,note3 ,images of the original pages are
 available through       ,internet      
,archive4 ,see                          
https3_/_/archive4org_/details_/artofbei
nghappy#jj;droz   ,transcriber's note3  
,text enclosed by underscores is in     
italics 7italics74        ,there are    
about seventy ,notes at the back of the 
book4 ,these       are referenced in the
 text by a numeric anchor eg #a or #ae2 
some anchors have an #8a' suffix eg     
#ae;a or #ba;a4        ,there are two   
,footnotes in the main text1 whose      
anchors are       ,a and ,b4 ,there are 
six ,footnotes in the ,notes section1   
whose anchors are ,c to ,h4 ,all eight  
,footnotes have been       placed at the
 back of the book after the ,notes      
section4        ,numerous minor text    
changes are noted in the ,transcriber's 
,note       at the end of the book4     
,,the ,,art ,,of ,,being ,,happy3  ,from
 the ,french of ,,droz1  #8,,sur        
,l',,art ,d',,etre ,,heureux2'  ,in a   
,series of ,letters from a ,father to   

,his ,children3 with ,observations and  
,comments4  by  ,,timothy ,,flint4      
#8----sua si bonna nrint4'--,,virgil4   
,boston1 ,published ,by ,carter ,and    
,hendee4 #ahcb4  ,entered according to  
,act of ,congress1 in the year #ahcb1   
,,by ,,carter ,,and ,,hendee1 in the    
,clerk's ,office of the ,district ,court
 of ,massachusetts4     ,,advertisement4
   ,the text1 upon which the following  
observations and comments are based1    
does not assume to be a literal         
translation of the celebrated work of   
,droz4 ,the original is strongly        
idiomatic2 and the author has carried an
 uncommon talent of being laconic       
sometimes to the point of obscurity4 ,i 
have often found it impossible to convey
 to the ,english reader a sentiment1    
perfectly obvious in the original1 in as
 few words as are there used4 ,the      
,french1 in its more numerous articles1 
more allowable and bold                 
personifications1 and arbitrary use of  
gender1 has1 in the hand of certain     

writers1 this advantage over our        
language4 ,when the doctrines of the    
book are compared one with the other1   
and each with the general bearing of the
 work1 the inculcation1 namely1 of the  
truth that virtue is happiness1 there   
will be found nothing immoral or        
reprehensible in it4 ,the author1 on the
 whole1 leans to the ,epicurean         
philosophy4 ,unfavorable1 though        
erroneous impressions have been very    
generally entertained of that           
philosophy4 ,in deference to that       
opinion1 ,i have altogether omitted the 
few sentences1 which seemed appropriate 
to some of the dogmas of the            
,epicureans4 ,nothing can be more remote
 from their alleged impiety1 than the   
general tenor of this work4 ,one of its 
most eloquent and impressive chapters is
 that upon religion4 ,there is a        
distinct class in ,france1 both numerous
 and important1 the literatures4 ,many  
of the remarks of the author1 bearing   
chiefly upon that class1 seemed         

inapplicable1 or unintelligible in our  
country1 where there is no such class to
 address4 ,i have passed over many      
passages and parts of chapters1 which   
had an almost exclusive reference to    
persons in that walk in life4 ,i have   
added members of sentences1 and even    
whole sentences to the text1 where such 
additions seemed necessary to develope  
the doctrine to an ,english reader4  ,in
 a word1 ,i do not offer the text1 as an
 exact translation1 but as the only     
treatise within the compass of my       
reading1 which has discussed the pursuit
 of happiness1 as a science or an art2  
and as one which has advanced more      
eloquent and impressive sentiments upon 
the subject1 than ,i have elsewhere met4
 ,with the slight alterations1 which ,i 
have made1 ,i have found this book to   
meet my own thoughts2 and ,i have laid  
out of the text all phrases and         
passages1 which spoke otherwise4 ,i have
 availed myself of the words of another1
 because they have expressed my own     

views better than ,i could have hoped to
 express them myself4 ,this explanation 
will be my reply to all remarks1        
touching mistranslation1 or liberties   
taken with the author4     ,,errata4    
,page #dd1 last line1 dele the #e4      
,page #aaa1 #eth line from bottom1 dele 
#bi4   ,page #aba1 end of second        
paragraph1 dele #cb4   ,page #adi1 #b;d 
line from top1 dele #ea4   ,page #bjj1  
for ,note #e1 page #dd1 read #f1 page   
#de4     ,,contents4                    
,page4        ,,letter ,i4              
,introduction1                          
#a        ,,letter ,,ii4    ,the        
,physical1 ,organic and ,moral ,laws1   
#h        ,,letter ,,iii4    ,the same  
subject continued1                      
#be        ,,letter ,,iv4    ,general   
,views of the subject1                  
#ci        ,,letter ,v4    ,our         
,desires1                               
#de        ,,letter ,,vi4               
,tranquillity of ,mind1                 
#ea        ,,letter ,,vii4    ,of       

,misfortune1                            
#eh        ,,letter ,,viii4    ,of      
,independence1                          
#fg        ,,letter ,,ix4    ,of        
,health1                                
#gc        ,,letter ,x4    ,of          
,competence1                            
#hc        ,,letter ,,xi4    ,of        
,opinion1 and the ,affection of ,men1   
#ij        ,,letter ,,xii4    ,of the   
,sentiment ,men ought to ,inspire1      
#ie        ,,letter ,,xiii4    ,of some 
of the ,virtues1                        
#ajj        ,,letter ,,xiv4    ,of      
,marriage1                              
#ajh        ,,letter ,,xv4    ,of       
,children1                              
#aag        ,,letter ,,xvi4    ,of      
,friendship1                            
#abd        ,,letter ,,xvii4    ,the    
,pleasures of the ,senses1              
#abi        ,,letter ,,xviii4    ,the   
,pleasures of the ,heart1               
#acd        ,,letter ,,xix4    ,the     
,pleasures of the ,understanding1       

