodated4   
,when1 for example1 a young teacher1    
asked by an examiner to explain         
8congenital tendency10 wrote1 8,it is   
the tendency to be congenial and        
pleasant3 children vary in this         
characteristic10 the entertainment of   
the error for the reader lay in the nave
 disclosure of the preoccupation of the 
writer's mind with the chequered        
fortunes of her profession4 ,or again1  
when another candidate from the same    
class1 in describing the qualifications 

of a teacher1 wrote3 8,he should be as  
intimately acquainted with the workings 
of a child's mind as the engine-driver  
is with the engine10 the fun of the     
comparison for the reader came from the 
detection of an unscientific habit of   
mind1 natural enough in an over-zealous 
worker1 intruding1 unobserved1 into     
theoretic reflection4  ,these innocent  
self-revelations meet the watchful eye  
of the humorist everywhere in the haunts
 of men4 ,they lie like hoar frost in   
the sun on his surroundings1 on which he
 unwittingly casts a reflection of the  
habits of his mind and of the directions
 of his taste2 as when in a large town  
bizarre juxtapositions of the vulgar    
heroic strike the observer's eye in the 
names of streets1 or of loose engines on
 a railway4  ,to this finer penetration 
the humorous faculty adds a vision for  
relations which distinguishes the higher
 kind of judgment4 ,what we call the    
ludicrous in character is1 indeed1      
always to some extent a matter of       

relations4 ,as implied above1 it is the 
view of some trait set in a particular  
milieu which brings the smile4 ,the     
hidden weakness may entertain because of
 its juxtaposition with something that  
#cag is worthy1 or at least has an      
appearance of worth4 ,in a certain kind 
of impulsive person1 for example1 there 
discloses itself to the humorous eye an 
almost admirable consistency in the     
recurring inconsistencies2 while1 on the
 other hand1 in another sort of         
character1 that eye will rather spy an  
inconsistency within the limits of a    
quality1 as when a person1 on the whole 
generous1 lapses into a kind of         
niggardliness in certain small          
particulars of expenditure1 as if to    
show that even a moral quality1 firmly  
planted1 needs the sunlight of          
intelligence4 ,in many cases the        
entertainment in observing character    
comes1 not so much through a perception 
of the juxtaposition of something worthy
 and something slightly unworthy1 as    

through a detection of some discrepancy 
between the character and the rle       
assumed at the moment1 as when a        
self-assertive sense of justice1 in 8a  
child of larger growth10 reveals itself 
in the quaint exaggeration of doing more
 than justice to oneself4 ,no better    
terrain1 indeed1 for a chase after the  
imperfectly masked will be found than   
that of the manners of persons who are  
quite above suspicion of serious fault4 
,perhaps it is a certain kind of woman  
who shows the greatest skill in this    
humorous reading of character1 as when  
she sets herself to decipher the        
palimpsest of manners in one educated   
rather late in life1 detecting traces of
 the earlier cramped hand below the thin
 caligraphy of a later culture4  ,to a  
finer perception of relations1 again1   
must we ascribe the readiness to enjoy  
the large and variegated presentment of 
unsuitabilities of men to their         
circumstances4 ,the situations in which 
the merry god1 who seems to arrange the 

puppet show1 often chooses to place us  
are pregnant of ironical suggestion to  
the contemplative eye of humour4 ,the   
necessity of confronting what nature    
never intended #cah that we should      
confront makes us an amusing spectacle  
to the twinkling eyes above us4 ,how    
delightful for example is the variety of
 social juxtaposition which brings      
embarrassment to the encounterers4 ,when
 it is not accident but a man's foolish 
impulse1 unmindful of limitations of    
capability1 which pushes him into the   
awkward situation1 as when his civility 
plunges him into discourse in a foreign 
language with a fellow-traveller1 or    
when the most undecided of men attempts 
to make a proposal of marriage1 the     
value of the situation for the humorous 
observer is greatly enhanced4  ,as with 
the topsy-turvyness of momentary        
situation1 so with more permanent       
incongruities between character and     
surroundings4 ,in this case a more      
special gift of humorous insight is     

needed2 for to the many what lasts grows
 seemingly right by its mere durability4
 ,you may make a highly unsuitable      
person a bishop1 or the editor of a     
comic journal1 and you will find that1  
for most onlookers1 time will soon begin
 to invest the position with a sort of  
suitability4 ,even an ill-matched       
connubial pair will take on something of
 mutual appropriateness through this    
influence of the customary on human     
judgments4 ,but the eye of the humorous 
onlooker1 guided by ideas1 entertains   
itself with stripping off the trappings 
of convention and use4  ,this humorous  
quizzing of the characters and of the   
revealed mental processes of those about
 us has grown1 in the case of a few1    
into a chief pastime4 ,the development  
in these days of a keener interest in   
character1 which is partly reflected in1
 partly the product of1 modern fiction1 
has led these few to something like a   
sustained and methodical survey of their
 acquaintances and their friends1 in    

which the quiet laughter of the humorist
 may find ample room4 ,a part of the    
temperate mirth in this case springs out
 of the delightful surprises--the result
 of the complexity of organic #cai      
products and of the limitations of our  
powers of prediction4 ,the appearance of
 a moral metamorphosis when a man comes 
under the influence of some new force1  
say a wife1 or the invasion of his      
social world by a war-craze1 may amuse a
 humorous observer much as the semblance
 of a physical transformation amuses    
him4 ,in this habitual contemplation by 
a humorous person of those he knows1    
there is1 evidently1 a blending of      
amusement with kindly interest4 ,that   
is1 indeed1 the note of much of the     
8psychologising0 at which many1         
instructed by the best fiction1 now try 
their hand4 ,the combination of the     
playful with the respectful attitude is 
nowhere more plainly seen than in our   
new estimates of diversity of character 
and of individuality4 ,the contemplation

 of the result of some new experiment of
 nature in the variation of the human   
type1 will always bring something of the
 gaiety which is provoked by the sight  
of a fresh oddity2 yet our new regard   
for individuality1 as discriminated from
 eccentricity1 brings down the mirthful 
utterance to the low tones of humour4   
,there is another way in which the      
development of the humorous faculty     
enlarges the sphere of the risible4 ,in 
the simple nature of children and       
uncultured adults1 fun and seriousness  
tend to dwell apart4 ,the introduction  
of a serious element into the mood of   
amusement1 which is at the basis of     
humour1 makes a breach in the dividing  
wall4 ,as a consequence1 the humorist1  
though a profoundly serious person1 will
 show a readiness in the midst of grave 
occupations to digress for a moment at  
the prick of some ludicrous suggestion4 
,good talkers and letter-writers1       
including women with the quick ear for  
the bubblings of fun1 are thus given to 

momentary interruptions of serious      
discourse by side-glances at amusing    
aspects1 and many persons who take      
themselves to be humorists are apt to be
 shocked at #cbj the proceeding4 ,yet1  
in truth1 the extent to which a man     
succeeds in making laughter permeate the
 sphere of the serious1 without         
loosening its deep-laid foundation of   
gravity1 is one of the best measures of 
the vitality of his humour4 ,it is this 
resolute yet perfectly respectful       
invasion of the domain of the serious by
 humour which has made a good deal of   
modern literature possible4 ,of this1   
more anon3 it may suffice for the       
present to call attention to a work of a
 friend of mine dealing with a subject  
which might well seem to be dismally    
serious--logic itself1 a work which     
attempts with conspicuous success1 while
 maintaining the dignity of the science1
 to relieve its heaviness by a good     
number of amusing remarks and           
illustrations4#bge  ,yet the expansion  

of the range of enjoyment when mindless 
mirth gives place to humour is not      
wholly due to the absorption of a       
serious element4 ,one chief limitation  
of the more common kind of laughter     
arises from the circumstance that it is 
apt to be disagreeable to the person who
 is its object4 ,this dislike1 again1 is
 due1 as we have seen1 to a natural     
feeling of resentment at being taken    
down and treated as an inferior4 ,so    
long as the laughter retains a distinct 
vibration of the old note of contempt1  
we must resist it2 but when it grows    
mellow and kindly we are ready to       
withdraw the objection4 ,there is       
nothing so terrible in having fun poked 
at our foibles1 or even at our petty    
misfortunes1 so long as we know that a  
friendly face is hiding behind the      
laughing mask4 ,if a person only gives  
the assurance in his way of laughing    
that contempt is drowned in a more      
genial sentiment1 he may laugh at his   
children1 aye at his parents1 too1 even 

when they grow old and infirm4 ,nor is a
 previous knowledge of friendly         
disposition always needed4 ,there are a 
few whose mellow #cba laughter will     
instantly disarm resistance in a        
stranger--in the street boy1 for        
example1 though he has the double       
sensitiveness of the poor and of the    
young4  ,from this frank acceptance of  
others' overtures of a friendly laughter
 to the practice of a humorous          
self-criticism1 there would seem to be  
but a step4 ,if humour always involves  
some degree of sympathetic              
self-projection into the object of      
contemplation1 it should not be         
difficult to turn the humorous glance   
upon one's own foibles4 ,self-inspection
 is a thing of various kinds1 and there 
are varieties of it 7for example1 the   
performances of the 8moi spectateur0 in 
the case of that curious young lady1    
,marie ,bashkirtseff7 which are removed 
by the amplitude of the sky from        
humorous self-quizzing4 ,the last is    

perhaps the most rarely practised4      
,before he can accomplish it1 a person  
must not only have developed a 8higher  
ego0 capable of criticism in the light  
of ideas1 but have learned to see       
himself as others--especially humorous  
onlookers--see him1 a feat hardly less  
difficult than that of getting a glimpse
 of the crown of one's head4  ,that the 
doings of the lower ego1 or rather      
cluster of egos1 are fitted to afford an
 ample supply of the amusing goes       
without saying4 ,human nature is so     
oddly compounded1 even in the best of   
us1 that it only needs the clear vision 
to detect incongruity and the masking of
 the real4 ,thus1 it is frequently easy 
to spy the stealthy advances of         
rudimentary tendencies which seem hardly
 to belong to us1 and which we are      
disposed to disown2 still more          
frequently1 to light on a whole crop of 
little inconsequences which are due to  
the complexity of our soul's workings1  
and to the irremovable circumstance     

that1 however predominant some better   
part of us seems to be for the moment1  
the suppressed forces turn out to be    
only half-suppressed4 ,it is well when  
such #cbb self-scrutiny can be carried  
on without any risk of encountering     
forms of ugliness and of ill omen1 which
 would make speedy end of the amusing   
exercise4  ,the quiet fun that may be   
enjoyed by occasional glances at        
ourselves is so palpable1 that it hardly
 seems conceivable how any true humorist
 should fail to pluck the tempting      
fruit4 ,yet when one finds a man who is 
wholly incapable of accepting another's 
playful laughter1 it seems a fair       
inference that he will be found lacking 
in the disposition to amuse himself with
 conning his own doings4 ,the resentment
 which a distinguished purveyor of      
mirthful entertainment will sometimes   
exhibit at being treated with a humorous
 freedom1 say by a lady interviewer     
whose overtures have been rejected with 
needless emphasis1 suggests that a mind 

may train itself in the detection of the
 ludicrous in the larger show outside1  
and yet remain blind to all the comic   
aspects of the microcosm within4        
,perhaps every humorous contemplator of 
things has some 8blind spot10 of the    
existence of which he is just as        
ignorant as of his retinal blind-spot2  
and if this failure of sensibility      
chances to render invisible the whole of
 the humorist's own behaviour1 the      
contraction of the field of vision is   
certainly a considerable one4  ,we have 
seen that the earlier forms of human    
laughter have their uses as contributing
 to the stability or the improvement of 
a society or social group4 ,when1       
however1 we turn to the milder and more 
complex sentiment of humour we appear to
 lose these social benefits4 ,as has    
been implied1 the development of the    
sense of humour in any vigorous and     
fruitful form is a rarity1 so much so as
 to condemn its possessor in a large    
measure to a solitary kind of           

satisfaction4 ,the change may be        
expected to effect a transformation of  
the serviceable function of laughter1 to
 #cbc make it1 in the main1 a thing     
wholesome1 refreshing and edifying of   
character1 to the individual himself4   
,it is true1 no doubt1 that a refined   
humour is capable of being turned at    
times to the same social uses as its    
ancestor1 the elemental laughter of the 
people4 ,one may see1 in the journalism 
and literature of the hour1 foibles1    
exaggerations and other amusing things  
dealt with in a humorous or             
quasi-humorous temper4 ,the gentleness  
to which humour inclines allows1 indeed1
 of attacks on parties1 schools and     
personalities which would otherwise run 
the risk of being condemned as 8bad     
form04 ,yet something of a serious      
practical purpose1 namely1 to hold up to
 ridicule1 can always be detected in    
this kind of writing3 whence it is      
correctly designated1 not as humour1 but
 as 8social satire04  ,on the other     

hand1 the moods of humour are admirably 
fitted for that indirect adaptation of  
the individual to social conditions     
which we call self-criticism4 ,this     
humorous self-quizzing may be started by
 the spectacle of comedy1 as ,lessing   
and others suggest2 yet this1 as we     
shall see later1 is not to be counted   
on4 ,if a man wants promptly to detect  
the first flecks of dust on the bright  
surface of character1 he must be        
habitually ready to note this surface4  
,this office of humour in helping us to 
nip evil tendencies in the bud may be   
viewed1 in part1 as the vicarious       
discharge by the critical self of the   
restraining function of the community on
 the individual4 ,none of us can safely 
wander far and long from the point of   
wholesome contact with the community1   
that is to say1 with the good sense and 
the right feeling embodied in a         
community4 ,to master the not too easy  
art of seeing ourselves as others--for  
whose judgment we should care--see us is

 surely #cbd eminently fitting for those
 who desire to laugh at what is         
objectively laughable4  ,nevertheless1  
it must not be supposed that in such    
private self-correction we are always at
 the social point of view4 ,humour is   
the outgrowth of a pronounced           
individuality2 its possession seems     
always to imply that a person forms his 
own ideas of the value of things1 guided
 of course by the world's teachers1 but 
caring little whether his views agree   
with those which happen to obtain in his
 community at the moment4 ,here1 again1 
in the high service rendered by a       
vigilant humour1 we find the work of    
reflection carried out by the help of   
ideas or ideal conceptions1 which are in
 part a product of the individual mind4 
,the laughing rebuke administered to    
some folly1 which lifts its head once   
more after many repressive blows1 comes 
from the ideal self2 which1 though it   
must have nourished itself in some      
8communion of saints10 becomes in the   

end free and self-legislative4          
8,correction0 seems too strong a word to
 use for this prophylactic function2    
for1 as we have seen1 humour does not   
readily lend itself as an instrument to 
serious purposes4 ,what the habit of a  
quick humorous perception does for its  
subject here is best described1 perhaps1
 as the fostering of a pure and         
wholesome atmosphere in the soul1 in    
which disease-germs must perforce die of
 inanition4  ,we may now turn to those  
uses of humour1 into the conception of  
which the thought of a practical aim can
 hardly intrude4 ,humour as amusement is
 something agreeable and cheering4 ,it  
has the refreshing properties of        
primitive laughter and much more2 for1  
as a mood that feeds itself on          
reflective contemplation1 it is         
consolatory and sustaining in a way in  
which mere gaiety1 even when it persists
 as a temper of mind1 cannot be4        
,apropos of ,voltaire's saying that     
heaven had given us two things to       

counterbalance the many #cbe miseries of
 life1 hope and sleep1 ,kant remarks3   
8,he could have added laughter1 if the  
means of exciting it in reasonable men  
were only as easily attainable1 and the 
requisite wit or originality of humour  
were not so rare0 7as some other        
endowments74#bgf  ,when the humorous    
bent is lively and 8original10 it will  
stand its possessor in good stead in    
more than one way1 amid the toilings and
 moilings of life4 ,seeing that laughter
 is always in a measure a throwing aside
 of serious pressure1 we should expect  
it to come to our aid in the workaday   
hours4 ,but it is only when the eye for 
the sparkling of fun in things has been 
instructed by humorous reflection that  
the alleviating service of mind-play is 
fully realised4  ,for one thing1 the    
possession of a large humorous insight  
will greatly extend the scope of the    
conciliative function of laughter4 ,all 
cajoling must be good-natured1 or at    
least conceal the sting of laughter2 but

 the finer disarming of men by banter   
requires the reflective penetration of  
the humorist4 ,one may easily see this  
in the art of conciliating opponents1   
political and other4 ,the winning force 
of a manifested good-nature will        
sometimes act on those who are far from 
appreciating the play of mind involved4 
,the gne introduced by an awkward       
situation1#bgg the tendencies that make 
for loss of interest1 for weariness1 for
 a falling away from a perfect          
sympathetic touch1 in all human         
relations--these things find their most 
effective counteractive in occasional   
intrusions of the humorous spirit4 ,i   
think here of one no longer among us1   
with whom ,i once had the privilege of  
co-operating in a long and difficult    
piece of public business2 and of how all
 weariness was kept out of #cbf sight by
 laughing side-glances at threatening   
absurdities1 frequent enough to have    
suggested a premeditated plan had they  
not been so delightfully spontaneous4   

,perhaps1 the stoutest obstacle to the  
smooth flow of social intercourse is the
 tendency in men to lay stress on their 
personal importance4 ,the superior airs1
 which seem with some to be as much de  
rigueur as their correct attire1 are    
sadly inimical to companionship1 whether
 the would-be companion be a man's wife 
or a contributor to his journal4 ,the   
one sure safeguard against the stupid   
clogging of the social wheels1 which    
this chronic stiffening of the figure   
introduces1 is the gift of a lively     
humour1 whose alert eye would at once   
note a possible laughableness of        
deportment for onlookers4 ,one may see  
this function of humour illustrated in  
that instinctive readiness of one who   
has had a perfect social training to    
dismiss laughingly from conversation the
 first appearance of an allusion to     
himself and his claims4  ,in all this1  
though there may be no conscious aiming 
at an end1 social utility is not wholly 
wanting4 ,yet just because it is an     

individual temper1 humour confers its   
chief benefits on its possessor in the  
privacy of life4 ,its solacings and its 
refreshings come to him through the     
channel of a new and genial manner of   
reflecting on his mishaps and his       
troubles4  ,most men who have developed 
any appreciable fund of humour must know
 how the petty annoyances of life can be
 laughed away1 almost as soon as they   
are seen advancing4 ,when1 for example1 
your lost pencil is discovered in its   
hiding-place between the leaves of a    
rarely consulted book2 or1 on the other 
hand1 after endowing it with various    
sorts of mischievous flight1 you        
perceive it lying close by you on the   
desk1 where it has been dutifully #cbg  
complying with its proper law of        
inertia2 you may snatch a compensating  
laugh from a moment's reflection on the 
small ironies of things1 or on the vast 
wastefulness of the world in the matter 
of hypotheses4 ,your vexation at the    
children who are at play in the road in 

front of your bicycle and refuse to     
retire till your bell rings a third     
time1 instantly gives way to an         
agreeable smile as you sympathetically  
shift the point of view by recalling the
 fact that they are on their proper     
playground4 ,the dreary ugliness of a   
,london street in winter will now and   
again be lit up as with sunshine for you
 if your eye is focussed for the        
amusing1 as when the driver of a slow   
van goes on nodding in blissful         
ignorance1 while the driver of your 'bus
 behind1 justly proud of his vehicle's  
speed1 pelts him mercilessly with the   
most awakening of epithets4  ,it is much
 the same with the small vexations      
inflicted by our social world4 ,we may  
no doubt feel hurt just for a moment    
when1 at a concert1 we see a big hat    
thrust itself betwixt our eyes and a    
face which has held them captive1       
wearing a look of the tragic muse as it 
leans yearningly over the violin from   
which it seems1 like a mother's face1 to

 draw the sobbing tones4 ,yet1 even as  
the nerve smarts1 we may half-seize the 
glorious absurdity of the hat and its   
bobbings4 ,or1 again1 when an untimely  
call interrupts some bit of nice        
thinking and leaves the nerves tingling1
 we may smile for a moment as we catch a
 glimpse of the simple faith of the     
visitor in the supreme importance of the
 cause he pleads1 a glimpse sufficient  
to make us half-aware of a like         
8subjectivity0 in our own estimation of 
selected tasks4 ,social bores are       
vexations which1 perhaps1 ought not to  
be called petty4 ,humorous persons1 one 
suspects1 are specially exposed to their
 attacks1 since they are a tolerant     
folk1 preferring on the whole to suffer 
rather than to hurt others4 #cbh ,but   
here1 also1 the humorous have their     
remedies4 ,it suffices1 for example1 to 
reflect for a short moment on the droll 
pathos of the circumstance that persons1
 between whom and ourselves we find no  
attaching sympathies1 should select us  

for their importunate attentions4 ,even 
when the destinies throw us together    
with men and women from whom we         
instinctively recoil1 as from creatures 
of a species at once closely akin to    
ours yet sundered from us by impassable 
boundaries1 a reflective humour may     
devise alleviations4 ,the aggressive    
self-assertion of a plutocrat1 with his 
8buy-you-up0 sort of stare1 and the     
rest1 may wound for half a moment2 but a
 laughing solace comes on the heels of  
worry2 for there is a quiet pleasure in 
looking back and discovering the clumsy 
construction of the vulgar 8snub20 and  
in any case a playful half-glance at    
higher measures of worth restores the   
equanimity4  ,even greater troubles may1
 to the trained humorist1 disclose      
amusing aspects or accompaniments1 so   
that refreshment reaches us even while  
the blow still hurts4 ,the relieving    
smile may come by way of a playful      
contemplation of ourselves as pitted    
against our mighty superior1            

circumstance2 for it is possible to find
 something amusing1 as well as          
irritating1 in the ironies of destiny4  
,the idea of a struggle with fate1 which
 gives the zest of life to brave hearts1
 helps1 too1 to bring the reflective    
mind back to the play-mood4 ,the readers
 of ,miss ,kingsley's ,travels need not 
to be reminded of the fecundity of      
amusing reflection which her humour     
showed in circumstances which would have
 depressed many a man4#bgh ,it was with 
a like readiness to smile that          
,goldsmith's genial spirit faced the    
blows of destiny1 giving back1 as his   
biographer has it1 in cheerful #cbi     
humour or whimsical warning what it     
received in mortification or grief4 ,in 
his celebrated character1 ,mark ,tapley1
 ,dickens has no doubt illustrated how  
in the rough waters of his youth he     
learned to draw humorous entertainment  
from massive troubles4 ,it is this      
playful shimmer of a light thrown by an 
entertaining idea on the surface of a   

misfortune which rids it of the worst of
 its gloom4  ,by a line of humorous     
reflection already suggested1 we may in 
all cases of worry and moral disturbance
 reach the consolatory idea that the    
trouble has1 in the first view of it1   
been grossly exaggerated4 ,at the moment
 when the sensitive tissue is lacerated 
the shock of pain blinds us to          
dimensions2 our disappointment fills the
 outlook1 like a thunder-storm4 ,the    
healthy nervous organism will show its  
vitality in the rapidity of the         
recuperative process2 and this is often 
effected by a quick turning of the      
thoughts to other and brighter parts of 
the scene which the trouble has for a   
moment blotted out1 and to the          
proportions of the one to the other4 ,a 
trouble--like the all-enveloping        
thunder-storm--begins to retire almost  
smilingly as soon as we discern its     
boundaries4  ,in much of this           
alleviating service of humour the laugh 
which liberates us from the thraldom of 

the momentary is a laugh at ourselves4  
,indeed1 one may safely say that the    
benefits here alluded to presuppose a   
habit of reflective self-quizzing4 ,the 
blessed relief comes from the           
discernment of a preposterousness in the
 forcing of our claims1 of a folly in   
yielding to the currents of sentiment   
which diffuse their mists over the realm
 of reality4 ,the coming of the smile   
announces a shifting of the point of    
view2 the mal-adjustment1 which a moment
 ago seemed to be wholly on the side of 
our world1 showing itself now to be on  
our side as well4 #ccj  ,how far humour 
will help a man in throwing off troubles
 one cannot say4 ,even when the flash of
 bright reflection fails to dispel the  
darkness1 it may secure a valuable      
moment of respite4 ,when the trouble has
 real magnitude1 the dismissive smile   
grows hard for all save the elect4 ,few 
of us1 perhaps1 could rise to the height
 of serene irony attained by a ,german  
musician whose wife had eloped with his 

master4#bgi ,many might be disposed to  
think that the woman who1 after nursing 
her husband through a fatal illness1    
remarked that it was only a sense of    
humour which had kept her from failing1 
was less than human4 ,yet it is highly  
risky to infer1 from the fact of an     
intrusion of the humorous temper into   
calamity1 the existence of a low degree 
of moral sensibility4 ,it may rather be 
that those who suffer most are beholden 
in an exceptional degree to this kind   
solacer of men's woes4  ,this service of
 humour1 at once consolatory to         
suffering and corrective of             
one-sidedness of view1 is perfected by a
 development of that larger             
comprehensive vision which is reached   
when the standpoint of egoism is        
transcended4 ,even the beginning of     
humour implies some getting away from   
the point of view of the individual1 so 
far as to gain a momentary comprehension
 of others' points of view4 ,the great  
educative value of being laughed at is  

that it compels attention to the fact of
 a multiplicity of such points4 ,how    
good a lesson1 one thinks1 it must have 
been for the ,scotch professor to hear  
his disgusted caddie remark3 8,anybody  
can teach ,greek1 but gowf needs a      
heid04  ,there remains for brief        
illustration another service which      
humour renders its possessor1 though in 
truth it may turn out to be only a      
further development of the one just     
dealt #cca with4 ,laughter at things1   
being primarily an accompaniment of     
observation1 remains in its highest     
forms chiefly an amusement at outside   
spectacles4 ,the resources of a mature  
faculty of humour may lend themselves to
 the end of an enjoyable contemplation  
of one's social world1 both in its parts
 and as a whole4 ,the value of humour to
 the individual can1 indeed1 only be    
rightly measured when the large         
possibilities of entertainment which lie
 in criticising one's surroundings are  
borne in mind4  ,the enjoyment which a  

humorous observer is able to gather from
 the contemplation of the social scene  
implies that he make his own standpoint1
 that he avoid the more turbulent part  
of the social world and seek the quiet  
backwaters where he can survey things in
 the calm light of ideas4 ,one who lives
 wholly in the giddy throng will never  
be able to see things in the perspective
 which humorous appreciation requires4  
,nor is this all2 if he live1 move and  
have his being in the commotion1 he will
 be forced to repress mirthful impulses 
and to show the hurrying figures about  
him a certain respect1 since any        
generous indulgence in the joys of      
laughter would be likely to bring him   
into unpleasant collisions4  ,that there
 is much in the social spectacle which  
falls only to the eye of one            
half-retired is certain4 ,the vagaries  
of 8society10 in the conventional sense 
of the term1 are one of the traditional 
matters of laughter2 our comic journals 
have enlightened even dull minds on this

 point4 ,it is pleasant to a humorous   
contemplation to note the high          
pretensions of the 8fine world02 how    
navely1 for instance1 it assumes that it
 holds all the men of brains and all the
 good talkers in its service2#bhj       
pleasant1 that is #ccb to say1 to one   
who bears in mind some of the           
characteristics of this world1 such as a
 certain emptiness in the matter of     
ideas1 together with something of the   
readiness of a certain kind of dog to   
follow any self-appointed leader1 and an
 amiable impartiality in crowning any   
sort of 8hero0 that happens to be       
trumpeted1 whether potentate from the   
,east or showman from the ,west4 ,it is 
entertaining1 too1 to note how enclosed 
it remains within its purely arbitrary  
standards1 being rather shocked1 for    
example1 to find when it travels that   
there can be such a thing as 8society0  
in ,italy which is not a 8dining        
society04 ,this1 and much more1 will    
often draw the eye of humour1 oddly     

enough1 in the same direction as that of
 an awe-struck flunkeyism4  ,it is an   
agreeable pastime1 too1 for our         
half-retired observer to watch the      
fierce struggles of men and women in    
these days to gain a footing within the 
charmed circle4 ,here1 surely1 the      
gyrations of the moral figure reach the 
height of absurdity4 ,nowhere does there
 seem to reflection to be quite such a  
disproportion between effort and its    
doubtful reward as in these labours of  
the hot and panting to win a footing on 
the fashionable terrain4  ,what makes   
the scene the more pathetically droll is
 that success never seems to satisfy2   
the necessity of getting in is followed 
by a no less dire necessity of keeping  
oneself visible in the tightly-packed   
crowd4 ,the sensitiveness of men of high
 position to the least sign of neglect  
in their goddess is something that      
cannot fail to tickle a humorous fancy4 
,it is said that high officials once    
passed unhappy days and nights waiting  

for an invitation to dinner4 ,the       
occasion was a national festival1 when  
some inventive dames1 taking themselves 
apparently quite seriously as           
representative women of the age1        
proceeded each to invite a              
representative male4 ,so do the gods    
give #ccc us harvest of laughter by     
sowing vanity with its small            
spitefulnesses in the minds of men1 and 
setting 8society0 to lure them to her   
thraldom4  ,to the dispassionate eye of 
reason1 no 8society0 which is founded on
 birth or on a mixed basis of birth and 
wealth has seemed quite worthy of this  
servile attitude4 ,certainly in these   
days1 when1 as the ,berlin ,hofschneider
 is said to have observed to ,prince    
,bismarck at the ,opera ,ball1 society  
is rather mixed 7ein bischen gemischt71 
rational men might be expected to leave 
this kind of homage to the weak-minded4 
,no doubt men of mind caught in the     
snare have been ready to admit this2 yet
 it may be questioned whether1 when they

 set down their endurance of the boredom
 of the diner-out to the social ambition
 of their wives1 they evade the laughter
 of the gods4  ,pity may find a place at
 the side of laughter when she visits   
these absurd scenes4 ,a peep behind the 
masks will1 it has been said1 show here1
 too1 the thinnest pretence of gaiety4  
,dull with something of the dulness of  
death are many of the older faces1 even 
when they force themselves to produce   
grimaces and spasmodic cacklings1 thin  
and anmic like themselves4 ,it looks as 
if it were a dram of excitement1 and not
 pleasure1 which these loyal worshippers
 of society are seeking2 only to find1  
perhaps1 that the hope of excitement    
itself has grown illusory4  ,yet1 in    
speaking of the entertaining aspects of 
the social spectacle1 one need not      
confine oneself to the fashionable      
scene4 8,society10 charmingly irrational
 as she is1 has no monopoly in the      
matter of the incongruities4 ,the doings
 of the ,great ,middle ,class and even  

of the ,masses have their amusing       
aspects for the unprejudiced eye4 ,all  
phases of social life1 indeed1 may yield
 rich entertainment to one who has the  
mental vision justly accommodated4 #ccd 
,what first strikes the eye here1       
perhaps1 is the fine display of human   
oddities4 ,the newspaper1 fully alive to
 the value of things new1 gives welcome 
to the self-revelations of human folly1 
perverted ingenuity1 and uncontrollable 
vanity4 ,the struggle for its coveted   
column seems hardly less violent than   
that for the fashionable gathering4     
,apparently1 the supreme necessity is to
 show yourself1 to win the pestered and 
rather jaded eye of a crowd1 if only for
 an instant4 ,many and wonderful are the
 movements and sounds to which children1
 feeling themselves overlooked1 have    
been known to resort in order to compel 
notice3 yet the frantic efforts of men  
and women to advertise themselves to the
 public eye are1 surely1 not less       
numerous or less strange4 ,even when    

they have left the social scene these   
self-advertisers will sometimes still   
try to seize your eye by sending you an 
autobiography1 consisting largely1 it   
may be1 of an account of all the dinner 
parties attended--a priceless thing for 
the historian1 perhaps1 if only the     
writer had happened to be a politician4 
,the vanity in this self-advertisement  
does not always lie on the surface1 a   
partial self-blinding being of the      
humour of it4 ,a person may be pushed on
 to the advocacy of a bottomless craze  
by a belief in a special mission so     
earnest1 as completely to hide from him 
the inflated self-estimation which lurks
 in the attitude2 and the recognition1  
by the quiet onlooker1 of this malicious
 way of ,nature's1 in hiding from men so
 large a part of their own motives1     
draws back the corners of the mouth yet 
farther4  ,the absurdity of this forcing
 of oneself on the notice of the public1
 like that of pushing one's way into    
8society10 grows clearer when we reflect

 on the real value of the object of     
pursuit4 ,it is the fashion just now to 
deify public opinion4 ,yet spite of the 
classical dictum1 it is not always #cce 
flattering to the deity to identify the 
two voices4 ,a modern democratic society
 is apt to exhibit very much the same   
plasticity to the hand of the crafty    
moulder as that on which the wise ,greek
 sprinkled his dainty irony4 ,to be able
 to see through the pretty pretence that
 the demos 8forms0 its opinions1 and    
that its verdicts on statesmen1 generals
 and other notabilities are consequently
 sacred1 is to have one chief           
qualification for enjoying the fun of   
the show4 ,how entertaining1 for        
instance1 is the proceeding when an     
editor invites a census of opinion on   
books1 or other things which postulate  
some discernment4 ,in this case1 too1   
the humour of it lies in the            
circumstance that the good people who   
are lured into the trap honestly think  
that they are giving their own          

individual judgments4 ,still more       
delightful do these performances become 
when an editor1 with his sense of the   
value of names fully awake1 applies to  
celebrities1 and entertains us1 say1    
with a church dignitary's conception of 
the ideal ,music ,hall1 or with a       
popular jockey's views on the proper    
dimensions of a scientific manual4      
,these exhibitions of authority for the 
guidance of the public sufficiently     
testify to its docility before any kind 
of proffered leadership4 ,the very      
bigness of the modern demos1 assisted by
 its 8holy simplicity0 of mind1 lays it 
open to the wiles of the charlatan4 ,how
 can one expect the worthy tradesman    
reading in the solitude of his back     
parlour to gauge the authority of his   
newspaper guide8 ,it is more than he can
 do1 perhaps1 to take the measure of his
 ,sunday instructor4 ,he who reflects   
thus will find much to entertain him in 
the way of make-believe1 when he        
examines the foundations of imposing    

reputations1 or of the proud boast of   
political leaders that they carry 8the  
,country0 with them4  ,the newspaper1   
highly respectable institution as it    
#ccf undoubtedly is1 entertains those in
 search of humorous enjoyment in other  
ways too4 ,its very standpoint as issuer
 of news leads to an amusing            
exaggeration of the importance of       
anything which happens to thrust its    
head up at the moment4 ,an idea1 aye and
 a fallacy too1 old as the ages1 will   
secure attention if only somebody with a
 name happen to bring it up anew4       
,whence comes the neomania which we see 
on all hands1 the absurd exaltation of  
the latest novel and the rest4 ,yet more
 exhilarating to humorous inspection is 
the nave assumption of the newspaper and
 its clients that everything happens in 
order to furnish them with news4 ,i     
remember a paper1 not of a low class1   
seriously contending1 when a            
disagreeable cause clbre had to be      
re-tried1 that1 since everybody had made

 up his mind on the case1 a new trial   
was most regrettable4 ,the frank        
suggestion that the proceedings of our  
law courts have their final cause in the
 satisfaction of a craving for news in  
readers of journals was1 doubtless1 an  
editorial slip2 yet the assumption is   
often discoverable to a penetrating eye4
 ,the point of view reminds one of the  
joyous antics of the ,italian children  
who follow the cavalcade of the         
diligence and its 8supplements0 as it   
descends southwards to the level of the 
olive-groves1 sure in their glee that   
the rattling procession1 and the 8soldi0
 too1 have come for their delight4 ,in  
view of the entertainment afforded by   
the press in these days1 one may        
sometimes wonder whether the expression 
8comic journal0 is not growing into a   
pleonasm4  ,humour will keep at our     
elbow1 too1 if we push deeper1 and1     
lifting the wrappings of convention1    
insist on seeing the realities4 ,the    
involutions of public utterance when1   

say1 a dubious appointment has to be    
defended1 are in themselves no less     
entertaining an exhibition of navet     
disclosed through elaborate wrappings   
than the romancings of a #ccg naughty   
child beating about for an excuse4 ,no  
kind of spectacle1 perhaps1 is more     
uplifting to a spirit given to the right
 sort of reflection1 none too which has 
a larger promise of unwearying          
variation1 than the wrigglings of the   
human mind when tangled in awkward      
appearances1 and forced to find         
something which looks like a way of     
logical escape4  ,as all who read are   
aware1 the vagaries of 8society0 and the
 drolleries of public life are no new   
spectacle4 ,other times and patterns of 
society have had their entertaining     
aspects fixed for us by the half-retired
 chronicler4 ,yet there is much to      
suggest that the social scene of to-day 
bears the palm1 as illustrator of the   
volume and the many-sidedness of the    
laughable4 ,the bigness of our social   

scheme1 its instability and             
8go-aheadness10 its reckless            
activity--these and other features1     
aided by the eagerness of people to gain
 publicity for their doings and a       
corresponding readiness of journals to  
accord it1 appear to secure for the     
quiet onlooker to-day the enjoyment of  
an exuberant crop of personal oddities1 
pushful pretences1 disparities between  
position and qualification1 and the     
other amusing features of the social    
scene4  ,much of the drollery of the    
social spectacle here touched on may be 
enjoyed with a certain detachment1 and  
even with a soupon of the malice which  
characterises the laughter of those     
outside the social group1 within which  
the merry showman is erecting his stage4
 ,the kindlier note of humour enters    
here only as a subordinate element1 as a
 good-natured toleration of folly1      
supported by a more or less distinct    
comprehension of it under the head of   
worthy qualities sadly perverted4 ,it   

