THE GRACE OF HUMOUR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 45, 16 November 1907, Page 13

THE GRACE OF HUMOUR.

"I havo often felt," writes Mr. Arthur C. Bonson in the "Cornhill" for October, "that tho time has come to raise another figure to tho hiernchy of Christian Graces. Faith, Hope, and Charity were sufficient in a moro olomontary and barbarous ago; but, now that tho world has broadoned somewhat, I think an addition to tho trio is demanded. A man may be faithful, hopeful, and charitable, and.yet loavo much to bo desired. He may be useful, no doubt, with that equipment, but he may also bo both, tiresome and oven absurd. The fourth quality that 1 should like to see raised to the highest rank among Christian graces is tho Grace of Humour.! , '• •

Wanted, A History of Humour. j "I do not think that Humour has ever onioyed its duo repute in tho ethical soalo, . . To give an historical sketch of tho growth and development of / modern Humour would be a task tliat might woH claim tho energies of some literary man; it seems to mo surprising that some German philosopher has not attempted a scientific classification of the subject. It would perhaps bo best done by a man without -appreciation of humour, because only tlion could one hope to escape being at tho mercy of preferences; it would liavo to ho studied purely as a phenomenon, a'symptom of tho mind; and nothing but an ovonvhclming love of classification would carry a student past the senso of its unimportance. But here 1 would rather attompt not to find a formula or a definition for humour, but to discover what it is, like argon, by eliminating othor characteristics, until the evasive quality alone remains. "It lies deop in nature. 1 The peevish month and tho fallen cyo of tho plaice, the helpless rotundity of the sunfish, tho mournful gapo and tolling glance of the goldfish, the furious and inoffcctivo mion of tho barndoor fowl, tho wild grotesquencss of tho babyroussa and tho wart-hog, the crafty solemn ovo of tho parrotr-rif such things as theso do not testify to a sonso of humour in the Creativo Spirit, it is hard to account for the fact that in man a perception is implanted which should find such sights pleasurubly entertaining from infancy, upwards, . "May there havo been a dim ago, far back