Humor always laughs with you,
Never at you; she
Loves the fun that's sweet and true
And of malice free.
Paints the picture of the fad,
Folly of the day,
As it is, the good and bad,
In a kindly way.
There behind her smiling mien,
In her twinkling eyes,
Purpose true is ever seen,
Seriousness lies.
—John Kendrick Bangs, Putnam's Monthly.
(1464)
HUMOR AND GENEROSITY
In his "Reminiscences" of the late Sir Henry Irving, says the London Academy, Joseph Hatton gives an anecdote which shows the great actor in the role of a humorist:
A widow of an old Lyceum servant applied
to him for some sort of occupation
about the theater, whereby she might earn
a living. Irving appealed to Loveday, the
manager.
"There is absolutely no vacancy of any kind," said Loveday. "Can't you give her a job to look after the theater cats? I think we've too many mice about, not to mention rats." "No," said Loveday, "there are two women already on that job." "Hum, ha, let me see," said Irving, reflectively, then suddenly brightening with an idea. "Very well, then, give her the job of looking after the two women who are looking after the cats." The widow was at once engaged on the permanent staff of the theater.
(1465)
HUMOR, LACK OF
Rev. W. H. Fitchett points out the lack of humor in Susannah Wesley, the mother of John Wesley:
The only charge which can be fairly urged
against Susannah Wesley is that she had no
sense of humor. The very names of the
children prove the complete absence of any
sense of the ridiculous in either the rector
of Epworth or his wife. One daughter was
cruelly labeled Mehetabel; a second, Jedidah.
Mrs. Susannah Wesley's theological performances
while yet in short dresses prove
her want of humor. A girl of thirteen, who
took herself solemnly enough to undertake
the settlement of "the whole question betwixt
dissent and the Church" must have
been of an unsmiling and owl-like gravity.
Now, humor has many wholesome offices. It
acts like a salt to the intellect, and keeps it
sweet. It enables its owner to see the relative
sizes of things. It gives an exquisite
tact, a dainty lightness of touch to the intellectual
powers. And Mrs. Wesley visibly
lacked any rich endowment of that fine
grace.—"Wesley and His Century."
(1466)
HUMOR OVERDONE
In the "War Reminiscences" of General Carl Schurtz, he relates a conversation which he had with the then famous Thomas Corwin, one of the great orators of his day, but one whose oratory had come to be regarded as chiefly remarkable for its display of humor. As General Schurtz rose to leave Mr. Corwin, at the close of the interview, the latter said to him:
I want to say something personal to you.
At Allegheny City I heard you speak, and I
noticed that you can crack a joke and make
people laugh if you try. I want to say to
you, young man, if you have any such
faculty, don't cultivate it. I know how great
the temptation is, and I have yielded to it.
One of the most dangerous things to a
public man is to become known as a jester.
People will go to hear such a man, and then
they will be disappointed if he talks to them
seriously. They will hardly listen to the
best things he offers them. They will want
to hear the buffoon, and are dissatisfied if
the buffoon talks sober sense. That has
been my lot. Look at my career! I am an
old man now. There has always been a
great deal more in Tom Corwin than he got
credit for. But he did not get credit because
it was always expected that Tom Corwin
would make people laugh. That has been my
curse. I have long felt it, but too late to
get rid of the old reputation and to build
up a new one. Take my example as a warning.
(Text.)
(1467)
Humor, Sense of—See Retrieved Situation.
HUNGER, ENDURING
General Morgan, on one occasion, in discussing
the fighting qualities of the soldiers
of different nations, came to the conclusion
that in many respects they were about the