must be otherwise if the bizarre and    
provocative spectacle of folly's head   
obtrudes itself into a season of        
national storm and stress1 say of       
war-commotion1 #cch when the observer of
 things cannot1 unless he be an unsocial
 cynic1 any longer consent to be        
detached4 ,the very possibility of a    
laugh1 or even of a smile1 might seem to
 be excluded as a desecration4 ,if it is
 possible1 it can only be through the   
discovery of a modus vivendi between the
 mirthful impulse and some of the       
deepest and most absorbing of our       
feelings and impulses4 ,our analysis of 
humour has prepared us for a            
considerable penetration of the mellowed
 kind of mirth into the heart of the    
serious1 for a fine and rapid detection 
by the practised eye of amusing aspects 
of situations and experiences which     
appeal directly and powerfully to the   
acuter feelings and to the sterner      
attitudes4 ,we may1 perhaps1 find the   
crowning illustration of this           

interpenetration of the serious and the 
playful in the possibility of a humorous
 glance at things which must stir the   
heart-depths of every true citizen4     
,the truth1 that a state of war will    
develop in citizens much that is good   
and admirable1 has1 perhaps1 been       
sufficiently recognised2 while1 on the  
other hand1 its ravages and its         
sufferings have been a frequent theme of
 the eloquent lip and pen4 ,less        
attention has1 for pretty obvious       
reasons1 been paid to those aspects and 
accompaniments of the state which seem  
to some1 when regarded from the point of
 view of the normal type of             
consciousness1 to illustrate human folly
 in one of its larger manifestations4   
,these aspects which1 when seen if only 
for an instant by the qualified         
observer1 must entertain1 may be said to
 grow in distinctness as a community    
rises in the scale of civilisation4     
,since1 moreover1 the humorous person   
has trained himself in the swift        

detection of the accompaniments and the 
relations of the objects which he       
inspects1 and has a habit of looking at 
the neglected sides of things1 it may be
 expected that he will be found now and 
again among those who in the troubled   
#cci atmosphere preserve something of   
the faculty of clear observation4  ,the 
fundamental factor in the situation for 
a humorous observer is the temporary    
hypertrophy of the most powerful of     
man's instincts1 having its roots deeply
 seated in the primal impulse of        
self-conservation1 appearing in the     
organic milieu of a higher type of      
social consciousness with its fixed     
habits of estimating and judging things4
 ,the state of hypertrophy gives rise to
 a group of extravagances which have    
something of the dimensions of a        
burlesque4 ,the many expansions of the  
boastful1 self-sufficing temper1 the    
exaggerated forms of hatred1 with its   
brood of suspicions1 denunciations and  
vilifications1 the swollen dimensions of

 credulity1 and of a correlative        
incredulity1 with regard to things which
 touch the patriotic passion--this and  
much more is probably an inseparable    
accompaniment of the national psychosis1
 certainly so if the dignity of 8our    
cause0 is challenged1 whether from      
within or from without4  ,in these      
larger manifestations of the war-temper 
such organic milieu as the surviving    
normal consciousness can supply takes   
but a small part4 ,what movements of    
intelligence are observable are pretty  
plainly of an intelligence subjugated by
 the dominant passion1 and made to work 
for it by foraging far and wide for     
food-stuffs to satisfy its appetite for 
provocatives and solaces4  ,yet this is 
but a small part of the humorous aspect 
of the situation4 ,it is the collision  
between the new temper and the habit of 
feeling and judging nursed into vigour  
and endurance by a long course of       
civilisation which introduces the really
 amusing feature4 ,for the quaint thing 

is that drowsy intelligence will now and
 again try to sit up and give a nudge to
 its rather noisy bed-fellow4 ,it is the
 juxtaposition and interaction of two   
tendencies of widely removed #cdj moral 
levels1 and quite disproportionate in   
their strength which supplies the rich  
variety of the entertaining4 ,in this   
way1 for example1 we obtain the droll   
spectacle of an over-confident advocate 
of the cause suddenly brought to silence
 by a foggy suspicion that his hearer is
 not responsive enough1 a suspicion     
which instantly brings to light the     
residuum of the normal man's desire for 
others' support4 ,or again1 the powerful
 impulse to belittle the enemy--older   
than the age of ,goliath--may1 when it  
runs away with a patriot1 carry him to  
the point from which he dimly discerns  
the edge of a dialectic precipice1 the  
fatal concession that victory is robbed 
of all its glory4 ,or the fancy portrait
 of the enemy--preferred to a study from
 life because it is so dear to the      

war-temper--may bring its possessor into
 the quandary that he finds himself     
quite incapable of carrying out the     
necessary business of understanding that
 enemy's aims and methods4  ,a slight   
examination will show that the spectacle
 will illustrate most of the forms of   
the laughable recognised in a previous  
chapter4 ,the whole situation may tend  
to assume the look of a big 8mess10 from
 which the participators vainly seek to 
extricate themselves4 ,the high-strung  
emotional and conative attitude is      
certain to lead to futilities1 as when  
confident predictions strike against the
 hard substance of fact4 ,the situation 
will1 further1 be prolific of           
contradictions1 including1 not only the 
fundamental one already dealt with1 but 
the discrepancies of statement which    
arise as the ratio of the intensities of
 the normal and the abnormal varies     
within the limits indicated above4      
,that the psychological situation will  
give rise to a large display of         

pretence1 has been already suggested4   
,the survival of a partially stupefied  
intelligence in the bellicose patriot   
will1 indeed1 be chiefly manifested in  
the somewhat #cda onerous task of       
covering the unsightly faces of things  
with veils1 bespangled ones if possible1
 in dignifiying the aims and the methods
 of the war4 ,these efforts will plainly
 show themselves1 to calm observation1  
for the most part1 at least1 not as     
conscious hypocrisies1 but as           
self-deceptions following from the      
interaction of the two selves so        
strangely forced to consort4  ,it is    
hardly needful to say that disorder1    
topsy-turvyness1 confusions of rle1 and1
 generally1 inversions of normal        
relations1 form an essential feature of 
the spectacle4 ,a world so altered from 
the normal pattern that men given to a  
golden silence take to a speech which is
 hardly silver2 that 8leaders0 assume   
the droll aspect of shepherds forced    
onwards by unruly flocks2 that a certain

 kind of moral inconsistency appears to 
have won its place among the virtues2   
and that those versed in the divine have
 to assume the inverted part of         
justifying the ways of men to ,god1     
cannot fail to look disordered to a calm
 eye trained by the orderly4 ,there     
would seem to be no room in such a      
scene1 where men are wont to divest     
themselves of their individual          
characteristics1 for a display of       
personal oddity4 ,yet a closer          
observation will show that1 in spite of 
the powerful tendencies which make for  
uniformity of behaviour1 shreds of      
individuality survive4 ,the prevailing  
temper seizes on men1 as a fever seizes 
on them1 according to their individual  
constitutions2 and one may watch the    
process of assimilation of parties1     
sects1 and individuals to the type of   
the hour1 much as a shrewd physician    
might watch the quaint modifications of 
a malady in a case of strongly marked   
family or individual peculiarities4  ,it

 was said above that the possibility of 
this humorous observation implied the   
discovery of a modus vivendi with the   
serious and more sensitive part of us4  
,this means that #cdb the observation   
can be no quiet1 prolonged pastime1 but 
must rather resemble the momentary      
intuitions of the amusing side of       
things1 which help us when we battle    
with life's worries and encounter its   
greater troubles4 ,such appreciation of 
the laughable as is possible in the case
 is rightly called humorous when it     
accompanies a complex serious attitude  
which1 on the one hand1 discerns both   
the hurtfulness and the pitifulness of  
the folly that brings the smile1 and on 
the other1 makes an effort to hold fast 
to that which repels and to descry      
estimable qualities hidden away under   
it4 ,the smile will bring a momentary   
relaxation of strain1 as in other cases 
where mental and moral tension is high4 
,the humorist will suffer it to steal   
upon him because reflection enables him1

 in a sense1 to comprehend1 by          
recalling1 for example1 what ,plato1    
,montaigne and others tell us as to what
 is likely to happen when men are       
captured by a crowd4 ,he will be more   
inclined to be tolerant1 if history     
comes to his aid1 as the history of a   
patient may come to that of an anxious  
physician1 assuring him of recovery and 
resumption of normal functions2 still   
more1 if a time of civic division1      
lacerating to the social part of him1   
has brought him near men and women whose
 gentleness seems to sweeten the ferment
 of the hour1 and whose faces will      
henceforth appear to him in comforting  
vision--earth's angel faces whose smile 
comes not with the brightening morn but 
with the deepening blackness of night4  
#cdc     ,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,the         
,,laughable ,,in ,,art3 ,,comedy4   ,we 
have traced the development of laughter 
in the individual and in the community  
with as little reference as possible to 
the influence of ,art4 ,it has been     

assumed that the feelings which move us 
to laughter are primal1 and capable of  
expanding and deepening independently of
 this influence4 ,at the same time1 it  
is certain that the educative lead of   
the artist has been at work from a very 
early stage of human development4 ,we   
have found even in savage life the      
figure of the 8funny man10 the expert in
 lifting the sluice gates of social     
laughter by means of jest and pantomime4
 ,within the historical period1 the     
practice of engaging jesters for        
banquets1 and social entertainments     
generally1 appears to go back to remote 
times and very simple social            
conditions4#bha ,the finer and more     
methodical exercise of men's gift of    
laughter by these skilled choragi must  
have been a potent factor in its        
development4 ,we may now glance at the  
evolution of art on its amusing and     
comic side4  ,this is no occasion for   
probing to its dark bottom the #cdd     
problem of the function of art4 ,if we  

keep to the beginnings of the art of    
ministering to men's laughter1 as we may
 study them among savages and our own   
children1 the theories which look to art
 for the expression of an idea1 or even 
of an emotion seeking for resonance1    
seem to have but little relevance4 ,it  
looks as if the amusing art grew out of 
that simple social act which ,i have    
called a play-challenge1 as illustrated 
in the game of reciprocal tickling4     
,hence1 the play-theory of art serves   
particularly well for our present       
purpose4 ,the quality of beneficent     
productivity which is an essential of   
art may be supposed to have grown       
distinct1 as soon as an individual of   
superior cunning in playing on the      
mirthful organ found himself vis--vis   
with an audience4 ,no social impulse of 
an art-like character strikes out its   
visible and audible effect more directly
 and more impressively than the desire  
to raise a laugh4  ,taking this view1 we
 see that the art which moves us to     

mirth illustrates the conative process  
in art-production4 ,to amuse men1 to    
raise their spirits to the treble pitch 
of gaiety1 pre-supposes the desire to   
please4 ,in all simple art-performance1 
this essentially social motive works    
consciously and directly3 the partly    
unconscious art of the 8fool0 being     
here1 of course1 overlooked4 ,in higher 
forms1 the will to move men merrily is1 
,i believe1 always present in normal    
cases1 and controls the whole           
art-process1 though it may not be       
consciously realised at every moment4   
,in the case of the comic actor1 at any 
rate1 a volitional control of his own   
feeling and its expression seems to be a
 prime necessity4 ,this is sufficiently 
illustrated in the solemn aspect        
commonly assumed by the popular jester1 
in order to add to the mirthful effect  
of his utterance4  ,it would be an      
interesting inquiry1 if our limits      
allowed #cde of it1 to examine the means
 which art1 as a whole1 possesses for   

moving us to laughter4 ,this would open 
up the curious question of the symbolism
 of colours and tones1 and of their     
combinations1 as expressive of mirthful 
feeling and of jocose intention4  ,that 
laughter has for its proper excitant men
 and their doings1 at once suggests that
 only those arts which represent human  
ideas and actions on a large scale have 
a considerable field for the exhibition 
of the ludicrous4 ,architecture1 apart  
from sculpture1 is heavily handicapped  
here4 ,music1 as the expressive art par 
excellence1 has a certain though        
narrowly limited range of effect1 as may
 be seen in the characteristic rhythms1 
such as combinations of light staccato  
with deep-pitched notes1 incompleted    
phrases and so forth1 which do duty in  
comic opera4 ,some of this tickling     
effect is certainly due1 not to an      
expression of jocose feeling1 but to the
 bizarre aspect of the combination of   
sounds4 ,and the same is probably true  
of the slightly amusing effects of such 

grotesque combinations of colour as are 
common in the costume of the harlequin1 
of the prince of mockers1 and of other  
more or less comic figures4 ,the        
grotesque and amusing in dress1 that of 
the clown for example1 is manifestly    
based on its suggestions1 especially    
those of wrong sex1 wrong age and the   
like4  ,passing by the comic directions 
of pictorial art1 including the highly  
developed process of modern political   
and other caricature1 the great rle in  
stimulating men's laughing              
susceptibilities falls to literature1   
and pre-eminently to dramatic literature
 and its interpreter1 the stage4 ,here1 
only1 can the procession of human       
follies display something of its        
variegated amplitude4 ,hither must we   
come1 if we would fain laugh our fill   
and know what resources art possesses   
for playing on the whole gamut of our   
8risibility04 #cdf  ,it would be well if
 we knew the beginnings of jocose       
literature4 ,it may be that the         

jest-books preserve for us forms        
resembling those which these beginnings 
have taken4 ,a short descriptive story  
of some practical joke1 or of some smart
 bit of repartee1 may have grown        
naturally enough out of the evening     
fire-side talk and become fixed and     
handed down to new generations4 ,the    
,medival ,contes 7fabliaux7 may be      
viewed as a slight expansion of such    
stories and fragments of talk4 ,this    
short anecdotal story would allow a     
certain scope for mimicry and a crude   
art of elocution4 ,a rudimentary form of
 comic acting1 with its mimic gestures  
and its facetious dialogue1 would       
naturally take its rise in the rehearsal
 of such a story by an acknowledged     
expert4 ,the bits of dialogue1 at least1
 would enforce a certain amount of      
mimicry of tones and gestures4  ,the    
beginnings of comedy1 so far as we can  
get back to them1 bear out these        
conjectures4 ,the humble birthplace of  
,greek comedy was the village revel--a  

sort of merry harvest home--of the      
vintagers4 ,at first1 we read1 there was
 no actor1 only a leader 8who let off   
coarse and scurrilous impromptus04#bhb  
,or1 as another writer has it1 ,greek   
farce began with mocking songs and      
ironical speeches during processions1   
the ,greeks being quick to mimic and to 
improvise4#bhc  ,the dawn of our own    
comedy shows a somewhat similar process4
 ,it was in an atmosphere of mirth that 
the child1 half-seriously quizzing      
things in order to laugh the more1 was  
born4 ,this may be seen by a reference  
to the mirthful societies and their     
riotings which were a feature of medival
 ,english life4 ,the 8feast of fools0   
was the great occasion for satirical    
songs1 and1 later on1 for dramas in     
which the #cdg clergy were more         
especially taken off4 ,no doubt1 as we  
shall see1 there existed in the old     
miracle-plays and moralities a simple   
dramatic form capable of being          
transformed into comedy4 ,yet this      

transformation was made possible by the 
spirit of mirth and revelry1 which had  
some time before rudely broken into the 
solemnity of the miracle-play4#bhd  ,the
 full rise of the comic drama has had   
its social conditions4 ,mr4 ,meredith   
has pointed to some of them1            
particularly the existence of an        
intelligent middle class1 and the       
recognition of woman's status2 to which 
one may add1 that of her conversational 
wit4#bhe ,to these social conditions    
might be added a national mood of       
gaiety1 coming from some new sense of   
lightened shoulders and a freer         
breathing4  ,the value of comedy as     
chief ministress to our laughter may be 
seen by a mere glance at its many       
resources4 ,it seems able to present to 
the eye and ear all varieties of the    
amusing4 ,as a show1 it carries on the  
fun of children's make-believe play4 ,it
 can set before us the most grotesque   
aberrations of dress1 carriage and      
manners4 ,in its human figures1 again1  

it presents to us in forms of its own   
choosing the full variety of laughable  
traits of mind and of character4        
,lastly1 it can exhibit in its plots the
 whole gamut of teasing and practical   
joke which amuses ordinary men in real  
life4  ,we may defer illustration of the
 comic treatment of laughable traits of 
character1 and look for a moment at the 
ways in which the incidents of comedy   
carry on the movements of primitive fun4
  ,a glance will tell us that these     
incidents are woven out #cdh of the play
 and the practical jokes of merry youth4
 ,the boisterous fun of the spectacle of
 a good beating1 for which the lower    
savages have a quick sense1 and which is
 a standing dish at the circus1 is a    
frequent incident in comedy1 both in the
 popular and boisterous variety of      
,aristophanes and ,plautus1 and in the  
quieter and more intellectual one of    
,molire4#bhf  ,another variety of       
amusing incident drawn from child-play  
and the popular fun of the circus is a  

repetition of words1 gestures or other  
movements4 ,these repetitions grow      
particularly funny when they take the   
form of an alternate going and coming1  
or of ending and recommencing a         
discourse4 ,amusing already in their    
semblance of purposeless play1 they     
sometimes grow more droll by assuming a 
look of irrepressibility1 as when the   
philosopher ,pancrace in ,le ,mariage   
forc is again and again pushed behind   
the coulisse and returns to renew his   
discourse4 ,it has been pointed out that
 such movements have something of the   
amusing character of the toy known as   
,jack-in-the-box4#bhg  ,another class of
 repetitions1 which we may call         
imitations1 also frequent on the comic  
stage1 seems in like manner to reproduce
 easily recognisable features of child's
 play4 ,nothing is more characteristic  
of the play-mood in young animals and in
 children alike than an imitative #cdi  
propagation of movement4 ,the child's   
game of making faces is an excellent    

example4 ,the liking of the stage for   
these imitations shows how closely it   
remains in touch with primitive fun4    
,this is plain enough when the action   
imitated is disorderly1 as we may see in
 the rebuffs and counter-rebuffs of the 
circus4 ,the repeated beatings of the   
wife-beater in ,le ,mdecin malgr lui    
have something of this diverting effect 
,the amusing repetitions wrought into   
the mechanism of comedy are1 as ,molire 
may tell us1 commonly far less          
aggressive4 ,the reproduction of the    
series of exclamations of ,clonte on the
 perfidy of his mistress by his valet1  
,covielle1 in ,le ,bourgeois            
gentilhomme1 and the counterpart to     
this1 the slightly varied repetitions of
 the reproaches of ,clonte's mistress by
 her maid1 are quite delightfully       
suggestive of a plot on the part of     
,love to reduce his victims to one level
 of imbecility4#bhh  ,comedy1 both      
ancient and modern1 is full of trickery 
and dupery4 ,a whole play may be one big

 piece of fooling1 ending for the most  
part in a merry scene in which the      
deluded victim or victims come to their 
senses again4 ,the spectator1 who is in 
the secret1 enjoys sympathetically the  
laughter of the plot-maker4  ,one of the
 simplest and earliest comic devices1   
another outgrowth from child's play1    
seems to be a disguise4 ,the figures of 
comedy towards whom our laughter is     
guided are not gifted with the finest of
 visions1 and a small amount of         
disguise1 especially when it meets and  
flatters their desires1 suffices for    
complete deception4 ,classic comedy and 
that of ,shakespeare make large use of  
such trickery4 #cej  ,but a strange     
dress and other means of disguise are by
 no means always necessary for the      
befooling4 ,when the credulous mood is  
on1 the victim1 whether fish or man1    
will rise to the crudest of artificial  
imitations1 and comedy fastens on its   
victims when they are in this mood1 as  
in the case of ,malvolio1 ,m4 ,jourdain 

and the rest4  ,sometimes the comedian  
prepares for the needed deception by    
throwing its victim into a fit of       
absent-mindedness4 ,a good example may  
be found in the scene between ,arnolphe 
and the notary in ,molire's ,l'cole des 
,femmes1 where the tongues of the two   
make a pretence of running on together1 
while the two brains that move them     
remain in a state of perfect mutual     
misunderstanding4 ,it is another kind of
 amusing self-deception when the comic  
figure1 again showing his descent from  
the clown1 undertakes to do something1  
and instantly displays a complete       
inability to carry out his undertaking4 
,this is illustrated in a less obvious  
manner in ,le ,bourgeois gentilhomme by 
the behaviour of ,clonte1 who1 after    
quarrelling with his mistress1 and      
begging his valet to 8lend a hand0 to   
his spite and to sustain his resolve to 
bear down any remains of his foolish    
love1 instantly afterwards protests     
against the obedient servant's          

depreciations of the lady4  ,the comic  
person must be mercilessly attacked now 
and again1 if the spectator is to get   
his fill of merriment4 ,molire again    
gives us the illustration4 ,the scene in
 which the miser's son1 ,clante1        
playfully holds the father as in a vice1
 as he takes off the ring from the old  
gentleman's finger and offers it as if  
in his behalf to the lady they both     
desire to wed1 has the full flavour of  
the retaliative joke4  ,the laugh which 
is 8malicieux0 though not 8amer0 comes  
in a large wave when the deception is a 
kicking over of traces which have become
 galling4 ,the tricking of the #cea     
severe guardian1 parental or other1     
illustrated by ,terence in the ,adelphi1
 and by ,molire in ,l'cole des ,femmes1 
,l'cole des ,maris and other works1     
yields a lusty gratification as a       
practical joke directed against an      
oppressor4  ,a good deal of the fun of  
comedy may easily be seen to flow from a
 bizarre placing of a person1 especially

 the setting of him in a situation where
 he has to do what he is not accustomed 
to do4 ,if false appearances have to be 
kept up1 so much the better4 ,the tricks
 by which the sham doctor ,sganarelle   
tries to play up to his part in ,le     
,mdecin malgr lui are of the broadly    
comic4 ,a diverting situation may be    
obtained in other ways1 as when lovers  
who have fallen out and are in the most 
doleful of moods have to meet4 ,the     
subjection of the arch-hypocrite        
,tartuffe to the watchful eye of        
,orgon's son is pregnant of comic       
effect4  ,as already hinted1 comedy     
reflects those movements of social      
laughter which have been dealt with in a
 previous chapter4 ,the works of        
,aristophanes are a storehouse for one  
who seeks illustrations of the popular  
attitude towards the new1 when this     
lends itself to a buffoonish inflation4 
,the comic stage is conservative in the 
sense that it is ready to ridicule      
whatever wears the look of a bizarre    

novelty4 ,the importation of foreign    
dress and manners has been a            
well-recognised source of merriment in  
modern plays4  ,with grotesque          
innovations may be set the affectations 
of superior manners1 fashions of speech 
and the rest1 for which the             
laughter-loving public has had a quick  
eye4 ,the exposure of an excessive      
fondness for using fine expressions1    
especially foreign ones1 has always1 one
 suspects1 had an exhilarating effect on
 an educated audience4 ,the preciosity  
of ,molire's dames lives as the great   
example of a culte of 8the fine shades10
 carried to the point of the            
irresistibly droll4 #ceb  ,the          
well-recognised social antagonisms1     
again1 lend to comedy all their store of
 the amusing4 ,the droll side of the    
bloodless feud between man and woman    
comes into view in all stages of the    
development of the art4 ,it will1 of    
course1 vary in its mode of presentment 
with the social conditions of the time  

it represents1 and more especially with 
the status of woman4 ,in the comedy of  
,aristophanes1 the mutual chaff of the  
sexes is a constant source of incidental
 effect and a main motive of two        
plays4#bhi ,yet the part taken by woman 
in the dialogue is exceedingly          
small4#bij ,the ,greek assumption of her
 inferiority meets us with a charming   
frankness4 ,the notion of her rising to 
a higher place in civic life is handled 
with a buffoonish extravagance which    
must have delighted conservative        
husbands4 ,when the poet wishes to show 
up the folly of the ,athenian war-party 
he invents a revolt of the dames1 who by
 certain effective measures1 connubial  
and other1 manage to the lasting shame  
of their betters to bring about peace4  
,the triumph of the inferior here       
reminds one of the hilarious victory won
 by the savage women in the art of      
rowing4 ,the ,greek comedy as a whole   
treated women1 including hetaerae1 with 
copious abuse2#bia yet in ,latin comedy1

 at any rate1 the woman now and again   
gets the better of the man4 ,in the     
,asinaria of ,plautus1 an amorous old   
man1 one of the favourite figures of    
comedy1 is finely chastised by the wife 
who surprises his secret4  ,the         
interminable contest of man and woman   
carries with it the rivalry of the home 
and the tavern--or1 as we should say    
to-day1 the ,club4 ,in ,plautus1 who    
goes for a large #cec licence in        
pleasure1 the opposition is emphasised4 
,terence1 by introducing a more becoming
 conception of feminine nature and      
married life1 prepared the way for a    
more equal intercourse between man and  
woman4 ,it is1 however1 only under the  
improved conditions of modern family and
 social life that the verbal duel of the
 sexes in comedy has grown keen and     
brilliant4  ,another and primitive      
relation1 that of old and young1 or1 in 
its special form1 of father and child1  
amply displays its possibilities of fun 
on the comic stage4 ,in the newer ,attic

 comedy1 we are told1 representations of
 the old became frequent1 now as austere
 and avaricious1 now as fond and        
tender-hearted4#bib ,the contrast of the
 severe 8,governor0 and the fond        
8,papa10 which we have seen illustrated 
in ,terence and ,molire1 clearly points 
to the fact that comedy1 as play        
designed expressly for merry youth1     
favours the son's case1 and seeks to    
relax the paternal leading strings4     
,just as the too weighty rule of a      
father is apt to be laughingly pushed   
aside by comedy1 so is that of the      
master4 ,the intriguing1 cheating valet 
of ,latin comedy is the ancestor of many
 a domestic swindler1 down to the ,mr4  
,morgan whose sudden disappearance was  
regretted by ,major ,pendennis4 ,the    
outwitted master1 like the outwitted    
husband1 is a comic figure that excites 
but little pity2 perhaps1 because the   
getting the better of one in power by   
his subordinate is never wanting in the 
agreeable look of a merry equalising of 

things4 ,other 8humours0 of social      
groups1 that of trader1 money-lender1   
and their clients1 for example1 are1 as 
suggested in an earlier chapter1        
reflected in comedy4  ,the same flavour 
of fun1 the same kinship to child's     
play1 is recognisable in the speech of  
the comic stage4 #ced ,word-play here is
 merely the lighter interlude in what as
 a whole has much of the character of a 
game1 the contest of rapier-like tongues
 in comic dialogue4  ,men have written  
weightily on the nature of wit and its  
relation to intellect in general and to 
humour4 ,their discourses seem hardly to
 capture its finer spirit4 ,locke       
started the discussion by his well-known
 distinction between wit and judgment1  
the former consisting in a bringing     
together of ideas with quickness and    
variety wherein can be found any        
resemblance or congruity2 the latter in 
discriminating and separating ideas4#bic
 ,addison1 who accepts this definition  
in the main1 is bound to add that1      

though wit is generally produced by     
resemblance and congruity of ideas1 it  
is very often produced by their         
opposition4#bid ,hazlitt follows        
,addison in including likeness and      
opposition4 ,wit1 according to him1 8is 
an arbitrary juxtaposition of dissonant 
ideas1 for some lively purpose of       
assimilation or contrast1 generally of  
both40#bie ,all this1 though it hints at
 a distinctive manner of intellectual   
activity1 misses the mark by busying    
itself in the main with the question of 
a particular kind of relation of ideas4 
,the rather solemn treatment of puns by 
these serious writers is characteristic4
 ,addison deals with them under the head
 of false wit1 and bravely attacks the  
ages for upholding the practice4#bif    
,for thus spurning the humble pun1 he   
was rendered blind by the god of        
laughter to the real nature of wit1 as  
essentially a mode of intellectual play4
  ,as the etymology of the word         
suggests1 wit is not so much a special  

faculty concerned with a particular     
class of relations1 as an attitude or   
manner of behaviour of the #cee         
intelligence as a whole4 ,it illustrates
 her most lively and agile gait1 and is 
characterised by readiness of mind1     
quickness of perception1 ingenuity in   
following out hints of quite unexpected 
contrasts1 similarities1 aims1 causes1  
reasons1 and the other apparent         
belongings of an idea4 ,as tending to   
sportiveness1 it loves an intellectual  
chase for its own sake1 and revels in   
sudden transitions1 doublings1 and the  
whole game of verbal hide and seek4#big 
,according to this view1 wit is a talent
 which has been especially developed by 
a proper exercise of one of the chief   
functions of the social animal1         
conversation4 ,this has its light and   
entertaining variety1 talk1 which when  
it reaches the perfection of an art     
becomes a kind of game4 ,a subject is   
tossed out like a ball and each side    
then tries to strike it in turn and so  

keep the game going4 ,something of      
serious purpose may be behind1 as a half
 wish to illumine the subject1 but the  
main interest lies in the game itself1  
in the exhilarating pleasure of crossing
 the intellectual foils with a worthy   
opponent4  ,yet1 though a game1 talk is 
commonly carried on by persons who are  
not merely fellow-players4 ,as we have  
seen1 witty dialogue flourishes when    
some force of repulsion as well as of   
attraction is involved1 as that between 
a would-be seller and his needy yet     
stand-off buyer1 or between a wooer and 
a woman concerned not to make winning   
too easy4 ,where1 as between two rivals1
 the situation is conducive to warmth1  
the wit will be apt to grow pungent4 ,as
 ,addison reminds us1 wit is often      
developed in an unequal game1 between a 
8butt0 and his assailants1 the butt     
knowing now and again1 like ,sir ,john  
,falstaff1 how 8to get the laugh of his 
side04#bih  ,the art of witty exchange1 
like that of using foils1 clearly       

implies self-restraint2 and in both     
cases the desirable #cef coolness is    
greatly furthered by the presence of the
 impartial spectator4 ,it is possible   
that husband and wife first learned to  
spar jocosely by having to carry on     
disputes in the presence of outside     
hearers4  ,taking this view of wit1 we  
may see how word-play inevitably comes  
into it4 ,the pun of childish years1    
which merely tricks the ear by an       
accidental doubleness of meaning1 need  
not be considered here4 ,it is only when
 the ambiguity has value for laughter1  
when it can be turned to some merry     
purpose1 that it comes under the eye of 
art4 ,word-play clearly tends to run    
into thought-play4 ,some of the         
best-known 8mots0 will be found to      
involve the double-sense of the pun1    
like the praise awarded by the witty    
,king to one of his courtiers in the    
remark that he was never in the way and 
never out of the way4 ,it is the deep   
sense discernible through the verbal    

appearance of a self-contradiction which
 charms and entertains here4#bii  ,it   
seems to follow that the laughter       
excited in spectator or reader by a     
display of wit is slightly complex4 ,it 
has in it something of the child's      
laughter of admiration at what is new1  
rather startling1 and fine1 of his gay  
response to a play-challenge1 and of a  
sympathetic rejoicing with the combatant
 who1 by showing his skill1 obtains an  
advantage over his antagonist4  ,the    
dialogue of comedy and of the fiction   
which adopts the comic point of view    
will make use of these verbal sports1   
these doublings of the intellectual     
chase1 at the hint of ambiguous         
language4 ,they are refreshing1 they    
enlarge the scope of the witty combat1  
and they help to maintain the mirthful  
temper of the spectator4 ,their use may 
be #ceg illustrated throughout the      
history of comedy4 ,thus1 we find in the
 comedy of ,aristophanes much chaffing  
of the sexes and punning4 ,the same is  

true of ,plautus4 ,in the merry comedy  
of ,shakespeare we have still an        
abundance of puns1 also a great advance 
in the art of the verbal foils1         
especially as crossed by man and woman1 
more particularly on the side of the    
latter4 ,molire's quieter and more      
thoughtful discourse1 though now and    
then it finds room for a pun1           
illustrates the finer art of witty      
combat1 in which the foils seem to have 
been tipped with a softer button4  ,we  
have so far dwelt on those elements of  
comedy which seem plainly derivable from
 simple forms of fun1 as seen in child's
 play and the laughter of primitive     
folk4 ,there remains what is in some    
ways the most interesting feature1 the  
comic presentation of character in      
action and speech4  ,it is customary to 
classify comedies into those of         
,incident1 of ,manners and of           
,character4 ,such a division must not1  
however1 mislead us4 ,the three         
ingredients are present in every comedy4

 ,if ,aristophanes depends largely on   
incident1 he only gets his fun by       
choosing comic characters--the sophist1 
say1 or the commercial explorer endowed 
with wings4 ,in the so-called comedy of 
,manners of ,congreve and his school1   
the persons1 such as they are1          
undoubtedly form a main support of the  
entertaining action4 ,molire1 though he 
relies chiefly on character1 can only   
give us comedy by inventing situations  
in which his figures will have flashed  
on them the droll light of the comic    
stage4 ,what is meant by the above      
classification is pretty plainly that in
 some comedies the characters are more  
central1 are more finely evolved1 and   
attract a much larger attention4  ,that 
the evolution of comedy has1 in the     
main1 been an advance in the presentment
 of character1 as judged #ceh both by   
the variety and the complexity of the   
personalities depicted1 and by the      
fulness and definiteness of the         
presentation1 is just what we might have

 expected4 ,it seems certain that1 with 
the progress of civilisation1 men and   
women have grown more complex and more  
varied1 both intellectually and morally1
 and further that the interest in       
character and the capability of         
understanding it have developed         
concurrently4  ,a word on the general   
conditions of a presentation of         
character in comedy4 ,for one thing1    
dramatic construction1 as compared with 
that of prose fiction1 has certain      
obvious limits set to the delineation of
 character4 ,the art is too wise to     
attempt a full presentment of so complex
 a group of traits as we find in a      
developed individuality4 ,it            
illustrates1 however1 degrees of fulness
 in the presentation of personality1 and
 the finer art of drama may produce its 
impression of a concrete person very    
much as a skilful painter does within   
the limits of a rough sketch by a few   
master strokes4 ,yet without the actor's
 visible embodiment of the part1 the    

full impression of a concrete individual
 would be difficult within the limits of
 dramatic construction4  ,in the case of
 comedy1 moreover1 there is another     
reason for the limitation of the art of 
developing individual character4 ,the   
superlative sthetic value of the        
ludicrous aspect of character imposes on
 the writer an unusual degree of        
simplification1 of something like a     
reduction of the concrete personality to
 an abstraction4 ,the comic             
entertainment afforded by the           
presentation1 say1 of a swelling vanity1
 springs from our keeping the mental eye
 fixed in merry expectation of the      
coming developments of the laughable    
trait4 ,if1 then1 only this core of the 
character1 as the mood of the spectator 
estimates it1 is clearly presented and  
sufficiently illustrated1 #cei both in  
its immediate manifestations and in its 
effects on the rest of the man1 a very  
shadowy reinstatement of this remainder 
will suffice4  ,this conclusion seems   

clearly borne out by the common way of  
speaking of the great comic figures as  
8types02 for to view a character as     
typical means that we are interested in 
the person1 less as a particular        
individual1 than as an example of a     
certain sort of person4 ,the common     
practice of writers of comedy1 ancient  
and modern1 of marking their characters 
by appropriate names1 the ,braggadocio1 
the ,miser1 the ,misanthrope1 and so    
forth1 shows that authors recognise this
 typical function4  ,such comic         
representation of type will always have 
in it something of the nature of        
exaggeration4 ,the laughable trait1 in  
order to raise the tide of merriment to 
its full height1 must itself be raised  
to a higher power and displayed in the  
hypertrophic volume it tends to assume  
when the balancing forces of the normal 
man are greatly reduced4 ,yet1 to say   
this is not to say that the common      
distinction between a lifeless          
abstraction and a living character has  

no meaning in comedy4 ,there is a vast  
difference between the rigid            
abstractions of early modern comedy1    
before the art had extricated itself    
from the leading strings of the morality
 plays1 and the relatively full and     
freely moving figures which we encounter
 in ,molire's plays4 ,on the other side1
 the always controlled expansion of an  
amusing trait in the comic character is 
to be clearly marked off from that      
forcing of expression up to the         
dimensions of a distortion which is the 
essence of caricature4  ,a glance at the
 history of comedy will show us how1    
with its development1 there has grown a 
finer recognition of the comic value of 
character and a corresponding skill in  
the presentation of it4 #cfj  ,the      
comedy of ,aristophanes illustrates the 
art of comic character-drawing in its   
infancy4 ,here1 where the comic muse has
 not yet left behind her the            
,bacchanalian rout2 where the scene is  
apt to be violently transported1 now to 

mid-air1 now to the abode of the gods1  
and now to ,hades2 where the boisterous 
fun in its genial onslaught spares      
neither deity1 poet nor statesman2 and  
where the farcical reaches such a pass  
as to show us competitors for the favour
 of ,demos offering to blow that        
worthy's nose2 there would seem to be no
 room for the portrayal of character4   
,and1 in truth1 the problem of          
constructing character was in a way     
obviated by calling in living or        
historical personages familiar to the   
spectators4 ,yet even in this riotous   
atmosphere1 where the eyes of the       
spectator must have been half-blinded by
 laughter1 we may discern the dim       
beginnings of the art of comic          
portraiture4 ,not only have we now and  
again1 as in the litigious old gentleman
 in the ,wasps1 hints of a typical comic
 figure1 we have illustrated in the     
historical figures themselves1          
,socrates1 ,cleon1 ,euripides1 a rude   
art of type-delineation4#cjj  ,in the   

later ,greek and the ,latin comedy we   
find ourselves in a less turbulent scene
 where the air is clearer1 and things   
can be viewed with some steadiness4 ,in 
,plautus1 the poet of the masses and the
 taverns1 the spirit of riotous         
buffoonery proved itself to be still    
alive4 ,yet the confinement of the scene
 not only to earth but to its familiar  
haunts1 and the introduction of the     
love-motive1 even though in its baser   
form1 gave new scope for the exhibition 
of comic varieties of character4 ,even  
in ,plautus we find sketches1 not1      
indeed1 of a moral type as we find      
elsewhere1 but of a representation of   
some social class or calling1 with #cfa 
its characteristics forcibly set forth1 
as in the boastful soldier1 the cheating
 servant1 and the stingy money-lender4  
,an approximation to the illustration of
 a moral type may1 perhaps1 be detected 
in the amorous old man in the ,asinaria4
 ,it is1 however1 in the work of        
,menander and his ,roman adapter        

