Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1880 — Mirth at Home. [ARTICLE]

Mirth at Home.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones, declares the wisest of men. A swift appreciation of the ludicrous is the happy birthright of some fortunate people, but there are those who never see a joke quickly, and who cannot comprehend why it makes others laugh, even after it has been duly explained. If, as the proverb says, laughter is medicinal, they are much to be pitied. They are not cushioned against the sharp comers and hard knocks of life. There is a coarse wit that is allied to buffoonery and may decend to indecency, and the less we have of that the better. The brightness and buoyancy which makes the day cheerful; which lift the wearied and the ill from their depression, and which impart courage when disaster seems imminent, are priceless gifts. The merry making the best of things, seeing the silver edge along the thickening clouds, remembering how much worse misfortune might have befallen, and being cheery when others are discouraged, how noble are these qualities when put in practice and how brave they may be. I agree, in a measure, with the brilliant French woman, who said that “the joyousness of a spirit is an index of its power,” words true for all time. It Bliouldbe a matter of conscience with us to maintain serenity of outward appearance at all times.