#aci        ,,letter ,,xx4    ,the      
,pleasures of the ,imagination1         
#add        ,,letter ,,xxi4             
,melancholy1                            
#adh        ,,letter ,,xxii4            
,religious ,sentiments1                 
#aed        ,,letter ,,xxiii4    ,of the
 ,rapidity of ,life1                    
#afc        ,,letter ,,xxiv4    ,on     
,death1                                 
#agj        ,,letter ,,xxv4             
,conclusion of ,droz #8,sur l',art      
d',etre ,heureux1'       #agf           
,,letter ,,xxvi4    ,the ,choice of a   
,profession1                            
#ahb     ,,notes1                       
#aic-cac       ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,being 
,,happy4     ,,letter ,i4   ,the        
following thoughts1 my dear children1   
are those of an affectionate father     
going out of life1 to those he most     
loves1 who are coming forward in it4 ,i 
am perfectly aware1 that nothing but    
time can impart all the dear bought     
instruction of experience4 ,upon        

innumerable questions1 that relate to   
life1 you will receive efficient        
teaching only by reaping the fruit of   
your own errors4 ,but one who has       
preceded you on the journey1 who has    
listened to the impressive oracles of   
years1 may impart some aid if you will  
listen with docility1 to enable you to  
anticipate the lessons of experimental  
acquaintance with the world4 ,in what ,i
 am about to write1 ,i trust ,i may     
bring you this aid4 ,as you embark on   
the uncertain voyage1 ,i cannot but     
hope1 that your filial piety will       
incline you to a frequent recurrence to 
the parental chart4 ,you are aware1 that
 circumstances have brought me into     
contact with all conditions1 and into a 
view of all the aspects of life4 ,i     
ought1 therefore1 to be qualified to    
impart useful lessons upon the evils and
 dangers of inexperience4 ,you1 at      
least1 will not see assumption in such  
lessons1 when they result from the      
remembrance of my own errors4 ,you may  

consider what follows1 whether it be my 
own remarks1 or what ,i have adopted    
from others1 as the gleanings of        
experimental instruction1 from what ,i  
have myself seen1 felt1 suffered1 or    
enjoyed2 and as my comments upon the    
influence1 which my election of         
alternatives has had1 upon the amount of
 my own enjoyment or suffering4  ,you   
will find enough who are ready to       
inspire you with indifference or disdain
 for such counsels4 ,they will          
indolently1 and yet confidently1 assure 
you1 that the theoretical discussion of 
the pursuit of happiness is1 of all     
visionary investigations1 the most      
profitless and inapplicable2 that       
lecture1 write1 preach as we may1 the   
future will be1 perhaps ought to be1 as 
the past2 that the world is always      
growing older1 without ever growing     
wiser2 and that men are evidently no    
more successful in their search after   
happiness now1 than in the remotest     
periods of recorded history4 ,they will 

affirm that man has always been the     
sport of accident1 the slave of his     
passions1 the creature of circumstances2
 that it is useless to reason1 vain to  
consult rules1 imbecile to surrender    
independence1 to follow the guidance of 
those who assume to be wise1 or receive 
instruction from those who have been    
taught by years4 ,they will allege the  
utter inefficacy of the lights of       
reason1 philosophy1 and religion1       
judging from the little illumination1   
which they have hitherto shed upon the  
paths of life4 ,on the same ground1 and 
from the same reasonings1 they might    
declaim against every attempt1 in every 
form to render the world wiser and      
happier4 ,with equal propriety they     
might say1 #8close the pulpit1 silence  
the press1 cease from parental          
discipline1 moral suasion1 and the      
training of education4 ,do what you     
will1 the world will go on as before4'  
,who does not see the absurdity of such 
language8 ,because we cannot do         

everything1 shall we do nothing8        
,because the million float towards the  
invisible future without any pole star1 
or guided only by the presumption of    
general opinion1 is it proof conclusive 
that none have been rendered happier in 
consequence of having followed wiser    
guidance1 and pursued happiness by      
system8  ,such is the practical creed of
 the great mass1 with whom you will be  
associated in life4 ,i1 on the contrary1
 think entirely with the ,french        
philosopher1 whose precepts you are     
about to read1 that this general        
persuasion is palpably false and fatal2 
that much suffering may be avoided1 and 
much enjoyment obtained by following    
rules1 and pursuing happiness by system2
 that ,i have had the fortune to meet   
with numbers1 who were visible proofs   
that men may learn how to be happy4 ,i  
am confident that the far greater       
portion of human suffering is of our own
 procuring1 the result of ignorance and 
mistaken views1 and that it is a        

superfluous and unnecessary mixture of  
bitterness in the cup of human life4 ,i 
firmly believe that the greater number  
of deaths1 instead of being the result  
of specific diseases1 to which they are 
attributed1 are really caused by a      
series of imperceptible malign          
influences1 springing from corroding    
cares1 griefs1 and disappointments4 ,to 
say1 that more than half of the human   
race die of sorrow1 and a broken heart1 
or in some way fall victims to their    
passions1 may seem like advancing a     
revolting doctrine2 but it is1          
nevertheless1 in my mind1 a simple      
truth4  ,we do not see the operations of
 grief upon some one or all the         
countless frail and delicate            
constituents of human life4 ,but if     
physiology could look through the       
infinitely complicated web of our       
structure with the power of the solar   
microscope1 it would behold every       
chagrin searing some nerve1 paralyzing  
the action of some organ1 or closing    

