Jokes Have Serious Uses.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXV, Issue 3850, 3 August 1908, Page 4

Jokes Have Serious Uses.

By Dr. Paul Carus. Humour is a rare treasure which we need not hesitate to prize most highly among the best things of life. It is none of the ponderous gifts of heaven such as the serious religious ideals; it is not a virtue in the narrow sense of the word; it is not a sister of that noble trio, Faith, Hope, and Charity; it is not sublime and lofty, nor is it grand and noble; it does not keep aloof from the common people in the human walks of life; on the contrary, it mingles freely with all, and in its democratic judgment even seems to prefer the associations of the lowly. And yet the roots of humour go down into the most secret recesses of the human heart, and are nourished by thoughts of a broad and profound comprehension of life. The more wc investigate the nature of humour the more shall we understand that this, its substratum—we may call it the philosophy of humour, or, if you prefer, the religion of humour, or the serious background which unnoticeably gives humour its setting—is an indispensable part of it. Humour, as a rule, appears frivolous and flippant to the narrow-minded bigot who glories in vinegar and scowls at the silver ring of a laugh as an impious demonstration, but experienced will teach us that humour is the child of grave, often of sad, experience that it originates through the wholesome reaction of a strong heart against the sorrows and cares of life, which vampire-like, suck from out our souls all vitality and the joy of life, and would leave us moral wrecks eicklied over with melancholia, pessimism, and misanthropy. Humour has a great task to perform, for to humour we owe the silver lining of the clouds of life. Humour offers us the invigorating tonic that restores our spirits and buoys us up when fatigue threatens to overcome us. But in order to be effective, humour should be the expression of a conviction; it ought to reflect the world conception of a thinker ; it must be backed by moral purpose. Humour comes to us as a liberator. When we meet with reverses or are perplexed by untoward circumstances, we are annoyed and suffer bitterly. It is as if a poisonous infection had gained entrance into our physical system, but we are cured as soon as we can laugh at our own faults and follies. Our laughter proves that humour has entered into our soul, and humour comes only to the man who can rise above himself. Humour is the reward of a philosophical attitude in life. Yea, we might say it is the triumph of a moral victory we have won.