,terence that we must look for the real 
advance4 ,in the plays of ,terence1     
written for the educated ,romans1 the   
figures assume something of             
respectability4 ,thus the father ceases1
 as with ,plautus1 to be a sort of      
football for filial buffoons to kick    
about1 and grows into a character worthy
 of study2 and the contrast between a   
foolish excess of authority and a wise  
lenience1 given us in the two fathers in
 the ,adelphi1 has been the model for   
more than one modern writer4 ,in        
,terence1 too1 the family begins to come
 by its own in its tussle with the      
rowdyism of the tavern1 and this is no  
small gain for the comic delineation of 
character4#cja  ,the circumstance that  
modern comedy took its rise in the      
moralities1 with their personifications 
of evil and the rest1 readily explains  
how certain broad types of ignoble      
character were set in the forefront of  
its scene4 ,these appear already in the 
later moralities1 for example1 8,like   

will to ,like04 ,in the work which marks
 the full transition from the interlude 
of the didactic morality to the comedy1 
8,ralph ,roister ,doister0 7c4 #aeej71  
we have outlined one of the valuable    
figures in the comic world1 the         
vainglorious cowardly man1 the victim of
 the most entertaining of delusions4#cjb
  ,in the comedy of the ,elizabethans1  
,ben ,jonson and ,massinger1 it is easy 
to trace this influence1 disguised      
though #cfb it is sometimes by that of  
classical comedy4 ,in ,jonson's 8,every 
,man in his own ,humour10 said to be the
 first important comedy of character in 
our literature1 the source of           
entertainment is laid1 not in a merry   
plot1 but in the presentation of a      
variety of characters which display     
themselves in odd fashions and novelties
 of conduct4 ,it may be roughly true1 as
 ,taine says1 with ,molire present to   
his imagination1 that the method pursued
 is to take an abstract quality and put 
together all the actions to which it    

gives rise4#cjc ,in other words1 the    
object-lesson of the morality is still  
too near1 and the dramatist has not     
learned how to make his comic characters
 move and grow under the spectator's    
eye4 ,yet1 if we compare ,bobadil with a
 braggart of ,plautus1 we may see that  
real progress has been made in the comic
 grasp and manipulation of character4   
,in the comedies of ,shakespeare a      
superficial reader might1 so far as     
drawing of purely comic characters is   
concerned1 suppose himself to be moving 
backwards4 ,the glowing air of romance1 
the removal of the scene from the       
workaday world1 the partial abandonment 
to the moods of poetry and              
dream-delight1 all this would seem to   
exclude the setting up of well-defined  
figures fitted to entertain the mood of 
a gay contemplation4 ,the supposition   
would not be utterly wrong4 ,the        
8mixture of tones10 which comes into the
 poet's comedies as well as into his    
tragedies1 does undoubtedly tend to     

limit the portrayal of purely comic     
traits4#cjd ,the romantic background    
cannot1 like the fixed arrangements of  
homely society1 throw the follies and   
perversities of the figures into sharp  
relief4 ,think for a moment how         
different sthetic significance and value
 #cfc would have attached to the figure 
of the melancholy ,jaques1 if it had    
been encountered1 not in the solitary   
forest1 but in one of ,molire's orderly 
homes4  ,the mixture of tones introduces
 a softening1 transforming influence    
which affects our attitude towards the  
queer figures themselves4 ,benedick and 
the other men who are gently brought to 
reason by schooling women have in their 
very perversity something amiable4 ,even
 ,malvolio and the other figures1 whose 
folly is exposed with something of the  
unsparing extravagance of an older      
comedy1 catch a saving ray from the warm
 glow which is diffused over their      
world4 ,we laugh heartily2 yet the      
pre-dominant sentiment of the play moves

 us at the same time towards tender     
condonation4  ,must we then say that    
because he rarely allows us to look on  
folly and vice in the pure attitude of  
amused observation1 ,shakespeare is no  
comic poet8 ,it does not greatly matter 
how we answer the question so long as we
 reflect that in the world he has here  
created for us1 at once beautiful and   
touched with a tender melancholy1 and   
yet charged with the electric current of
 mirth1 we possess something quite as   
delightful as the well-defined comic    
scenes of a ,molire4 ,now and again1    
moreover1 where the rosy warmth of      
romance gives place to the colder light 
of realities1 as in 8,the ,merry ,wives0
 and 8,the ,taming of the ,shrew10 we   
see how keen an eye our poet could turn 
to the comic possibilities of character4
 ,nor must we forget how great a        
contribution he made to comic           
character-drawing in his dialogue1 where
 the man and the woman1 at once         
attracted and repelled1 use their witty 

tongues with excellent effect1 and where
 woman1 though now and then chastised1  
has a large part assigned her in curing 
man of his follies and developing what  
is best in him4 #cfd  ,for the comedy of
 character1 in its highest and purest   
form1 we are told1 and rightly told1 to 
go to ,molire4 ,in his world1 not only  
is the uproarious1 dust-raising mirth of
 classic comedy silenced1 but the fun of
 extravagant plot with its disguises and
 errors1 though not absent1 is kept     
within measure4 ,it is the familiar     
domestic world1 into which we can       
readily transport ourselves4 ,it is     
peopled for the most part with the sober
 and sensible4 ,upon this orderly scene 
is brought one or more of the great     
typical representatives of human folly4 
,in some cases it is an old entertaining
 figure revived1 the exacting and       
anxious miser1 for example1 or the      
voluble braggart4 ,but the comic idea   
also incarnates itself in a rich variety
 of new forms1 such as the faux dvot and

 his victim1 the critic of society who  
turns a sour face on its conventions1   
the wrong-headed educator of woman1 the 
ready-tongued quack1 the crazy pedant   
and the others4  ,nor is the enlargement
 of the gallery of portraits the only or
 the chief advance in the comedy of     
,molire4 ,the fineness of the drawing is
 what fixes the eye4 ,all trace of the  
old rigid abstractions has disappeared4 
,typical they all remain1 as is their   
function3 yet they are individualised in
 a way that satisfies all the conditions
 of the art4#cje  ,molire's supremacy in
 the comic use of character is seen1    
first of all1 in the selection of his   
types1 which have each a large amusing  
aspect inherent in the character itself1
 and capable of being set forth in a    
sufficient variety of manifestation4 ,we
 see this at once by comparing his      
best-known characters with those of his 
predecessors4 ,in ,molire we have1 what 
,coleridge tells us is wanting in ,ben  
,jonson1 the presentation of the        

laughable defect as 8a prominence #cfe  
growing out of1 and nourished by1 the   
character which still circulates in     
it04#cjf ,the simple-minded ambition of 
the ,bourgeois gentilhomme1 the pious   
over-confidence of ,orgon1 the          
intractable misanthropy of              
,alceste--these1 as traits broad-based  
in the character1 offer large           
possibilities of comic development4     
,the next point to be noted in this new 
art is the mode of presentation of the  
character which is to hold the eye in   
amused contemplation4 ,the pointing     
effect of contrast is present1 as in all
 good art2 what is noteworthy is the    
admirable simplicity of the method of   
contrasting4 ,this is rendered possible 
by the type selected and the point of   
view adopted4 ,to ,molire1 the man taken
 with vain conceit1 the opinionated     
prig1 the unsociable critic of society  
and the rest1 are aberrations from a    
normal type1 the socially adapted       
person4 ,the ,harpagons1 the ,orgons1   

the ,arnolphes1 the ,alcestes1 the      
,sganarelles and the others1 have their 
amusing lop-sidedness1 their            
characteristic tendency swollen to the  
ridiculous proportions of a tumor1      
defined from the first by the antithesis
 in which they are set to the normal    
members of society4 ,the orderly world1 
pleading for a reasonable accommodation 
to the usages of men1 is sometimes      
represented by the judicious friend1    
e4g41 ,alceste1 ,arnolphe2 not seldom by
 the wife1 e4g41 ,madame ,jourdain2 at  
other times by the brother1 e4g41 of    
,sganarelle2 and1 now and again1 even by
 the privileged and saucy maid1 e4g41 of
 ,orgon1 of ,m4 ,jourdain4  ,in this    
juxtaposition the comic poet exhibits   
clearly enough the anti-social tendency 
of the inflated characteristic4 ,the    
outrage to woman in the rigorous        
treatment of their wards by ,arnolphe   
and ,sganarelle1 the harshness of       
,alceste's demands on the high-spirited 
girl he woos1 #cff the menace in        

,jourdain's craze to the stability of   
the home1 the cruel bearing of          
,harpagon's avarice on his son--all this
 is made quite plain to the spectator2  
and the exposure of this maleficent     
tendency in the perverse attitude serves
 somehow to strengthen the comic effect4
  ,in thus presentating the hypertrophy 
of a moral tendency1 ,molire gives      
movement to the embodiment by disclosing
 the organic action of the disordered   
part on other parts of the man4 ,the    
avarice of ,harpagon renders him fearful
 of a theft1 as if this would ruin him4 
,he takes it as an insult that he should
 be called rich1 asserting that 8nothing
 is more false04 ,this points to that   
effect of perverted passion which       
,molire everywhere emphasises1          
intellectual blindness1 the result of a 
mastery of the mind by compulsory ideas 
7ides fixes74 ,the often-quoted         
indication of mental deafness in ,orgon1
 when1 to the servant's announcement    
that his wife is ill1 he dreamily       

iterates the ejaculations 8,et          
,tartuffe80 and 8,le pauvre homme60     
illustrates the full comic value of such
 a detachment of mind from the realities
 which are seen by others to be rapping 
at the doors of sense4  ,this state of  
the intelligence reduced to something   
resembling 8mono-ideism0 carries with it
 a loss of the normally clear           
self-consciousness4 ,the foolish        
,arnolphe1 who1 in order to guard       
himself against the risk of a faithless 
spouse1 subjects the girl he means to   
wed to intolerable restraints1 has the  
delusion that he is a great reformer1   
striking the hyper-pedagogic note when  
he says that a woman's mind is soft     
wax4#cjg ,here and elsewhere the        
spectator is made to see that the queer 
creature is acting like a somnambulist1 
quite unaware of the consequences of his
 actions4 ,it thus #cfg becomes an      
exhibition of human folly1 and of the   
droll obliquity and bombastic           
extravagance which are folly's          

inseparable concomitants4  ,there is1 no
 doubt1 somewhat of abstraction here4   
,to give a tendency complete dominance  
and to reduce intelligence to the menial
 position of its servant is to destroy  
the organic complexity of the man4 ,all 
the same1 this method of uncovering the 
drollness of moral obliquity is not     
adequately judged when it is called     
abstract4 ,the simplified mechanism     
still lives1 in a sense4 ,one might say 
that the mature mind is reduced to the  
level of the child's4 ,there is1 indeed1
 something suggestive of the child in a 
lull of naughty temper in ,harpagon's   
inquiry of his coachman1 what people are
 saying about him4 ,a still more        
striking approach to the childish occurs
 when ,m4 ,jourdain shows off to his    
wife and his maid his newly acquired    
superiority through the discovery of the
 meaning of 8prose04  ,it may be added  
that an escape from the rigidity of the 
abstract is secured by the development  
of the obliquity itself4 ,as long as    

things are seen to grow1 they are taken 
to be alive4 ,the expansion of the      
ridiculous ambition of ,m4 ,jourdain    
endows him with a certain plenitude of  
life4 ,it may all be very one-sided1    
and1 by comparison with the life of a   
normal man1 remind us of the            
inflexibility of a machine2 yet it is   
still a deranged organism that acts1 and
 not a mechanism4#cjh  ,it is to be     
noted1 too1 that though they resemble   
distinctly morbid aberrations from the  
normal pattern1 these characters do not 
reach to the full height of mania4 ,m4  
,jourdain1 no doubt1 gets near the      
boundary that separates sanity from #cfh
 insanity in the closing scenes of the  
play2#cji but the comic intention is    
careful to keep the droll figure on the 
right side of the boundary4  ,a frequent
 termination of the action in this      
comedy is a climax1 in which the folly  
of the comic character rises to an      
outburst so voluminous and torrent-like 
as to throw the onlookers in his world  

into uproarious mirth4 ,the final       
befooling of ,m4 ,jourdain is an        
example4 ,molire was too good an artist1
 and too wise a man1 to try in every    
case to compass the end of 8poetic      
justice0 by giving to society in its    
struggle with a mighty and obstinate    
perversion of humanity more of a victory
 than the laugh4 ,unhappy ,alceste has  
to rush into the desert without his     
,climne amid the hilarity of onlookers4 
,arnolphe and ,sganarelle are no doubt  
found out and disappointed2 and         
,tartuffe is unmasked and gets into     
trouble4 ,yet there is no evidence of a 
general intention to punish4 ,orgon1    
though he is cured of his pious delusion
 by a rough surgical operation1 receives
 no more chastisement than ,m4 ,jourdain
 receives for having brought alien      
interests and an alien master into the  
home4 ,nor does even that embodiment of 
an ugly vice1 ,harpagon1 get anything   
worthy of being called a trouncing4  ,in
 all this1 the master shows us how well 

he knew how to keep at the point of view
 which he had selected as the comic4    
,let us try to define this after our    
study of his plays4  ,when we contrast  
the world1 quiet and orderly for the    
most part1 presented in these comedies  
with the hurly-burly scenes of a play of
 ,aristophanes1 we are tempted to say1  
as has been said1 that ,molire sets     
before our eyes the realities of        
everyday life4 ,yet the comic figures   
blown out into #cfi ridiculous volume   
are certainly not taken straight out of 
our familiar world4 ,they are always    
transformations1 to this extent1 that   
they are the simplified embodiments of  
fully developed tendencies which only   
show themselves in germ-form1 and       
complicated more or less by balancing   
tendencies1 in the real world which is  
said to be imaged here4 ,we seem thus to
 have an element of the unreal thrown   
against a background of the real4       
,there is no anomaly here when once we  
get at the comic point of view4 ,in     

,molire's plays1 the source of laughter 
lies in this very intrusion of the      
ill-shapen into a community of          
well-rounded forms4 ,it is the intruder 
on whom we fix the eye1 for whose       
unpredictable antics in a world for     
which he is not made our expectation is 
set4 ,the serious background is there1  
but does not take a strong hold of our  
minds3 we are not greatly moved1 for    
example1 by the spectacle of the        
sufferings of the daughters and the     
wards of testy old gentlemen1 or even of
 the wearing housewifely anxieties of   
,madame ,jourdain4 ,the proper world1   
into which the absurdly ill-fitted is   
here pitchforked1 is but a background1  
rendering the valuable service of       
backgrounds by throwing into relief and 
so sharply defining the form for which  
the spectator's eye is accommodated4    
,it is hardly an exaggeration to say    
that the whole plot of one of these     
comedies consists in the showing up of  
the grotesque unsuitability of the comic

 character to its environment4 ,it      
groups its persons and arranges its     
scenes as if with the intention of      
demonstrating the futility of the       
attempt of this droll figure1 lop-sided1
 and of an awkward gait1 to move about  
in our ordered world4 ,this helps us to 
understand why ,molire1 though1 as      
observed above1 he now and again resorts
 to older and more elemental sources of 
mirth1 is able to be so economical in   
the use of disguise #cgj of improbable  
encounters1 and of the other mechanical 
devices of the entertaining show4 ,the  
situations themselves as well as the    
action seem to arise out of the         
fundamental facts1 the given characters 
and their relations4 ,thus1 one is      
hardly surprised to find ,harpagon in   
the ignoble part of a money-lender1 to  
whom the son he has pinched betakes     
himself4  ,the enjoyment of the comedy  
here provided presupposes a trained     
faculty4 ,there must be the quick       
observant eye that catches in           

side-glance all the relations1 and yet  
remains accommodated for the laughable4 
,there is no place for a mixed tone1 for
 a blend of laughter with melancholy    
sentiment4 ,the serious is envisaged    
less as the serious1 than as the        
framework within which the comic figure 
moves4 ,the mood is one of a purely gay 
observation1 which has no room for pity1
 indignation1 or any other emotion2     
which is brightly and coldly            
intellectual2 which is content with just
 looking and being amused4  ,for a right
 understanding of the scope of laughter 
in comedy1 we need to glance at another 
of its developments4 ,in the so-called  
8,comedy of ,manners10 as illustrated in
 the ,english plays of the ,restoration1
 we have undoubtedly to do with a very  
special trend of the comic spirit4  ,in 
the art of ,molire we have for the most 
part the presentation of an individual  
grotesquely transformed from the common 
social type which surrounds him4 ,it is 
only in a few comedies1 as ,les ,femmes 

savantes and ,les ,prcieuses ridicules1 
that we have spread out for mirthful    
contemplation the characteristics of a  
set of persons4 ,in these1 the moderate 
sensible world1 against which the       
cultivation of 8the fine shades0 looks  
so entertaining1 is still indicated1    
though1 of course1 less immediately and 
fully4  ,in the plays of ,congreve and  
his contemporaries1 we meet #cga with a 
comic treatment of more widespread      
8manners0 of the hour4 ,the sources of  
their fun are pretty obvious4 ,there is 
something of the utter abandonment to   
disorder and revelry which we met with  
in the works of ,aristophanes4#caj ,the 
ordered world1 with its interaction of  
normal characters1 seems blotted out of 
existence4 ,the plot is1 as with        
,plautus1 a love-intrigue1 and has much 
of the coarseness and the degradation of
 situation which mark the popular ,latin
 comedy4 ,yet it is at least marked off 
by the feature that it frees men from   
the sordid business of sending menials  

to bid for the prize1 and sets them face
 to face with the women they are bent on
 obtaining4 ,the women1 again1 are not  
shy maids1 but range from experienced   
wives to the would-be simpletons fresh  
from the country4 ,they are1 moreover1  
while saucy and disposed to make good   
show of resistance1 untrammelled by any 
sentimental or other attachment to their
 chains4  ,it seems undeniable that this
 8artificial0 comedy can make good its  
claims to be entertaining4 ,it has      
vivacity and stirring movement1 the full
 frolicsomeness of the practical joke1  
and it abounds in scenes of voluminous  
gaiety4 ,its dialogue at its best has1  
along with its coarseness1 an           
unmistakable brilliance of wit4  ,but   
how are we to define the point of view  
where there is no ordered world as      
background8 ,there seems no question    
here of laughing at the affectations of 
a few1 who are viewed as comic          
aberrations from a reasonable type4 ,the
 whole world is affected with frolicsome

 disorder4  ,we are not now concerned   
with the mental attitude of the         
spectators for whom these comedies were 
written4 #cgb ,to them1 no doubt1 the   
spectacle was a merry one as bringing a 
sense of relief from the gloom of the   
,puritan's reign4 ,it may1 as ,taine    
suggests1 have been served up as a kind 
of 8,appetitsbischen0 between meals1 in 
order to stimulate the palates of the   
gallants who frequented the theatre2    
though it is difficult to attribute this
 function to what by common consent was 
intended to provoke mirthful laughter4  
,what is of more importance is to get at
 the point of view of ,charles ,lamb and
 others who avow that they find a true  
comedy here4  ,lamb himself has told us 
what attitude a man should bring to the 
appreciation of this comedy4 ,he is to  
regard these 8sports of a witty fancy0  
as 8a world of themselves almost as much
 as fairyland04 ,his moral feelings are 
left at home with his morning suit4 ,he 
goes to the play in order 8to escape    

from the pressure of reality04 ,for him 
the figures that pursue one another     
across the stage have no moral          
substance1 and are proper subjects      
neither for approval nor for            
disapproval4 ,in other words1 ,lamb     
tells us that the comedy of ,congreve   
and his school is to be taken as a pure 
show1 holding no relations to the real1 
everyday world4  ,this view has been    
spurned by ,macaulay1 in a well-known   
,essay1 as subversive of morals4 ,to    
him1 the comedy of the ,restoration is a
 thing that is inherently anti-moral in 
spirit and intention2 and he proceeds to
 pound it with weighty invectives4  ,the
 argument would have been relevant if   
the question had been a practical one of
 this kind3 shall we put this comedy on 
the stage to-day for our boys and girls 
to see it8 ,as against ,lamb's plea it  
seems to me to be a curious case of     
missing the point4 ,when1 for example1  
,macaulay complains that in these       
comedies the husbands are treated #cgc  

as objects of contempt and aversion1    
whereas the gallants are decked out with
 all the graces1 he might have          
remembered the old ,contes and bethought
 him that this was an elementary        
condition of the artificial world1 which
 is created solely for amusement4 ,his  
answer to ,lamb1 that recollections of  
morality do steal now and then into this
 fantastic world1 does not touch the    
latter's main contention1 and only shows
 7so far as it is just7 that the        
creators were not perfect architects1   
and tried to combine incompatible       
styles4 ,the moral order is still in the
 background1 dimly perceived1 even here3
 the fun of the thing is at bottom1 as  
,lamb says1 a sense of momentary escape 
from rules which we know cannot be set  
aside in the real world4 ,but this idea 
of an escape implies that what we fly   
from must not be dragged into the show4 
,our study of comedy and of the sources 
of laughter has prepared us to accept   
,lamb's view4 ,the comic spectacle      

appeals to the man in the play-mood4    
,when there1 he may see the fun of the  
turbulent world of ,aristophanes and not
 be troubled by the thought of the      
undesirability of its realisation4 ,even
 when he is entertained by a play of    
,molire he does not take the background 
quite seriously1 waxing indignant1 say1 
in sympathy with ,harpagon's ill-used   
son1 or with ,m4 ,jourdain's ill-used   
wife4 ,the least swerving from the point
 of view of comedy1 a turn of the mental
 8eye-glass10 would spoil all4 ,he would
 begin1 with ,rousseau1 to protest      
against presenting so good a man as     
,alceste in a ludicrous light4 ,the     
,restoration comedy appeals to the same 
playful mood simplified by the temporary
 inhibition of all outside tendencies4  
,it is1 ,i conceive1 a profound error to
 suppose that either the writer of a    
comedy or his audience is at the moral  
point of view1 envisaging behaviour as  
morally #cgd commendable or the         
opposite4 ,possibly1 the influence of   

the didactic morality on early modern   
comedy may have helped to foster this   
error4 ,it is true that ,molire finds   
his comic material in certain defects of
 character4 ,yet the selections made by 
comic art are not determined by degrees 
of moral turpitude4 ,as hinted above1   
very small and comparatively harmless   
vices may be preferred as having the    
drollest look on the stage4#caa ,vanity1
 the richest of all moral blemishes in  
its comic possibilities1 and therefore  
greatly employed by comedy1 both ancient
 and modern1 is not judged as heinously 
immoral1 like hatred and cruelty1 for   
example4#cab ,this may suffice to show  
how wide an interval separates the point
 of view of the spectator of a comedy   
from that of the moral judge4  ,it seems
 to me to be much more correct to say1  
with ,m4 ,bergson1 that comedy takes up 
the social rather than the moral point  
of view4 ,by this ,i mean that the comic
 poet is thinking of the look of things 
to the trained apperceptive organ of the

 social kind of person1 according as    
they appear to be well or ill adapted to
 the common practices and opinions of   
society as discerned and interpreted by 
its more intelligent representatives4   
,yet1 in speaking of the social point of
 view1 ,i must not be taken to mean that
 either the author or the spectator of  
the comic scene is seriously judging of 
the behaviour of its figures by a       
reference to social values4 ,there is1  
undoubtedly1 an approach to this1 not   
only in the early modern comedy1 but in 
the later serious variety1 including    
some plays of ,molire2 but the          
art-impulse of the writer1 where it is  
clear1 prevents the approximation #cge  
of points of view from becoming a loss  
of distinctness4 ,comedy addresses      
itself to a mood of sthetic             
contemplation which1 though it has room 
for keen penetration1 and even for a dim
 discernment of a serious import in the 
background of the puppet show1 remains  
on the whole a playful attitude4 ,the   

spectator is agreeably occupied with the
 look of things2 and such social        
consciousness as is awake in him serves 
merely to give to his perceptions a     
precise measure of the seemly1 or at    
most to enable him to glimpse something 
of a sharply corrective expression in   
the puckered visage of the comic        
showman4#cac  ,in comedy1 the moral     
comes into view as 8mores10 as a part1  
and a principal part1 of the customary1 
as we have it in a civilised society4   
,yet it is not disengaged and held up as
 moral4 ,molire1 the ,comedian of       
,society par excellence1 shows us       
clearly enough that he is not trying to 
distinguish the more permanent and      
universal basis of society in morality  
from the variable accidents which enter 
into the manners of a particular society
 at a given date4 ,the 8gushing0 mode of
 accost adopted by mere acquaintances   
which irritates ,alceste is accepted by 
the poet as a standard of the fitting1  
just because as a fashion it is a social

 institution1 to be good-naturedly      
accepted by the social kind of person4  
,when ,m4 ,jourdain tries to step out of
 his bourgeois rank1 the laughter he    
provokes depends primarily on the       
unseemliness of his ambition4 ,yet1 at  
the end of the nineteenth century in    
,paris or ,london1 such ambition is so  
common and meets with so large a success
 that we have almost forgotten to smile 
at it4 ,hence1 when ,taine talks of     
,molire as a 8philosopher0 illustrating 
8universal truths10 he commits an error 
which may be pardoned1 as due to the    
natural inclination to stretch the      
achievement of a great #cgf             
compatriot4#cad ,what ,molire does is to
 secure for the rather oddly formed     
group of customs and practices adopted  
by the particular society he is         
depicting1 adequate exponents1 who1 in  
their advocacy of the social system     
against the socially perverse1 not only 
disengage and give clearness to the     
unwritten laws1 but may--so long as they

 do not raise the question of their     
deeper grounds--seek to recommend them  
by the most enlightened presentment of  
the common-sense attitude4  ,now1 in    
substituting the social for the moral   
point of view1 the writer of comedy     
necessarily tends to slacken the cords  
that bind us in society4 ,nothing comes 
out more plainly in ,molire's plays than
 the good-natured accommodation of      
social requirements to human            
infirmities4 ,the author distinctly     
rejects the idea of going above this    
standard1 of trying to improve on social
 customs--for example1 in the comic     
treatment of ,alceste and of ,arnolphe4 
,at heart1 like his ,roman predecessors1
 he takes sides with indulgence against 
all irksome restraint4 ,he has the large
 tolerance1 the readiness to excuse and 
to pass by1 of the easy man of the      
world4 ,climne's coquetries1 for        
example1 are accepted as natural in one 
who 8is twenty years old04 ,so it must  
be2 for comedy is written to put us into

 an easy frame of mind1 in which we are 
perfectly content with the world as it  
is4  ,from this point of view1 we may   
see that the comedy of manners is not1  
fundamentally1 so different from that of
 character as is often maintained4 ,it  
breaks with the moral order of stable   
societies1 no doubt1 and turns its back 
rather rudely on this order4 ,yet it may
 still1 in a sense1 be said to adopt the
 social point of view4 ,that is to say1 
it envisages #cgg the seemly as that    
which falls in with the code of manners 
which happens to obtain at the time4    
,its standard of fitness is1 like that  
of the savage and of ,molire1 the       
customs of the tribe4 ,it is the        
sour-tempered and suspicious husband1   
for whom ,macaulay expresses so droll a 
concern1 who in this inverted world     
becomes the anti-social kind of person4 
,the large indulgence of this society is
 but an expansion of the indulgence     
common to ,terence and to ,molire4 ,a   
sub-conscious awareness of the          

topsy-turvyness of things is with us as 
we look2 and the quaint fancifulness of 
the inversion--if only like ,lamb we can
 refuse for a moment to take serious    
views--is distinctly refreshing4  ,in   
saying that we go to meet comedy in the 
play-mood1 in which our habits of moral 
approbation and disapprobation1 and even
 of estimation of social values1 are    
lulled to a sleep more or less profound1
 it is not meant that these serious     
tendencies in us can be ignored by the  
writer of comedy4 ,as implied above1    
they mould our forms of the seemly1     
unknowingly to us perhaps1 even as we   
look4 ,and more1 though inhibited by the
 play-like mood1 they have force2 and   
should the showman go too far1 say in   
the direction of stripping off the veil 
of decency1 they may wake up and make an
 end of the comic enjoyment4 ,just as   
tragic fear and pity may give way to    
physical revulsion when horror obtrudes 
itself1 so when in comedy the unclean   
thrusts into view its ugly head1 a sort 

of physical revulsion may silence       
laughter4 ,the latitude in these matters
 conceded from time to time to comic art
 will1 it is evident1 vary greatly with 
the particular ratio between the vigours
 of the mirthful and moral tendencies4  
,the presentation of the comic aspects  
of men's behaviour on the stage is      
narrowly limited4 ,as ,sainte-,beuve    
reminds us1 a whole people may have a   
fit 7accs7 of mania4 ,if #cgh this      
happen to be the war-fury we shall have 
given us1 as pointed out above1         
unmistakable elements of comic situation
 and character4 ,indeed1 if a person who
 has just been in the midst of a wild   
8,jingoism0 without losing his head will
 read ,molire's plays he will not fail  
to be struck by numerous resemblances4  
,and here1 as in comedy1 the figures    
have their comical contours and poses   
thrown into relief by a social          
background1 as much superior to any     
single community at a particular moment1
 as a community to one of its members4  

,yet no national comedy could in these  
days follow ,aristophanes and use such  
promising material1 nor are we likely as
 yet to have a comedy for the civilised 
world4  ,before leaving comedy1 we may  
glance at other forms of literature     
which seem to approach its point of     
view4 ,of certain kinds of the so-called
 serious comedy of recent times ,i do   
not propose to speak4 ,it seems more    
important to remark that prose fiction  
may now and again draw near the comic   
point of view4 ,it sometimes presents us
 with a texture of fantastic situations 
and adventures which reminds us of the  
,aristophanean burlesque1 as in the     
8,tartarin0 series of ,alphonse ,daudet4
 ,this type of fiction gives us         
elemental laughter1 uncomplicated by    
anything in the nature of sad           
reflection--though a little of the      
tenderness of humour may steal in4 ,or  
the tone of the story may approach that 
of the more sedate comedy1 making1      
indeed1 the one hardly distinguishable  

from the other1 save through the        
narrative form4 ,this holds good1 for   
example1 of the novels of ,miss ,austen4
 ,the social point of view is sharply   
defined and steadily adhered to1 and    
critical reflection is confined to the  
rle of giving a fuller and more lucid   
interpretation of the standards of the  
society illustrated4  ,the comic point  
of view may intrude1 too1 and tend to   
become supreme in fiction which has     
something of the #cgi deeper and more   
thrilling import4 ,it seems to have been
 present1 at times at least1 to ,balzac1
 and to ,thackeray4 ,but it is in ,mr4  
,meredith's novels that we may study a  
new and a finer employment of the comic 
attitude in connection with the more    
enthralling kind of interest4 ,the very 
subjects--for example1 the egoist       
entangled in the situation which makes  
large demands for consideration2 the    
father with a pedagogic system of his   
own concoction2 the tailor more         
successful in soaring than his client   

,m4 ,jourdain1 with certain consequences
 to his family2 the gallant cadet of an 
ancient house affected with the zeal of 
radicalism--these sound like the titles 
of comedy4 ,and though the writer may   
allow the reedy tone of humour to be    
heard now and again he gives prominence 
to the fluty note of comedy1 with its   
simplicity and clearness1 and something 
of its sound of sharp correction1 too4  
,occasionally indeed1 as in ,beauchamp's
 ,career1 this characteristic note will 
be distinctly heard at the end of a     
story which closes on a tragic disaster4
  ,yet a closer inspection will show    
that though the point of view of these  
writers may approximate to that of the  
comic poet1 it remains distinct4 ,this  
distinctness1 moreover1 is not due      
merely to the presence of a large       
serious interest which gives gravity to 
the story4 ,it arises out of the        
circumstance that the writer of prose   
fiction1 by addressing himself to the   
reflective mood of a solitary reader1   

and not to the apperceptive attitude of 
a spectator1 will1 even in presenting   
the comic aspects of his subject1       
unavoidably tend to transcend the       
standards of fitness adopted by a       
particular community1 substituting for  
these the ideal standards of a community
 of the wise and good4  ,in comedy we   
have the appeal to laughter in its      
purity1 the child's laughter at the     
funny show guided by an intelligent     
grasp of social customs4 ,it addresses  
itself to the #chj many1 united by      
common modes of judgment and a common   
standard of fitness4 ,literature gives  
us1 however1 appeals of another kind4   
,the writer who amuses us may seem1 at  
least1 to be very far from the social   
point of view1 and the mood he induces  
may be by no means that of pure gaiety4 
,after what has been said in the        
preceding chapter1 a few words must     
suffice to indicate these other literary
 expressions of the laughing spirit4    
,we may distinguish two main varieties  

of this mixed tone3 7a7 the combination 
of laughter with the attitude of serious
 attack1 as illustrated in satire2 7b7  
its combination with mellowing feelings 
in what we have recognised as modern    
humour4  ,the distinguishing note of    
satire is the angry one of reprobation4 
,here vices and follies are no longer   
set before us as a diverting spectacle1 
but emphasis is laid on their moral     
indignity4 ,the satirist is at the point
 of view of the moral judge2 only1      
instead of the calmness of the judge1 he
 has something of the fierce attitude of
 the prosecutor who aims at exposing and
 denouncing the turpitude of an offence4
  ,this being so1 we see that laughter  
enters into satire as an expression of  
contempt and as an instrument of        
punishment4 ,it assumes its most pungent
 and most dreaded form1 ridicule or     
derision4 ,it is thus less a spontaneous
 feeling than a volitional process3 the 
satirist wills to mock4 ,as satirist he 
controls his personal indignation by an 

artistic purpose1 such a presentment of 
his victim as will excite in his hearers
 or readers the full laughter of        
contempt4 ,hence1 the large license he  
takes1 in the employment of exaggeration
 and the devices of caricature1 in the  
invention of degrading situations1 and  
in the appropriation of humiliating     
comparison1 figure of speech and the    
other resources of his art4 #cha  ,it is
 clear that the mirthful spirit when it 
thus lends itself to the purpose of     
damaging attack becomes modified to the 
point of transformation4 ,to laugh with 
,juvenal or with ,swift is to feel more 
of a bitter malignity than of gaiety4   
,we may say that satire takes us back to
 the brutal laughter of the savage      
standing jubilant over his prostrate    
foe4 ,or we may describe the laughter as
 a feeling of 8sudden glory0 deeply     
tinged by the dominant angry attitude of
 the laugher4  ,yet the intrusion of    
laughter into invective1 just because it
 is the solvent of all serious moods1   

tends1 as we have seen1 to develop1 if  
only for an instant1 a lighter tone4    
,hence the gamut of dissimilar tones in 
satire1 which at the one end is         
furiously denunciatory1 at the other    
almost playful and good-temperedly      
jocular4 ,the early popular 8farce0 of  
the ,greeks1 with its mocking and       
ironical speeches1 and the satirical    
songs of the ,middle ,ages were         
apparently pieces of rollicking fun1    
like the comedy of ,aristophanes1 in    
which the satirical note was            
half-drowned in buffoonish laughter4    
,where1 however1 the composition is     
palpably a satire1 the serious purpose  
may be seen to dominate and to colour   
the whole expression4  ,the             
characteristics of satire1 thus roughly 
indicated1 hold good alike whether the  
vices exposed be those of an individual1
 of a social class1 of a society at a   
particular moment1 or of mankind as a   
whole4 ,in any case1 the point of view  
is clearly that of a supposed moral     

judge and sentencer4  ,the presence of a
 purpose of serious exposure is not by  
any means equally clear in all cases2   
whence the denotation of the term satire
 is not sharply bounded4 ,comedy itself 
has been said to have a strong satirical
 element1 and this seems certainly true 
of the compositions of ,aristophanes1   
which1 as ,bergk remarks1 contain in    
their mixture of tones #chb a 8biting   
scorn0 and a 8bitter irony04#cae        
,romances1 as pictures of men and their 
manners1 are often described as         
satirical1 presumably because a free    
delineation of human vices is taken to  
imply the condemnatory attitude and the 
intention to castigate4 ,yet here the   
castigation may be of the mildest1 as in
 ,gil ,blas1 which1 according to        
,sainte-,beuve1 does not hold up men in 
the mass to ridicule as wicked and      
foolish1 but rather exposes their       
meanness and dulness4#caf ,m4 ,taine    
finds the satirist's lash laid on       
heavily in the ,english school of       