some capillary2 and that every sigh     
draws its drop of life blood from the   
heart4 ,nature is slow in resenting her 
injuries2 but the memory of them is     
indelibly impressed1 and treasured up   
for a late1 but certain revenge4        
,nervousness1 lowness of spirits1       
headache1 and all the countless train of
 morbid and deranged corporeal and      
mental action1 are1 at once1 the cause  
and the effect of sorrow and anxiety1   
increased by a constant series of action
 and reaction4 ,thought and care become 
impressed upon the brow4 ,the bland     
essence of cheerfulness evaporates4 ,the
 head becomes shorn of its locks2 and   
the frosts of winter gather on the      
temples4 ,these concurrent influences   
silently sap the stamina of life2 until1
 aided by some adventitious             
circumstance1 which we call cold1 fever1
 epidemic1 dyspepsia--death lays his    
hand upon the frame that by the sorrows 
and cares of life was prepared for his  
dread office4 ,the bills of mortality   

assign a name to the mortal disease     
different from the true one4            
,cheerfulness and equanimity are about  
the only traits that have invariably    
marked the life of those who have lived 
to extreme old age4 ,nothing is more    
clearly settled by experience1 than that
 grief acts as a slow poison1 not only  
in the immediate infliction of pain1 but
 in gradually impairing the powers of   
life1 and in subtracting from the sum of
 our days4  ,if1 then1 by any process of
 instruction1 discipline and mental     
force1 we can influence our             
circumstances1 banish grief and create  
cheerfulness1 we can1 in the same       
degree1 reduce rules1 for the pursuit of
 happiness1 to a system2 and make that  
system a matter of science4 ,can we not 
do this8 ,the very million who deride   
the idea of seeking for enjoyment       
through the medium of instruction1      
unconsciously exercise the power in     
question to a certain extent--though not
 to the extent1 of which they are       

capable4 ,all those wise individuals1   
who have travelled with equanimity and  
cheerfulness through the diversified    
scenes of life1 making the most of its  
good1 and the least of its evils1 bear a
 general testimony to the truth of this 
fact4 ,we find in them a conviction that
 they had such power1 and a force of    
character that enabled them to act      
according to their convictions4  ,no    
person deserves the name of a           
philosopher1 who is not wise in relation
 to the great purpose of life4 ,in the  
same proportion1 then1 as ,i convince   
you1 that by our own voluntary1 physical
 and mental discipline1 we can act upon 
circumstances1 and influence our        
temperament1 and thus bear directly upon
 our happiness1 ,i shall be able to stir
 up your powers1 and call forth your    
energy of character1 to apply that      
discipline in your own case4 ,in the    
same proportion ,i shall be instrumental
 in training you to the highest exercise
 of your reason1 and the attainment of  

true philosophy4  ,the elements upon    
which you are to operate1 are your      
circumstances1 habits1 and modes of     
thinking and acting4 ,the philosopher of
 circumstances,a denies that you can act
 upon these4 ,but1 by his unwearied     
efforts to propagate his system1 he     
proves1 that he does not himself act    
upon his avowed convictions4 ,the       
impulse of all our actions from birth to
 death1 the spring of all our movements 
is a conviction1 that we can alter and  
improve our condition4 ,we have a       
consciousness stronger than our reason1 
that we can control our circumstances4  
,we can change our regimen and habits2  
and by patience and perseverance1 even  
our temperament4 ,every one can cite    
innumerable and most melancholy         
instances of those who have done it for 
evil4 ,the habit of indulging in opium1 
tobacco1 ardent spirits1 or any of the  
pernicious narcotics1 soon reduces the  
physical and mental constitution to that
 temperament1 in which these stimulants 

are felt to be necessary4 ,a            
corresponding change is produced in the 
mind and disposition4 ,the frequent and 
regular use of medicine1 though it may  
have been wholly necessary at first1    
finally becomes an inveterate habit4 ,no
 phenomenon of physiology is more       
striking1 than the facility with which  
the human constitution immediately      
commences a conformity to whatsoever    
change of circumstances1 as of climate1 
habit1 or aliment1 we impose upon it4   
,it is a most impressive proof1 that the
 ,creator has formed man capable of     
becoming the creature of all climates   
and conditions4  ,if we may change our  
temperament both of body and mind for   
evil1 as innumerable examples prove that
 we may1 why not as easily for good8    
,our habits certainly are under our     
control2 and our modes of thinking1     
however little the process may have been
 explained1 are1 in some way1 shaped by 
our voluntary discipline4 ,we have high 
powers of self-command1 as every one who

 has made the effort to exercise them1  
must be conscious4 ,we have             
inexhaustible moral force for           
self-direction1 if we will only         
recognise and exert it4 ,we owe most of 
our disgusts and disappointments1 our   
corroding passions and unreasonable     
desires1 our fretfulness1 gloom and     
self-torment1 neither to nature nor     
fate2 but to ourselves1 and our reckless
 indifference to those rules1 that ought
 to guide our pursuit of happiness4 ,let
 a higher education and a truer wisdom  
disenthral us from our passions1 and    
dispel the mists of opinion and silence 
the authority of example4 ,let us       
commence the pursuit of happiness on the
 right course1 and seek it where alone  
it is to be found4 ,equanimity and      
moderation will shed their mild radiance
 upon our enjoyments2 and in our        
reverses we shall summon resignation and
 force of character2 and1 according to  
the sublime ancient maxim1 we shall     
become masters of events and of         

ourselves4  ,i am sensible that there   
will always be a sufficient number of   
those1 deemed philosophers1 who1        
notwithstanding their rules1 have       
wandered far from their aim4 ,such there
 will always be1 so long as there are   
stirring passions within or hidden      
dangers around us2 and there will be    
shipwrecks1 so long as human cupidity   
and ambition tempt self-confident and   
unskilful mariners upon the fickle and  
tumultuous bosom of the ocean4 ,but is  
this proof that a disciplined pilot     
would not be most likely to make the    
voyage in safety1 or that the study of  
navigation is useless8  ,my affectionate
 desire is1 to draw your attention to   
those moral resources which your        
,creator has placed at your command4    
,how many millions have floated down the
 current in the indolent supineness of  
inactivity1 who1 had they been aware of 
their internal means of active          
resistance1 would have risen above the  
pressure of their circumstances6 ,who   

