The Light Arrows of Ridicule

“And therefore if I may in any measure redress the evil I will cheerfully bear the criticism of my more sombre brethren. I am deeply in earnest, however playful my remarks may seem to be. These follies may be best shot at by the light arrows of ridicule, and therefore I employ them, not being of the same mind as those ‘who think all virtue lies in gravity/And smiles are symptoms of depravity'” (Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, pp. 289-290).