ABSTRACT
In my book on The Sense of Humor, I remarked that nobody in all the literature of this subject has ever discussed the points of difference between a good joke and a bad. And I endeavored to fill this gap by laying down the first eight laws of a code for serious jokemakers. I still remain the sole custodian, so far as I know, of this department of human morals. And moreover, I have received a further illumination and am now able to add the two missing commandments to the original eight. I would like to formulate them in a better order too, and illustrate them with some of our modern American sins and transgressions. The laws are, speaking briefly, these:
Be interesting.
Be unimpassioned.
Be effortless.
Remember the difference between cracking practical jokes and conveying ludicrous impressions.
Be plausible.
Be sudden.
Be neat.
Be right with your timing.
Give good measure of serious satisfaction.
Redeem all serious disappointments.