can deny1 that there is a manifest      
difference1 even as things now are1     
between the moral courage of action and 
endurance1 put forth by a disciplined   
and reflecting mind1 possessing force of
 character1 and the stupid and passive  
abandonment1 with which a savage meets  
pain and death8  ,may you speed on your 
voyage under the influence of the lucida
 sidera1 or1 in higher phrase1 may      
,providence be your guide4     ,,letter 
,,ii4  ,,the ,,physical1 ,,organic ,,and
 ,,moral ,,laws4   ,in relation to this 
most important subject1 read ,combe on  
the ,constitution of ,man1 a book1 which
 ,i consider admirable for its broad1   
philosophic1 and just views of the laws 
of the universe1 in their bearing upon  
the constitution of our physical and    
moral nature4 ,you are not unaware1 that
 ,i had presented you similar views1 and
 inculcated the same master principles1 
long before this excellent work was     
published4 ,thousands1 in all ages1 have
 entertained the same extended          

conceptions of the divine plan1 and its 
bearing upon man and all beings1 upon   
this and all other worlds4 ,but the     
honor belongs to this author1 to have   
given form and systematic arrangement to
 these views4 ,i have given my thoughts 
upon this subject at the commencement of
 my letters1 and have subjoined remarks 
upon the ,christian religion at the     
close1 because ,i deem that ,m4 ,droz1  
in not recurring to these fundamental   
principles at the beginning of his work1
 and in dwelling with so little         
earnestness upon the hope of the gospel1
 as an element of happiness1 at the     
close1 has left chasms in it which ought
 to be supplied4  ,the sect1 numerous in
 my day1 in yours1 ,i trust1 will have  
disappeared1 who hold that religion and 
philosophy are militant and             
irreconcilable principles4 ,such persons
 are accustomed to brand these broad    
views of ,providence and moral          
obligation with the odium of impiety4   
,you will hardly need my assurance1     

that1 if ,i thought with them1 my right 
hand should forget its cunning1 before  
,i would allow anything to escape my pen
 which might have the least tendency to 
impair in your minds the future and     
eternal sanctions of virtue4 ,i shall   
hereafter enlarge upon my persuasion1   
that1 so far from being in opposition1  
religion and philosophy1 when rightly   
understood1 will be found resting on the
 same immutable foundation4 ,it is      
because the misguided friends of        
religion have attempted to sustain them1
 as separate and hostile interests1 in  
my view1 that the former has made so    
little progress towards becoming        
universal4 ,it will one day be          
understood1 that whatever wars with     
reason and common sense1 is equally     
hostile to religion4 ,the simple and    
unchangeable truths of ,christianity    
will be found to violate none of our    
most obvious convictions4 ,truth will   
reassume her legitimate reign4 ,piety1  
religion and morals1 our best interests 

for this life1 and our surest           
preparations for a future one1 will be  
found exactly conformable to the eternal
 order of things1 and the system of the 
gospel will become universal1 according 
to its legitimate claims4 ,true piety1  
in my mind1 is equally our duty1 our    
wisdom and happiness4 ,to behold ,god   
everywhere in his works1 to hold        
communion with him in a contemplative   
and admiring spirit1 to love1 and trust 
him1 to find1 in the deep and constantly
 present persuasion of his being and    
attributes1 a sentiment of exhaustless  
cheerfulness and excitement to duty1 ,i 
hold to be the source of the purest and 
sublimest pleasure1 that earth can      
afford4  ,true philosophy unfolds the   
design of final causes with a calm and  
humble wisdom4 ,it finds the ,creator   
everywhere1 and always acting in wisdom 
and power4 ,it traces the highest       
benevolence of intention1 where the     
first aspect showed no apparent purpose1
 or one that seemed to tend to misery2  

offering new inducements to learn the   
first and last lesson of religion1 and  
the ultimate attainment of human        
wisdom--resignation to the will of ,god4
 ,in vindicating his ways to men1 it    
declares that so long as we do not      
understand the laws of our being and so 
long as we transgress them1 either      
ignorantly1 or wilfully and             
unconsciously1 misery to ourselves must 
just as certainly follow as that we can 
neither resist nor circumvent them2 and 
that the ,omnipotent has forged every   
link of the chain1 that connects our own
 unhappiness with every transgression of
 the laws of our nature4  ,we find      
ourselves making a part of an existing  
universe which neither ignorance1 nor   
wisdom1 doubting1 nor confidence can    
alter4 ,if we know the order1 of which  
we are the subjects1 and conform to it1 
we are happy4 ,if we ignorantly1 or     
wilfully transgress it1 the order is in 
no degree changed1 or impeded4 ,it moves
 irresistibly on1 and the opposition is 

crushed4 ,how wisdom and benevolence are
 reconcilable with the permission of    
this ignorance and opposition1 in other 
words1 why partial evil exists in ,god's
 universe1 it is not my object to       
inquire4 ,the inquiry would not only be 
fruitless1 but would in no degree alter 
the fact1 that what we call evil does   
exist4 ,it is enough for us to know1    
that1 as far as human research has      
reached1 or can reach1 the more         
profoundly we investigate the subject1  
the more clearly are design1 wisdom and 
benevolence discoverable4 ,beyond our   
ken1 right reason1 guided by humility1  
would infer1 that1 where we cannot trace
 the impress of these attributes1 it is 
not because they are not discoverable1  
but because our powers are not equal to 
the discovery4 ,if we had a broader     
vision1 and were more fully acquainted  
with the relations of all parts of      
,god's universe1 the one to the other1  
and all the reasons of the permanent    
ordinances of his government1 we should 

