Readers of “Sherlock Holmes” remember the detective’s ruse to gain
entrance to a forbidden house. In the same way, let two men engage in a
wordy quarrel. Nothing draws a crowd more quickly than the prospect of a
fight. Of course, on a city street the quarrel must not come to actual
blows, and the participants must keep an eye open for policemen, but the
climax should be the advertisement in the mouth of one or both of the
disputants, and the crowd should be dispersed with a hearty laugh.