Mirthfulness and Its Exciters: Or, Rational Laughter and Its Promoters

Mirthfulness And Its Exciters: Or, Rational Laughter And Its Promoters by Benjamin Franklin Clark. Mirthfulness And Its Exciters is a 19th-century collection that advocates rational mirth as a healthful, moral force. Clark defines mirthfulness as a distinct, original mental faculty, linked to the brain, and argues that its proper exercise improves health, mood, and social vitality without violating propriety. The volume compiles essays and a vast array of anecdotes and humorous extracts drawn from clergymen, lawyers, doctors, writers, and ordinary life, each designed to excite mirthfulness and to be useful for public speaking, private entertainment, or moral instruction. Sections include Anecdotes Respecting Clergymen, About Lawyers, About Doctors, Different Denominations, Mercantile Anecdotes, and Miscellaneous Extracts. The Preface explains the author’s aim: to fill an unoccupied niche with short, wholesome humor that is not demoralizing, but promotes rational enjoyment. The 1869 original publication is noted; this is a later reprint.