be able to understand the necessity of  
partial evil to the general good2 we    
should understand1 why it rains on the  
waste ocean1 when drought consigns whole
 countries to aridity and desolation2 in
 a word1 why ignorance1 transgression1  
misery and death have a place in our    
system4  ,all that we now know is1 that 
the natural laws of this system are     
universal1 invariable1 unbending2 that  
physical and moral tendencies are the   
same all over our world2 and we have    
every reason to believe1 over all other 
worlds4 ,wherever moral beings keep in  
harmony with these laws1 there is no    
instance1 in which happiness is not the 
result4 ,men never enjoy health1 vigor1 
and felicity in disobedience to them4   
,the whole infinite contrivance of      
everything above1 around1 and within us1
 appears directed to certain benevolent 
issues2 and all the laws of nature are  
in perfect harmony with the whole       
constitution of man4  ,i shall not enter
 upon the subtle controversies of moral 

philosophers1 as to the fundamental     
principle of moral obligation1 whether  
it be expediency1 the nature of things1 
or the will of ,god8 ,in my view these  
are rather questions about words1 than  
things4 ,the nature of things is a part 
of the will of ,god2 and expediency is  
conformity to this unchanging order4 ,an
 action derives its moral complexion    
from being conformed to the will of     
,god1 and the nature of things2 and     
whatever is so conformed1 is expedient2 
consequently all the different          
foundations of morals1 when examined1   
are found to be precisely the same4  ,my
 notions of morality are1 that it is    
conformity to the physical1 organic and 
moral laws of the universe4 ,some will  
choose to call it expediency2 others1   
the will of ,god2 and others still1 the 
constitution of things4 ,these views1   
when reduced to their elements1 are the 
same1 call them by what names we may4   
,we may obviously divide these laws into
 three classes4 ,the first series we    

call physical laws1 or those which act  
upon the material universe1 and upon    
ourselves as a part of that universe4   
,the second we call organic1 or those   
which regulate the origin1 growth1      
well-being and dissolution of organized 
beings4 ,the last1 denominated moral1   
act chiefly on the intellectual         
universe4 ,they are founded on our      
relations to the sentient universe and  
,god4  ,we infer from analogy1 that     
these laws always have been1 are1 and   
always will be1 invariably the same2 and
 that they prevail alike in every       
portion of ,god's universe4 ,we so      
judge1 because we believe the existing  
order of things to be the wisest and the
 best4 ,we know that the physical laws  
actually do prevail alike in every part 
of our world1 and as far beyond it1 as  
the highest helps of astronomy can aid  
our researches into the depths of       
immensity4 ,is it not probable1 that if 
we could investigate the system1 as far 
as the utmost stretch of thought1 we    

should find no point1 where the laws of 
gravity1 light1 heat and motion do not  
prevail2 where the sentient beings are  
not restricted to the same moral        
relations1 as in our world8 ,wherever   
the empire of science has extended1 we  
note these laws equally prevalent1 in a 
molecule and a world1 and from the      
lowest order of sentient beings up to   
man4 ,the arrangement of the great      
whole1 it should seem1 must be a single 
emanation from the same wisdom and will1
 perfectly uniform throughout the whole 
empire4 ,what an impressive motive to   
study these laws1 and conform to them1  
is it1 to know1 that they are as        
irresistible1 as the divine power1 as   
universal1 as the divine presence1 as   
permanent as the divine existence2--that
 there is no evading them1 that no art  
can disconnect misery from transgressing
 them1 that no change of place or time1 
that not death1 nor any transformation  
which our conscious being can undergo1  
will1 during the revolutions of         

eternity1 dispense any more with the    
necessity of observing these laws1 than 
during our present transitory existence 
in clay6  ,i need not dwell a moment    
upon the proofs of the absolute identity
 of the physical laws4 ,no one need be  
told1 that a ship floats1 water         
descends1 heat warms1 and cold freezes1 
and that all physical properties of     
matter are the same over the globe4 ,we 
shall only show by a few palpable       
examples1 that our system is arranged in
 conformity to the organic laws4 ,every 
discovery in the kingdom of animated    
nature developes new instances4  ,in the
 tropical regions1 the muscular energy  
is less1 in proportion as the natural   
fertility of the soil is greater4 ,in   
colder latitudes muscular energy is     
increased2 and ruder elements1 and a    
more sterile nature1 proportion their   
claims accordingly4 ,in arctic regions  
no farinaceous food ripens4 ,sojourners 
in that climate find1 that bread and    
vegetable diet do not furnish the       

requisite nutriment2 that pure animal   
food is the only sustenance that will   
there maintain the tone of the system1  
imparting a delightful vigor and        
buoyancy of mind4 ,strange as it may    
seem1 to conform to this necessity1     
these dreary countries abound in        
infinite numbers and varieties of       
animals1 fowls and fishes4 ,the climate 
favors the drying and preserving of     
animal food1 which is thus prepared to  
sustain the inhabitants1 when nature    
imprisons the material creation in      
chains of ice1 and wraps herself up in  
her mantle of snow4 ,thus1 if we survey 
the whole globe1 the food1 climate and  
other circumstances will be found       
accommodated to the inhabitants2 and    
they1 as far as they conform to the     
organic laws1 will be found adapted to  
their climate and mode of subsistence4  
,in all positions man finds himself     
called upon1 by the clear indications of
 the organic laws1 to take that free and
 cheerful exercise1 which is calculated 

