Eureka Reporter | 1904-04-01 | Page 3 | The Fear of Laughter

THE FEAR OP LAUGHTER in our day the joke Is fast becoming M er than the pen men who fear nothing else shrink from a joke upon themselves sol diers who do not flinch before appos ing guns dread to be made ridiculous woe to the national hero who makes one trifling mistake which may subject him to clever caricature his meritorious career is henceforth shadowed by one colored illustration A comic paper will tip the scales of justice snatch the victor s prize from his extended palm and rob the orator of his choicest laurels A brilliant satire will mar the fortunes of the greatest statesman a laugh will turn the tide of a political convention in deed the joke is fast becoming might ier than the pen the orator has learn ed its value and even the clergyman resorts to it when he desires to stir the nagging interest in his flock it furnishes sufficient excuse for the am pertinence of children and m its name the daily papers deride the highest national dignitaries what Is ane meaning of its steady growth in power and what results may we predict from its humorous tyranny f ie there a chance that our keen relish tor tun may finally produce a kind of humor ous dyspepsia resulting from over indulgence unless with epicurean dis crimination a bemani quality not quantity and stubbornly refuse to swallow other than that which should appease a wholesome who legome nay cultivated appetite in johes atlantic