This state of mind is not one to be diligently sought
after. The humorist nascitur non fit. One sees young men of
irresponsible levity drawn into the interest of a cause or a
profession, and we say sadly of them that they have lost their
sense of humour. They are probably both happier and more useful for
having lost it. The humorist is seldom an apostle or a leader. But
one does occasionally find a man of real genius who adds to a deep
and vital seriousness a delightful perception of the superficial
absurdities of life; who is like a river, at once strong and silent
beneath, with sunny ripples and bright water-breaks upon the
surface. Most men must be content to flow turbid and sullen,
turning the mills of life or bearing its barges; others may dash
and flicker through existence, like a shallow stream. Perhaps,
indeed, it may be said that to be a real humorist there must be a
touch of hardness somewhere, a bony carapace, because we seldom see
one of very strong and ardent emotions who is a true humorist; and
this is, I suppose, the reason why women, as a rule, are so far
less humorous than men.
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