to develope vigorous muscular1 nervous  
and mental action4 ,the laborer digs1   
and the hunter chases for subsistence2  
but finds at the same time health and   
cheerfulness4 ,the penalty of the       
violation of this organic law by the    
indulgence of indolence is debility1    
enfeebled action1 both bodily and       
mental1 dyspepsia with all its horrid   
train1 and finally death4 ,on the other 
hand1 the penalty of over exertion1     
debauchery1 intemperance1 and excess of 
every species1 comes in other forms of  
disease and suffering4 ,these laws1     
though not so obviously and palpably so1
 are as invariable and inevitable1 as   
those of attraction1 or magnetism2 and  
yet the great mass of our species1 even 
in what we call enlightened and educated
 countries1 do not recognise1 and obey  
them4 ,it is in vain for them1 that1    
from age to age1 the same consequences  
have ensued1 as the eternal heralds of  
the divinity1 proclaiming to all people1
 in all languages1 that his laws carry  

their sanctions with them4 ,one of our  
most imperious duties1 then1 is to study
 these laws1 to make ourselves          
conversant with their bearing upon our  
pursuit of happiness1 that we may       
conform to them4 ,when we have become   
acquainted with their universality and  
resistless power1 we shall indulge no   
puerile hope that we may enjoy the      
present gratification of infringing     
them1 and then evade the ultimate       
consequences4 ,we shall as soon         
calculate to change condition with the  
tenants of the air and the waters1 as   
expect to divert any one of them from   
its onward course4  ,he then is wise1   
who looks round him with a searching eye
 to become fully possessed1 without the 
coloring of sophistical wishes and      
self-deceiving expectation1 of the      
actual conditions of his being2 and who1
 instead of imagining1 that the         
unchangeable courses of nature will     
conform to him1 his ignorance1 interests
 or passions1 shapes his course so as to

 conform to them4 ,he will no more      
expect1 for example1 that he can indulge
 his appetites1 give scope to his       
passions1 and yield himself to the      
seductions of life1 and escape without a
 balance of misery in consequence1 than 
he would calculate to throw himself     
unhurt1 from a mountain precipice4  ,so 
far as regards himself1 he will study   
the organic laws1 in reference to their 
bearing upon his mind1 his health1 his  
morals1 his happiness4 ,he will strive  
to be cheerful2 for he knows that it is 
a part of the constitution of things1   
that cheerfulness tends to physical and 
mental health4 ,he will accustom himself
 to exercise1 and will avoid indolence1 
because he understands that he was      
formed to be an active being1 and that  
he cannot yield to his slothful         
propensities1 without forfeiting the    
delightful feeling of energy1 and the   
power to operate upon events1 instead of
 being passively borne along by them4   
,he will be active1 that he may feel    

conscious power4 ,he will rise above the
 silent and invisible influence of      
sloth1 and will exult in a feeling of   
force and self-command1 for the same    
reasons that the eagle loves to soar    
aloft1 and look upon the sun2 because a 
sensation of power1 and a sublime       
liberty are enjoyed in the flight4 ,he  
will be temperate in the gratification  
of his appetites and passions1 because  
he is aware1 that every excessive       
indulgence strikes a balance of         
suffering against him1 which he must    
discharge soon1 or late2 and helps to   
forge a chain of habit1 that will render
 it more difficult for him to resist the
 next temptation to indulgence4 ,he will
 rise early from sleep1 because nature  
calls him to early rising1 in all her   
cheerful voices1 in the matin song of   
birds1 the balmy morning freshness and  
elasticity of the air1 and the renovated
 cry of joy from the whole animal       
creation4 ,he will do this1 because he  
has early heard complaints from all     

sides of the shortness of life1 and     
because he is sensible1 that he who     
rises every day two hours before the    
common period1 will prolong the ordinary
 duration of life by adding six years of
 the pleasantest part of existence4 ,he 
will rise early1 because next after the 
intemperate1 no human being offers a    
more unworthy spectacle1 than is        
presented by the man1 who calls himself 
rational and immortal1 who sees before  
him a greater amount of knowledge1 duty 
and happiness1 than he could hope to    
compass in a thousand years2 and who yet
 turns himself indolently from side to  
side1 during the hours of the awakening 
of nature1 enjoying only the luxury of a
 savage or a brute1 in a state of dozing
 existence little superior to the       
dreamless sleep of the grave4 ,i test   
the character of a youth of whom ,i wish
 to entertain hope1 by this criterion4  
,if he can nobly resist his             
propensities1 if he can act from reason 
against his inclinations1 if he can     

trample indolence under foot1 if he can 
always make the effort to show the      
intellectual in the ascendant over the  
animal being1 ,i note him as one1 who   
will be worthy of eminence1 whether he  
attain it or not4  ,in a word1 there is 
something of dignity and intellectual   
grandeur in the aspect of the young1 who
 live in obedience to the organic and   
moral laws1 which commands at once that 
undefined1 and almost unconscious       
estimation and respect1 which all minds 
involuntarily pay to true greatness4    
,such was the image of the poet1 when he
 delineated the angel severe in youthful
 beauty2 and such that of the ,mantuan1 
when he compares ,neptune rebuking and  
hushing the winds1 to a venerable man1  
allaying by his words of peace1 the     
uproar of an infuriated populace4  ,were
 ,i to enter into details of your       
obligations to understand and obey these
 laws1 as they relate to the various    
periods1 pursuits and duties of life1 ,i
 should offer you a volume1 instead of  

an outline1 which1 from the examples    
given1 your own thoughts can easily fill
 out4 ,but that ,i may not leave these  
momentous duties wholly untouched1 ,i   
shall dwell a moment on their bearing   
upon a most important epoch of life1 one
 which1 perhaps more than any other1    
gives the color to future years either  
of happiness or misery4  ,when the young
 reach that period1 when nature invokes 
them to assume the obligations of       
connubial life1 this knowledge and      
conformity will cause them to pause1 and
 reflect on what is before them1 and    
will interdict them from following the  
inconsiderate throng1 in entering into  
that decisive condition1 consulting no  
other lights1 than a morbid fancy1 those
 impulses which are common to all other 
animals1 or sordid calculations of      
interest4 ,they are well apprized1 that 
the declamations of satire1 and the     
bitter and common jest of all civilized 
people1 upon wedded life1 have but too  
much foundation in truth4 ,they perceive

