Give  me  leave,  then,  to  refer  to  but  one
more  subject  of  practical  importance,  be-
fore I  shall  address  to  you  my  concluding
remarks.  It  is  the  subject  of  deriding  others,
so  natural  to  untutored  minds,  yet  so  incon-
sistent with  a  truly  gentlemanly  sj)irit,  because
so  painful,  and  generally  so  undeservedly  pain-
ful, to  those  who  are  the  objects  of  our  deriding
smiles.  A  little  reflection  will  show  you  that
they  are  not  in  harmony  with  that  genuine
good  nature,  and  still  less  conformable  to  that
refinement  of  feeling,  which  characterize  the
gentleman.     Perhaps  it  will  appear  that  ho


Prh


108  CHARACTER    OP    THE    GENTLEMAN.
who  laughs  at  others  shows  that  he  deserves
our  pity  more  than  the  person  laughed  at.
The  Koran  says,  "  Do  not  mock  thy  neighbor :
the  mocked  may  be  better  than  the  mocker."
There  is  no  subject  in  the  whole  province  of
psychology  which  offers  greater  difficulties  to
the  philosopher,  possibly  none  that  offers  diffi-
culties so  great,  as  that  of  laughing  and  the
ridiculous.  You  will  find  that  we  feel  tempted
to  smile,  sometimes,  even  when  our  soul  is  filled
with  horror.  There  is  always  something  risible
in  the  Blue  Beards,  and,  strange  to  say,  the
highest  degree  of  horror  frequently  causes  i^hy-
sical  convulsive  laughter.*  We  ought,  then,  to
take  care  not  to  be  betrayed  into  an  act  so  little
understood,  when  done  at  the  cost  of  another,

*  We  are  here  reminded  even  of  the  sardonic  smile.
