A BISHOP ON LAUGHTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1185, 21 July 1911, Page 6

A BISHOP ON LAUGHTER.

THE HEDGEHOG OR THE CAT. A HOBBLE SKIRT RHYME. For nearly two hours the Anglican Bishop of Tasmania (Dr. Mercer) had an audience of about 500 people in tho Cathedral Chapter House, Melbourne, of Julv !), entertained with on interesting lecture on "Laughter," every point in which was illustrated with good stories and rhymes. From the chairman (Archdeacon llindley) to tho humblest choir boy present, none of his auditors were for more than a few minutes at a timo without a smile on their faces; Bishop Mercer, having defended his right as a bishop to lecture on laughter at all, treated lii3..themo encyclopaedically. He considered laughter, physiologically and theologically, as. well as on its psychic side. Laughter was, he said, a spasm which, if it did not result as it did, would cause the person affected to faint. It was a good thing the spasm did have laughter asits outcome, otherwise it would bo a .serious thing to hear a joke. (Laughter.) Did animals laugh ? Darwin had gone into tho matter very fully, and. was not sure whether when '.ho monkey grinned it was an outcome of an appreciation of the comic' The question was unsettled. He (the bishop) was inclined to think that somo animals must experience something approaching laughter. He hud a pet hedgehog which- used to sit beforo a lire with a cat. AVlun the cat wns not looking it would suddenly, nip tho cat's tail and then roll itself up into a ball—till the slorm was over. (Laughter.) Ho could not. help thinking 'hat hedgehog enjoyed a chuckle under its assumption of innocence. (Laughter.) Discussing the various theories ot tno causes of laughter, he pointed out (hat many psychologists agreed that the only element worth considering was ths sense of superiority. As he believed laughter developed like other faculties and began with the whoop of the savago over a fallen foe; It had developed since, and now arose sometimes out of a sense of puro fun, on appreciation of incongruities and maiiv of the other mirth-provoking suggestions. Their appreciation of certain forms of humour changed, and that which provoked laughter, thirty years ago left them unmoved to-day. It would offend some perhaps, to say it, but he did believe that Dickens's humour had gone rather out of date. He "Picked up "Pickwick" the other day, and found he didn't enjoy it a bit. Another of his noor ideals was smashed! (Laughter.) Whose was tho fault ? He did not know. Pcr>»ns the fact was that -Ainericai. humour, with ' its snap and realism and its astonishingly entertaining exaggerations, had spoilt them. An illustration was tho American vicar's description of the jinevennc«s of the floor of the middle aisle of tho church—"die churchwarden goes out of sight thirteen times in taking up the collection." (Loud laughter.) Wild as was the exaggeration, one had to laugh. (Hear, bear.) A sense of superiority or glorv had much to do with their laughter, especially when the joko told against, exalted or, pompous personage*. Tho standard prehistoric joko of tho stone aK was generated probably when one of (heir ancestors cut himself with :i stone knife. (Laurrh'.or.) He did not ibito with Charles-Limb that malicowas the foundation of laughter. There was much, however, in the theory that a large part of the efficiency and quicknrs* of the human raoo evae ?ron. a fear of being laughed at. No father iked his l-.ivs (o laugh at him. Some nail, annniently, no sense of the ridiculous m their o«n annearnnce. Take e.s an cxamnle the fie'it skirts he had seen in Melbourne. (Laughter.) V™' «"< '"; Ihink in nnv globe in thi* universe would 1 thee be such wonderful sueetne,e= a= he : Lid Ten in Hie street* ot tint ei v. • (Laughter.) Had they heard this little verse:—

Mnrv liJi'l a lirll" skirt, All lied «" will' a bow. \ii.| r-vei-vwliero Ilia l - -dary went. Slip simply conlcl I,ot s '°- (hr-vA lanKlilcv.) Tmvari; thf rio'-ct 1-i* lochia 11"' Bishop defended Ivsli bulls as VMiinst iVUnco=. not of jumbles nf inoonqrnilv. but of nimlilor.oss of wit, Nl-in" a «h >rl c>'.'. to a trim mncliiHnn. TTp ended will' a" imprrssivo nlhiMon (1 Hie importance of lnueliicr to llip velijnon* innn v ami its nart in IV rctonlion „" n. sane, noiltliv am' Chnslmn outlook on human life, and all lift 1 -