 at a glance1 that those who with such  
views take on them the obligations of   
the conjugal state have no right to hope
 anything better than satiety1          
ill-humor1 monotonous disgust1 and the  
insupportable imprisonment of two       
persons1 in intimate and indissoluble   
partnership1 who find weariness and     
penance in being together1 who are      
reminded1 at once by the void in their  
hearts1 and their mutual inability to   
fill it1 that they must not only endure 
the pain of being chained together1 but 
feel1 that they are thus barred from a  
happier union1 partly by shame1 partly  
by public opinion1 and1 more than all1  
by the obstacles1 wisely thrown by all  
civilized nations in the way of         
obtaining divorce4 ,there can be no     
doubt1 that the common views of the     
universal unhappiness of the wedded     
state in all ,christian countries are   
the result of gross exaggeration4       
,making all allowances for errors from  
this source1 language is too feeble1 to 

delineate the countless and unutterable 
miseries1 that1 in all time since the   
institution of marriage1 as recognised  
by ,christianity1 have resulted from    
these incompatible unions1 for the      
simple reason1 that1 in this            
transaction1 of so much more moment than
 almost any other1 scarcely one of the  
parties in a thousand1 it is believed1  
takes the least note of it in relation  
to the organic and moral laws4 ,the     
young and the aged1 the feeble and the  
strong1 the healthy and the diseased1   
the beautiful and the deformed1 the mild
 and the fierce1 the intellectual and   
the purely animal1 the rich and the     
poor1 bring their incompatibilities to a
 common stock1 add ruinous excesses of  
temperament together1 unite under a     
spell1 reckless of the live-long        
consequences involved1 and arouse from a
 short trance to the conscious and sober
 sadness of waking misery4 ,to them the 
hackneyed declamations against marriage 
have a terrible import4 ,weariness1     

discontent1 ennui1 relieved only by the 
fierceness of domestic discord1 and a   
wretchedness aggravated by the          
consciousness that there is no escape   
from it1 but by death1 is the issue of a
 union consummated under illusive       
expectations of more than mortal        
happiness4 ,how many millions have found
 this to be the reality of their        
youthful dreams6 ,yet if this most      
important union is contracted under     
animal impulses1 without any regard to  
moral and intellectual considerations1  
without any investigation of the organic
 and social fitness of the case1 without
 inquiry into the compatibility1 without
 a mutual understanding of temperament1 
dispositions1 and habits2 who cannot    
foresee1 that the propensities will soon
 languish in satiety2 that repentance   
and discord and disgust and disaffection
 and loathing1 in proportion to the     
remembered raptures forever passed away1
 will rudely open the eyes of the       
parties to their real and permanent     

condition1 and that by a law as certain 
and inevitable1 as that which propels   
water down a precipice6 ,and this is not
 the darkest shade in the picture4 ,by  
the same laws children are born with the
 doubled excess of the temperaments of  
their parents2 or puny1 undeveloped and 
feeble1 or racked by all the fiercer    
passions of our nature4 ,opening their  
eyes in this scene1 which the guilty    
thoughtlessness of successive           
generations has rendered little better  
than a vast lazar house1 evil example1  
gloom1 unregulated tempers1 repining and
 misery are their first and last        
spectacles4 ,they advance into life to  
repeat the errors of their parents1 to  
make common stock of their misery anew1 
to multiply the number of the unhappy1  
or perhaps worse1 to tenant hospitals1  
and the receptacles of human ignorance  
and misery4  ,can any question be       
imagined in life1 in regard to which you
 ought so deliberately to pause1        
investigate and weigh all the bearings  

of the case8 ,and yet can any other     
important transaction be named1 upon    
which1 in this view1 so little thought  
is bestowed1 and which is entered into  
with such reckless blindness to         
consequences8 ,he1 who determines to    
respect the laws of his being1 will     
study his own temperament1 and that of  
the other party1 and weigh the excesses 
and defects1 as one convinced by the    
general analogy of animated nature1 that
 the physical and mental character1 the 
constitutional and moral temperament of 
the offspring1 in the ordinary course of
 things1 will be a compound of that of  
the parents4 ,if he find himself subject
 to any peculiar corporeal infirmity1   
hereditary tendency to disease1         
overbearing propensities towards        
indulgence1 or excess1 unbalanced       
passions1 or morbid mental obliquity1 he
 will be studiously solicitous1 that the
 other party shall not be laboring under
 similar disqualifications4 ,i may not  
follow out the subordinate details4     

,your thoughts cannot but suggest       
innumerable considerations1 that ,i pass
 in silence4 ,will any moral being1     
capable of conscientious views of the   
ultimate bearing of his actions1 dare to
 treat this subject1 all momentous as it
 is1 with unphilosophic levity and      
ridicule8 ,will any one say1 that such  
discussions ought to be pretermitted by 
a parent8 ,i affirm1 that such are not  
my notions of the obligations of decorum
 and propriety4 ,the world has been too 
long peopled with mere animals bound by 
the laws1 and doomed to the             
responsibilities of rationality1 and yet
 acting like the orders below them1     
without a capacity for finding their    
happiness4 ,if1 being men1 and          
inheriting either the privileges1 or the
 doom of men1 we will choose to consider
 ourselves merely as animals1 shall we  
dare to arraign ,providence1 or fill the
 world with murmurs1 if we enjoy not the
 peculiar pleasures of either race1 and 
are subject to the miseries of both8    