fiction1 even in the writings of        
,thackeray4#cag ,yet judgments as to a  
writer's intention based on the         
prevailing tone of the world he portrays
 are apt to seem subjective and         
capricious4  ,satire proper1 where the  
purpose of ridicule is confessed1 is a  
very different thing4 ,we see this in   
the works of ,juvenal1 of whom ,prof4   
,tyrrell writes1 8,he is always in a    
rage and a laugh seems to sit strangely 
on his lips04#cah ,in this more serious 
and poignant satire the laugh takes on a
 shrill note of malignity from its      
mental entourage4 ,the virulence of the 
satire of antiquity has since been      
softened4 ,this is frequently effected  
by allegorical disguise4 ,the medival   
satires1 such as that on cunning and    
treachery in the fable of the ,fox1 are 
examples4 ,the satires of ,voltaire and 
of the ,english satirists1 including the
 bitter and unsparing ,swift1 illustrate
 the same tendency4  ,this throwing of a
 fierce attack1 whether political or    

moral1 into the form of an allegory1    
though it seems to veil the direction of
 the assault1 really gives it more      
point4 ,in the attacks of derision1 at  
least1 a back-handed blow may often hurt
 more than one straight from the        
shoulder4 ,the reader's satisfaction    
includes no doubt an #chc element of    
admiration for the finesse of art3 yet  
more seems to be involved4 ,swift could 
not have shown us the absurdities in our
 social and political institutions half 
as well by any direct attack on them as 
he has shown us by the indirect attack  
in ,gulliver's ,travels4 ,the indignity 
of a familiar vice or folly seems to be 
made palpable when it is thus ridiculed 
under the guise of some new semblance4  
,further1 our laughter at the vice is   
reinforced by that which comes from the 
detection of the make-believe of the    
allegory4 ,the playful element probably 
takes on something of malice from the   
prevailing tone of the satire1 and in   
the end we may laugh yet more cruelly at

 the victim who is ever being anew      
detected1 so to speak1 under the        
literary mask4  ,much the same kind of  
remark applies to the effect of simile1 
innuendo1 irony1 and all that we mean by
 wit in satire4 ,we have touched on the 
playful side of wit under the head of   
,comedy4 ,but this is only a part of    
what the word commonly implies4 ,even in
 comic dialogue there is something of   
attack1 and the witty women of the      
,restoration and other writers have now 
and again a rasping tongue4 ,yet it is  
in satire that we see the deep malignity
 of wit4 ,the witty sarcasms of         
,voltaire and the rest seem to be imps  
of malice disguised as toys4 ,the sally 
of cruel meaning out of what looks      
harmless nonsense1 or a mere verbal     
slip--as in the polished rebuke of a    
,master of ,trinity to a too confident  
,junior ,fellow1 8we are all fallible1  
even the youngest of us0--has a wounding
 force greater than that of a direct    
mode of statement4 ,the effect is still 

greater where failure and disgrace are  
exhibited under a thin ironical veil of 
glorious achievement1 as in ,pope's     
lines on the ,lord ,mayor's ,show--said 
by ,leigh ,hunt to be the finest piece  
of wit he knew3-- #chd      ,now night  
descending the proud scene is o'er1     
,but lives in ,settle's numbers one day 
more4  ,in all such ironical inversion  
the satirist manages by a suggestion of 
the worthy and honourable to drive home 
with added force the humiliating truth2 
as in the remark of ,cicero1 apropos of 
an elderly dame who said that she was   
but forty years old3 8,i must believe   
her1 for ,i have heard her say so any   
time these ten years04#cai ,the         
presentation in this case of something  
hidden1 immediately followed by an      
uncovering1 may evoke an echo of the    
8bo-peep0 laugh of infancy1 which       
should1 one supposes1 tend to introduce 
a milder and playful tone into the      
attack2 yet1 owing to the predominance  
of the attitude of fierce derision1 this

 very element of playfulness appears1   
somehow1 to give a new pungency to the  
satirical thrust4  ,nothing could be    
more unlike the laughter of virulent    
satire than that provoked by the        
expression of humour in literature4 ,as 
our analysis would lead us to expect1 we
 find in the truly humorous writer the  
mellowing influences of good nature and 
sympathy1 and a large understanding and 
acceptance of that against which he     
pokes fun4 ,while satire1 sarcasm and   
their kind seem to be trying to push    
things away1 or at least to alter them1 
humour1 curiously enough1 looks as if it
 were tenderly holding to the world     
which entertains it4 ,yet while all     
humorous writings illustrate these      
tendencies1 the subjective and personal 
quality of humour is seen in the        
circumstance that every writer brings to
 bear on what he sees a new temper and  
attitude4  ,the contrast of the         
satirical and the humorous point of view
 may be conveniently studied by glancing

 at the current #che and much-discussed 
distinction between wit and humour4     
,that these do not logically make a pair
 of contrasting species has been implied
 in our analysis of the two4 ,perhaps   
nowhere do we find the human mind to    
have been more strangely misled by the  
fact of the existence of two words than 
in this case4 ,wit1 as essentially a    
manner of deportment of the             
intelligence1 can stand in no simple and
 direct relation to an emotional mood   
like humour4  ,no doubt there are facts 
which give colour to the idea of an     
opposition in this case4 ,thus1 it is   
indubitable that whereas humour         
specially favours certain kinds of      
imaginative and reflective activity1 wit
 seems always to prefer1 even in its    
play1 something in the shape of an      
incisive logical process4#cbj ,but ,i   
suspect that the deeper ground of the   
distinction is to be found in the       
circumstance that the wit which is most 
brilliant1 of keenest edge1 and most    

effective in its stroke1 appears always 
to grow out of1 and so becomes          
associated with1 those moods of satire  
and mordant mockery1 to which humour as 
good-natured and tolerant is directly   
opposed4 ,so it is with the wit of      
,voltaire and of others of his century4 
,a closer examination will1 however1    
show that there is nothing incompatible 
between the humorous sentiment and the  
witty mode of behaviour of the          
intellect4 ,as play indeed1 wit quite   
naturally allies itself to the attitude 
of humour4 ,it will be found that much  
that is commonly described as wit       
discloses the softening effect of       
humour1 and might1 indeed1 just as well 
be called an illustration of humour4    
,those who really know the ,irish will  
sometimes hesitate whether to speak of  
their wit or of their humour4 ,the same 
applies1 ,i feel sure1 to a large number
 of #chf ,shakespeare's                 
8witticisms04#cba ,in all such cases1   
the wit1 which when set in the fierce   

mood of the satirist has a nasty sting1 
not only becomes harmless1 but may take 
on something of positive kindliness when
 it is tempered by an infusion of genial
 humour4 ,the remark apropos of a very  
correct person1 8,he has not one        
redeeming vice10 may illustrate the     
point4 ,it may even1 in this harmless   
form1 come into a laugh which tells     
against the humorist1 as in the         
observation of an idler1 8,i don't like 
working between my meals04#cbb  ,yet    
though in their well-marked forms thus  
dissimilar1 the satirical and the       
humorous mood may shade one into the    
other in a way that makes it difficult  
to draw the boundary line4 ,heine1 in   
some of his writings1 e4g41 the poem    
,deutschland1 tempers his mockery with  
sentiment and humour in such a way that 
one finds it hard to think of it as a   
satire4 ,in places1 indeed1 this genius1
 so simple-looking yet really so        
profound1 seems to become a consummate  
humorist1 bringing out with a single    

touch all the laughter and all the tears
 of things4 ,was ,lewis ,carroll a      
satirist when he threw behind the fun of
 his children's stories some deeper     
meaning which for ever eludes us8 or was
 this semblance of a meaning a part of  
his fun1 his playful way of punishing   
the 8grown up0 for reading a child's    
book8 #chg  ,in modern literature1 the  
interesting point to note is the growing
 interpenetration of the laughing and   
the serious attitude1 and the           
coalescence of the mirthful spirit with 
sentiment4 ,the two processes1 though   
distinct1 may run on together1 as we may
 see in ,shakespeare's plays4 ,the      
humorous element introduced by the fool 
in 8,lear0 and elsewhere at once        
relieves the tragic tension1 and gives a
 moment's play to that disposition      
towards a lighter laughing criticism    
which is always active when we survey   
colossal folly1 even though the mental  
eye is at the moment focussed for its   
catastrophic effects4 ,the laughter is  

controlled and kept tenderly humorous   
and half-sad by a large reflection1     
which does not lose sight1 even at the  
relieving moment1 of the lamentable     
ruin4 ,it is only another way of        
combining the 8fun0 and the 8pity0 of it
 when the master brings a genial humour 
into comedy and makes us1 with his      
faithful follower ,bardolph1 half-love  
and more than half-pity the faulty      
knight who so merrily entertains us4    
,as we have seen1 prose-fiction may     
illustrate the comic spirit and         
something of the fiercer temper of      
satire4 ,yet laughter comes into it in  
another form4 ,it has to accommodate    
itself to the presence of serious       
interests1 and of a plot which involves 
sympathetic fear and strain4 ,hence it  
appears in stories which have a mixed   
tone1 as it does indeed in comedy when  
this is not pure--for example1 8heroic  
comedy10 as illustrated by ,m4          
,rostand's ,cyrano--in the guise of     
humour4 ,that is to say1 its gay treble 

note is complicated by an undertone1 a  
resonance of the sadness of its milieu4 
,one needs only to think how one laughs 
at ,moses and his purchase of spectacles
 in the ,vicar of ,wakefield1 or at the 
disfigurement of the hero in ,cyrano4   
,a novel may1 of course1 present the    
grave and the gay in mere juxtaposition1
 so that the interaction and #chh       
modification here spoken of are only    
very imperfectly realised4 ,the notion  
of a good story entertained by many is  
of one that bears the imagination of the
 reader swiftly through a series of     
diverse scenes1 now grave and pathetic1 
now gay and mirthful4 ,a large part of  
modern fiction satisfies this need4     
,stories of wild adventure from ,gil    
,blas to ,tom ,jones are 8humorous0 to  
the multitude in this sense4 ,even in   
the case of a real humorist like        
,dickens1 whose amusing figures are     
there to touch the heart as well as to  
entertain the imagination1 the perfect  
harmonising of tones may sometimes seem 

to be wanting4 ,a humorist of another   
complexion1 ,laurence ,sterne1 seems to 
have missed the judicious mixture of    
laughter and sentiment in his           
,sentimental ,journey4#cbc  ,the art of 
humorous writing consists in part in    
selecting characters1 incidents and the 
rest in such a way as to exhibit the    
intimate connections between that which 
amuses and that which touches the       
serious sentiments1 respect and pity2   
and to develop the reflective           
consciousness which sustains the mood of
 humour4 ,goldsmith's history of the    
,vicar and his family is one of the best
 examples4 ,scott's ,antiquary and      
,fielding's ,parson ,adams are          
characters which at once entertain and  
win us4 ,such humorous types involve1 as
 ,leigh ,hunt has pointed out1 a        
striking contrast within the characters1
 e4g41 the gullible and the manly in    
,parson ,adams2#cbd and the sharpness of
 this contrast turns on that of the     
feelings excited by the constituents4   

,the characters selected by humorous    
fiction may be consciously amusing1     
after the manner of the ,merry ,knight1 
or wholly unconscious of their          
laughter-provoking power4 ,a valuable   
part of this amusing portraiture        
consists in bringing out #chi the fresh 
and odd-looking characteristics not only
 of individuals1 but of classes and even
 of races4  ,in addition to this        
objective presentation of the humorous  
aspects of character and its relations1 
the writer may further the effect by    
striking now and again undertones of    
quaint reflection and so introducing an 
element of subjective humour4 ,the      
notion that such reflection is out of   
place in narrative art seems strange to 
a student of the history of literature4 
,if there was room for the comments of  
the onlooking chorus in ,greek drama1   
and for the yet deeper reflections      
supplied by the acting onlookers in     
,shakespeare's plays1 there should be   
room for it in a prose narrative4 ,in   

truth1 some of the best writers of      
fiction1 ,fielding1 ,thackeray and      
,george ,eliot among others1 make       
excellent use of this reflective        
accompaniment4 ,in the best works of the
 last-named writer we have something of 
,shakespeare's art of adding a pregnant 
observation which1 so far from          
disturbing1 rather furthers the mood    
needed for a due appreciation of the    
action4  ,in the great humorous         
writings1 those of ,rabelais1 ,cervantes
 and--removed by an interval no         
doubt--,sterne1 we appear to find       
presented a largeness of subject and of 
treatment which makes direct appeal as  
much to reflection as to perception4    
,you must know the ,middle ,ages1 which 
are being laughingly kicked aside1      
before you will even care for           
,gargantua2 you must envisage ,don      
,quixote and his squire1 not as two     
individuals or even as two types of     
character1 but as embodiments of two    
remote levels of culture1 and more1 of  

two opposed ways of looking at the      
world1 before you will begin to feel all
 the humour of these juxtapositions4    
,and so of the great contrast between   
,mr4 ,shandy and his brother1 the       
,captain4 ,there is no need for the     
interpolation of reflection3 the scale1 
the breadth #cij of treatment1 the      
wealth of ideas poured out1 these compel
 us to reflect4 ,the laughter which     
comes from the perceptions of the utter 
incongruity of the mental and moral     
structures thus juxtaposed and attached 
is saturated with this reflection4 ,and 
more1 so right1 so likeable1 so         
estimable even is each of these         
contrasting characters1 with its        
well-marked temper and manire de voir1  
that our sympathies go out towards both4
 ,thus we leave the perceptual level and
 the relative point of view of comedy   
far behind us1 reaching a standpoint    
near that of the thinker who embraces   
all particular points of view1 and yet  
may manage to have his own laugh in the 

end4 ,when1 as in ,jean ,paul's         
,siebenks1 and yet more clearly in      
,carlyle's ,sartor ,resartus1 the       
contrast seems to open up the great     
collision in human experience between   
sentiment and prosaic reality1 idealism 
and the earth-binding instincts of      
practical life1 we stand1 indeed1 on the
 border-line between the humour of      
fiction and that of philosophy4  ,humour
 has its place1 a respectable one too1  
in essays and other forms of literature 
which deal directly with reality and are
 products not so much of imagination as 
of thought4 ,in these1 the contrast     
between the serious and the playful     
appears in transitions from a perfectly 
grave to a humorous kind of reflection4 
,marked differences of tone are         
observable here also4 ,the humorous     
remark may be but a momentary diversion 
of the attention1 a playful side-glance1
 in a serious argument4 ,in some        
writings1 e4g41 those of ,sir ,thos4    
,browne and of ,lamb1 the humorous      

element hardly amounts to a digression1 
or even to a momentary interruption1 but
 is fused into and half lost to sight in
 the serious argument4#cbe ,among more  
recent writers1 too1 including some yet 
living1 we have admirable examples of   
historical narrative #cia and criticism 
lit up here and there with soft         
glow-worm points of humour4 ,in other   
cases1 the humorous feature may be so   
large as to modify the colour of the    
whole1 as in ,miss ,kingsley's ,travels 
in ,west ,africa4 ,an ,essay1 again1 may
 be as a whole a jeu d'esprit and the   
fun seem to preponderate1 while the     
manner is throughout that of grave      
argument2 or1 in more subtle work1 as   
some of ,charles ,lamb's1 it may be best
 described as fun sandwiched in between 
a look of seriousness on the surface1   
and a real seriousness of meaning below4
 ,the fusion of tones leaves much to be 
desired in the case of many writers who 
are popularly regarded as skilled       
humorists4 ,a mere interruption of      

serious thought by a sort of playful    
8aside0 does not prove the existence of 
the gift of humour1 which is essentially
 the power of playing on moods not only 
dissimilar but usually antagonistic in a
 way that avoids all shock and sense of 
discontinuity4  #cib     ,,chapter      
,,xii4  ,,ultimate ,,value ,,and        
,,limitations ,,of ,,laughter4   ,our   
study has taken us through various      
regions of research4 ,in looking for the
 germ of laughter we found ourselves in 
the wide and misty plains of biological 
speculation4 ,in tracing its development
 we took a dip into the pleasant vales  
of child-psychology and anthropology1   
and then tried to climb the winding     
paths of social evolution4 ,having      
reached in this way the heights of      
modern civilisation1 we made a special  
investigation into the social           
organisation of laughter1 as represented
 in the art of comedy1 and into the     
gradual appearance of a new type of     
laughter1 essentially individual and    

independent of the social standard1 to  
which is given the name of humour4      
,throughout this voyage of discovery we 
have kept in view the question of the   
function of the laughing spirit in the  
life of the individual and of the       
community4 ,it remains to determine this
 function more precisely4  ,in order to 
assign its proper place and its value to
 a large spiritual tendency such as runs
 through human mirth1 we must for a     
moment push our investigation into a yet
 more difficult and obscure region1 that
 of philosophy4 ,this is necessary for  
more than one reason4 ,to begin1 we can 
hardly hope to reach a clear view of the
 worth of the laughing impulse without  
the help of some clearly thought view of
 life as a whole2 and such a            
8,weltanschauung0 #cic seems only to be 
attainable at the level of philosophic  
reflection4 ,there is1 however1 a second
 reason for entering this more remote   
and private domain of knowledge4        
,philosophy is a carrying forward to its

 highest point of development of that   
individual criticism of life1 with      
which1 as we have seen1 the quieter     
tones of laughter associate themselves4 
,it would thus seem to be desirable to  
inquire how far along the road of       
philosophic speculation this            
companionship of the mirthful spirit in 
her quieter mood is possible4 ,this     
inquiry may conveniently be pursued at  
once as supplementary to our discussion 
of humour4  ,as pointed out in the      
chapter on the subject1 reflective      
humour grows out of a mutual            
approximation of two tendencies which   
seem to the unexamining person to be    
directly antagonistic1 namely1 the      
wholly serious turn for wise reflection 
and the playful bent towards laughter4  
,in philosophic humour1 touched on in   
our survey of the laughable in          
literature1 this antagonism seems at    
first sight to be particularly sharp4   
,the plain man1 to whom philosophic     
speculation presents itself as something

 remote from all human interests as he  
conceives of them1 may well receive a   
shock when he hears that it holds       
potentialities of a smile at least1 if  
not of a laugh--for the person who      
engages in the occupation1 that is to   
say1 and not merely for him who looks   
on4 ,it seems to be incumbent on us1    
therefore1 to try to make this drawing  
together of impulses which look so      
hostile a little more intelligible4     
,the humorist1 as we have viewed him1 is
 able through the development of his    
individuality to detach himself from    
many of the common judgments and much of
 the common laughter of the particular  
community of which he is a member4 ,he  
develops his own amusing mode of        
contemplation1 which involves a large   
substitution for the standards #cid of  
custom and 8common-sense10 of the ideal 
standards of reason4 ,the habit of      
philosophic thought may be said to      
complete this uplifting of the          
individual to ideal heights1 and its    

concomitant process1 the expansion of   
the view of the irrational1 the         
essentially unfitting1 the amusing4 ,a  
word must suffice to indicate the way in
 which it does this4  ,philosophy1 as we
 know1 going boldly beyond the special  
sciences1 pushes on to a deeper         
knowledge of things1 and of these in    
their totality1 of what we call the     
universe4 ,in this effort it has to     
envisage things in a way essentially    
different from that of everyday         
observation4 ,the modern philosopher may
 do his best to reach his conception of 
the reality of things by a careful      
analysis of experience2 yet in the end  
his theory seems to have transformed our
 familiar world beyond the possibility  
of recognition4  ,in this philosophic   
re-construction of the real world1 man1 
his relation to nature1 and his history 
have to be re-considered4 ,it           
illustrates a powerful tendency to view 
human life and experience as a phase of 
a larger cosmic movement determined by  

an ideal end4 ,the introduction of ideal
 conceptions1 by lifting us above the   
actual1 seems to throw upon the latter  
an aspect of littleness1 of futility1 of
 something like the dishonour of        
failure4 ,the ideal requirement proves  
hopelessly inapplicable to much1 at     
least1 of our everyday world2 so that1  
as long as we remain at its point of    
view1 familiar things--say the persons  
we happen to be thrown with1 and a good 
deal in ourselves1 social experiments   
growing out of some passing trend of    
8popular thought10 and even long periods
 of history--take on the aspect of      
contradictions1 of futile things that at
 least do not count1 if they do not     
actually delay the fruition of the      
ideal4  ,so1 too1 when philosophy       
becomes distinctly practical4 #cie      
,whether we take happiness or moral     
perfection or self-realisation as the   
ideal end of men's conduct1 a large part
 of the conduct which unfolds itself    
under our eyes1 including much of our   

own1 begins to look sadly poor and      
shabby1 as soon as we venture seriously 
to apply an ideal as test4 ,much at     
least of what men praise as virtue shows
 itself to be of doubtful value1 and at 
any rate to have received a laudation   
quite disproportionate to its true      
worth4  ,lastly1 this belittling effect 
of ideas on everyday realities is seen  
when philosophy constructs for us the   
ideal type of human society1 and of that
 confederacy of civilised states of     
which1 now and again1 it has had its    
dream4 ,under the searching rays of     
these ideal conceptions even the        
8common-sense0 to which 8advanced0      
communities hold so tenaciously may     
begin to look something compacted rather
 of darkness than of light4  ,the       
situation would seem to offer room for  
some of those modes of transforming the 
aspects of things which we have found to
 be excitants of laughter4 ,if          
philosophic contemplation effects a     
reduction of great things to littleness1

 of substances to illusory shadows1 of  
the elevated glories of men to the level
 of barely passable dignities1 it       
should1 one may reason1 help men to     
laugh4 ,yet the fact that a philosopher 
has been known to the ages as the       
laughing one suggests that mirth has not
 been a common characteristic of his    
kind4  ,in order to understand this1 we 
must recall one or two facts4 ,for one  
thing1 though seriousness may combine   
with a taste for the laughable1 it is   
and remains fundamentally opposed to the
 playfulness of mirth4 ,philosophers are
 serious persons3 their constructive    
thought is of the most arduous of human 
activities1 and imposes on those who    
#cif undertake it an exceptional amount 
of serious concentration4 ,little       
wonder1 then1 if we so rarely find in   
them a marked fondness for the playful4 
,the great and ineradicable gravity of  
the philosopher has been sufficiently   
illustrated in his theoretic treatment  
of our subject4  ,in addition to this   

general reason1 there are others and    
variable ones1 differing with the kind  
of philosophic creed adopted1 and with  
the temperamental attitude of the       
individual towards it4 ,to begin with   
differences of creed1 we must remember  
that a philosopher's doctrine1 while it 
may invest our common world and our     
common life with an aspect of indignity1
 may at the same time reduce these to   
mere semblances by setting them in      
contrast to the ideal region which it   
regards as the sphere of the veritable  
realities4 ,in this way1 as in ,plato's 
,idealism1 we may see a quasi-religious 
tendency to lift men above the follies1 
deceptions and seeming evils of the     
world to the sublime verities4 ,such a  
doctrine1 if consistently held1 reserves
 but a small place for laughter--save   
perhaps for the happy smile of release  
or escape4 ,plato1 the thinker of many  
moods1 was able to adapt his doctrine to
 attitudes widely different from the    
half-poetic1 half-religious one to which

 on the whole he leaned2 and some of    
these proved to be compatible with a    
delicate vein of mirth4 ,perhaps one may
 find in ,plato a reflection of the     
different attitudes of the gods--to     
communion with whom his spirit          
aspired--towards luckless and erring    
mortals3 the serene indifference of     
those on the height1 and a mild         
good-natured interest in what is seen   
below1 which lends itself to the softer 
kind of ironical banter4 ,what is told  
us of the laughter of the deities is    
always1 perhaps1 a little difficult to  
reconcile with their remote altitude and
 the detachment of spirit which seems   
proper to this2 being1 either in its    
mocking virulence1 or #cig in its       
good-natured familiarity1 rather too    
suggestive of a close attachment to our 
race2 for which reason1 by the way1     
philosophers1 if they wish to soar      
god-wards and still to keep a laughing  
down-glance on their fellows1 should    
beware lest they soar too high4  ,how   

high-pitched speculation tends to       
silence laughter by withdrawing the     
philosopher too far from the human scene
 may easily be seen by a glance at the  
historical schools4 ,the ,stoic and the 
,epicurean alike1 widely dissimilar as  
were their views of the good and their  
moral tempers1 took into seclusion the  
philosophic life which ,aristotle had   
bidden them combine with a discreet     
participation in the social life about  
them2 seeking1 each in his own manner1  
to realise its self-sufficiency and its 
consolations4 ,there1 no doubt1 they    
reflected much on the follies of the    
unwise who remained in the crowd4 ,yet  
the ,stoical temper1 with its striving  
after a passionless imperturbability1   
excluded the idea of a laughing1 quite  
as much as of a pitying1 survey4 ,on the
 other hand1 the ,epicurean1 though his 
theory of life accentuated the value of 
the tranquil pleasures1 did not         
apparently find in his ,garden a corner 
for the quiet amusement of a            

laughter-bringing contemplation4  ,in   
this way philosophy1 by substituting a  
new and ideal mode of thought and life  
for the common mode1 is apt to dismiss  
it as void of significance and unreal1  
and so to be unable to laugh at ordinary
 humanity just because it has ceased to 
be interested in it4 ,yet all           
philosophising does not thus belittle   
the realm of reality1 as common men     
regard it4 ,philosophers have been known
 to regard as realities the same        
particular things that ,plato contemned 
as mere shadows1 and to reconstruct and 
to justify as rational what the plain   
man accepts as his world4 ,when #cih    
this goes so far as to insist on the    
goodness of things human1 and to say    
that the world as a whole is as perfect 
as it can be1 and thus in a new way1 as 
it would seem1 to break away from the   
common view1 it seriously threatens the 
locus standi of the laugher4 ,nothing1  
indeed1 in the way of a theory of life  
would appear to be more fatal to a      

mirthful temper of the mind than an     
out-and-out optimism4 ,at most1 laughter
 would take on the aspect of the serene 
gaiety of a happy and thoughtless girl2 
as it does1 ,i suspect1 in the case of  
,abraham ,tucker1 for whom ,sir ,leslie 
,stephen claims the character of a      
8metaphysical humorist04#cbf ,it is     
true1 as ,i have elsewhere shown1#cbg   
that a genial and tolerant laughter may 
predispose a man1 should he begin to    
philosophise1 to adopt an optimistic    
theory of the world4 ,nevertheless1 ,i  
believe that a firm grasp of such a     
theory would tend to reduce very        
considerably the scope of his laughter4 
,it is just as well1 perhaps1 that ,r4  
,l4 ,stevenson--whose predominant       
inclination to a hopeful and cheerful   
view of things is clearly shown in his  
idea that every man carries his ideal   
hidden away1 as the ,scotch boys used to
 carry lanterns in a silent ecstasy--did
 not go farther than his letters show   
him to have gone1 along the path of     

philosophic construction4  ,if1 on the  
other hand1 the manner of philosophic   
speculation at once accepts the common  
facts of life as real1 and yet as       
inherently and hopelessly bad1 laughter 
is even more effectually excluded4      
,there may1 it is true1 be room in the  
pessimist's creed for a grim irony1 of  
which1 indeed1 we find a trace now and  
again in the writings of ,schopenhauer  
and his followers2 but for laughter pure
 and simple1 or even for laughter       
mellowed by the compassion which the    
#cii pessimist bids us cultivate1 there 
seems to be no breathing-space4 ,the    
state of things is too tragic to allow  
even of a smile4  ,it remains to        
determine the relation of one other     
tendency in this high thinking to the   
possibilities of laughter4 ,in          
philosophic scepticism1 with its        
insistence on the relativity of our     
knowledge and on the impossibility of   
attaining to rational certainty1 we seem
 to find a denial of all philosophy     

rather than a particular species of it2 
nevertheless1 as the history of the     
subject shows1 it is the outcome of a   
distinct and recurrent attitude of the  
philosophic mind4 ,now scepticism does  
undoubtedly seem to wear a rather       
malicious smile4 ,this smile may be said
 to express an amusement at the         
spectacle of illusions pricked1 which   
tells at least as much against the      
high-soaring thinker as against the man 
of common day who relies on the         
intuitions of his 8common-sense04 ,the  
sceptic's attitude leans1 indeed1 more  
towards that of common-sense1 in so far 
that1 while destroying the hope of      
absolute knowledge1 it urges the        
practical sufficiency of such           
conjectural opinion as we are able to   
reach4  ,scepticism thus introduces     
another standpoint for the laugher and  
adds to the sum of laughable things4    
,this is the standpoint of the practical
 man and of what we call common-sense1  
so far as this is knowledge shaped for  

the guidance of men in the ordinary     
affairs of life4 ,this common-sense1 as 
its name plainly tells us1 is           
essentially a social phenomenon4 ,here1 
then1 within the group of tendencies    
underlying reflection--that is to say1  
the kind of intellectual activity which 
marks the highest development of the    
individual point of view--we encounter  
the contrast between this and the social
 point of view4 ,so far as we are able  
in our philosophic moments to 8see the  
fun of it10 as ,r4 #djj ,l4 ,stevenson  
says apropos of a modern philosopher1 we
 join the choir of common-sense         
laughers--the laughing realists as      
distinguished from the laughing         
idealists4#cbh ,from their point of     
view1 as the history of comedy plainly  
illustrates1 all highly abstract        
speculation looks amusing because of its
 quaint remoteness from their familiar  
realities and interests2 because1 too1  
of a keen suspicion of its being a vain 
attempt to soar above the heads of      

common mortals4 ,to pull down the       
speculative soarer to his proper footing
 on our humble earthcrust is always a   
gratifying occupation to the lovers of  
mirth4 ,even the soarers themselves will
 sometimes give one another a kick      
downwards1 the man of science loving to 
have his joke at the expense of the     
unverifiable conceptions of the         
metaphysician1 and the latter being     
sometimes lucky enough to turn the      
tables by showing how physical science  
itself may1 by its abstract methods1    
manage to strip material things1 the    
properties and laws of which it sets out
 to explain1 of the last shreds of      
reality4#cbi  ,a word may serve to      
define the relation of philosophic      
humour to the tendencies just indicated4
 ,humour1 we have found1 is             
characterised by an inclination to      
reflect1 and to take the large views of 
things which embrace relations2 further1
 by a mirthful caprice of fancy in      
choosing for play-ground the confines of

 issues felt all the time to be serious4
 ,it grows distinctly philosophic when1 
as in ,jean ,paul or his disciple1      
,carlyle1 the contemplation of things   
breaks through the limitations of the   
viewer's particular world-corner1       
surmounts 8relative0 points of view1 and
 regards humanity as a whole1 with      
oneself projected into the spectacle1 as
 nearly as possible as disinterested    
spectator4 #dja  ,we need not look for  
the philosophic humorist among zealous  
adherents of the schools4 ,in these1 as 
elsewhere1 a fervid devotion tends1     
through its narrowing effect on ideas   
and its rigid fixation of the point of  
view1 to shut out humour1 which even in 
its most serious vein loves an ample    
reserve of space for free wanderings in 
search of new aspects of things4 ,the   
humorist is much more likely to be found
 among students of philosophy who retain
 a measure of scholarly impartiality in 
relation to the competing creeds4  ,a   
full development of humour in the       

philosopher seems to be impossible1 save
 where the amusing aspects of           
speculative soaring are dimly           
recognised4 ,this may come through a    
study of the history of the subject2 for
 it is hard not to smile at the         
spectacle of a man refurbishing and     
possibly adding a new handle to one of  
the 8systems0 which have had their day  
7and more1 perhaps7 and undertaking once
 more to use it as a deadly weapon      
against the adversary4 ,a dash of the   
sceptical spirit1 also an ability now   
and again to see the pretentiousness of 
it all1 would appear to be needful for a
 large humorous enjoyment4 ,one should  
have1 too1 at least a side-glance for   
the fun of the proceeding when the human
 pygmy tries the giant's stride by      
offering us a definition of the         
absolute4  ,it would seem1 then1 as if  
the philosophic humorist needed to      
combine two opposed points of view2 that
 of the thinker who criticises actual   
life in the light of ideas1 and that of 

the practical man who takes his stand on
 the fact of primal human needs and     
seeks an interpretation of things which 
will satisfy these4 ,he should be able  
to soar with the ,platonist to the realm
 of ,ideas1 so as to enjoy the droll    
aspect which men's behaviour assumes as 
soon as a glimmer of light is made to   
fall on it from the ,universal ,forms2  
#djb and he should be no less capable of
 taking up the standpoint of everyday   
reality and common-sense1 so far as to  
discern the element of a practical      
irrationality which lurks in any undue  
insistence on these ,ideas4  ,this      
combination in philosophic humour of two
 opposed tendencies is illustrated in   
its attitude towards the question of the
 worth of life4 ,since a humorist is    
characterised by a certain depth and    
range of sympathy1 he is not likely to  
accept the optimist's easy way of       
getting rid of the sufferings of        
humanity4 ,at this point1 at least1 he  
will be alive to the obstinate and      

inexpugnable reality of our concrete    
experiences4 ,yet1 just because he      
insists on never losing his hold on his 
buoyant laughter1 he will not sink into 
the pessimists depths of complaint4 ,he 
will see that even the large spectacle  
of human struggle1 in which there is    
much to sadden a compassionate heart1   
begins to wear the shimmer of a smile as
 soon as we envisage it as a sort of    
game played by destiny against our race4
 ,just as a glimpse of the provoking1   
almost malicious aspects of the         
circumstances which irritate us in our  
smaller world may stifle the rising     
imprecation1 by bringing up a smile or  
even a sotto voce laugh2 so1 when a     
philosophic humorist looks out upon the 
larger human scene1 he may find the     
starting sigh checked by a glance at the
 playful irony of things4 ,the          
reflective mind will indeed readily find
 in the scheme of the world traces of an
 impish spirit that must have its       
practical joke1 cost what it may4 ,with 

a fair appearance of wise purpose1 the  
destinies have contrived to combine just
 the amount of bungling needed to convey
 an intention of playful though slightly
 malicious teasing4  ,thus1 in the final
 evaluation of the world1 humour may    
find its place4 ,perhaps it is not too  
much to say that the #djc last word on  
man and his destiny leaves an opening   
for the humorous smile4 ,so quaintly do 
the rational and the irrational elements
 seem to be interwoven in the structure 
of our world1 that a humorist1 for whom1
 as we have seen1 the spectacle must    
always count as much1 might almost      
construct a new ,theodicy and say3 8,the
 world is at least the best possible for
 amusing contemplation04#ccj  ,we have  
spoken of philosophy as hovering aloof  
from our common life1 and this idea     
might seem to exclude all possibility of
 a utility in the exercise of a         
philosophic humour4 ,yet even when men  
philosophise and so appear to erect     
about them a new cosmos1 they remain in 

their human world and are doing         
something towards shaping their         
relations to it2 so that1 after all1 we 
may not unreasonably look here1 too1 for
 some self-corrective function in       
laughter1 some aid rendered by it to    
that adjustment of the self to its      
surroundings1 which is enforced on us   
all--the exalted thinker no less1 let us
 say1 than his faithful quadruped1 whose
 world his master's strange habits make 
sadly complex4  ,the first service of   
such a philosophic humour is to complete
 the process of a laughing              
self-correction4 ,it is only when we    
rise to the higher point of view of a   
philosophic reflection and see our own  
figure projected into the larger whole1 
that we are able to estimate ourselves  
and our concerns with some approximation
 to justness4 ,as we look down the vast 
time perspective we first fully discern 
our flitting part in the world4 ,and the
 glimpse of the dwarfed figure we cut in
 the vast assemblage of things1 followed

 by the reflection how well it can work 
out its #djd hidden purpose whether or  
not we happen to be on the scene1 may   
suffice fully to reveal to us the       
absurdity in the crude exaggerations of 
our dignity1 of our usefulness and of   
our troubles1 and bring to the lips the 
corrective smile1 even if it fail to    
evoke the yet more valuable             
self-purifying laugh4  ,a like          
helpfulness is brought us by philosophic
 humour when we contemplate the whole   
human lot4 ,in estimating our world as a
 dwelling-place for man1 there is surely
 room for the exaggeration which comes  
from a natural indignation at what hurts
 us1 or from a natural impatience at    
being able to do so little to better our
 estate4 ,similarly1 when we undertake  
to pronounce on the moral worth of our  
species4 ,it is1 after all1 our world1  
and1 so far as we know1 our only one2   
and a side-glance at the requirements of
 a practical wisdom may suffice to bring
 the smile which instantly corrects a   

disposition to decry it overmuch4 ,such 
a glance may save us alike from the     
sentimentalities of the cultivator of   
,weltschmerz1 from the foolish          
bitterness of the misanthrope1 and from 
the sadly unbecoming vanity of the      
8philosopher0 who teaches that the world
 and the institutions of human society  
exist for the sake of the man of genius4
 ,a friend of ,carlyle tells me that the
 gloomy sage would sometimes1 after     
pouring out one of his long and savage  
tirades against things in general1      
suddenly hold breath1 and then let      
himself be swiftly borne downwards to   
more familiar levels on the rapid of a  
huge laugh1 almost as voluminous1       
perhaps1 as that of ,teufelsdrckh1 which
 he has so vividly described for us4 ,in
 this way1 one conjectures1 there came  
to him a moment of perfect lucidity1 in 
which he saw the absurdity of the       
overstrained attitude likely to be      
produced by undue violence of emotion1  
aided by an irrepressible turn for      

