如果你覺得遍體舒暢，在某一個場合表露出來，這就是笑！－卓別林

在巴黎時，有天晚上我去聽這位老教授的課，他一開始就說：「笑吧！在座的每一位都要笑！大聲的笑！就像這樣，再笑得大聲些！」就這樣，一個接著一個笑了起來！整個教室裡充滿了哄堂的大笑！

其實我進教室時並不想笑，有些人對自己的煩惱能一笑置之，可是在所愛的人有苦難，而你又愛莫能助時，就不容易表示歡娛的心情了。我已經好久沒有笑過，所以幾乎忘記怎麼笑了；但我看著大家笑，也禁不住笑。我離開教室時，的確覺得快樂得多。

第二天，我在一本雜誌上看到一個彩卷頭獎得主的照片，她全身都在笑！我就把她剪下來貼在牆上，每次看到這照片，我就笑了。每次笑過後，便覺得心情好些。因此，我就把報紙、雜誌、廣告上看到的笑臉都剪下來，貼滿了一本剪貼簿。我收集的，不僅是為了做廣告而裝出來的笑，最主要的是出自內心的哈哈大笑：也只有發自內心的笑，才能引起他人的笑。

我把這剪貼簿給一位護士小姐看，她也哈哈地笑開了。她給醫院中的一位病人看，她已經有幾個月沒有笑過，看了也為之絕倒，展開了整個月難得的笑臉，這樣剪貼簿一個床一個床傳下去，再一個病房一個病房傳下去，醫師證明笑能使病狀有顯著進步。後來我又貼了幾本笑臉的剪貼簿，送給頹唐傷心的朋友看，都產生很使人滿意的效果。

笑是真正的良藥，他含有使人樂觀的維他命，就像氧氣一樣，對人有清新的作用，可以鼓勵頹唐的士氣，因為我自己就證明了笑的清心滌慮的功效。

On Laughter

“Laffing is the sensation ov pheeling goodall over, and showing it principally in one spot.” –JOSH BILLINGS

The old professor I went to hear, thatnight in Paris,began his talk by commanding: “Laugh! Everybody in the audience laugh! Laughout loud. That’s it. Now louder! Louder!” One after another began to laugh, and soon the whole place was convulsed with uproarious laughter.

I hadn’t felt much like laughing when I went in. Some people can laugh at their own troubles, but when one you love is suffering and you can do nothing to help, it’s hard to show mirth. I had almost forgotten how to smile. But I laughed with the rest-I couldn’t help it- and I went away feeling definitely happier.

Next day I saw, in a magazine, the picture of a sweepstakes winner. She was laughing allover. I pinned her to my wall and every time Ilooked at her I smiled. Every time, I felt better.

Then I began to cut out every laughing picture I could find in newspapers, magazines, advertisements. I finally filleda book with them. Not mere photographic smiles or smirks,though. You need genuine, ha-ha-ha laughter to stimulate merriment.

I showed my scrapbook to a nurse. She roared. In the hospital she gave it to a patient, and at sight of those laughing faces, he smiled for the first time in months. From bed to bed the book was passed, and in one ward after another the doctors testified that this laugh cure almost always produced a marked improvement. I made other scrapbooks; I sent them to discouraged or ailing friends, always with the same happy result.

Laughter is a real medicine. It has optimistic vitamins in it. It revives like oxygen. It restores failing morale. I have proved for myself the “cleansing power of laughter.”

BY GELETT BURGESS

HUMORIST AND AUTHOR OF “THE PURPLE COW”

Convulse: 使劇烈震動，震撼

Uproarious: 喧囂的；騷動的

Mirth: 歡笑；高興

Sweepstakes: 賭金的獨得；總賭金

Pin: 釘；銷；栓

Smirks: 嘻嘻作笑

Merriment: 歡樂；歡笑；歡鬧

Roar: 大聲叫喊；狂笑；大聲歌唱