preaching to one's fellows2 #dje a      
moment when1 perhaps1 the stubborn      
realities1 which his words had made a   
show of demolishing1 were seen securely 
standing and ironically smiling at his  
impotent rage4  ,in the foregoing       
account of laughter and its uses1 we    
have sharply separated the individual   
from the social point of view4 ,fifty   
years ago1 such a distinction would have
 required no justification4 ,it seems1  
however1 just now to be the fashion to  
think of the individual as merely an    
anatomical detail1 too small to be      
really distinguished1 of the 8social    
organism10 and of his part on the       
earthly scene as consisting merely in   
making a small contribution1 which at   
its best is a negligible quantity1 to   
the efficiency of this organism4  ,this 
is not the place to argue so serious a  
matter4 ,at the risk of appearing       
unfashionable1 one may venture to keep  
to the old notion that in counting human
 values we must assign a high one to    

individuality2 that1 for the sake of the
 community itself1 a proper freedom for 
the full development of a man's own     
mind1 tastes1 and character1 is         
something which should be secured even  
at great cost2 and that1 were this not  
so1 society's claims on the individual  
have well-defined limits1 beyond which  
every man has the right1 and owes it to 
himself as a primal duty1 to develop    
himself in the way which his natural    
inclinations enlightened by reflection  
may suggest to him4 ,to insist further  
on this point would almost be to cast a 
slur on our literature1 which contains  
some of the masterly pleadings for      
individual liberty4  ,this freedom for  
individual self-development clearly     
includes a perfect right to form one's  
own view of one's world1 and to derive  
as much amusement as one can from a     
humorous contemplation of it4 ,it could 
only be something akin to an awe-struck 
flunkeyism which would make a #djf      
person hesitate here4 ,to one who has   

cultivated the requisite observation and
 taste in the fellowship of one or two  
congenial friends1 the following of the 
tortuous movements of the laughable in  
all domains of human industry and of    
human indolence is one of the crowning  
felicities of life3 the fun is always   
old in its essence1 wherefore we respond
 so quickly2 yet it is always new in its
 embodiments1 wherefore we go on        
relishing it with an unabated keenness4 
,the indulgence in this mode of amusing 
contemplation is1 ,i readily grant1 in a
 sense anti-social1 that is to say1     
opposed to what the laugher's community 
at the moment accepts as fitting and as 
good4 ,when a tranquil observer of his  
social world laughs at the pretences1 at
 the futilities1 or it may be at the    
vagaries of its high dignitaries1 he may
 not improbably feel half-terrified at  
the sound of his laugh2 so firmly has   
our early schooling set in us a tendency
 to regard as insolent upstarts all     
small things when they challenge big    

ones3 whether a 8cheeky0 schoolboy      
standing up to his big senior1 or a     
small country confronting a big one1 or 
a 8petty0 anti-war minority facing a    
8practically unanimous0 people4         
,insolence it may be1 yet perhaps to the
 eye of reason not more contemptible    
than the genuine  in which great things 
are wont to indulge freely as well      
within their right4 ,it is indisputable1
 as urged above1 that the verdicts of   
the many1 when they appear to fix the   
permanent demands of social life1 or to 
store away some of the precious fruit of
 experience slowly maturing with the    
ages1 are entitled to respect2 and a    
wise man will not hastily dismiss any   
popular opinion which promises to have  
persistence4 ,on the other hand1 it is  
no less clear that the views of         
minorities--whether singular or plural  
in number--are exposed to special risks 
of their own4 ,yet this1 and more1 does 
not affect the contention that popular  
opinion1 just because it is #djg        

popular1 is almost completely relieved  
of that necessity of finding reasons for
 its assertions which presses heavily   
upon a minority2 and1 what is more      
serious1 is subject to various and      
potent influences which are just as     
likely to lead to error as to truth4 ,an
 opinion which may be seen to result    
from a mental process palpably warped by
 prejudice does not grow valid merely by
 multiplying the number of those who    
adopt it2 for the increase may easily be
 the result1 either of the simultaneous 
working of a like prejudice1 or of the  
contagion which propagates psychical    
states1 as well as physical1 among      
perfectly inert members of a crowd4  ,at
 the risk of appearing insolent1 then1  
one must urge that the individual and   
the society have their reciprocal       
claims4 ,the most extravagant adulator  
of his community would1 perhaps1 allow  
that she has her favourites1 and that   
some of the obscure 8,judes0 have no    
particular reason for bearing her       

affection4 ,the limbs of the body       
politic which find themselves emaciated 
by under-feeding1 while the belly is    
bloated with over-feeding1 may perhaps  
be forgiven for not joining in the pans 
on the glories of the social organism4  
,yet one need not urge this line of     
remark4 ,little chance1 alas1 of our    
,judes or our starvelings betaking      
themselves to a laughter which even     
approaches that with which we are now   
dealing4 ,those who would enter the     
gateway of this haunt of quiet amusement
 must leave outside all grudging and    
sense of failure4 ,happy he who having  
played the social game and lost can1    
with a merry shrug of the shoulders1 and
 at least half a laugh1 betake himself  
to such a calm retreat4 ,he will find   
one into which the garden of ,epicurus  
may be said to open1 where he can gather
 about him1 at any rate1 the congenial  
friends who are always ready to hold    
sweet discourse with him through their  
books2 patient friends whom he cannot   

offend by an #djh unwise interruption1  
though unhappily they are out of reach  
of the gratitude which he would fain    
tender them4 ,here he may now and again 
glance through the loopholes in the wall
 and see each new day enough of the     
drolleries of the social scene to deepen
 his content4  ,the evolutionist has    
accustomed us to the idea of the        
survival of the socially fit1 and the   
elimination of the socially unfit sort  
of person4 ,but more forces are at work 
in the world than our men of science    
dream of4 ,there is1 oddly enough1 a    
force which favours the survival of the 
unfit1 widely different from that       
supplied by others' preservative        
benevolence3 the impulse to adapt one's 
environment to the peculiarities of     
one's organism by turning the world into
 a plaything4 ,how many men in one of   
the highly civilised communities of     
to-day may have learned to keep their   
heads above the water by the practice of
 a gentle laughter1 no one knows or will

 ever know4 ,it is enough to say that   
there are such1 and that after fully    
cultivating their gift of humour they   
have found a world worth coming back to1
 with their part in which they will be  
perfectly contented4 ,some of these1 who
 would probably be called social        
failures by the faithful adherent to    
conventional standards1 have been known 
to me1 and have been reckoned among the 
most delightful of my companions and    
most valued of my friends4 ,society's   
neglect of them1 or their neglect of    
society1 has at least permitted them to 
develop the gift of a wise and          
entertaining discourse4  ,i am far from 
suggesting1 however1 that this gay      
solitude-- deux1 or  peu de gens--is    
only for the social failure4 ,even in   
our much-extolled age a philosopher will
 sometimes be found who is perverse     
enough to hold with ,plato that the mass
 of society are wrongheaded1 and that he
 will best consult his well-being by    
seeking a wall for shelter from the #dji

 hurricane of wind and dust4 ,such an   
one may do worse than betake himself to 
our retreat4 ,and a wise man who1 like  
,montaigne1 feels that he has lived     
8enough for others0 and desires to 8live
 out the small remnant of life0 for     
himself may appropriately draw towards  
its entrance1 not minding the shouts of 
8,old fogey60 which come from behind4   
,nay1 more1 as already hinted1 a man who
 feels that his place is in the world   
may be advised now and again to enter   
the retreat1 if haply he may find       
admission as a guest4  ,it may1 however1
 be objected that even when a man thus  
detaches himself as spectator from his  
society he perforce remains at the      
social point of view in this sense1 that
 the critical inspection which brings   
the coveted laugh involves a reference  
to an ideal community4 ,the objector    
might find colour for his statement in  
the fact that it is ,frenchmen1 that is 
to say1 members of the most sociable of 
modern races1 who have chiefly dwelt on 

the delights of retirement from the     
crowd4 ,i am not greatly concerned to   
dispute with such an objector2 it is    
enough for my purpose to say that the   
point of view of our supposed           
contemplator is far-removed from that   
habitually adopted in any community     
which one could instance4 ,as such1 it  
stands clearly enough marked off as     
individualistic4 ,to this it may be     
added that in that kind of laughter at  
the social spectacle which presupposes  
philosophic reflection1 the point of    
view is no longer in any sense that of a
 particular community3 it has become    
that of a human being1 and so a citizen 
of that system of communities which     
composes the civilised world4  ,i do not
 doubt that during this laughing        
contemplation of the social whole1 of   
which at the moment he is not serious   
enough to regard himself as a part1 the 
individual will feel society pulling at 
his heels4 ,the detachment #daj from his
 community1 though it fall far short of 

the abandonment of the recluse1 will1 as
 already hinted1 be felt to be a revolt4
 ,when1 glancing back at the crowd      
wreathing itself in a dust-cloud1 he    
laughs with his large laugh free from   
rancour1 he may catch a glimpse of the  
absurdity of his critical performances4 
,here1 again1 we meet the final         
contradiction between ideal conceptions 
and obdurate everyday facts4 ,it is a   
droll encounter when the foot of pure   
intellect1 just as it is parting from   
the solid earth1 strikes against the    
sturdy frame of philistine common-sense1
 of 8that which subdues us all10        
philosophers included4 ,the             
individualism of the point of view in a 
laughing contemplation of one's social  
world is only surmounted when a large   
philosophic humour thus draws the       
laughers self into the amusing scene4   
,we may now better define the attitude  
of the humorist in its relation to that 
of the comedian and of the satirist4    
,the comic spirit1 placing itself at the

 social point of view1 projects as      
laughable show an eccentric individual1 
or group of individuals4 ,satire1 when  
it attacks the manners of an age1 may be
 said to project the society1 turning it
 into an object of derision4 ,humour1 as
 we have seen1 sometimes does the like1 
though in its laughter at the social    
scene it is neither passionately        
vindictive nor concerned with the       
practical problem of reforming a world4 
,to this may be now added that as a     
sentiment nourished by sympathy it      
tends1 when something of philosophic    
width of contemplation is reached1 to   
combine the social and the individual   
mode of projection by taking up the self
 into the spectacle of the whole4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,enough has been said1 perhaps1 on the  
developments of individual laughter4    
,its point of view seems on inquiry #daa
 to justify itself as a distinct and a  
legitimate one4 ,with some idea of the  
ways of this1 as well as of the larger  

laughter of societies and groups1 we    
should be able to form an estimate of   
the final significance and utility of   
the laughing impulse4  ,laughter1 born  
of play1 has been seen above to possess 
a social character4 ,throughout the     
evolution of communities1 from the first
 savage-like tribes upwards1 we have    
observed it taking a considerable part  
in the common life1 helping to smooth   
over difficulties of intercourse1 to    
maintain what is valued1 and to correct 
defects4 ,it remains to ask under this  
head1 what is its whole value to-day as 
a social force1 and what indications of 
the future can be discovered in the     
tendencies which we note in its later   
social developments4  ,these questions  
appear to be best approached by a       
reference to the results of our study of
 comedy4 ,this1 in its higher forms1 has
 shown itself to be the clear expression
 of the attitude of a community1 when it
 would laugh away something in its      
members which it sees to be unfitting1  

though it may not regard it as serious  
enough to call for a more violent mode  
of ejection4 ,that which is thus lightly
 dismissed is always something which    
looks anti-social1 whether or not it    
takes on for moral reflection the aspect
 of a vice4  ,a common tendency among   
writers on comedy is to claim for it the
 value of a moral purgative1 to         
attribute to it the power of effecting  
directly a process of self-correction in
 the spectator4 ,even ,congreve and     
,vanbrugh1 in their defence of their    
plays against ,jeremy ,collier1         
pretended that they were reformers of   
the world4  ,this agreeable supposition 
will not1 one fears1 bear critical      
inspection4 ,one objection1 just touched
 on1 is that comedy #dab does not deal a
 blow straight at the immoral1 as the   
language of ,aristotle and of some of   
his citers appears to suggest4 ,this    
circumstance seems to stand seriously in
 the way of its effecting a moral       
purification4 ,nor does the holding up  

to merry contemplation of the tendency  
of men to stray too far from the        
customary social type1 imply a serious  
purpose of correction behind4 ,though   
she may wear a shrewishly corrective    
expression1 the ,comic ,muse is at heart
 too gay to insist on any direct        
instruction of her audience4 ,a glance  
at her stern-eyed sister1 ,satire1 will 
convince us of this4 ,on the other side1
 we meet with another and more fatal    
objection3 the mental pose of the       
spectator at the comic show makes it    
extremely unlikely that he should at the
 moment apply the object-lesson so as to
 discern the laughable side of his own  
shortcomings4 ,one remembers here that a
 man is all too slow in making such a   
self-application even in the serious    
surroundings of a church1 where a       
remark1 pointed perhaps with a          
significant turn of the finger 7,i speak
 of ruder times71 is recognised by all  
but himself as specially aimed at him2  
and if so1 how can we expect a spectator

 at a comedy1 in the playful mood which 
has no room for any serious thought1 to 
rub in the moral medicament supplied    
him8  ,such purification as is possible 
can1 it is plain1 be only indirect4     
,when ,lessing writes 8the whole of     
morality has no more powerful and       
effective preservative than the         
laughable0 he seems to imply this       
indirectness4 ,so far as the provocative
 lurks in the immoral1 we can say that  
our laughter at the comic exhibition may
 serve as a useful prophylactic4 ,by    
tracing out1 with the guidance of the   
comic poet1 the unsuspected developments
 and effects of a failing1 we may be    
furthering our moral salvation through  
the setting up of a new internal        
safeguard4 ,if the tendencies should    
#dac later on thrust up their ugly forms
 in ourselves1 the fact of our having   
laughed at them may make a considerable 
difference in the swiftness and energy  
of the movement of repression4 ,the fear
 of becoming ridiculous1 which grows    

better defined and so more serviceable  
in one who has made acquaintance with   
comedy1 is a valuable side-support of   
what we call moderation and             
reasonableness in men2 and comedy is    
entitled to her modest meed as one of   
our health-preservers4  ,yet we may     
easily go wrong here1 doing an offence  
to our gay enchantress by taking her    
words too seriously4 ,she looks1 at any 
rate1 as if she wanted much more to     
please us than to improve us4 ,in       
considering her aim one is reminded1    
through a relation of contrast1 of what 
,aristotle said about the connection    
between pleasure and virtue4 ,the good  
man1 he tells us1 though aiming at      
virtue1 will be the more satisfied if   
pleasure comes by the way1 giving a kind
 of unexpected finish to the virtuous   
achievement4 ,the art of comedy merely  
reverses the order3 she aims directly at
 pleasure1 but is far too good-natured  
and too wise to object to furthering    
virtue if this comes as a collateral    

result of her entertainment4#cca  ,the  
comedy1 at once wise and gay1 of a past 
age seems to have parted from us2 and   
one would look in vain to newer         
developments of the art for any         
considerable instruction in the lesser  
social obligations4 ,nor is the         
corrective function of a large communal 
laughter likely to be carried on by such
 new forms of art as our 8social        
satire10 in so far as these can be said 
to keep at the point of view of the good
 sense of a community4 ,the tendency    
to-day seems to be rather to force a    
laugh from us at some bizarre           
extravagance of manners1 which we could 
never #dad think of as a possibility for
 ourselves2 or1 on the other hand1 to   
bring us near a cynical point of view1  
at which the current of our laughter    
becomes shallow and slightly acidulated1
 a point of view which has little1 if   
any1 promise of a moral stiffening of   
the self against insidious attack4  ,in 
spite of this1 laughter1 or the         

potentiality of it1 remains a social    
force4 ,a measure of faith enables one  
to believe that even a political leader 
is sometimes checked by the fear of     
laughter--on the other side4 ,it is     
probable that the men of good sense in  
every community are kept right more than
 they know by the faintly heard echo of 
the 8dread laugh04 ,if there is a danger
 just now of a conspiracy between a     
half-affected over-seriousness on the   
one side and an ignorant pretentiousness
 on the other1 in order to banish the   
full genial laugh of other days1 we may 
be allowed to pray fervently for its    
failure4  ,we have seen a tendency to   
claim too much in the way of serious    
function for the laughter of comedy4    
,this desire to emphasise its practical 
utility1 which is to be looked for      
perhaps in a people too pragmatic to    
seize the value of light things1 is     
illustrated in a curious and mostly     
forgotten dispute as to the fitness of  
ridicule to be a test of truth4 ,the    

debate was opened by ,shaftesbury1 who  
maintained its fitness1 and was carried 
on by ,warburton1 ,karnes and others4   
,much of it reads quaintly nave to-day4 
,shaftesbury's paradox almost sounds    
like a malicious attempt to caricature  
the theory of ,prof4 ,w4 ,james1        
referred to in an earlier chapter of    
this work4 ,to suggest that we know a   
piece of folly1 say that of ,malvolio1  
to be folly because we laugh at it1 is  
surely to be thrusting on our laughter a
 dignity which is quite unmerited1 and1 
one may add1 does not become it4 ,this  
point was not held to in the discussion1
 which1 as ,i have #dae shown elsewhere1
 soon became a contest about the rights 
and the restraints of laughter4#ccb     
,there is a like risk of exaggerating   
the useful function in estimating the   
service of laughter to the individual4  
,no deep penetration of mind is needed  
for perceiving that a lively sensibility
 to the touch of the ludicrous will     
expose a man to considerable loss4 ,to  

all of us1 so far as we have to live in 
the world and consort with those who1   
being both solemn and dull1 are likely  
to take offence1 if not with those who1 
like ,mr4 ,meredith's entertaining      
ladies1 cultivate the fine shades1 a    
quick eye for drolleries is likely to   
bring situations of danger4 ,this       
drawback must be considered in          
appraising the total value of laughter  
to a man4  ,with respect to its function
 as aiding the individual in a healthy  
self-correction1 enough has been said4  
,it is1 in truth1 no small advantage to 
be able to blow away some carking care  
with a good explosion of mirth4 ,and if 
the world is much with us1 we shall be  
likely to need laughter now and again as
 a protection from contact with much    
that is silly and much that is          
unwholesome4 ,yet1 in this case1 too1   
the chief value seems to reside in its  
immediate result1 the gladdening and    
refreshing influence on the laugher1    
which has in it a virtue at once        

conciliatory and consolatory4 ,this it  
is which makes it so good to step aside 
now and again from the throng1 in which 
we too may have to 8wink and sweat10 so 
as to secure the gleeful pastime of     
turning our tiresome world for the nonce
 into an entertaining spectacle2 amusing
 ourselves1 not merely as #daf          
,aristotle teaches1#ccc in order that we
 may be serious1 but because our chosen 
form of amusement has its own value and 
excellence4  ,it is one thing to assign 
to laughter a definite ethical or       
logical function1 another to ask whether
 it has its place among the worthier    
human qualities4 ,we have seen how some 
have denounced it1 indiscriminately as  
it would seem1 as a thing irreverent if 
not unclean4 ,that view does not come   
further into the present discussion4 ,we
 have only to ask what kind of dignity  
it has4  ,it is assumed here that we    
exclude the more malignant and the      
coarser sorts of laughter4 ,a           
considerable capacity for the pure mirth

 which the child loves--and comedy may  
be said to provide for the man who keeps
 something of the child in              
him--supplemented by a turn for the     
humorous contemplation of things is1 ,i 
venture to think1 not merely compatible 
with the recognised virtues1 but1 in    
itself and in the tendencies which it   
implies1 among the human excellences4   
,this is certainly suggested by the     
saying of ,carlyle3 8,no man who has    
once heartily and wholly laughed can be 
altogether irreclaimably bad04#ccd ,we  
may not be able to rise to the point of 
view of ,r4 ,l4 ,stevenson1 when he     
wrote1 8,as laborare so joculari est    
orare20#cce yet we may be inclined to   
think that it is impossible to construct
 the idea of a man who can be described 
as decently complete without endowing   
him with a measure of humour4 ,whatever 
our view of the 8,good10 reasonable men 
of all schools appear to allow some     
value to a capacity for pleasure1       
especially the social pleasures1 among  

which laughter1 even when it seems to   
retire into solitude1 always keeps a    
high place4 ,on its intellectual side1  
again1 as the #dag play of mind1 the    
mirthful disposition has an intimate    
relation to such valuable qualities as  
quickness of insight and                
versatility4#ccf ,in the light          
entertaining form of witty talk it takes
 on a social quality of no mean value4  
,best of all1 laughter of the genial    
sort carries with it1 and helps to      
develop1 kindly feeling and the desire  
to please4 ,it is too often forgotten   
that a mirthful spirit1 though it may   
offend1 is a large source of joy to     
others4 ,he who produces a laugh of pure
 gladness brightens the world for those 
who hear him4 ,fertility in jests may   
qualify a man to become one of the human
 benefactors2 and it has been claimed   
for ,falstaff1 with some reason1 that he
 8has done an immense deal to alleviate 
misery and promote positive             
happiness04#ccg ,it is this implied wish

 to entertain which gives to laughter   
much of its value as an educator of the 
sympathies4 ,nothing1 indeed1 seems to  
promote sympathy more than the practice 
of laughing together4 ,family affection 
grows in a new way when a reasonable    
freedom is allowed to laugh at one      
another's mishaps and blunders4 ,one    
reason for this1 perhaps1 is that the   
consciousness of our having laughed at  
our friends and been laughed at by them1
 without injury to friendship1 gives us 
the highest sense of the security of our
 attachments4 ,when a friend laughs 8as 
love does laugh0--to quote ,mr4         
,meredith's ,rosamund--with the laugh   
which only half-hides a kindly          
sentiment1 say1 a wish to help you to   
laugh away what will vex or harm you1 it
 binds hearts yet more securely4 ,even  
our comparatively solitary laughter at  
things1 when no appreciative sharer is  
at hand1 #dah may1 if only it has the   
tolerant good-natured tone1 connect     
itself with and bring into play the     

sympathetic side of us4  ,if there is in
 laughter this element of a deeper      
humanity1 we shall do well to view      
jealously any undue imposition of       
restraints4 ,the history of popular     
mirth points to the dangers of this4    
,that some regulation of the impulse1   
both external by social pressure and    
internal by a man's own self-restraint1 
is required1 does not need to be argued4
 ,the laughing impulse1 when unchecked1 
has taken on ugly and deadly forms4 ,if 
men have endowed their deities with     
mirth they have also endowed their      
fiends4 ,society is right in her        
intuitive feeling that an unbridled     
laughter threatens her order and her    
laws4 ,specific injuries done by ribald 
jests1 e4g41 to religious convictions1  
may have to be dealt with by the        
magistrate4 ,this all men know1 as also 
that society acts wisely when she seeks 
to maintain the dignity of social       
converse by putting down with a gentler 
hand all unworthy and unbecoming        

laughter1 and to observe vigilantly the 
8hypergelast0--a species that includes  
others besides ,aristotle's low jesters 
77--who1 if he does not1 either         
maliciously1 or through sheer heaviness 
and awkwardness of gait1 kick sharply   
against some sensitive place1 will at   
least weary decent men with all the     
weariness of the bore and something     
more4  ,yet it is well to bear in mind  
that such imposition of restraint by    
external authority should be also       
self-restraining4 ,if laughter has its  
uses1 not only for him who laughs but   
for him who is laughed at1 these should 
be borne in mind in determining the     
amount of restriction desirable4 ,this  
wise caution is especially needed when  
the laughter which authority seeks to   
repress is likely to be directed against
 itself4 ,it would never do1 for        
example1 if the fine world #dai were at 
liberty to put down satires on its      
vulnerable manners4 ,divines of the     
solemnity of ,barrow and ,warburton     

might do much harm1 if they could       
succeed in silencing the ridicule of the
 half-believers and the sceptics4 ,those
 in authority have a special reason for 
remembering here the maxim 8noblesse    
oblige02 and even should they be lacking
 in a wise care for the well-being of   
the commonwealth1 a measure of          
shrewdness will advise them that they   
will do well to pass a self-denying     
ordinance4 ,let them not be more afraid 
of laughter than their predecessors1 but
 rather welcome it1 not merely as a     
symptom of vitality in those who indulge
 in it1 but as a sign of alertness in   
citizens against surprise by            
stealthy-footed evil4 ,perhaps when the 
story of the modern 8emancipation of    
women0 comes to be written1 it will be  
found that the most helpful feature of  
the movement was the laughing criticism 
poured upon it2 a criticism which seems 
not unnatural when one remembers how    
many times before men have laughed at   
something like it2 and not so           

unreasonable to one who perceives the   
droll aspects of the spectacle of a sex 
setting about to assert itself chiefly  
by aping the ways of the rival sex4 ,a  
statesman1 having a large majority      
behind him1 would probably best show his
 wisdom by discouraging the laughter of 
his own side and instructing it how to  
welcome that of the despised minority4  
,yet the quaint look of such a          
suggestion reminds one that the idea of 
adding wisdom to statesmanship is as far
 from realisation to-day as in the time 
of the ,greek philosophers4  ,i have    
spoken of a community's self-restraint  
in relation to the laughter of its      
individual members4 ,of the duty of     
controlling its own mirth in view of the
 feelings of other peoples who seem to  
have a right to their slices of the     
planet there should be no need to speak4
 ,it may be enough to hint #dbj that a  
comic journal will do well1 when        
touching on international matters of    
some delicacy1 to exclude from its      

drawings irritating details1 such as the
 figure of a monkey2 not only lest the  
foreigner consider himself to be        
insulted1 but lest one of the very      
gentlemen for whom it writes1 stung in  
some old-fashioned impulse of chivalry1 
feel tempted to give a too violent      
expression to his indignation4  ,of the 
control of laughter as a part of the    
self-government of a wise man1 little   
need be said4 ,a keen relish for jokes1 
especially one's own1 may entangle the  
feet even of a kind-hearted man in a    
mesh of cruel consequences4 ,the witty  
have been found to be trying to their   
families1 so importunate is the appetite
 of wit in its demand for regularity of 
meals4 ,there are the duplicities of    
laughter which may sometimes impose even
 on one who is in general a kindly      
laugher1 the note of malice stealing in 
unnoticed4 ,it is only when the lively  
tendency to mirthful utterance is found 
in a sympathetic nature1 side by side   
with a cultured susceptibility to the   

pain of giving pain1 that an adequate   
self-regulation may be counted on4 ,each
 of us1 perhaps1 has known of one man1  
at least1 deserving to be called a      
laugher in whose mirthful utterances one
 would look in vain for a trace of      
malice1 and who seemed never to be      
surprised by the temptation to risk a   
touch on sore places4 ,i cannot but     
recall here one already alluded to--one 
who seemed to embody the ideal of his   
teacher ,aristotle not only as the just 
man1 who of set purpose acts justly1 but
 as the refined and gentlemanly man who 
regulates his wit1 being as it were a   
law to himself--from behind whose       
wistful eyes a laugh seemed always ready
 to break4 ,if one knows of no such     
kindly laugher1 one may study the       
characteristics of the species in the   
,essays of ,elia4  ,a perfect           
self-control in the matter of laughter  
#dba pre-supposes much more than a dread
 of inflicting pain upon the hearer1    
whether he be the object of the laughter

 or ready to identify himself with that 
object4 ,it calls for a fine sense of   
the seemly1 of what is fair4 ,it is not 
too much to ask of one whose rle is the 
detection of the unseemly in others that
 he should himself avoid unseemliness4  
,he will do well to remember that       
nothing is worse than a jibe at the     
wrong moment3--      ,risu inepto res   
ineptior nulla est4  ,when serious      
things are being discussed the attempt  
to hide poverty of argument under what  
might flatteringly be called an         
8argumentum ad risum0 is one of the     
actions which belittle men4  ,the       
wariness proper to one who bears so     
keen-edged a weapon will go farther and 
prompt him to ask whether the thing     
which entertains the eye is meet for    
laughter4 ,for example1 our poor        
language being what it is1 the use of a 
form of words which may be shown by     
another's elaborate dissection to hide  
under its plain meaning a second meaning
 derogatory to the speaker1 does not1   

perhaps1 make the latter quite          
legitimate quarry for the former's      
ridicule4 ,it needs a fine sense of     
justice to detect the line which divides
 what is fair from what is unfair in    
such a case4  ,a perfectly wise         
direction of laughter will call for     
other fine discriminations4 ,a word or  
action may be quite proper game for     
laughter when it smacks of conceit1     
though but for this it should have been 
passed by4 ,so rampant indeed is conceit
 among men1 so noxious is it1 and so low
 a degree of sensitiveness in the moral 
integument does it connote1 that even   
the discreet laugher may allow himself  
unstinted indulgence in view of one of  
its unmistakable eruptions4 ,on the     
other hand1 a sense of the true values  
of things will #dbb lead the wise to    
abstain from laughter where some        
manifestation of the beast in man       
obtrudes itself and requires a less     
gentle mode of expulsion4  ,nor will a  
good man's self-regulation cease when   

there are no hearers4 ,he will see how  
the habit of a reckless mirth may have a
 bad reflex effect on his own nature2   
how1 for example1 it may rob him in one 
moment of the perfection of an old      
reverence for something beautiful2 how1 
instead of sweetening the fountains of  
affection1 it may introduce a drop of   
bitterness2 how it may smuggle in       
something of that pride and that        
contempt which dissociate men4  ,i have 
here emphasised the higher moral reasons
 which will urge the good man to        
restrain his laughter4 ,one might add   
certain prudential reasons4 ,if1 as has 
been maintained here1 laughter is an    
escape from the normal1 serious attitude
 which living well imposes on us1 its   
wise cultivation means that we keep it  
within limits4 ,only where there is a   
real earnestness and good feeling at    
bottom1 will our laughter be in the full
 sense that of the mind and the heart4  
,to laugh in this full way at a collapse
 of dignity means that we retain a      

respect for the true dignities4 ,if the 
laugh grows too frequent and habitual   
this respect will be undermined1 and1 as
 one result of this moral loss1 our     
laughter itself will shrink into        
something void of meaning and           
mechanical4 ,the perpetual giggler1 to  
whom nothing is sacred1 never knows the 
flavour of a good laugh4  ,the impulse  
to laugh will always take its complexion
 from the moral nidus in which it       
germinates2 and the good man1 tender1   
and mindful of the dues of reverence1   
ennobles the mirthful temper4 ,it seems1
 indeed1 in such a moral milieu to      
become an expression1 one of the most   
beautiful1 of goodness4 ,it assures us  
somehow of the genuineness of virtue1   
and brings it nearer to us as #dbc      
something human to be loved4 ,free from 
all touch of pride and malice1 it takes 
on the look of a child's joyousness made
 large and beneficent by expansive      
sympathies4  ,it is to be maintained1   
then1 not only that a full rich laughter

 may thrive in the soil of a good man's 
soul1 but that this soul will remain    
incompletely developed without it4 ,this
 doctrine seems flatly to contradict    
great authorities1 ,pascal and the rest4
 ,yet it may be shown that there is     
really no contradiction here4 ,the      
laughter which ,pascal1 ,addison1 and   
the others denounce1 is not the genial  
and humorous kind1 but the coarse and   
brutal sorts1 and1 what is hardly a jot 
more sufferable1 the reckless output of 
8the vacant mind04  ,laughter1 then1 may
 be claimed to be one of the possessions
 of men to which they should jealously  
cling4 ,it brings gaiety into what is   
always tending to grow a dull world1 and
 of which at times the onlooker is      
disposed to say what ,walpole said of   
the doings of the fashionable sthetes at
 ,bath1 8there never was anything so    
entertaining or so dull04 ,it supplies  
diversion in youth and still more in    
age1 and it may with a few1 as it did   
with ,heine and ,r ,l4 ,stevenson1      

remain a bright comrade on the sick-bed4
 ,it is the manna on which good         
fellowship loves to feed4 ,and1 so      
many-sided is it1 it may be recommended 
as a planer for moral ridges1 and it may
 add the last touch to the              
character-picture which every man is    
engaged in painting4 ,it will graciously
 accompany us when we visit the nursery 
and try our cumbrous hand at the art of 
entertaining childhood2 and will not    
forsake us--if we care for its          
company--when we betake ourselves to the
 graver occupations4  ,if this is true  
it would seem as if1 instead of trying  
to put it down1 we should seek to       
promote the laughing #dbd habit in      
ourselves and in others4 ,yet here one  
must be careful4 ,for one thing1 the man
 to whom it counts as a considerable    
ingredient of happiness can hardly be   
expected to assist in an effort to      
render all men of an equal quickness in 
mirthful response4 ,he knows better than
 any one else that the spectacle of     

folly1 of make-believe and of           
self-inflation1 on which his laughter is
 fed1 implies a lack of all the finer   
laughter of the mind in the great       
majority of his fellows4 ,it would be an
 act of suicidal madness1 then1 on his  
part1 to try to transform his social    
world into a body of laughter-loving men
 and women4 ,happily for the 8gelast10  
such a transformation is beyond the     
powers of any conceivable society of    
laughter-promoters4 ,humorous men must  
continue with perfect serenity of mind  
to put up with being a 8contemptible    
minority04  ,not only in the interests  
of the lover of laughter is it well that
 he cannot impose his merry habit on all
 men alike4 ,the wise man will remember 
that it takes all sorts to make our     
social world1 and that the desirability 
of the laughing capacity varies greatly 
with a man's disposition1 habits of mind
 and circumstances4 ,to those1 for      
example1 who are of sensitive feeling   
and keen perception1 especially if      

called on to lead an oppressively dull  
life1 or1 like ,goldsmith1 to wrestle   
with circumstance1 a broad and quick    
appreciation of the laughable may be a  
real need4 ,some hearts of many chords1 
resonant to all the notes of life's     
music1 might break but for the timely   
comings of the laughter-fay with her    
transforming wand4 ,on the other hand1  
many worthy people not only do very well
 without it1 but might be at a          
disadvantage by possessing the          
endowment4 ,this seems to be true of    
many excellent men and women whose #dbe 
special bent is towards a rigorous      
concentration of thought and moral      
energy on some mission4 ,such persons   
appear ever to dwell in the subduing    
shadow of their cause2 they bear about  
with them a special kind of             
self-consciousness1 a sense of their    
indispensableness to the world4         
,laughter is not for these1 we say with 
half a sigh4 ,nor can it1 one supposes1 
find the needed air and sunlight in     

persons who hold imposing rank or       
office1 and have to be daily concerned  
with maintaining a proper awe in others2
 or in those who have a deep-placed and 
imperturbable self-complacency1 or those
 who are solemnly preoccupied with the  
momentous business of raising their     
social dignity4 ,probably nobody1 save  
perhaps a waiter1 has to be set more    
securely above the temptation to laugh  
than a man qualifying for his first     
dinner parties4  ,the case of these     
hopelessly confirmed 8agelasts0 is a    
very strong one4 ,those of us who prize 
the free circulation of laughter as that
 of a sea-air1 and are disposed to      
object to the closeness of mental       
atmosphere which seems to enfold the    
devoted1 shall do well to remember how  
much the world owes to a lack of humour 
in its citizens4 ,if ,rousseau had been 
a great laugher we should certainly     
never have had his picturesque and      
instructive attack on civilisation and  
all that flowed from it4 ,would ,dante  

and ,milton and the other builders of   
the vast and sombre architecture of     
verse have achieved their task if the   
laughing imp had been pulling vigorously
 at their coat tails8 ,how many of our  
valuable social institutions would have 
been built up if the beginners had been 
keenly alive to the absurd aspects of   
the bunglings which are wont to         
characterise first attempts8 ,let those 
who laugh1 therefore1 be ready1 not only
 from an enlightened self-interest1 but 
from a becoming #dbf esteem for alien   
virtues1 to allow the 8agelasts0 their  
place in the world4  ,the foregoing     
considerations suggest that in any      
effort to promote laughter we should    
move cautiously4 ,a man may waste much  
precious time in trying the experiment  
on a member of his family4 ,a waggish   
schoolmaster1 too--and to the credit of 
the profession he is to be found--may1  
if he experiment in this direction1 meet
 with nothing but disappointment4       
,perhaps some good 8tests of humour0    

would be helpful here2 but the daily    
papers have not yet succeeded in        
inventing a satisfactory one1 and the   
psychological laboratories have1 wisely 
perhaps1 avoided the problem4 ,moreover1
 the business of testing would comprise 
some examination of the quality of the  
8humour0 expressed1 lest the pedagogue  
should be fostering in a boy a kind of  
growth which he is much better without4 
,perhaps1 indeed1 this testing of       
quality1 were it possible1 should be    
undertaken for more serious purposes3   
since the saying of ,goethe1 that the   
directions taken by a person's laughter 
are one of the best clues to his        
character1 may be found to apply1       
differences being allowed for1 to the   
raw stripling4 ,in undertaking any such 
investigation of youthful mirth1 the    
investigator would need to note the     
quality of the expressive sounds        
themselves2 for one may suspect that in 
these days of early sophistication a    
young laugh1 as pure and clear of tone  

as it is full and unhindered1 is a      
rarity4 ,for a first attempt at gauging 
a boy's humour the schoolmaster might1  
perhaps1 do worse than select the       
following test1 suggested by a remark of
 one of my most learned and most        
respected friends1 that the situation   
referred to is the one which1 in his    
case1 excites the most hearty merriment3
 8,supposing you made a call1 and having
 placed your hat on a chair             
inadvertently proceeded to sit on it2   
how would you feel80 #dbg  ,a more      
manageable problem for the pedagogue    
would seem to be to try1 now and again1 
to force back the bolts of discipline   
and approach the boy with a judicious   
overture of fun4 ,it is refreshing to   
find that this has recently been        
recommended by a highly respectable     
journal of the profession which writes3 
8,it is no inherent dislike to work or  
to the teacher1 but the absolute        
necessity of relieving a dull lesson by 
a bit of fun1 that is accountable for   

many a difficulty in discipline04#cch   
,next to this1 the aim would be to      
encourage boys to bear the discipline of
 others' laughter1 so that they fall not
 below the moral level of the estimable 
savage4 ,this part of the schoolmaster's
 business is certainly not neglected in 
our country1 and perhaps has even been a
 little overdone4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,the gift of      
humour will save a man from many        
follies1 among others that of attempting
 the office of prophet4 ,this has its   
proper domain1 for example in astronomy1
 though even in certain ambitious       
departments of physical science it      
begins to look like presumption4 ,to    
bring it into the region of human       
affairs smacks of a juvenile confidence 
which has not begun to define its       
logical boundaries4 ,hence ,i shall not 
risk the illustrating of my subject by a
 forecast of the future of laughter4    
,it may be enough to say that1 at the   
fraction of a second of the cosmic clock

 at which we happen to live1 certain    
tendencies are observable which appear  
to have some bearing on this question4  
,the most cheerful of men would perhaps 
hardly call the present a mirthful      
moment4 ,we seem to have travelled      
during a century or more very far from  
the serene optimism which dwelt fondly  
on the perfectibility #dbh of mankind4  
,if we grow enthusiastic about man's    
future at all1 we let our minds run on  
the perfectibility of his machines4     
,this fact in itself suggests that we   
are not likely to find an exceptional   
exuberance of the mirthful spirit4      
,writers1 too1 have emphasised the fact 
that the age1 if not dull1 is certainly 
not gay4 ,an essayist1 not long taken   
from us1 has written sadly about the    
decline of the old frank social         
laughter2#cci and another1 writing of   
,falstaff says that1 though by laughter 
man is distinguished from the beasts1   
the cares and sorrows of life have all  
but deprived him 8of this distinguishing

 grace1 degrading him to a brutal       
solemnity04#cdj  ,that the old merry    
laughter of the people has lost its full
 resonance has been remarked above1 and 
it may be possible1 while avoiding      
youthful dogmatism1 to conjecture to    
some extent how this loss has come      
about4  ,to begin1 it seems fairly      
certain that the decline of popular     
mirth is only a part of a larger change1
 the gradual disappearance of the spirit
 of play1 of a full self-abandonment to 
the mood of light enjoyment4 ,we may see
 this not only in the rather forced     
gaiety supplied by the gorgeous         
8up-to-date0 pantomime and other shows4 
,it is illustrated in the change that   
has come over our out-of-door sports4   
,where is the fun1 where is the gaiety1 
in the football and the cricket matches 
of to-day8 ,could anything be less like 
an 8amusement0 than a match at          
,lord's--save when for a moment an      
,australian team1 forgetful of its      
surroundings1 bounds into the field8    

,even the clapping of hands by the      
solemn-looking spectators sounds stiff  
and mechanical4  ,this reduction of the 
full stream of choral laughter of a past
 age to a meagre rillet may readily be  
supposed to be due altogether to a      
growing refinement of manners in all    
#dbi classes4 ,leaders of the 8high     
society0 tell us1 as we have seen1 that 
loud laughter is prohibited by its code 
of proprieties4 ,the middle class1 in   
which the imitation of social superiors 
grows into a solemn culte1 has naturally
 adopted this idea from the upper class3
 and the classes below may be disposed  
on public occasions to consider ,mother 
,grundy so far as to curb the froward   
spirit of fun4 ,still1 the decline seems
 to be much more than any such          
artificial restraint would account for4 
,the evidence available certainly       
favours the conclusion that1 even when  
unfettered1 the people does not laugh   
long and loud as it once did4  ,this is 
not the place to attempt an explanation 

of a change which is perhaps too recent 
to be easily explained4 ,yet we may     
hazard the suggestion that it is        
connected with other recent social      
tendencies which seem to be still       
operative4 ,it is probably one phase of 
a whole alteration of temper in the mass
 of the people4 ,it looks as if only the
 more solid material interests now moved
 the mind1 as if sport had to have its  
substantial bait in the shape of stakes1
 while comedy must angle for popularity 
with scenic splendours which are seen to
 cost money4 ,other forces lying equally
 deep may not improbably co-operate4    
,the mirth of ,merry ,england was the   
outgoing of a people welded in          
brotherhood4 ,the escape from the       
priest1 and later from his ,spanish     
champion1 had begotten a common sense of
 relief and joyous expansion4 ,no such  
welding pressure has come in these      
latter days pushing all ranks into a    
common service of mirth4 ,the sharp     
class-antagonisms of the hour1          

especially that of employer and         
employed1 leave but little hope of the  
revival of such a choral laughter of a  
whole people4  ,this decline of the     
larger choral laughter1 including the   
reciprocal laughter of social groups1   
appears to have for one #dcj of its     
consequences a falling off in the part  
played by mirth as a tempering and      
conciliatory element in authority4 ,any 
gain arising from the introduction of a 
8humouring spirit0 into our government  
of the young is1 one fears1 more than   
neutralised by the loss which ensues    
from the banishment of the cajoling     
laugh from the relations of master and  
workman and mistress and maid4 ,perhaps1
 too1 in our terribly serious purpose of
 conferring the blessing of an          
incorporation into a world-wide empire  
upon reluctant peoples of all degrees of
 inferiority1 we are losing sight of the
 conciliatory virtue of that spirit of  
amicable jocosity1 the value of which1  
as we have seen1 was known to some who  

had to do with savage peoples4  ,the    
seriousness of to-day1 which looks as if
 it had come to pay a long visit1 may be
 found to have its roots in the greater 
pushfulness of men1 the fiercer         
eagerness to move up in the scale of    
wealth and comfort1 together with the   
temper which this begets1 the           
discontent--      ,the weariness1 the   
fever1 and the fret  which kill the     
capacity for a whole-hearted abandonment
 to simple pleasures4  ,so far as this  
is the case1 what laughter survives may 
be expected to take on the tone of a    
forced utterance with something of a    
sigh of weariness behind it4 ,it is as  
though men had no time to laugh4 ,even  
at a social entertainment you will find 
men and women who meet your playful     
challenge only with a niggardly giggle  
which they instantly suppress3 poor     
distracted souls unable for a moment to 
free themselves from the chaos of social
 claims which haunts them4  ,a yet more 
sinister characteristic of this later   

social laughter1 reflected more or less 
clearly even in much of #dca what now   
passes for comedy1 is its cynicism4 ,by 
this is meant more than the hollowness  
of the laughter of the world-weary3 it  
implies a readiness to laugh at a new   
sort of thing1 or at least at the old   
sorts in a new way4 ,thus1 we may hear  
the unscrupulous member of a profession 
laughing at some 8amusing0 bit of       
conscientiousness in another member4    
,the laughter has its readily           
distinguishable tones3 now the thin wiry
 note of contempt which issues from the 
superior person1 now the rough brazen   
sound burred by the bolder lips of the  
rou4 ,such laughter is in the case of an
 individual1 of a class and of a nation 
alike1 the revelation of the attitude of
 a mind which has not yet completed the 
process of discarding its old           
obligations4  ,the tendencies here      
touched on illustrate how closely the   
moral forces encompass our laughter1 how
 directly they determine its key and the

 depth of its sincerity4 ,they suggest1 
too1 how much more the evil inclinations
 menace the healthy vigour of our mirth 
than the good1 even though these should 
be cultivated up to the confines of the 
saintly4  ,these signs may well make the
 friend of laughter sad4 ,there is      
nothing unreasonable in the idea of a   
death of all the more joyous and        
refreshing mirth4 ,the utilities--on    
which1 perhaps1 ,i have insisted too    
much--give us no pledge of a final      
survival of the merry impulse4 ,however 
considerable its benefit to a society1  
we have examples of highly efficient    
communities which seem to do very well  
without it4 ,and the like is probably   
true of individual laughter4 ,a few     
persons may1 as ,i have suggested1 owe  
to it their persistence on the human    
scene2 yet the evolutional efficacy of  
this utility is probably very narrowly  
circumscribed4  ,in spite of these      
sinister indications1 an eye patient in 
search may descry others which point to 

the persistence of a wholesome laughter4
 ,even if comedy and satire seem #dcb   
tired and slumbering1 the humorous      
spirit is awake and productive4 ,we have
 in the literature of more than one     
country the promise of a development of 
new tones of quiet1 reflective laughter4
 ,the growth of a wider appreciation of 
other literatures than our own is       
overcoming the obstacles1 already       
touched on1 to an international         
appreciation of flavours1 so far at     
least as to allow of a rapprochement of 
the larger-minded members of civilised  
nations in a reciprocal enjoyment of    
their humorous writings4  ,for the rest1
 we may put our trust in the growing    
volume of what ,i have called private   
laughter4 ,it is not unlikely that in   
the future1 men who think will grow at  
once more tenacious of their ideals1 and
 more alive to the ludicrous            
consequences which these introduce4 ,if 
so1 they will become still less like    
gay-hearted children than they now are1 

and will have to brighten the chamber of
 life1 as it loses the blithe morn-given
 light1 with the genial glow of humour4 
,they will be able to keep the flame    
alive with fuel drawn from the          
storehouse of literature4 ,in this work 
of conserving human laughter they will  
do well1 while developing the           
thoughtfulness of the humorist1 to keep 
in touch with the healthiest types of   
social laughter1 the simple mirth of the
 people preserved in the contes and the 
rest1 and the enduring comedies4 ,if a  
few men will cultivate their own        
laughter in this way and do their best  
to make their private amusement that of 
an inner circle of friends1 we may hope 
that it will not die--though the death  
of what we love were less terrible to   
face than its debasement--but be        
preserved by a few faithful hands for a 
happier age4 ,they will have their      
reward in advance1 since pure and honest
 laughter1 like mercy1 blesses him that 
gives1 and him that takes4     ,,notes  

#a ,article on 8,humour0 in the         
,cornhill ,magazine1 vol4 xxxiii41 pp4  
#cah-bf4  #b ,see ,b4 ,bosanquet1       
,history of sthetics1 p4 #cfj1 where we 
are told that serious modern comedy1    
such as ,molire's ,l',avare1 is1        
according to ,hegel1 wanting in this    
characteristic4  #c ,die ,welt als      
,wille und ,vorstellung1 ,band ,,ii41   
,erstes ,buch1 ,kap4 viii4  #d ,le      
,rire1 published by ,flix ,alcan1 #aijj4
  #e ,see an article 8,pourquoi rit-on80
 by ,camille ,mlinaud1 in the ,revue des
 deux ,mondes1 #ahie 7,tom4 #abg1 p4    
#fab ff474 ,the theory of ,m4 ,mlinaud  
seems to resemble closely that of ,jean 
,paul ,richter and others1 which ,lotze 
criticises1 ,geschichte der sthetik1 p4 
#cdf4  #f ,m4 ,bergson furnishes some   
striking illustrations of the forcing of
 a theory on reluctant facts in his     
treatment of the laughable aspect of the
 red nose and the black skin1 op4 cit41 
p4 #da ff4  #g ,the references here are 
to one of a series of articles entitled 

8,psychologie der ,komik0 in the ,phil4 
,monatshefte1 ,bd4 ,,xxiv4 ,see p4 #cii 
ff4 ,the articles have been elaborated  
in a volume1 ,komik und ,humor4 ,the    
point here dealt with is touched on in  
this volume in ,kap4 iv41 s4 #eeh4  #h  
,the point that when we judge two       
successive impressions to be different  
we do not necessarily represent both    
simultaneously1 has been recently       
emphasised by ,g4 ,f4 ,stout and ,t4    
,loveday1 who quote the views of ,wundt 
and ,schumann4 ,see ,mind1 ,n4,s41 ix4  
7#aijj71 pp4 #a-g1 and p4 #chf4  #i ,dr4
 ,lipps seems half to perceive this mode
 of interaction among parts of a complex
 presentation when he says that the     
cylinder appears to renounce its dignity
 7,wrde7 as man's head-covering when it 
stoops to adorn the head of a child     
7loc4 cit474  #aj ,geschichte der       
sthetik in ,deutschland1 p4 #cdc4  #aa  
,versuch einer ,theorie des ,komischen  
7#ahag71 s4 #bc4  #ab ,see ,darwin1     
,expression of the ,emotions1 p4 #aii4  

#ac ,see among other authorities1       
,raulin1 ,le ,rire1 p4 #bh4  #ad ,see   
art4 8,the ,psychology of ,tickling1    
,laughing and the ,comic10 by ,g4       
,stanley ,hall and ,a4 ,allin1 ,american
 ,journal of ,psychology1 vol4 ix41 p4  
#a ff4  #ae ,purgatorio1 ,canto xi41    
lines #hb-c2 cf4 ,canto i41 line #bj1   
where the fair planet 7,venus7 is said  
to have made the whole ,east laugh--a   
figure copied by ,chaucer1 ,the         
,knightes ,tale1 line #fcf4 ,addison    
touches on this poetical use of         
8laughter10 ,spectator1 ,no4 #bdi4  #af 
,gratiolet1 ,de la ,physionomie1 p4     
#aaf4 ,benedick instances as            
interjections of laughing 8ha6 ha6 he06 
,much ,ado ,about ,nothing1 ,,iv41 i4   
#ag ,see an article on 8,organic        
,processes and ,consciousness10 by ,j4  
,r4 ,angell and ,h4 ,b4 ,thompson1 in   
the ,psychological ,review1 vol4 vi41 p4
 #ee4 ,according to these researches1 a 
hearty laugh1 causing sudden and violent
 changes in the breathing curve1 is     

accompanied by the sharpest and most    
marked vaso-dilation1 as tested by      
capillary pulse drawing2 though in one  
case the opposite effect of constriction
 was produced4  #ah ,anatomy of         
,melancholy1 ,pt4 #b1 sec4 #b1 mem4 vi4 
subsec4 #d 78mirth and merry company074 
#ai ,laughter is pronounced a 8good     
exercise0 by ,dr4 ,leonard ,hill in his 
useful work1 ,manual of ,human          
,physiology 7#ahii71 p4 #bcf4 ,the      
physiological benefits are more fully   
treated of by ,dr4 ,harry ,campbell in  
his publication1 ,respiratory ,exercises
 in the ,treatment of ,disease 7#ahih71 
p4 #abe4  #bj 8,positions10 ed4 by      
,quick1 pp4 #fd1 #fe4  #ba ,angell and  
,thompson in the article quoted above   
suppose that the whole dilation of the  
capillaries during laughter is a        
secondary effect of sudden changes in   
the breathing4 ,this seems a reasonable 
conclusion4 ,yet since1 according to    
these writers1 smiling as well as mild  
laughter causes gentle changes of the   

same kind1 it seems possible that we    
have here1 in a disguised form1 the     
working of the general law stated by    
these writers3 that agreeable           
experiences are accompanied by dilation 
of the peripheral blood-vessels4  #bb   
,see ,the ,expression of the ,emotions1 
chap1 vi41 p4 #afc4 ,it is curious to   
note that ,mulcaster and the recent     
physiologists referred to above claim a 
beneficial influence for 8a good cry0 as
 well as for laughter4 ,but they do not 
seem explicitly to put them on the same 
level as occasional exercises4  #bc     
,maria's words in ,twelfth ,night1 8,if 
you desire the spleen10 seem to point to
 some supposed organic disturbance due  
to immoderate laughter4  #bd ,op4 cit41 
pp4 #bjg and #bac4  #be ,prof4 ,james   
seems to admit this in his smaller work1
 ,psychology1 p4 #chd4  #bf ,on the     
,contagion of ,laughter1 see ,raulin1   
,le ,rire1 p4 #ih ff4  #bg ,it has been 
pointed out by an ingenious ,french     
writer1 ,l4 ,dugas--whose work1         

,psychologie du rire1 has appeared while
 my volume is passing through the       
press--that even a wild1 uncontrollable 
laughter1 8le fou rire10 in spite of its
 elements of suffering1 remains to a    
large extent a pleasurable experience   
7see pp4 #be1 #bf74  #bh ,the ,french   
language is particularly rich in its    
vocabulary under this head1 including   
expressions like 8rire du bout des      
dents0 and 8du bout des lvres0 7cf4     
,homer's expression1  71 8rire dans sa  
barbe10 and others like 8rire jaune04   
#bi ,sartor ,resartus1 ,bk4 ,i41 chap4  
iv4  #cj ,article on 8,ticklishness0 in 
the ,dictionary of ,psychological       
,medicine4 ,he adds that ticklishness is
 not locally coincident with            
sensitiveness to pain4 ,on the other    
hand1 ,dr4 ,charles ,richet remarks that
 the parts most sensitive to tickling   
are the parts richest in tactile nerves4
 ,article 8,chatouillement10            
,dictionnaire de ,physiologie4  #ca ,see
 ,wundt1 ,physiolog4 ,psychologie 7#dte 

,auflage71 ,bd4 i41 pp4 #dcd-e4         
,according to this authority the        
propagation of the stimulation may be   
either direct from one sensory fibre to 
another1 or indirect1 involving muscular
 contractions and muscular sensations4  
#cb ,see ,klpe1 ,outlines of            
,psychology1 p4 #adh4  #cc ,see the     
article on 8,the ,psychology of         
,tickling1 ,laughing1 and the ,comic10  
by ,g4 ,s4 ,hall and ,a4 ,allin1 in the 
,american ,journal of ,psychology1 vol4 
ix41 p4 #a ff4 ,these returns do not    
make it quite clear whether             
8ticklishness0 is taken to mean the     
non-laughing as well as the laughing    
varieties4  #cd ,my references to ,dr4  
,robinson's views are partly to the     
article in the ,dictionary already      
quoted1 and partly to notes of lectures 
given before the ,british ,association  
and the ,west ,kent ,medical ,society1  
which he has been so kind as to show me4
 ,i have made much use of his           
interesting and often brilliant         

suggestions in dealing with the subject 
of ticklishness4  #ce ,both of these are
 included by ,dr4 ,richet among the most
 sensitive parts 7loc4 cit474  #cf ,how 
far the results are complicated by the  
action of the muscles which serve to    
erect the separate hairs on the body1   
and are said by ,lister to contract near
 a tickled surface1 ,i am not sure4  #cg
 ,e4g41 ,klpe1 op4 cit41 #adg4  #ch     
,expression of the ,emotions1 p4 #bja4  
#ci ,in using the expression 8ticklish  
period10 ,i do not imply that           
ticklishness necessarily disappears     
after a certain period of maximal       
intensity4 ,like play1 it probably      
persists in a certain number of persons 
as a susceptibility to which the laws of
 propriety leave but little scope for   
exercise4  #dj ,op4 cit41 pp4 #bja1     
#bjb4 ,the restriction ,i have added    
enables us to include the case of the   
sole of the foot4  #da ,loc4 cit4 ,dr4  
,l4 ,hill confirms the observation and  
offers the same explanation4  #db ,in   

this connection an observation sent me  
by ,dr4 ,l4 ,hill is significant4 ,his  
little girl first responded with        
laughter to tickling under the armpits  
at the same age 7two and a half years7  
as she first showed fear by crying on   
being put into the arms of a stranger4  
#dc ,g4 ,heymans1 ,zeitschrift fr die   
,psychol4 und die ,physiol4 der ,sinne1 
,bd4 xi41 ss4 #ca ff4  #dd ,heymans1    
loc4 cit4  #de ,the abnormal forms of   
automatic laughter1 including the       
effects of stimulants1 are dealt with by
 ,raulin1 op4 cit41 #bme partie1 chap4  
iv41 and #cme partie4  #df ,given in the
 returns to ,stanley ,hall's inquiries4 
,this explosion of laughter on receiving
 sad news occurs in cases of cerebral   
disorder4 ,see ,dugas1 op4 cit41 p4 #af4
  #dg ,quoted by ,dugas1 op4 cit41 p4   
#ab4  #dh ,shakespeare makes ,lady      
,macbeth perpetrate a pun in a moment of
 intense excitement when ,macbeth's     
hesitation goads her into a resolve to  
carry out the murder herself3--         

8,i'll gild the faces of the grooms     
withal      ,for it must seem their     
guilt04  ,did he mean to illustrate by  
this the way in which emotional strain  
tends to lapse for a brief moment into  
laughter8  #di ,op4 cit41 pp4 #afc1     
#bjh4  #ej ,see ,les ,passions de l'me1 
#bme partie1 art4 #be4  #ea             
,co-operative teasing1 when it          
methodically 8nags0 a boy because he    
happens1 for example1 to take the       
unfashionable side in some political    
dispute1 making his school-life a       
torment1 had--with all deference to     
apologetic headmasters1 be it           
said--better change its name4  #eb      
,given by ,stanley ,hall in the article1
 8,the ,psychology of ,tickling10 etc41 
already quoted4  #ec ,valuable          
beginnings may be found here and there2 
for example1 in the entertaining volume 
of a ,french comedian1 ,le ,rire1 par   
7,b4 ,c47 ,coquelin1 cadet4  #ed ,iliad1
 ii41 #bab ff4  #ee ,loc4 cit4  #ef     
,there is1 of course1 often a reciprocal

 effect in these cases1 the             
non-compliant intruder serving to show  
up the absurd monotony of the row4  #eg 
,see an article1 8,the ,analytical      
,humorist10 by ,h4 ,d4 ,traill1         
,fortnightly ,review 7,n4,s471 vol4 lx41
 p4 #ada4  #eh ,mr4 ,kipling suggests   
that the want of a proper nose in a     
family is regarded as a disgrace among  
the ,hindoos 7,kim1 p4 #ha74  #ei ,it   
may be well to add1 by way of caution1  
that the feeble semblance of laughter   
which a modern theatre-goer is apt to   
produce when he sees something risqu is 
not a simple form of laughter at the    
indecent4 ,it is the outcome of a highly
 artificial attitude of mind1 in which  
there is an oscillation of feeling      
between the readiness of the natural man
 to indulge and the fear of the         
civilised man that he may be carried too
 far4  #fj ,op4 cit41 p4 #de4  #fa      
,compare above1 pp4 #ac ff4  #fb ,as our
 mode of classification shows1 we may   
regard these as primarily instances of  

laughable degradation4 ,nevertheless1   
some apprehension of contradiction is   
clearly involved4  #fc ,from a speech   
delivered by ,sir ,john ,parnell in the 
,irish ,house of ,commons1 #agie4 ,see  
,w4 ,r4 ,le ,fanu1 ,seventy ,years of   
,irish ,life1 ch4 xvi4 78,irish         
,bulls074  #fd ,see ,bergson1 op4 cit41 
p4 #de4  #fe ,poetics1 v4 i4 7,butcher's
 translation74  #ff ,a further and most 
important enlargement of ,hobbes'       
principle is made by ,bain when he urges
 that the spectacle of degradation works
 upon us1 not merely by way of the      
emotion of power or glory1 but by way of
 the feeling of release from constraint4
 ,this point will more conveniently be  
dealt with later4  #fg ,compare above1  
p4 #ajj4  #fh ,kant's contribution to   
the theory of the ludicrous is contained
 in a single 8,remark0 appended to a    
discussion of the ,fine ,arts and       
,taste4 ,see ,dr4 ,bernard's translation
 of his ,kritik of ,judgment1 pp4       
#bba-d4  #fi ,article 8,on the          

,philosophy of ,laughing10 by the       
,editor1 ,the ,monist1 #ahih1 p4 #bee4  
#gj ,i find after completing this       
paragraph that the point dealt with1    
namely1 that surprise1 in the sense of  
the effect of mental unpreparedness1 is 
not an invariable antecedent of our     
response to the laughable1 has been     
urged by a ,french writer1 ,m4          
,courdaveaux4 ,his critic1 ,m4 ,dugas1  
does not seem to me to have effectually 
combated it4 7,see ,dugas1 op4 cit41 p4 
#fc ff47  #ga ,see above1 p4 #f4  #gb   
,compare what was said above  propos of 
the child and the hat1 p4 #ad4  #gc ,cf4
 above1 p4 #aad2 also the article in    
,the ,monist already quoted4  #gd       
,english ,comic ,writers1 lect4 i41     
8,wit and ,humour04  #ge 8,the          
,physiology of ,laughter10 ,essays1 i41 
p4 #bjf4  #gf ,according to ,fouille1   
contrast is the formal element1         
faultiness 78le dfaut071 the material4  
,see ,dugas1 op4 cit41 p4 #he ff4  #gg  
,hazlitt defines the ridiculous as the  

highest degree of the laughable1 which  
is 8a proper subject for satire10 loc4  
cit4  #gh ,compare ,ribot1 ,la          
,psychologie des sentiments1 p4 #cdd4   
#gi ,m4 ,bergson has a glimpse of the   
co-operation of 8child's fun0 in our    
laughter1 op4 cit41 p4 #fi2 but he fails
 to see the magnitude of this factor4   
#hj ,see ,the ,emotions and the ,will1  
8,the ,emotions10 chap4 xiv41  #ch-dj4  
#ha ,cf4 ,dugas1 op4 cit41 p4 #abh ff4  
#hb ,wit and ,humour1 p4 #g4  #hc ,see  
p4 #gf1 ff4  #hd ,prof4 ,groos does not1
 ,i think1 bring out clearly enough the 
distinction here drawn1 though he may be
 said to half-recognise it when he      
speaks of 8joy in conquest0 as the end  
of play combats 7,play of ,animals1 pp4 
#bia1 #bib74  #he ,this restriction     
sometimes takes on a look of a conative 
process of self-control1 e4g41 when an  
older cat1 not used to play1 is         
importunately challenged by a lively    
kitten4  #hf ,on this 8divided          
consciousness0 in play see ,groos1 ,play

 of ,animals1 p4 #cjc ff4  #hg ,on the  
uses of animal play see ,groos1 ,the    
,play of ,man1 ,part ,,iii41 sect4 #b1  
and ,lloyd ,morgan1 ,animal ,behaviour1 
chap1 vi41 sect4 #b4  #hh ,among        
previous writers on the subject ,m4     
,dugas seems to be the one who has had  
the clearest apprehension of the        
essentially playful character of        
laughter 7op4 cit41 chap4 vi41          
especially p4 #aae seq474  #hi ,karl    
,groos connects both the tusslings and  
the tearings of young animals with the  
instinct of sex-competition 7,play of   
,animals1 p4 #ce ff474  #ij ,the        
,psychological ,review1 #ahii1 p4 #ia4  
#ia ,descent of ,man1 ,part ,i41 chap4  
iii4  #ib ,animal ,life and             
,intelligence1 p4 #djg4 ,the author     
strikes me as almost excessively        
cautious in accepting these evidences of
 canine jocosity4  #ic ,w4 ,preyer1 ,die
 ,seele des ,kindes1 p4 #aig4  #id      
,quoted by ,lloyd ,morgan1 loc4 cit4    
#ie ,expression of ,emotions1 p4 #bjh2  

cf4 p4 #acb ff4  #if ,see ,darwin1 ,the 
,descent of ,man1 ,part ,i41 chap4 iii4 
#ig ,so in ,the ,expression of the      
,emotions1 pp4 #baa1 #bab4 ,in the notes
 contributed to ,mind1 vol4 ii4 7#ahgg71
 p4 #bhh1 two infants are spoken of1 one
 of which smiled when forty-five1 the   
other when forty-six days old4  #ih ,the
 references are to his work1 ,die ,seele
 des ,kindes1 #dte ,auflage4  #ii       
,champneys and ,sigismund are quoted by 
,preyer4 ,miss ,shinn's observations are
 given in her work1 ,notes on the       
,development of a ,child1 p4 #bch4 ,mrs4
 ,moore's are to be found in her ,essay1
 ,the ,mental ,development of a ,child1 
p4 #cg4 ,dr4 ,l4 ,hill writes that he   
noted the first smile in his boy when he
 was three weeks old1 and in his girl   
when she was some days older4  #ajj ,see
 especially what he says about an       
unusual expression1 including 8a        
strongly sparkling eye0 which occurred  
in the eighth week1 op4 cit41 p4 #aid4  
#aja ,i am indebted to ,miss ,shinn for 

a sight of her complete original notes2 
and some of my references are to these4 
#ajb ,it is regrettable that ,preyer    
does not describe with some precision   
the sounds produced by his boy on the   
twenty-third day4  #ajc ,miss ,shinn    
insists that the laugh did not develop  
out of the chuckle1 since apparently it 
appeared1 as many articulate sounds     
appear1 with something of a sudden      
completeness4 ,but this is just what we 
should expect if the laugh is an        
inherited movement4  #ajd ,op4 cit41 p4 
#aig4  #aje ,preyer puts this at the end
 of the first half-year1 which seems to 
me to be late4  #ajf ,op4 cit41 p4 #if4 
#ajg ,on the point of the priority of   
the smile in the process of evolution   
see ,th4 ,ribot1 ,la ,psychologie des   
,sentiments1 p4 #cdf4  #ajh ,darwin1    
,expression of the ,emotions1 p4 #acc4  
#aji ,a4 ,lehmann1 in his interesting   
account of the development of the       
emotions and their expression in the    
individual1 suggests that the first     

imperfect smile of the infant1 which    
expresses the pleasure of sweetness1 is 
genetically related to the movements of 
sucking 7,hauptgesetze des menschl4     
,gefhlslebens1 ss4 #bie1 #bif74  #aaj   
,darwin1 ,expression of the ,emotions1  
pp4 #acd1 #ace4  #aaa ,as pointed out   
above1 the ,french e sound seems to be  
the common one in children's laughter4  
,preyer tells us that the corresponding 
sound in ,german 77 occurs in the first 
infantile babble 7,development of       
,intellect1 p4 #bci74  #aab ,expression 
of the ,emotions1 pp4 #acb-c4  #aac ,see
 the article already quoted on 8,the    
,psychology of ,tickling1 ,laughing10   
etc41 p4 #cc4  #aad ,see the article    
already quoted4  #aae ,dr4 ,robinson    
considers that another agreeable effect 
of tickling may be an inherited echo of 
the caresses of man's progenitors4  #aaf
 ,stanley ,hall also suggests that the  
most ticklish parts1 which1 according to
 his inquiries1 are the sole of the     
foot1 the throat1 etc41 are the 8most   

vulnerable04 ,but he does not explain   
what he means by vulnerable here1 and   
certainly does not appear to use the    
word in the sense given it by ,dr4 ,l4  
,robinson4  #aag ,groos deals with the  
teasing of animals under the head of    
8,fighting ,plays0 7,play of ,animals1  
p4 #acf ff474  #aah ,h4 ,m4 ,stanley1   
,psychological ,review1 #ahii1 p4 #hg4  
#aai ,this idea1 that when we laugh at  
ludicrous things the process is         
fundamentally analogous to that of being
 tickled1 has been made the basis of a  
curious and suggestive physiological    
theory of laughter1 developed by a      
,german writer4 ,see ,ewald ,hecker1    
,die ,physiologie und ,psychologie des  
,lachens und des ,komischen4  #abj ,loc4
 cit41 p4 #ci4  #aba ,i am indebted for 
this fact to ,dr4 ,l4 ,hill4 ,i believe 
a like remark applies to all the        
laughter of play4  #abb ,the nature of  
the process of emotional development is 
more fully treated1 and the relation of 
its effect to that of the dulling action

 of repetition is indicated1 in my work1
 ,the ,human ,mind1 vol4 ii41 p4 #ge ff4
  #abc ,of course1 increase of volume   
might arise through a widening of the   
sensational factor in the experience1   
due to the larger diffusion of somatic  
stimulation1 which1 as already remarked1
 is an element in the expansion of      
laughter4  #abd ,this expression is     
commonly used only where an expression  
is passed on to a palpably dissimilar   
feeling4 ,but an essentially similar    
process takes place1 according to my    
view1 within the limits of development  
of what we call the same emotion4  #abe 
,the application of the principle of    
arrest to the changes in emotional      
states has been made with great success 
by ,th4 ,ribot in his volume1           
,psychologie des ,sentiments1 p4 #bfj   
ff4  #abf ,miss ,shinn's observations   
are recorded in ,parts ,,iii4 and ,,iv4 
of her ,notes4  #abg ,for a pretty      
reminiscent description of a first      
experience of running and jumping1 see  

,pierre ,loti1 ,roman d'un ,enfant1 ii41
 p4 #d ff4  #abh ,the nearest approach  
,i have met with to a suggestion of a   
wish to inflict pain in this early      
practical joking is the following3 ,the 
child ,m4 when two years old stood on   
her mother's foot saying1 8,oh1 my poor 
toe60 ,but it seems reasonable to say   
that in such moments of frolic pain is  
quite unrepresentable4  #abi ,op4 cit41 
p4 #aif4 ,i have heard of it occurring  
in a girl at the age of three and a     
half4 ,the point should certainly be    
determined by more precise observations4
  #acj ,preyer first observed roguish   
laughter at the end of the second year  
7op4 cit41 p4 #aif74 ,he does not define
 the expression 8schelmisches ,lachen04 
#aca ,compare above1 p4 #hc4  #acb ,see 
,mrs4 ,hogan's ,study of a ,child1 p4   
#ah4  #acc ,cf4 what was said in chap4  
v41 p4 #adb1 apropos of ,leigh ,hunt's  
theory4  #acd ,ruth's laughter at the   
mother's face was certainly very early4 
#ace ,hogan1 op4 cit41 p4 #ga4  #acf    

,see my ,studies of ,childhood1 pp4     
#bgd-e4  #acg ,most of the observations 
here quoted1 on the laughter of the boy 
,c41 have appeared before in a chapter  
of my volume1 ,studies of ,childhood4   
,the reader who is familiar with this   
chapter will1 ,i feel sure1 pardon the  
repetition4  #ach ,rev4 ,duff           
,macdonald1 ,africana 7#ahhb71 i41 pp4  
#bff-g4  #aci ,it is true that this     
astounding proposition is answered      
somewhat ironically by ,rev4 ,dr4       
,folliott1 who says1 8,give him modern  
,athens1 the learned friend 7,brougham7 
and the sham intellect ,society--they   
will develop his muscles04 ,yet it seems
 odd that this confident assertor was   
not taken to task for his amazing       
ignorance4  #adj ,the dispute may be    
followed by the curious by turning up   
the following3 ,indian ,antiquary1 vol4 
viii41 p4 #caf2 cf4 ,e4 ,deschamps1     
,pays des ,veddas1 pp4 #cgh-i2 ,the     
,taprobanian1 vol4 i41 p4 #aib ff4 ,the 
,german visitor1 ,sarasin1 upholds the  

writer in the latter periodical1 and    
says that the ,veddas 8lachen gerne10   
though some of them are bad tempered1   
and laugh but little4 ,naturforschungen 
auf ,ceylon1 pp4 #cgh and #edj4  #ada   
,carl von den ,steinen1 ,unter den      
,naturvlkern ,zentral-,brasiliens1 p4   
#fa4  #adb ,this applies1 of course1 to 
the detection of the whole of the social
 qualities which make up good-nature4   
,f4 ,nansen attacks the missionary      
,egede for his misrepresentation of the 
,greenlanders in calling them           
cold-blooded creatures4 ,see ,eskimo    
,life1 pp4 #ajj1 #aja4  #adc ,expression
 of the ,emotions1 p4 #bji4  #add       
,central ,australia 7#ahcc71 ii41 p4    
#ach4  #ade ,among ,cannibals 7#ahhi71  
p4 #bia4  #adf ,angas1 ,australia and   
,new ,zealand 7#ahdg71 ii41 p4 #aa4     
#adg ,bonwick1 ,the ,daily ,life of the 
,tasmanians 7#ahgj71 p4 #agd4  #adh     
,ellis1 ,polynesian ,researches 7#ahcb71
 i41 p4 #if4  #adi ,turnbull1 ,a ,voyage
 ,round the ,world 7#ahac71 p4 #cgb4    

#aej ,erskine1 ,the ,western ,pacific   
7#ahec71 p4 #aei4  #aea ,natives of     
,sarawak and ,brit4 ,n4 ,borneo1 i41 p4 
#hd4  #aeb ,rev4 ,jos4 ,shooter1 ,the   
,kafirs of ,natal 7#aheg71 p4 #bcb4     
#aec ,cruickshank1 ,the ,gold ,coast of 
,africa 7#ahec71 ii41 p4 #bec4  #aed    
,hind1 ,canadian ,red ,river ,exploring 
,expedition 7#ahfj71 ii41 p4 #ace4      
,other examples of the mirthfulness of  
savages are given by ,herbert ,spencer1 
,descriptive ,sociology1 ,div4 ,i41 ,pt4
 #b--;,a4  #aee ,cruickshank1 ,gold     
,coast of ,africa1 loc4 cit4  #aef      
,musters1 ,at ,home with the            
,patagonians 7#ahgc71 p4 #afg4  #aeg    
,saugethiere von ,paraguay 7#ahcj71 s4  
#aj4  #aeh ,aborigines of ,tasmania     
7#bnd ed471 p4 #ch4  #aei ,johnston1    
,british ,central ,africa 7#ahig71 p4   
#djc4  #afj ,e4 ,h4 ,man1 8,aboriginal  
,inhabitants of the ,andaman ,islands10 
,journal of ,anthropol4 ,institute1 vol4
 xii41 p4 #hh4  #afa ,see ,raulin1 op4  
cit41 p4 #id ff4  #afb ,angas1 loc4 cit4

  #afc ,ling ,roth1 ,natives of         
,sarawak1 etc41 i41 p4 #ha4  #afd       
,burton1 ,lake ,regions of ,central     
,africa1 ii41 p4 #cca4  #afe ,waitz1    
,naturvlker1 #fter ,theil1 s4 #ajb4     
#aff ,mrs4 ,edgeworth ,david1 ,funafuti1
 p4 #bcj4  #afg ,shooter1 ,the ,kafirs  
of ,natal 7#aheg71 p4 #bcb4  #afh ,ling 
,roth1 ,aborigines of ,tasmania 7#bnd   
ed471 p4 #bi4  #afi ,wood1 ,natural     
,history of ,man1 i41 p4 #bfa4  #agj    
,from an article1 8,west ,african       
,women10 contributed to the ,daily      
,telegraph4  #aga ,this is stated by    
,prof4 ,bain in his ,english            
,composition and ,rhetoric1 p4 #bcg4 ,i 
have been unable to verify the          
statement2 but ,mr4 ,ling ,roth assures 
me that the statement is probably       
correct2 and says that he remembers     
having read recently an account of the  
amusement of ,chinese bystanders on such
 an occasion1 one man putting out a     
boat--merely to save a hat6  #agb       
,sarasin1 ,forschungen auf ,ceylon1 s4  

#ecg4  #agc ,sproat1 ,scenes and        
,studies of ,savage ,life 7#ahfh71 p4   
#ea4  #agd ,wood1 op4 cit41 i41 p4 #bfa1
 and ,shooter1 op4 cit41 p4 #bcc4  #age 
,turnbull1 op4 cit41 p4 #cgb4  #agf     
,wright1 ,history of ,caricature and    
,grotesque1 p4 #b4  #agg ,cruickshank1  
loc4 cit4  #agh ,ellis1 op4 cit41 i41 p4
 #ig4  #agi ,how easily one may         
overcharge this indictment of coarse    
immorality is illustrated by what ,von  
den ,steinen says of the laughter of the
 ,brazil ,indian women when he asked    
them the names of the several bodily    
parts4 ,some would have taken this to be
 the low joking of brazen-faced women4  
,he distinctly tells us that it was     
8just simple innocent laughter10 op4    
cit41 p4 #fe4  #ahj ,ling ,roth1 op4    
cit41 i41 p4 #gb4  #aha ,barrow1        
,hudson's ,bay1 p4 #cb4  #ahb           
,lichtenstein1 ,travels in ,southern    
,africa1 ii41 p4 #cab4  #ahc ,compare   
above1 pp4 #gb1 #gc4  #ahd ,ellis1 op4  
cit41 i41 p4 #ig4  #ahe ,wood1 op4 cit41

 ii41 p4 #ebb4  #ahf ,lichtenstein1 op4 
cit41 ii41 p4 #cjh4  #ahg ,burchell1    
,travels in ,southern ,africa 7#ahbb71  
vol4 ii41 p4 #cci4  #ahh ,ling ,roth1   
op4 cit4 7#bnd ed471 p4 #acd4  #ahi     
,marsden1 ,history of ,sumatra1 p4 #bcj4
  #aij ,ling ,roth1 op4 cit4 7#bnd ed471
 p4 #cf4  #aia ,sproat1 ,savage ,life1  
p4 #bff4  #aib ,quoted by ,ling ,roth1  
,sarawak and ,british ,north ,borneo1   
i41 p4 #ic4  #aic ,compare above1 p4    
#ajd4  #aid ,hind1 ,canadian ,red ,river
 ,expedition1 ii41 p4 #ace4  #aie ,see  
,ling ,roth1 ,sarawak and ,british      
,north ,borneo1 i41 p4 #ge4  #aif       
,spencer and ,gillen1 ,the ,native      
,tribes of ,central ,australia1 pp4     
#acf1 #acg4  #aig ,quoted from ,gideon  
,lang by ,bonwick1 ,daily ,life of the  
,tasmanians1 p4 #agd4  #aih ,nansen     
asserts this with respect to the        
attitude of the ,eskimos towards the    
,danes who settled in ,greenland in     
#agbh4 ,see ,eskimo ,life1 pp4 #ajf-g4  
#aii ,brough ,smyth1 ,aborigines of     

,victoria 7#ahgh71 ii41 p4 #bgh4  #bjj  
,sarasin1 op4 cit41 iii41 p4 #edj4  #bja
 ,burton1 ,wit and ,wisdom of ,west     
,africa1 p4 #eb4  #bjb ,ling ,roth1     
,sarawak and ,british ,north ,borneo1   
i41 p4 #hc4  #bjc ,ling ,roth1 op4 cit41
 i41 pp4 #hc-d4  #bjd ,sproat1 op4 cit41
 p4 #ea4  #bje ,quoted by ,darwin1      
,expression of the ,emotions1 p4 #bji4  
#bjf ,von den ,steinen1 op4 cit41 p4    
#ga4  #bjg ,turnbull1 op4 cit41 p4 #hh4 
#bjh ,op4 cit41 p4 #cgb4  #bji ,brough  
,smyth1 op4 cit41 i41 p4 #bi4  #baj     
,north ,american ,ethnology 7,j4 ,w4    
,powell71 vol4 iii41 p4 #daj4  #baa ,op4
 cit41 pp4 #bci1 #bia4  #bab ,ling      
,roth1 ,tasmania 7#bnd ed471 p4 #ch4    
#bac ,marsden1 op4 cit41 p4 #bcj4  #bad 
,quoted by ,waitz1 ,naturvlker1 #fter   
,theil1 p4 #ajb4  #bae ,ling ,roth1     
,sarawak and ,british ,north ,borneo1   
i41 p4 #hd4  #baf ,hans ,egede1 ,nat4   
,hist4 of ,greenland1 pp4 #aef-g4  #bag 
,f4 ,nansen1 ,eskimo ,life1 p4 #ahg2 cf4
 ,egede1 loc4 cit4  #bah ,quoted from   

,jackson's ,narrative 7#ahdj7 by        
,erskine1 ,western ,pacific1 p4 #dfh4   
#bai ,bonwick1 op4 cit41 p4 #bi4  #bbj  
,grey1 ,two ,expeditions in ,australia  
7#ahda71 ii41 pp4 #cjg-h4  #bba ,j4     
,chandler ,harris1 ,uncle ,remus and his
 ,friends4  #bbb ,r4 ,e4 ,dennett1      
,folklore of the ,fjort1 pp4 #ib-c4     
#bbc ,mr4 ,ling ,roth has pointed out to
 me that the laughter of the ,australian
 at the absurdity of the idea of a dead 
man going about without legs1 etc41     
occurs in a race usually placed among   
the lowest in the scale4 ,yet this      
apparent exception does not1 ,i think1  
affect the validity of the              
generalisation in the text4 ,the        
intellect displayed in this ridicule is 
not of a high order2 and1 further1 we   
are distinctly told that the scoffer in 
the case was an 8intelligent0 native1   
that is to say1 one of more than the    
average intelligence of his tribe4  #bbd
 ,mr4 ,ling ,roth writes me that he     
agrees with ,miss ,kingsley as to the   

difference between the laughter of      
savages and of children4 ,i should be   
quite ready to accept this view so far  
as it concerns the special forms and    
directions of the mirth4 ,the           
differences of capacity1 experience and 
habit involved in the difference between
 the child and adult will1 of course1   
introduce many dissimilarities into     
their manifestations of the mirthful    
temper4 ,i hold1 however1 that as       
regards the fundamental psychical       
processes involved1 the similarity is   
real and great4  #bbe ,macdonald1 op4   
cit41 i41 p4 #bff4  #bbf ,burton1 op4   
cit41 ii41 pp4 #cch-i4  #bbg ,see p4    
#db4  #bbh ,wright1 ,history of         
,caricature and ,grotesque1 p4 #aha4    
#bbi ,m4 ,jos4 ,bdier in his interesting
 study1 ,l',esprit des ,fabliaux1 though
 he argues that the fabliaux in general 
had no social aim 78porte sociale071 has
 to admit that in the case of the       
treatment of the priests these 8contes  
rire en vers0 betray a genuine hatred1 a

 hatred which 7he adds7 runs through    
other forms of literature of the ,middle
 ,ages4  #bcj ,bdier points out in the  
work quoted that the writers of the     
fabliaux1 which issue from the burgher  
class1 and are written for this class1  
take sides with the weak villains rather
 than with the strong knightly class    
7see p4 #bia ff474 ,cf41 however1       
,wright1 op4 cit41 p4 #aad4  #bca ,see  
,maspero1 ,les ,contes populaires de    
l'gypte1 ,introduction 78,conte des deux
 frres074  #bcb ,percy ,gardner1 ,greek 
,antiquities1 p4 #cec4  #bcc ,tyrrell1  
,latin ,poetry1 p4 #bbj4  #bcd ,bdier1  
op4 cit41 p4 #bgi ff4  #bce ,h4         
,spencer1 ,principles of ,sociology1    
8,ceremonial ,institutions10 pp4 #bje1  
#bjf4  #bcf ,maspero1 ,life in ,ancient 
,egypt and ,assyria1 chap4 i4  #bcg     
,wilkinson1 ,manners and ,customs of    
,ancient ,egyptians1 iii41 pp4 #ddg1    
#dbi4  #bch ,simcox1 ,hist4 of ,latin   
,liter41 i41 p4 #df4  #bci ,given in    
,hazlitt's ,new ,london ,jest ,book1 pp4

 #ca1 #cb4  #bdj ,wright1 op4 cit41 p4  
#acc4 ,a good story of a retaliative    
practical joke1 carried out by a        
bachelor on a tavern keeper who had     
spilt some wine on serving him1 is given
 by ,bdier1 op4 cit41 iii41 p4 #bgb ff4 
#bda ,h4 ,spencer1 op4 cit41 p4 #bjh4   
#bdb ,curtius remarks of the ,greek     
comic poets3 8,it was primarily against 
the novel fashion of the day that they  
aimed their blows0 7,hist4 of ,greece1  
ii41 p4 #eci74  #bdc ,see ,ward1 ,engl4 
,dram4 ,poets1 ii41 p4 #dja4  #bdd      
,wright1 op4 cit41 chap4 xix4  #bde     
,sellar1 ,roman ,poets1 p4 #afg4  #bdf  
,tyrrell1 op4 cit41 p4 #eb4  #bdg ,ward1
 ,engl4 ,dram4 ,poets1 ii41 pp4 #cih-i4 
,the ,restoration comedy also made fun  
of the 8cit0 as the inferior of the     
,west-end gentleman4  #bdh ,ward1 op4   
cit41 ii41 pp4 #cii1 #djj4  #bdi ,the   
,golden ,ass1 ,bk4 ,,iii41 ch4 #ee4     
#bej ,doran1 ,history of ,court ,fools1 
pp4 #ah1 #cg1 #ge4  #bea ,tyrrell1      
,latin ,poetry1 p4 #dc ff4 ,the         

scurrility of the early ,greek comedy   
led to its being discountenanced by     
,pisistratus4 ,as ,prof4 ,p4 ,gardner   
remarks1 8,tyrants have no sense of     
humour1 and dread ridicule0 7,greek     
,antiquities1 p4 #fff74  #beb ,wright1  
op4 cit41 p4 #dd ff4  #bec ,ward1 ,engl4
 ,dram4 ,poets1 ii41 pp4 #cib-c4  #bed  
,colley ,cibber's satire 8,non-,juror0  
is said to have brought him a pension   
and the office of ,poet ,laureate       
7,wright1 op4 cit41 chap4 xxii474  #bee 
,george ,,iii4 was caricatured again and
 again by ,gillray 7,wright1 op4 cit41  
chap4 xxvii474  #bef ,this has no doubt 
arisen in part from the fact that no    
other single ,english word expresses    
directly and clearly the subjective     
feeling or disposition which lies behind
 laughter4  #beg ,george ,eliot1        
,essays1 pp4 #hb1 #hc4  #beh ,the       
opening scene of ,le ,mdecin malgr lui  
shows that ,molire had observed this    
quaint form of wifely loyalty4  #bei    
,sylvie and ,bruno1 ,part ,,ii41 p4     

#acb4  #bfj ,hence ,addison's remark    
7,spectator1 ,no4 #ce7 that humour      
should always be under the check of     
reason seems1 in what one is tempted to 
call a characteristic way1 to miss the  
mark4  #bfa ,see1 for example1 ,hffding1
 ,outlines of ,psychology1 pp4 #bid1    
#bie4  #bfb ,quoted by ,dugas1 op4 cit41
 p4 #ih4 ,flaubert here indicates1      
perhaps1 one great limiting condition of
 the growth of the composite sentiment  
of humour4  #bfc ,philebus1 ,jowett's   
translation1 iv41 p4 #id ff4  #bfd ,one 
of the best recent discussions of this  
subject will be found in the work of ,a4
 ,lehmann1 already referred to2 see pp4 
#bdg-bea and #bei4  #bfe ,cf4 above1 p4 
#gj4  #bff ,op4 cit41 p4 #ie4  #bfg ,for
 the whole passage1 written perhaps with
 an unconscious reminiscence of the     
,rousseau period1 see the ,kritik of    
,judgment1 ,dr4 ,bernard's translation1 
p4 #bbg4  #bfh ,the absence in the ,east
 of the comic spirit as expressing      
itself in the art of comedy1 a point    

noted by ,mr4 ,meredith1 is of course   
not conclusive with respect to the      
existence of the humorous disposition4  
#bfi ,m4 ,bdier has a delicate          
characterisation of this ,french spirit 
in the ,contes2 touching on its want of 
depth and arrire-pense1 its spice of    
malice1 its joyous good sense1 its      
irony1 which though a little coarse is  
yet precise and just1 op4 cit41 p4 #bgh4
  #bgj ,this redeeming quality of the   
,irish bull is indistinctly perceived by
 the ,edgeworths in their essay on the  
subject1 in which they speak of the     
,irishman's habit of using figurative   
and witty language4 ,see ,the ,book of  
,bulls1 by ,g4 ,r4 ,neilson 7in which   
the ,edgeworths' essay is included74    
#bga ,quoted by ,meredith1 op4 cit41 p4 
#hg4  #bgb ,see his son's ,life1 chap4  
vii4 7vol4 i41 p4 #afg74  #bgc ,the     
question is left an open one by his     
biographer1 ,j4 ,fitzmaurice-,kelly4    
,see ,life of ,cervantes1 p4 #bjg4  #bgd
 ,causeries du ,lundi1 vol4 iii41 pp4   

#c1 #d4  #bge ,logic ,deductive and     
,inductive1 by ,carveth ,read4  #bgf    
,bernard's translation of ,the ,kritik  
of ,judgment1 p4 #bbf4  #bgg ,good      
illustrations will be found in the story
 of ,mr4 ,bernard ,capes1 ,the ,lake of 
,wine1 chap4 ii4 and chap4 xxxii4  #bgh 
,see for one among many instances       
,travels in ,west ,africa1 chap4 ix4    
78,the ,rapids of the ,ogowe074  #bgi   
,the story of ,hans von ,blow's almost  
superhuman behaviour under these        
circumstances is told in the ,national  
,observer of #agth ,feb41 #ahid4  #bhj  
,see1 for example1 a letter from a      
titled lady in ,the ,times of the #ast  
,june1 #ahid1 in which this claim of    
8society0 to the services of 8the pick  
of blood and brains0 is prettily        
assumed4  #bha ,on the employment of    
buffoons and dwarfs in the palace of the
 ,egyptian king see ,maspero1 ,dawn of  
,civilisation1 pp4 #bgh1 #bgi4 ,on the  
,greek and ,roman jesters 71 1 mimi1    
scurr7 see ,p4 ,gardner1 ,greek         

,antiquities1 p4 #hce2 cf4 ,doran1      
,court ,fools4 ,on the medival jester or
 fool see ,wright1 op4 cit41 chap4 vii42
 ,lacroix1 ,middle ,ages1 p4 #bch ff42  
and ,jusserand1 ,english ,wayfaring     
,life1 p4 #ahg4  #bhb ,p4 ,gardner1     
,greek ,antiquities1 p4 #fff4  #bhc     
,bergk1 ,griech4 ,literaturgesch41 iv41 
pp4 #i1 #aj4  #bhd ,see ,wright1 op4    
cit41 chaps4 xii4 and xiv4  #bhe ,essay 
on ,comedy1 pp4 #bd-e 7on ,molire's     
audience72 pp4 #h1 #dg and following 7on
 the recognition of woman74  #bhf       
,examples will be found in ,le ,mdecin  
malgr lui1 ,l',avare and others4 ,a     
delightful introduction of the all-round
 beating of the circus is that of the   
,professors in ,le ,bourgeois           
gentilhomme4  #bhg ,m4 ,bergson1 who    
gives a delightful account of these     
mechanical aids to the effect of comedy1
 seeks to connect them with his theory  
that the laughable consists in the      
substitution of the monotony of the     
machine for the variety of the organism 

7op4 cit41 p4 #gb ff474 ,i suspect1     
however1 that they owe much of the spell
 they cast over our laughing muscles to 
suggestions of child's play4  #bhh      
,compare the breezy fun of the scene in 
,le ,tartuffe1 where the maid1 ,dorine1 
has to tackle in turn each of a pair of 
lovers urging the same grievances in    
almost the same words 7,act ,,ii41 ,sc4 
iv474  #bhi ,moulton1 ,ancient ,class4  
,drama1 p4 #cdd4  #bij 8,in             
,aristophanes the very few maiden       
figures that appear are dumb0 7,neil1   
,the ,knights of ,aristophanes1         
,introduction1 p4 xiv474  #bia ,p4      
,gardner1 ,greek ,antiquities1 p4 #cec4 
#bib ,mommsen1 ,history of ,rome1 vol4  
iii41 p4 #add4  #bic ,essay1 ,bk4 ,,ii41
 chap4 xi4  #bid ,spectator1 ,no4 #fb4  
#bie ,english ,comic ,writers1 ,lect4   
,i41 8,wit and ,humour04  #bif          
,spectator1 ,no4 #f4  #big ,cf4 supra1  
pp4 #aab1 #aac4  #bih ,spectator1 ,no4  
#dg4  #bii ,an elaborate classification 
of the various kinds of word-play may be

 found in an article by ,dr4 ,emil      
,krpelin1 in ,wundt's ,philosoph4       
,studien1 #b;er ,band1 s4 #add ff4  #cjj
 ,bergk observes that these are at once 
individuals and types 7,griech4         
literaturgeschichte1 ,bd4 ,,iv41 s4     
#ia74  #cja ,mommsen observes that in   
,terence we have a more becoming1 though
 not yet moral1 conception of feminine  
nature and of married life 7,hist4 of   
,rome1 ,bk4 ,,iv41 chap4 xiii474  #cjb  
,courthope1 ,hist4 of ,english ,poetry1 
vol4 ii41 pp4 #cde ff41 and #cef4  #cjc 
,eng4 ,lit41 ,bk4 ,,ii41 chap4 iii4     
#cjd ,on this mixture of tones see      
,moulton1 ,shakespeare as ,dramatic     
,artist1 p4 #bia4  #cje ,mr4 ,meredith  
touches on the way in which ,molire     
developed his characters out of persons 
known to him 7op4 cit41 p4 #ec74  #cjf  
,lectures and ,notes on ,shakespeare1 p4
 #daf4  #cjg      8,comme un morceau de 
cire entre mes mains elle est1     ,et  
je lui puis donner la forme qui me      
plat40   #cjh ,m4 ,henri ,bergson 7op4  

cit41 chap1 iii47 seems to me to push   
his helpful idea of a mechanical        
rigidity 7raideur7 in ,molire's         
characters a little too far4  #cji ,the 
play closes with the 8aside0 of         
,covielle3 8,si l'on en peut voir un    
plus fou1 je l'irai dire  ,rome04  #caj 
,mr4 ,meredith remarks that it was 8here
 and there ,bacchanalian beyond the     
,aristophanic example0 7op4 cit41 p4    
#aa74  #caa ,see above1 p4 #ib f4  #cab 
,coleridge saw clearly enough how far   
comedy is from making morality its      
basis4 ,he remarks that the new comedy  
of ,menander and the whole of modern    
comedy 7,shakespeare excepted7 is based 
on rules of prudence 7,lectures and     
,notes on ,shakespeare1 ,bell's         
,edition1 #ahhd1 p4 #aia74  #cac ,cf4   
supra1 p4 #aci4  #cad ,hist4 of ,eng4   
,lit41 ,bk4 ,,iii41 chap4 i4 ,mr4       
,meredith is nearer the mark when he    
speaks of the comic poet as being 8in   
the narrow field1 or enclosed square of 
the society he depicts0 7op4 cit41 p4   

#he74  #cae ,op4 cit41 ,bd4 ,,iv41 s4   
#b4  #caf ,see his 8,notice0 to ,gil    
,blas1 pp4 xii1 xiii4  #cag ,hist4 of   
,eng4 ,lit41 vol4 iv41 p4 #agc4  #cah   
,op4 cit41 p4 #bdj4  #cai ,quoted by    
,bacon1 ,essays1 8,apothegms10 #aha4    
#cbj ,this is well illustrated by       
,george ,eliot1 who observes rightly    
that wit is allied to ratiocination     
7,essays1 8,german ,wit10 p4 #ha74  #cba
 ,i remember discussing the point with  
the late ,henry ,sidgwick--no mean      
authority--who admitted that several    
quotations which he had proffered as    
examples of wit might with equal        
appropriateness he described as         
humorous4 ,the germ of the view put     
forward in the text is contained in some
 pithy remarks by the late ,professor   
,minto 7,english ,prose ,literature1    
,introduction1 p4 #bc74  #cbb ,the      
reference in the text is to humour and  
wit1 regarded as subjective1 as elements
 in the writer4 ,considered objectively 
as an attribute of a character1 wit of a

 kind may become one ingredient in a    
humorous presentation1 as in the homely 
and rather born wit of the countryfolk  
in the novels of ,george ,eliot and ,mr4
 ,hardy4  #cbc ,see ,mr4 ,traill's      
criticism1 ,sterne1 p4 #aef ff4  #cbd   
,wit and ,humour1 p4 #aa4  #cbe ,see    
,canon ,ainger's ,introduction to ,the  
,essays of ,elia1 p4 #h4  #cbf ,english 
,thought in the ,eighteenth ,century1   
vol4 ii41 p4 #aaj4  #cbg ,see my work on
 ,pessimism1 p4 #dbh4  #cbh ,see ,dugas1
 op4 cit41 pp4 #aji1 #aaj4  #cbi ,see1  
for an excellent example of this retort1
 ,dr4 ,james ,ward's ,naturalism and    
,agnosticism1 vol4 i41 ,part ,i4  #ccj  
,m4 ,scherer may possibly mean something
 like this when he speaks of the        
humorist's point of view as the justest 
from which a man's world can be judged  
7,essays on ,english ,literature1 p4    
#adh74  #cca ,on the moral function of  
comedy see ,bergson1 op4 cit41 pp4 #bja1
 #bjb1 and ,dugas1 op4 cit41 pp4        
#adi-aei4  #ccb ,the reference is to an 

article1 8,ridicule and ,truth0 in the  
,cornhill ,magazine1 #ahgg1 pp4 #ehj-ie4
 ,lessing's plea1 in his ,hamburg4      
,dramaturgie 7,stcke #bh and #bi71 on   
behalf of a corrective virtue in comedy 
owed something1 ,i suspect1 to the      
reading of ,shaftesbury and the other   
,english writers4  #ccc ,ethics1 ,bk4   
x41 #f4  #ccd ,sartor ,resartus1 loc4   
cit4  #cce ,letters1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cjb4 
#ccf ,see what ,aristotle says about the
 witty 71 literally1 the easy turning1  
nimble-minded71 ,ethics1 ,bk4 iv41 #h4  
#ccg ,mr4 ,radford1 in an article on    
,falstaff1 in ,mr4 ,birrell's ,obiter   
dicta 7,first ,series74  #cch ,the      
,journal of ,education1 ,nov4 #aija1 p4 
#fhg4  #cci ,traill1 loc4 cit41 p4 #adg4
  #cdj ,mr4 ,radford1 loc4 cit4  #dcc   
,,index4   ,abstraction1 in             
representation of character in comedy1  
#ceh1 #cei1 #cfg4  ,absurd1 the1 as     
laughable1 #aaj1 #aeb1 #baf1 #bag1 #bci1
 #bid4  ,addison1 ,jos41 #cj note1 #ie1 
#cjd note1 #ced1 #cee1 #dbc4            

,affectation1 in comedy1 #cea4          
8,agelasts10 #b1 #dbe4  ,ainger1        
,alfred1 #cij note4  ,allin1 ,a4 ,see   
,hall1 ,g4 ,s4  ,analogy of feeling1    
#aia4  ,angas1 ,g4 ,f41 #bbd1 #bbh4     
,angell1 ,j4 ,r41 #cc note1 #cf note4   
,animals2 ticklishness of1 #eg #afb1    
#afc1 #agg2 laughter of1 #aef1 #afa1    
#agj1 #agb1 #agg2 tricks of1 #aeg2 sense
 of fun in1 #aeh1 #afj2 play of1 #aeh   
ff4  ,apes4 ,see ,animals4              
,apperception1 #ad1 #ei1 #abg1 #acj1    
#aca1 #ace4  ,apprehension1 dissolved1  
as cause of laughter4 ,see ,fear4       
,apuleius1 #bij4  ,arabian ,nights1     
#bfd4  ,aristophanes1 #bhb1 #bib1 #cdh1 
#ceb1 #ceg1 #cfj1 #cga1 #cgh4           
,aristotle1 #abj1 #dab1 #dac1 #daf1 #dag
 note1 #dah1 #dbj4  ,art1 amusing       
function of1 #cdc 7,chapter ,,xi472     
origin of1 #cdd2 scope for exhibition of
 laughable in1 #cde2 humour in essays1  
etc41 #cij1 #cia 7see ,fiction1         
,comedy74  ,artificial1 comedy1 #cga2   
world of comedy1 #cgc1 #cgg4            

,assimilation in social evolution1 #bgf1
 #bhf4  ,assimilative force of laughter1
 #bgb4  ,austen1 ,jane1 #cgh4   ,bacon1 
,francis1 on laughter1 #bb4  ,bain1     
,alexander1 his theory of the ludicrous1
 #aba-abd1 #adj1 #adc2 on cruelty of    
savage laughter1 #bcb note4  ,balzac1   
,h4 de1 #cgi4 #dcd  ,barrie1 ,j4 ,m41   
#bdb4  ,barrow1 ,isaac1 #dai4  -- ,john1
 #bcf note4  ,bashkirtseff1 ,m41 #cba4  
,bates1 ,h4 ,w41 #bbc4  ,beating1 as    
comic incident1 #cdh4  ,beddard1 ,f4    
,e41 #aga4  ,bdier1 ,jos41 #bfb note1   
#bfc note1 #bfd1 #bgj note1 #cab note4  
,belittling of idea1 as cause of        
laughter1 #i4  ,benevolent1 mirthfulness
 as1 #dag4  ,bergk1 ,th41 #cdf1 #cfj    
note1 #cha4  ,bergson1 ,h41 #g1 #h note1
 #ajd1 #aad1 #adj note1 #cdh note1 #cfg 
note1 #cgd1 #dac note4  ,bonwick1 ,jas41
 #bbd1 #bdc1 #bej4  ,born1 ,bertran de1 
#bfc4  ,bosanquet1 ,b41 #f note4        
,bridgman1 ,laura1 #agj4  ,browne1      
,thomas1 #cij4  ,brutal laughter1 #hi1  
#ig1 #adc1 #bca-bcc1 #cae1 #cha4        

8,bulls10 #aaa1 #cac4  ,blow1 ,h4 von1  
#ccj note4  ,burchell1 ,w4 ,j41 #bci4   
,burton1 ,r4 ,f41 #bbi1 #bde1 #bec4  -- 
,robert1 #cd1 #cad4  ,butler1 ,samuel1  
#aae4  ,butt1 of wit1 #cee4  ,buyer and 
seller1 laughter between1 #bgj4         
,campbell1 ,harry1 #ce note4  ,capes1   
,b41 #cbe note4  ,carlyle1 ,t41 #cf1    
#di1 #bii1 #cij1 #djj1 #djd #daf4       
,carroll1 ,lewis1 #cjd1 #chf4  ,carus1  
,paul1 #ab note4  ,cervantes1 ,s4 ,m4   
de1 #bhb1 #caj1 #cad1 #chi4  ,champneys1
 ,f4 ,h41 #afe4  ,character1 the        
laughable in1 #acc1 #cjg1 #cae1 #cba2   
incongruity between circumstances and1  
#cah1 #cfi2 interest in1 #cah1 #ceh2    
presentation of1 in comedy1 #ceg-cgj4   
#dcd  ,chaucer1 ,g41 #cj note4          
,chesterfield1 ,earl of1 #a4  ,child1   
development of laughter in 7,chapter    
,,vii472 first laughter of triumph1 #hc1
 #aih1 #bjj1 #bjd1 #baj2 sayings of1 as 
laughable1 #ajf2 degradation theory     
applied to laughter of1 #abc1 #abd1     
#acg2 beginnings of smile and laugh in1 

#afd-afh1 #ahh2 spontaneous laughter of1
 #ahg1 #bjg2 extension of field of      
laughable1 for1 #aia1 #aib2 growth of   
self-feeling in laughter of1 #aib1 #bjc1
 #bje2 growing complication of laughter 
of1 #aib1 #aic2 early laughter of joy1  
#aid-aih2 early laughter of play1 #aid1 
#aih-bjg1 #baa1 #bab2 early laughter of 
teasing1 #bja-bjc2 early defiance of    
order1 #bjc1 #bjd1 #baa1 #bac2 first    
roguish laughter1 #bje1 #bjf2 early     
appreciation of the laughable1 #bjg-bag2
 first laughter at sounds1 #bji-bab2    
early feeling of propriety1 #baa-bae4   
,choral laughter1 #bdg1 #beh1 #bie2     
decline of1 #dbi4  ,cibber1 ,colley1    
#bib note4  ,cicero1 #chd4  ,class1     
differentiation of1 #bdg1 #beh1 #bei2   
changes in1 as laughable1 #bhg4         
,clergy1 laughter at the1 #aji1 #bfb1   
#bfg1 #bid1 #cdf2 laughter of the1 #bhc4
  ,coleridge1 ,s4 ,t41 #cfd1 #cgd note4 
,collier1 ,jeremy1 #daa4  ,combat1      
playful1 as origin of laughter of       
tickling1 #agi-aha4  ,comedy 7,chapter  

,,xi471 ,greek1 #bfd1 #bia1 #cdf1 #cec1 
#cfa1 #chi 7see also ,aristophanes72 of 
the ,restoration1 #bhc1 #bhg1 #cgj-cgc1 
#chc2 ,roman1 #bia1 #cgf 7see also      
,plautus1 ,terence72 conditions of the  
rise of1 #cdg2 elements of primitive    
laughter in1 #cdh-ceg1 #cgi2 of         
,incident1 #ceg2 of ,manners1 #ceg1     
#cgj-cgc1 #cgf2 of ,character1 #ceg-cgj2
 ,elizabethan1 #cfa2 point of view of1  
#cfh-cgg1 #daj2 mood addressed by1 #cgj1
 #cgc1 #cge1 #cgg1 #dab2 attitude of1   
towards morality1 #cgb-cgg1 #daa2 limits
 to1 #cgg2 approach to point of view of1
 in fiction1 #cgh2 satirical element in1
 #cha2 humour in1 #chg2 corrective      
function of1 #daa-dad2 ,modern1 #dac4   
,comic art1 rudiments of1 in savage     
life1 #bej4  -- the1 distinguished from 
the laughable1 #hf4  ,common-sense4 ,see
 ,point of ,view4  ,concept1 function of
 the1 in laughter1 #g1 #ac1 #acj-acc1   
#ace4  ,congreve1 ,w41 #ceg1 #cgj1 #cgb1
 #daa4  ,conservative force of laughter1
 #beg1 #bfa4 ,see ,progress4            

,contagiousness of laughter1 #db1 #ahf1 
#bee4  ,conte1 the medival1 #cd1 #hf1   
#ia1 #bfb1 #bfg1 #bhd1 #bib1 #caa1 #cdf1
 #cgc4  ,contempt1 laughter of1 #gh1    
#hc1 #hi1 #ig1 #aah1 #adb1 #bje1 #bcd1  
#bii1 #cbj1 #chj4  ,contests1 laughter  
in1 #gh1 #hc2 laughter at the sight of1 
#aag2 of the sexes1 see ,woman1         
,laughter of ,man and4  ,contrariety1   
theory of4 ,see ,incongruity4           
,contrast1 effect of1 in comic          
characters1 #cfe4  ,coquelin1 ,b4 ,c41  
an1 #aji4  -- cadet1 #hf note4          
,corrective function of laughter4 ,see  
,value of ,laughter4  ,counteractives of
 laughter1 #hd1 #hh1 #ij1 #ic1 #if1 #ih1
 #aja1 #ajb1 #aaa4  ,courdaveaux1 ,v41  
#acj note4  ,courthope1 ,w41 #cfa note4 
,cruickshank1 ,b41 #bbe1 #bbf1 #bce4    
,culture1 gradations of1 #bhd2 spread   
of1 #bhf1 #bhh4  ,curtius1 ,ernst1 #bgg 
note4  ,custom1 effect of1 on laughter1 
#hd1 #bid1 #cah4  ,customary1 the1 as   
standard in comedy1 #cge-cgg4  ,cynicism
 in modern laughter1 #dca4   ,dante1    

,alighieri1 #cj1 #dbe4  ,darwin1 ,c41   
#bf1 #ch1 #dj1 #eg1 #fj1 #fc1 #gj1 #ga1 
#aef1 #aei1 #afb1 #afc1 #afd1 #afi1     
#agj1 #aga1 #agb1 #agg1 #bbd1 #bbg1     
#bhj4  ,daudet1 ,a41 #cgh4  ,david1     
,mrs4 ,f4 ,w4 ,e41 #bbi4  ,deformity1 as
 laughable1 #hi1 #bca4  -- moral4 ,see  
,vice4  ,degradation1 theory of 7moral  
theory71 #aai-abe1 #abh1 #acg1 #aec4    
,dennett1 ,r4 ,e41 #bea4  ,descartes1   
,r41 #gj4  ,descending incongruity1     
#acg4  ,deschamps1 ,e41 #bbb note4 #dce 
,detachment in humorous observation1    
#cca1 #ccg1 #djg-dji4  ,dickens1 ,c41   
#aeh1 #cbi1 #chh4  ,difference1 judgment
 of1 #ae note4  ,dignity1 loss of1 as   
laughable1 #ii1 #aai-abe1 #abh1 #acf1   
#bac1 #bad1 #bff4  ,discomfiture1 the   
sight of1 as laughable1 #aag4           
,disguise1 in comedy1 #cdi1 #cfi4       
,disorder1 as laughable1 #id1 #bff1     
#cdb2 in comedy1 #cga4  ,dog1 the4 ,see 
,animals4  ,doran1 ,john1 #bia4  ,dugas1
 ,l41 #dg note1 #acj note1 #adi note1   
#cjf note1 #djj note1 #dac note4        

,edgeworth1 ,r4 ,l4 and ,m41 #cac note4 
,education1 laughter in1 #dbf4  ,egede1 
,hans1 #bbc note1 #bdi4  ,egyptians1    
#bfd1 #bfe4  ,eliot1 ,george1 #aji1     
#bga1 #bih1 #bii1 #che note1 #chf note1 
#chi4  ,ellis1 ,w41 #bbd1 #bce1 #bcg4   
,embarrassment1 relief from1 producing  
laughter1 #bbh1 #bch4  ,emotions1       
,james' theory of1 #dj2 development of1 
#ahi2 fusion of1 #cjh-caj4  ,epicureans1
 #cig4  ,erskine1 ,j4 ,e41 #bbd1 #bej4  
,estimable1 the1 in the laughable1 #cjf1
 #caj1 #cag4  ,evolutional utility of   
laughter1 #djh1 #dca4  ,excellence1     
laughter as an1 #c1 #daf1 #dbb1 #dbc4   
,expectation1 annulled1 as cause of     
laughter1 #i1 #ab1 #ah1 #fd1 #abe1      
#abf-acj4   ,fabliau4 ,see ,conte4      
,fanciful world of comedy1 #cgb1 #cgc1  
#cgg4  ,fantastic ideas1 as laughable1  
#hh4  ,fashion1 definition of1 #bgc2    
movements of1 #bgc2 as restrained by    
custom1 #bge2 as laughable1 #bgf-bgi4   
,father and child1 relation of1 in      
comedy1 #bfe1 #cec1 #cfa4  ,fear1 relief

 from nascent1 as element in tickling1  
#fc2 laughter as reaction from1 #fe1    
#agf1 #aii2 as inhibitory of laughter1  
#hh4  ,feeling tone1 of sensations of   
tickling1 #ed2 of humour1 #cje1 #caj2 of
 comic mood1 #cgj1 #cgf4  ,fiction1     
prose1 comic point of view in1 #cgh1    
#cgi2 addressed to a reflective mood1   
#cgi2 humour in1 #chg-cij4  ,fielding1  
,h41 #chh1 #chi4  ,fitzmaurice-,kelly1  
,j41 #cad note4  ,flaubert1 ,g41 #cjf4  
,fools1 #bdi1 #bej1 #bia1 #cdc2 8,feast 
of10 #cdf4  ,fouille1 ,a41 #acg4  ,fox1 
fable of the1 #chb4  ,french1 the1      
gaiety of1 #caa4  ,fun1 sense of1 in    
children1 #fd1 #gf1 #gg1 #hg1 #aab1     
#abe1 #acg1 #adj1 #afi1 #agf1 #aha1     
#aid1 #cae2 in savages1 #bcd1 #beb2 in  
comedy1 #cdg-cej1 #cec1 #ceg1 #cfi4     
,future of laughter1 #dbg4   ,gardner1  
,p41 #bfd1 #bib note1 #cdc note1 #cdf   
note4  ,genetic method1 necessity of1 in
 studying the ludicrous1 #aed4  ,gillen1
 ,f4 ,j4 ,see ,spencer1 ,b4  ,gillray1  
,jas41 #bic note4  ,gladness1 as        

expressed in laughter1 #ga1 #aie4 ,see  
,pleasure4  ,goethe1 ,j4 ,w4 von1 #bhc1 
#dbf4  ,goldsmith1 ,o41 #bih1 #cbh1     
#chg1 #chh1 #dbd4  ,gratiolet1 ,l4 ,p41 
#ca4  ,grey1 ,george1 #bej4  ,grief1 as 
causing laughter1 #ff1 #fg2 resemblance 
of manifestation of1 to laughter1 #gj1  
#cji4  ,groos1 ,k41 #adf1 #adg note1    
#adh note1 #aeh note1 #ahb note4        
,habit1 effect of1 on child's laughter1 
#ahh1 #aij2 effect of1 on emotional     
reaction1 #aij4 ,see ,custom4  ,hall1   
,g4 ,stanley1 and ,allin1 ,a41 on       
laughter1 #bh1 #eb1 #ff1 #hc2 on        
tickling1 #agg1 #agh1 #ahb4  ,hardy1    
,thos41 #ajc4  ,harmful tendencies of   
laughter1 #cg1 #df1 #dae1 #dah1 #dbj1   
#dbb4 ,see ,laughter4  ,harris1 ,j4 ,c41
 #bea4  ,hartshorne1 ,b4 ,f41 #bbb4     
,hat1 unsuitable1 as instance of the    
ludicrous1 #i-ag4  ,hazlitt1 ,w4 ,c41   
#acg1 #ach note1 #bfh1 #ced4  ,hecker1  
,e41 #ahd note4  ,hegel1 ,g4 ,w4 ,f41   
#e4  ,hegelians1 on the comic1 #d4 #dcf 
,heine1 ,h41 #chf1 #dbc4  ,heymans1 ,g41

 #fd4  ,hill1 ,leonard1 #eg1 #eh1 #fa1  
#afe note1 #afi1 #agh1 #agi1 #ahh4      
,hind1 ,h4 ,y41 #bbe1 #bdb4  ,hobbes1   
,t41 his theory of the ludicrous1 #abj1 
#adj1 #adc1 #bjc4  ,hffding1 ,h41 #cjf  
note4  ,hogan1 ,mrs4 ,l4 ,e41 #ahh1     
#bji1 #bab1 #bae1 #bag4  ,homer1 #hi1   
#if1 #ig1 #ajh4  ,hugo1 ,victor1 #cae4  
,human1 things1 as object of laughter1  
#hf1 #abb1 #abh1 #cde4  ,humour         
7,chapter ,x471 definitions of1 #big2 as
 individual1 #bih1 #cac1 #cbd1 #cbf2    
rarity of1 #bih1 #caa1 #cbb1 #cbe2      
origin of1 #bii2 reflection in1         
#cjj-cjc1 #cbd1 #chg1 #cic2 as a        
sentiment1 #cjj1 #cjg2 seriousness in1  
#cja-cje1 #cad1 #cai1 #cch1 #cdb1 #chg1 
#cic1 #cie1 #djj2 blend of sad and gay  
in1 #cje1 #cji1 #chg2 kindly feeling in1
 #cjf1 #cjg1 #caj1 #cdb1 #chh2          
corrective function of1 #cbc1 #cbd1     
#djc-dje2 consolatory force of1         
#cbe-ccj1 #cdb2 relation of1 to wit1    
#ced1 #che1 #chf2 subjective and        
objective1 in literature1 #chf note1    

#chi2 harmonising of tones in1 #chh1    
#cia 7see also ,philosophic ,humour74   
,hunt1 ,j4 ,h4 ,leigh1 his theory of    
laughter1 #adb2 quoted1 #chc4           
,husbands1 treatment of1 in comedy1     
#cgc1 #cgg4  ,hypergelast1 #big1 #dah4  
,idealism and ,realism1 in relation to  
laughter1 #cid1 #cif1 #djj1 #dja4       
,ignorance1 as laughable1 #ajb4         
,imitation in fashion1 #bgc-bgf1 #bgh2  
in comedy1 #cdh4  ,incompetence1 as     
laughable1 #ajb1 #bdj1 #bde4            
,incongruity1 theory of1 #g1 #i1 #ac1   
#ag1 #abe-ace1 #acf1 #ada1 #aej1 #cag1  
#cah2 as laughable1 #ajg-aaa1 #aeb1     
#baf1 #bcf4  ,indecent1 the1 as         
laughable1 #ii1 #aea1 #bce4             
,individual1 the1 laughter of1 #bie1    
#big 7,chapter ,x471 #cic2 value of     
laughter to1 #cba1 #cbc ff41 #djc1 #dae2
 justification of point of view of1     
#dje4  ,inferior1 laughter of1 at       
superior1 #bfd1 #bfe1 #bff1 #bfg1 #bfh4 
,inferiority1 feeling of1 as inhibiting 
laughter1 #adc1 #cbj4  ,intellectual    

theory1 the4 ,see ,incongruity1 also    
#aec4  ,inventions1 as objects of       
ridicule1 #bha4  ,irish1 humour of the1 
#cab1 #cac1 #che4   ,jackson1 ,john1    
#bej note4  ,james1 ,william1 his theory
 of emotions1 #dj1 #ahi4  ,johnston1 ,h4
 ,h41 #bbg4  ,jonson1 ,ben1 #bfh1 #cfa1 
#cfb1 #cfd4  ,joy1 laughter of1 #ga ff41
 #aaf1 #afh1 #aid ff41 #bbh4 ,see       
,pleasure4  ,jusserand1 ,j4 ,a4 ,a41    
#cdc note4  ,juvenal1 #bhc1 #cha1 #chb4 
,kames1 ,h4 ,h41 #dad4  ,kant1 ,i41 his 
theory of the ludicrous1 #i1 #ah1       
#abf-abi1 #aca2 quoted1 #abe1 #acd1     
#ace1 #caj1 #cbe4  ,keats1 ,john1 #dcj4 
,kingsley1 ,miss ,m4 ,h41 #bbb1 #bbe1   
#bca1 #bea1 #beb1 #bec1 #bff1 #cbh1     
#cia4  ,kipling1 ,r41 #ih note4         
,krpelin1 ,e41 #cef note4  ,klpe1 ,o41  
#eb note1 #ed note4   ,lack of humour1  
advantages of1 #dbd1 #dbe4  ,lacroix1   
,p41 #cdc note4  ,lamb1 ,c41 humour of1 
#bih1 #cij1 #dbj2 his view of           
,restoration comedy1 #cgb1 #cgc1 #cgg4  
,landor1 ,w4 ,savage1 #cad4  ,lang1     

,gideon1 #bdc note4  ,lange1 ,c41 #fg1  
#ahi4  ,language1 poetical use of       
8laugh0 and 8smile10 #cj2 terms for     
forms of laughter in ,french1 #di note2 
misuse of1 as laughable1 #ajd1 #bdj4    
,see ,wit4  ,laughable1 the 7,chapter   
,,iv471 definition of1 #hb2 universality
 of1 #hc1 #bie2 relativity of1 #hd1 #hh1
 #ic1 #ie1 #ih1 #aja1 #ajb1 #ajf1 #aaa1 
#aac2 distinguished from the ludicrous1 
#he2 complexity of1 #hg1 #aad1 #aec2    
groups of laughable objects1 #hg2       
inhibitory concomitants of1 #ij1 #ic1   
#if1 #aja1 #aaa1 #cja1 #cjf2 relation   
of1 to laughter as a whole1 #aec2 field 
of1 #bfj1 #cae1 #cai4  ,laughter1       
estimates of1 #a1 #daf2 scientific      
investigation of1 #c ff41 #ai1 #dcg     
#aed2 physiological characteristics of1 
#bb1 #bf-bh1 #cj1 #cc-cf1 #fi1 #bbg1    
#cji2 varieties of1 #bb1 #dh1 #ahh1     
#bea2 an intermittent manifestation1    
#bf1 #gd2 sounds of1 #ca1 #agd1 #bbg2   
bad effects of1 #cg1 #df1 #dae1 #dah1   
#dbj1 #dbb2 mechanically produced1 #db1 

#fd ff41 #gd2 occasions of1 #ej         
7,chapter ,,iii472 nervous1 #fe-gj1     
#aaf2 counteractives to1 #hh1 #ij1 #ic1 
#if1 #aja1 #ajb1 #aaa1 #cgg2 as sign of 
playful mood in animals1 #ahc-ahd2 as   
instrument of punishment1 #bej1 #bef1   
#bfb1 #chj2 anti-social tendency in1    
#bef1 #djf2 regulation of1 #dah2        
promotion of1 #dbc2 as branch of        
education1 #dbf4 ,see also ,child1      
,development of2 ,humour2 ,origin of    
,laughter2 ,primitive ,laughter2        
,savages1 ,laughter of2 ,social         
,laughter2 ,value of ,laughter4  ,le    
,fanu1 ,w4 ,r41 #aaa note4  ,lehmann1   
,a41 #agb note1 #cjh note4  ,le ,sage1  
,a4 ,r41 #bfb1 #chb4  ,lessing1 ,g4 ,e41
 #cbc1 #dab1 #dae note4  ,lichtenstein1 
,m4 ,h4 ,c41 #bcf1 #bch4  ,lipps1 ,th41 
his theory of the ludicrous1 #i-ag1 #fd1
 #acg2 quoted1 #id4  ,literature4 ,see  
,art4  ,locke1 ,john1 his definition of 
wit1 #ced4  ,loti1 ,p41 #aig note4      
,lotze1 ,h41 #h note1 #ah4  ,loveday1   
,t41 #ae note4  ,love-motive1 in comedy1

 #cfj1 #cga4  ,ludicrous1 the1          
,schopenhauer's theory of1 #f1 #ac1     
#acj-acc2 incongruity theory of1 #g1 #i1
 #ac1 #ag1 #abe-acf1 #ada1 #aej1 #cag1  
#cah2 as consisting in the substitution 
of rigidity for spontaneity1 #g1 #ib1   
#cdh note1 #cfg2 ,lipps' theory of1     
#i-ag1 #fd2 as consisting in nullified  
expectation1 #i1 #ab1 #ah1 #fd1         
#abe-acj2 objectivity of1 #hc2          
distinguished from the laughable1 #he1  
#ach2 theories of1 #aai 7,chapter ,v472 
degradation theory of1 #aai-abe1 #abh1  
#acg2 synthesis of theories of1         
#acf-aci2 no one theory of1 #aci1 #aec4 
,lumholtz1 ,carl1 #bbd1 #bdi4           
,macaulay1 ,t4 ,b41 #cgb1 #cgg4         
,macdonald1 ,duff1 #bba1 #beb4          
,majorities and minorities1 #djf4       
,malice in laughter1 #gh1 #hc1 #hi1 #ig1
 #aah1 #adb1 #adc1 #bca1 #bcc1 #cha4    
,man1 ,e4 ,h41 #bbg4  ,mania1 approach  
to1 of comic characters1 #cfg2 of a     
whole people1 #cgg4  ,manners1 in       
comedy1 #cgj4  ,marsden1 ,w41 #bdj1     

#bdi4  ,maspero1 ,g41 #bfd1 #bff1 #cdc  
note4  ,massinger1 ,p41 #cfa4  ,master  
and servant1 relation of1 in comedy1    
#cec4 ,see ,slaves4  ,mlinaud1 ,c41 #h  
note4  ,menander1 #cfa1 #cgd note4      
,meredith1 ,g41 #d1 #ii1 #aji1 #big1    
#cjj1 #caj1 #cdg1 #cfd note1 #cga note1 
#cgf note1 #cgi1 #dae1 #dag4  ,merry    
,england1 mirth of1 #dbi4  ,mill1 ,j4   
,s41 #bhj4  ,milton1 ,j41 #ci1 #dbe4    
,minto1 ,w41 #chf note4  ,mirthfulness1 
persistence of1 #be1 #gc1 #bbc-bbf2     
effect of temperament on1 #hj2          
expression of1 as element in the        
laughable1 #aaf1 #adi1 #baa-bac1 #cdh2  
decline of1 #dbh ff4  ,misfortunes1     
small1 as laughable1 #if4  ,modern life1
 decline of choral laughter in1 #dbg2   
seriousness of1 #dbh ff42 growth of     
individual laughter in1 #dcb4  ,molire1 
,j4 ,b4 ,p41 #aad1 #bgb1 #bhh1 #cjc     
note1 #cjg1 #cae1 #cdh1 #cdi1 #cej1     
#cea1 #cec1 #ceg1 #cei1 #cfd-cgj1       
#cgc-cgh4  ,mommsen1 ,th41 #cec note1   
#cfa note4  ,mono-ideism in comic       

characters1 #cff4  ,montaigne1 ,m4 ,e4  
de1 #cdb4  ,mood1 the ticklish1 #fb2 of 
humour1 #cjd2 addressed by comedy1 #cgj1
 #cgc1 #cge1 #cgg2 addressed by fiction1
 #cgi1 #chj4  ,moore1 ,mrs4 ,k4 ,c41    
#afe1 #ahh4  ,moral deformity4 ,see     
,vice4  -- sensitiveness1 as inhibitory 
of laughter1 #ic1 #aja1 #ajb4  --       
theory4 ,see ,degradation4  ,morality1  
attitude of laughter towards1 #ib1      
#cgb-cgg2 attitude of comedy towards1   
#cgb-cgg2 function of comedy in relation
 to1 #daa-dad4  -- plays1 #cdg1 #cei1   
#cfa1 #cfb4  ,morgan1 ,c4 ,lloyd1 #adh  
note1 #afj4  ,moulton1 ,r4 ,g41 #ceb    
note1 #cfb note4  ,mulcaster1 ,r41 #ce4 
,musters1 ,g4 ,c41 #bbf4  ,mystery      
plays1 #cdg4 #dch   ,navet1 as          
laughable1 #ajd1 #abg1 #ccf2 children's1
 #aje4  ,nansen1 ,f41 #bbc note1 #bdd   
note1 #bej4  ,national feeling1 #bic4   
,nationality4 ,see ,race4  ,neil1 ,r4   
,a41 #ceb note4  ,neilson1 ,g4 ,r41 #cac
 note4  ,nervous laughter1 #fe-gj1 #aaf4
  ,newspaper1 struggle for the1 #ccd1   

#ccf4  ,novelty1 as laughable1 #hg1     
#abh1 #aej1 #ahi1 #bjh1 #bcf1 #bha2 in  
comedy1 #cea4   ,obesity and laughter1  
#ha4  ,object of laughter1 #hb1 #adb2   
dislike of being made the1 #add1 #bcb1  
#bef1 #cbj4 ,see ,laughable1 the4  ,odd1
 the1 as laughable1 #hg1 #aej1 #bcg2 in 
comedy1 #cea4  ,old and young1 relation 
of1 in comedy1 #cec4  ,old-fashioned1   
laughter at the1 #bha4  ,optimism and   
pessimism4 ,see also ,philosophy1 ,worth
 of ,life4  ,order1 breach of1 as       
laughable1 #id1 #bff1 #cdb4  ,organism1 
effects of laughter on1 #cc-cf1 #de1    
#fi2 resonance of1 as factor in         
laughter1 #dd1 #dg4  ,origin of         
laughter1 #aee 7,chapter ,,vi472 first  
appearance in child1 #aff1 #agj2 early  
laughter as expression of pleasure1     
#afi2 an inherited tendency1 #agj2 first
 appearance in primitive man1 #agc2     
development out of smile1 #agc-agf2     
explosive vigour1 explanation of1 #agf4 
,see also ,smile1 ,tickling4   ,paradox1
 as laughable1 #ajd1 #ajf1 #aaj4        

,parasites1 laughter of tickling as     
defensive against1 #agh1 #agi1 #aha4    
,parnell1 ,j41 #aaa note4  ,pascal1 ,b41
 #a1 #dbc4  ,peacock1 ,t4 ,l41 #bbb4    
,perception of the ludicrous1 movement  
of thought in1 #aa1 #ac2 as perception  
of relations1 #ac1 #ajg1 #aib1 #cjj1    
#cjb1 #caf-cah2 necessity of distinct   
imagery to1 #ad1 #aca2 as immediate1    
#ae2 as antecedent of laughter1 #db1    
#ej2 as emotional1 #dc1 #abe2 effect of 
subjective conditions on1 #hd1 #hh2 as  
intellectual1 #abe2 connection with     
primitive laughter1 #aaf1 #adj1 #adb1   
#add1 #aec4  ,philosophic humour1       
characteristics of1 #cij1 #djj-dje1     
#djg-daj2 utility of1 #djc-dje2         
anti-social tendency of1 #djf4          
,philosophy1 theoretic treatment of     
laughter by1 #d-f1 #ai1 #cif2           
philosophic speculation1 as laughable1  
#e1 #djj1 #dja2 connection of humour    
with1 #cij1 #cib-daj2 point of view of1 
#cic1 #cid1 #cif1 #cig2 ideal standard  
of1 #cid1 #cie2 change in aspect of     

reality produced by1 #cid1 #cie1 #cig1  
#cih2 seriousness of1 #cie2 obstacles to
 union of humour with1 #cif-cii2        
idealism and laughter1 #cif2 optimism   
and laughter1 #cih2 pessimism and       
laughter1 #cih2 scepticism and laughter1
 #cii4  ,physiological aspects of       
laughter4 ,see ,laughter4  ,pity1 as    
inhibitory of laughter1 #ij1 #ih4       
,plato1 #cjh1 #cdb1 #cif1 #djh4         
,plautus1 #bff1 #bfh1 #bhb1 #cdh1 #ceb1 
#ceg1 #cfj1 #cga4  ,play1 tickling and1 
#fc1 #agi1 #ahb-ahd2 laughter as        
concomitant of mood of1 #gf-gh1         
#aih-bjg2 teasing as form of1 #gg1 #bja1
 #bbi2 connection with wit1 #aab1 #cee2 
relation of laughter and1 #ade-aec1     
#aid2 utility of1 #adh1 #aha1 #ahb2 of  
animals1 #aeh2 play-challenge1 #ahd1    
#bef1 #cdd2 rompish1 #aih1 #aii2 as     
make-believe1 #bja1 #bad2 attacks as    
form of1 #bja2 lawlessness of1 #baf2    
connection with comedy1 #cdh1 #cdi1     
#cec1 #cgc1 #cge1 #cgg4  ,playfulness1  
expression of4 ,see ,laughter and       

,mirthfulness4  ,pleasure1 as antecedent
 of laughter1 #dc1 #ga1 #ade2           
interaction of laughter and1 #dd ff42   
sudden accession of1 as cause of        
laughter1 #gb1 #gd ff41 #ada1 #ade1     
#ahd4  ,poetic justice1 #cfh4  ,point of
 view1 relativity of1 in laughter1 #hd1 
#hh1 #ic1 #ie1 #aja1 #ajb1 #ajf1 #aaa2  
of common-sense1 #aaj1 #bid1 #cgf1 #cie1
 #cii1 #djj2 tribal and national1 #bch1 
#bef1 #bga1 #bic1 #bid2 of humour1 #cjc1
 #cae1 #cbd1 #ccj1 #cch1 #cda1 #djc     
note1 #dji1 #daj2 social1 #cbc1         
#cgd-cgg1 #chj1 #cii1 #dje1 #dji1 #daj2 
of comedy1 #dci #cgb-cgg1 #daj2 of      
philosophy1 #cic1 #cid1 #cif1 #cig2     
individual1 #cii1 #dje1 #dji1 #daj2 of  
satire1 #daj4  ,pope1 ,alex41 #cjg1     
#chc4  ,powell1 ,j4 ,w41 #bdh note4     
,practical joking1 #gh1 #abi1 #afj1     
#bbi-bca4 ,see ,teasing4  ,preciosity1  
in comedy1 #cea4  ,pretence1 as         
laughable1 #aja1 #adh1 #aea2 in play1   
#adg1 #aeh4  ,preyer1 ,w41 #di1 #afj1   
#afd-agj1 #agh1 #ahh1 #bje1 #bjf note1  

#bji1 #baa1 #bab4  ,primitive laughter1 
necessity of considering1 #bc2 forms of1
 tickling1 etc41 #ej 7,chapter ,,iii472 
elements of1 in appreciation of the     
ludicrous1 #adj-ade1 #aec2 humour as    
development of1 #bii2 in comedy1 #cdg   
ff4  ,progress1 as hindered and         
furthered by laughter1 #beg1 #bgi-bhc2  
social1 #bgi2 as object of laughter1    
#bhj1 #bhc4  ,public opinion1           
deification of1 #ccd4  ,punning1 in     
children1 #aab1 #bag2 and wit1 #ced2 in 
comedy1 #ceg4   ,rabelais1 ,f41 #bii1   
#cad1 #chi4  ,races1 diversities of     
laughter and humour of1 #caa-cac4       
,radford1 ,g4 ,h41 #dag1 #dbh4  8,ralph 
,roister ,doister10 #cfa4  ,raulin1 ,j4 
,m41 #bbh4  ,read1 ,carveth1 #cbj4      
,real1 the1 in comedy1 #cfh1 #cfi1 #cgb4
  ,reflection1 in laughter1 #h1 #bea2 in
 humour1 #cja1 #cjb1 #cic2 appeal to1 in
 humorous writing1 #cgi1 #chi4          
,relations1 as laughable1 #ac1 #ajg1    
#cjj1 #cjb1 #caf4  ,relief from strain1 
in nervous laughter1 #fe-gj2 laughter on

 solemn occasions as1 #hj1 #aah2 in     
laughter at the indecent1 #aah2 in      
laughter at degradation1 #adj2 as       
explaining explosiveness of laughter1   
#agf2 in children's laughter1 #aif1     
#aih1 #bjd2 in laughter of savages1     
#bbh2 in laughter of art1 #bhb4         
,rengger1 ,j4 ,r41 #bbf4  ,repetition1  
effect of1 on child's laughter1 #ahh1   
#aij2 effect of1 on emotional reaction1 
#aij2 as comic incident1 #cdh4          
,respiration1 laughter and1 #cj1 #cc-ce1
 #db1 #fi1 #adb4  ,restoration1 the1    
literature of1 #bhb2 comedy of1 #bhc1   
#bhg1 #cgj4  ,restraints on laughter1 by
 the community1 #dah-dbj2 by the        
individual1 #dbj-dbb4  ,retaliative     
joke1 among savages1 #bcj2 in comedy1   
#cej4  ,retirement4 ,see ,detachment4   
,reverence1 laughter as destructive of1 
#dbb4  ,ribot1 ,th41 #aga note1 #aic    
note4  ,richet1 ,charles1 #eb note1 #ec 
note1 #fj4  ,richter1 ,j4 ,p41 #h note1 
#cij1 #djj4  ,ridiculous1 the1          
distinguished from the ludicrous1 #ach4 

,robinson1 ,louis1 #ea1 #ec1 #ee1 #eg1  
#eh1 #fa1 #fc1 #afb1 #agg1 #agh1        
#agi-ahb4  ,romanes1 ,g4 ,j41 #afa4     
,rostand1 ,edmond1 #aj1 #chg4  ,roth1   
,h4 ,ling1 #bbd1 #bbg1 #bbh1 #bcj1 #bcb 
note1 #bcf1 #bdj1 #bda1 #bdb1 #bdf1     
#bdg1 #bdi1 #bea note1 #beb note4       
,rousseau1 ,j4 ,j41 #cgc1 #dbe4         
,sadness1 as disposing to laughter1 #gj1
 #cad2 in humour1 #cje1 #cji1 #chg4     
,sainte-,beuve1 ,c4 ,a41 #cad1 #cgg1    
#chb4  ,salutary effects of laughter4   
,see ,value4  ,sarasin1 ,f41 #bbb note1 
#bcb1 #bde4  ,satire1 playful element   
in1 #aec1 #chc1 #chd2 among savages1    
#bdd2 function of1 #bhb1 #chj2          
political1 #bib2 social1 #cbc1 #dac2    
point of view of1 #chj1 #daj2 laughter  
in1 #chj1 #chb1 #chc2 mood of1 #cha2 in 
comedy1 #cha2 in fiction1 #chb2 allegory
 in1 #chb2 wit in1 #chc2 ironical       
inversion in1 #chc1 #chd4  ,savages1    
laughter of 7,chapter ,,viii471 #bbj2   
difficulty of understanding1 #bbj2      
self-restraint of1 #bba2 amount of      

laughter of1 #bbb-bbf2 nature of        
laughter of1 #bbg1 #beb2 primitive forms
 of laughter of1 #bbh-bhe2 teasing and  
practical jokes of1 #bbi-bcc2 brutal    
elements in laughter of1 #bca-bcc2      
dislike of laughter among1 #bcb1 #bcc2  
appreciation of the laughable by1 #bce  
ff42 laughter of1 at the foreigner1     
#bch-bdd2 intra-tribal laughter of1 #bdd
 ff42 humour of1 #bdf1 #bea2            
organisation of laughter among1         
#bdg-bea2 use of laughter by1 in        
expiation of #ddj crimes1 #bej2 more    
thoughtful laughter of1 #bea4  ,scherer1
 ,edmond1 on humour1 #cab1 #djc note4   
,schopenhauer1 ,a41 his theory of the   
ludicrous1 #f1 #ac1 #acj-acc2 referred  
to1 #ace1 #bhe1 #bhh4  ,schtze1 ,j4     
,st41 #ai4  ,scott1 ,sir ,w41 #chh4     
,self-advertisement1 the humour of1     
#ccd4  ,self-criticism1 humorous1       
#cba-cbd1 #cbi4  ,self-deception1 in    
comedy1 #cej1 #cff4  ,self1 laughter at1
 #adc1 #bgb1 #cbj-cbb1 #cbi2 dislike of 
others' laughter at1 #add1 #bcb1 #bef1  

#cbj4  ,sellar1 ,w4 ,y41 #bhb4          
,serious1 the1 as opposed to laughter1  
#ba1 #cie2 in play1 #aec2 in comedy1    
#cfi1 #cgc1 #cge1 #cgg2 in fiction1     
#cgi1 #chg2 in satire1 #cha2 in humour1 
see ,humour4  ,seriousness1 the1 of     
modern life1 #dbh ff4  ,sets4 ,see      
,social ,group4  ,sex and laughter4 ,see
 ,woman4  ,shaftesbury1 third ,earl of1 
#dad1 #dae note4  ,shakespeare1 ,w41 #b1
 #cb note1 #ci note1 #fg1 #ajd1 #bih1   
#caj1 #caa1 #cdi1 #ceg1 #cfb1 #cfc1     
#chf1 #chg1 #chi1 #dag4  ,shelley1 ,p4  
,b41 #df4  ,shinn1 ,miss ,milicent1     
#afe1 #afg1 #afh1 #agc1 #age1 #aie1     
#baa1 #bah4  ,shooter1 ,jos41 #bbe1     
#bcj4  ,shyness1 recoil from1 producing 
laughter1 #bje1 #bjf1 #bbh1 #bch4       
,sidgwick1 ,h41 #chf note4  ,sigismund1 
,b41 #afe4  ,simcox1 ,g4 ,a41 #bff4     
,situation1 as laughable1 #if-ih1 #aag1 
#abj1 #cag2 in comedy1 #cea4  ,slaves1  
laughter of1 #bfe1 #bff1 #bia4  ,smile1 
the1 physiological aspects of1 #bf1     
#afe2 relation of1 to laughter1 #bf1    

#bh1 #bi1 #afh1 #agj1 #agd1 #age1 #aic2 
in animals1 #afa-afc1 #agj1 #agg2 first 
appearance of1 in child1 #afd-aff1 #afh2
 development of1 #afe1 #ahh2 as         
expression of pleasure1 #afh1 #ahc2 an  
inherited tendency1 #agj2 origin of1    
#aga-agc4  ,smyth1 ,r4 ,brough1 #bdd1   
#bdh4  ,social failure1 laughter as     
preservative of1 #djh4  ,social group1  
#bei ff41 #bhc4  -- laughter1           
organisation of1 #bdg-bea1 #bij2        
conciliating force of1 #bee1 #bef1 #bff1
 #bfi1 #bga2 development of1 #bhh-bia2  
censorship of1 #bia2 force of1 #bib2    
attitude underlying1 #bic2 reflected in 
comedy1 #cea4  -- scene1 the modern1    
#ccg4  ,society1 failure to comply with 
social requirement as ludicrous1 #aci2  
laughter in evolution of1 #bed 7,chapter
 ,,ix472 progress of1 effect on         
laughter1 #bed2 restraint of laughter   
by1 #beh1 #bfi2 differentiation of      
social groups in1 #beh ff42             
differentiation of ranks in1 #bfc2 ways 
of1 as laughable1 #cca-ccc2 permanent   

basis of1 in comedy1 #cge2 individual   
and1 #dje-daj4  ,solemn occasions1      
laughter on1 #gi1 #ada1 #aeb1 #bdb4     
,spectator of comedy1 attitude of1 #cga1
 #cgc1 #dab4 ,see ,comedy4  ,spencer1   
,b41 and ,gillen1 ,f4 ,j41 #bdc note4   
-- ,herbert1 #fh1 #acg1 #age1 #bfe1     
#bfg1 #bgd1 #bgf4  ,sproat1 ,g4 ,m41    
#bcc1 #bdg4  ,stanley1 ,h4 ,m41 #aei1   
#ahd4  ,steinen1 ,c4 von den1 #bbc1 #bce
 note1 #bdh4  ,stephen1 ,leslie1 #cih4  
,sterne1 ,laurence1 #bih1 #chh1 #chi4   
,stevenson1 ,r4 ,l41 #cih1 #djj1 #daf1  
#dbc4  ,stoics1 #cig4  ,stout1 ,g4 ,f41 
#ae note4  ,strain1 relief from4 ,see   
,relief4  ,sturt1 ,c4 ,h41 #bbd4        
8,sudden glory10 #gd1 #gh1 #aaf1 #aag1  
#abj1 #adc1 #aih1 #bjc1 #baj1 #bbi1     
#cha4  ,superior1 laughter of1 at       
inferior1 #bfc1 #bfd4 ,see ,inferior4   
,superiority1 feeling of1 as cause of   
laughter1 #gh1 #aah1 #abj1 #aba1 #adc2  
laughter as assertion of1 #add1 #bda1   
#bfc1 #cbj4  ,surprise1 as cause of     
laughter1 #i1 #ab1 #ah1 #fd1 #abe1      

#abf-acj1 #adb1 #afi1 #aig1 #bja4       
,swift1 ,jonathan1 #cha1 #chb1 #chc4    
,sympathy1 laughter through1 #aag1 #aah1
 #abb1 #adi2 in humour1 #cjf2 laughter  
as promoting1 #dag4   ,taine1 ,h41 #cab1
 #cfb1 #cgb1 #cge1 #chb4  ,tarde1 ,g41  
#bei4  ,tears1 laughter and1 #cg1 #fg1  
#gj4 #dda  ,teasing1 #gg1 #aeg1 #ahd1   
#bja1 #bbi4 ,see ,practical ,joking4    
,temperament1 as basis of laughing      
disposition1 #hj2 as basis of humour1   
#cac4  ,tennyson1 ,alfred1 #cad4        
,terence1 #cea1 #cec1 #cfa4  ,thackeray1
 ,w4 ,m41 #cgi1 #chb1 #chi4  ,thompson1 
,h4 ,b4 ,see ,angell1 ,j4 ,r4           
,tickling1 as cause of laughter1 #ej    
ff41 #afi1 #agg2 sensations of1 #ea1    
#ec2 feeling tone of1 #ed-ef1 #eh2 motor
 reactions to1 #ef-ei1 #afc1 #agg1 #ahj1
 #ahc2 mental conditions of1 #ei-fc1    
#agh1 #aha2 as form of teasing1 #gg2    
child's first response to1 by laughter1 
#agh2 origin of laughter of1 #agh-ahd2  
as playful1 #agi-ahd4  ,ticklishness1   
relative1 of parts of body1 #ea-ec1 #eg1

 #agg1 #agh1 #ahj-ahb2 of apes1 #eg1    
#afb1 #afc1 #agg1 #ahj2 of other        
animals1 #agg1 #ahj4  ,tolerance1 of    
humour1 #ccg1 #cdb2 of comedy1 #cgf1    
#cgg4  ,traill1 ,h4 ,d41 #chh note1     
#dbh4  ,trickery1 in comedy1 #cdi1 #cej4
  ,triumph1 laughter of1 #gh1 #hc1 #aah1
 #adc1 #aih1 #bjj1 #bjd1 #baj1 #cha2    
presentation of1 as laughable1 #aag4    
,truth1 ridicule as test of1 #dad4      
,tucker1 ,a41 #cih4  ,turnbull1 ,john1  
#bbd1 #bcc1 #bdh4  ,types1 characters of
 comedy as1 #ceh-cfa1 #cfd4  ,tyrrell1  
,r4 ,y41 #bfd1 #bhc1 #bib1 #chb4        
,unfair laughter1 #dba4  ,utility of    
laughter4 ,see ,value4   ,value of      
laughter1 as an excellence1 #c1 #daf1   
#dbb1 #dbc2 its salutary effects1       
#cd-cf2 its social utility1 #aci1 #bdd1 
#bde1 #beg1 #bfh1 #bga1 #bhc1 #dai2 as  
sign of playfulness1 #ahc2 its          
persuasive force1 #beb1 #bff1 #bfi2 its 
corrective value to the individual1     
#cbc1 #cbd1 #djc2 its evolutional       
utility1 #djh1 #dca4 ,see also ,comedy4 

,vanbrugh1 ,jno41 #daa4  ,vanity1 as    
laughable spectacle1 #ib1 #cgd4  ,vice1 
as laughable spectacle1 #ia-ic1 #acc2   
degrees of1 in relation to comic value1 
#ia1 #cgd2 attitude of laughter towards1
 #ib1 #cgb-cgg4  ,vischer1 ,t41 #ai4    
,voltaire1 ,f4 ,m4 ,a4 de1 #cbd1 #chb1  
#chc1 #che4   ,waitz1 ,th41 #bbi1 #bdi4 
,walpole1 ,horace1 #dbc4  ,war-temper1  
as laughable spectacle1 #cch-cda1 #cgh4 
,warburton1 ,w41 #dad1 #dai4  ,ward1 ,a4
 ,w41 #bha1 #bhh1 #bhg1 #bib4  --       
,james1 #djj note4  ,wilkinson1 ,j4 ,g41
 #bff4  ,will1 effect of1 on laughter1  
#dh2 control of laughter by1 #dbj4      
,wit1 as a form of the laughable1       
#aaa-aac2 in children1 #aab1 #bag1 #bah2
 as play1 #aab1 #cee2 word-play in      
relation to1 #aab1 #cef2 ,bain's theory 
applied to1 #abd2 in savages1 #bdh2     
relation of1 to humour1 #ced1 #che1     
#chf2 animosity in1 #cee1 #chc2 in      
comedy1 #cga2 connection of1 with       
satire1 #chc-che2 subjective and        
objective1 #chf note4  ,woman1 laughter 

between man and1 #bde1 #bdf1 #bei1 #bfj1
 #bfd1 #bfg1 #bfi1 #ceb1 #ceg1 #cfc2    
treatment of1 by comedy1 #bfd1 #ceb1    
#cfa note1 #cfc1 #cga2 wit of1 #bfg1    
#cdg2 status of1 #bhj1 #bhd1 #cdg1 #ceb4
  ,wood1 ,j4 ,g41 #bcj1 #bcc1 #bch4     
,word-play1 as a form of the laughable1 
#aaa-aac2 ,bain's theory applied to1    
#abd2 in children1 #bag2 in comedy1     
#cec1 #cef4  ,worth of life1 philosophic
 question of1 #cih2 relation of         
philosophic humorist to1 #djb4  ,wright1
 ,thos41 #bcd1 #bfa1 #bfc note1 #bgj1   
#bhb1 #bib1 #bic1 #cdc note4  ,wundt1   
,w41 on tickling1 #eb4   ,,the          
,,aberdeen ,,university ,,press         
,,limited4     ,,transcriber',s ,,note  
,original spelling and grammar have been
 generally retained1 with some          
exceptions noted below4 ,original       
printed page numbers are shown like     
this3 #eb4 ,original small caps are now 
uppercase4 ,italics look like this4     
,superscripted me looks like this me1 on
 page viii1 in the ,preface4 ,footnotes 

have been converted to endnotes1        
relabeled #a-cdj1 and moved to the end  
of the book1 just before the ,,index4   
,the transcriber produced the cover     
image and hereby assigns it to the      
public domain4 ,original page images are
 available from archive4org--search for 
8essayonlaughteri#jjsulluoft04  ,page   
#afa4 ,the comma was removed from we    
seem to1 have a rudiment4  ,page #bch4  
,an extra c was removed from            
acccordingly4  ,page #cjf4 ,full stop   
was added after human affections4  ,page
 #cbg4 ,full stop was added after rather
 than to hurt others4  ,page #cci4      
,comma was added after brood of         
suspicions4  ,page #cfjn4 ,the missing l
 was restored in ,griech4               
literaturgeschichte4  ,page #cge4 ,full 
stop was added after becoming a loss of 
distinctness4  ,page #chf4 ,the missing 
s was restored to take on  omething of4 
,page #chh4 ,changed glluible to        
gullible4