,when you are aware that such           
considerations must affect not only your
 own happiness1 or misery1 but that of  
your offspring1 a whole coming          
generation1 and the hopes of the        
regeneration and improvement of a world1
 you will be sensible1 that silence in  
such a discussion would be guilty pride4
 ,i perfectly coincide with the         
conclusions of ,combe upon this subject1
 and transcribe for your benefit an     
admirable exposition of my views from   
the notes appended to his book on the   
,constitution of ,man4  #8,it is a very 
common error1 not only among            
philosophers1 but among practical men1  
to imagine that the feelings of the mind
 are communicated to it through the     
medium of the intellect2 and1 in        
particular1 that if no indelicate       
objects reach the eyes1 or expressions  
penetrate the ears1 perfect purity will 
necessarily reign within the soul2 and1 
carrying this mistake into practice1    
they are prone to object to all         

discussion of the subjects treated of   
under the #8,organic ,laws1' in works   
designed for general use4 ,but their    
principle of reasoning is fallacious1   
and the practical result has been highly
 detrimental to society4 ,the feelings  
have existence and activity distinct    
from the intellect2 they spur it on to  
obtain their own gratification2 and it  
may become either their slave or guide1 
according as it is enlightened          
concerning their constitution and       
objects1 and the laws of nature to which
 they are subjected4 ,the most profound 
philosophers have inculcated this       
doctrine2 and1 by phrenological         
observation1 it is demonstrably         
established4 ,the organs of the feelings
 are distinct from those of the         
intellectual faculties2 they are larger2
 and1 as each faculty1 cteris paribus1  
acts with a power proportionate to the  
size of its organ1 the feelings are     
obviously the active or impelling       
powers4 ,the cerebellum1 or organ of    

,amativeness1 is the largest of the     
whole mental organs2 and1 being endowed 
with natural activity1 it fills the mind
 spontaneously with emotions and        
suggestions which may be directed1      
controlled and resisted1 in outward     
manifestation1 by intellect and moral   
sentiment1 but which cannot be prevented
 from arising nor eradicated after they 
exist4 ,the whole question1 therefore1  
resolves itself into this1 ,whether it  
is most beneficial to enlighten and     
direct that feeling1 or 7under the      
influence of an error in philosophy1 and
 false delicacy founded on it71 to      
permit it to riot in all the fierceness 
of a blind animal instinct1 withdrawn   
from the eye of reason1 but not thereby 
deprived of its vehemence and           
importunity4 ,the former course appears 
to me to be the only one consistent with
 reason and morality2 and ,i have       
adopted it in reliance on the good sense
 of my readers1 that they will at once  
discriminate between practical          

instruction concerning this feeling1    
addressed to the intellect1 and         
lascivious representations addressed to 
the mere propensity itself2 with the    
latter of which the enemies of all      
improvement may attempt to confound my  
observations4 ,every function of the    
mind and body is instituted by the      
,creator2 all may be abused2 and it is  
impossible regularly to avoid abuse of  
them1 except by being instructed in     
their nature1 objects1 and relations4   
,this instruction ought to be addressed 
exclusively to the intellect2 and when  
it is so1 it is science of the most     
beneficial description4 ,the propriety1 
nay1 necessity1 of acting on this       
principle1 becomes more and more        
apparent1 when it is considered that the
 discussions of the text suggest only   
intellectual ideas to individuals in    
whom the feeling in question is         
naturally weak1 and that such minds     
perceive no indelicacy in knowledge     
which is calculated to be useful2 while1

 on the other hand1 persons in whom the 
feeling is naturally strong1 are        
precisely those who stand in need of    
direction1 and to whom1 of all others1  
instruction is the most necessary4'  ,no
 art in these days is better understood1
 by those who have found their interest 
in investigating the subject1 than that 
of improving the races of the lower     
animals4 ,every species1 upon which the 
effort has been made1 has been found    
perfectly subservient to the art4 ,the  
desirable forms and qualities are       
selected1 and the proper means of       
improvement applied4 ,the wished result 
is not obtained to its full extent in   
the first generation2 but a uniform     
approximation commences2 and every      
successive amelioration brings the      
animal nearer to the requisite standard4
 ,the whole art is founded on           
observation of the organic laws of the  
races1 and the general fact1 that the   
instincts1 qualities1 temperament1 form 
and color of the animals are hereditary1

 and transmissible4 ,these are truths so
 well known1 that the grazier1 and the  
shepherd apply them constantly in       
rearing their domestic animals4 ,shall  
they be disregarded1 when it becomes    
known1 that they bear equally upon the  
improvement of man1 next in dignity to  
angels8 ,shall these considerations rear
 a nobler race of animals1 and1 by      
overlooking them1 shall man alone be    
consigned to degradation8     ,,letter  
,,iii4  ,,the ,,same ,,subject          
,,continued4   ,i proceed to examples   
and developments of the doctrine1       
chiefly insisted upon in the former     
letter4 ,i draw them chiefly from ,mr   
,combe1 premising1 that they exactly    
coincide with views which you cannot but
 remember to have heard me advance1     
before ,i had read his book on the      
constitution of man4 ,it is a law of the
 animal creation1 that not only the     
natural but even the acquired qualities 
are transmitted by parents to their     
offspring2 and man1 as an organized     

being1 is subject to laws similar to    
those which govern the organization of  
the lower animals4 #8,children1' says   
,dr ,pritchard1 #8resemble in feature   
and constitution both parents2 but ,i   
think more generally the father4'       
,changes produced by external causes in 
the constitution and appearance of the  
individual are temporary2 and1 in       
general1 acquired characters are        
transient1 terminating with the         
individual1 and having no influence on  
the progeny4 ,the mental development of 
the ,circassian race is known to be of  
the highest order4 ,the nobles of       
,persia are children of ,circassian     
mothers1 and they are remarkable1 in    
that country1 for their mental and      
corporeal superiority over the other    
classes4 ,every one acquainted with the 
condition of our southern slaves1 well  
understands the obvious fact1 that the  
mulattoes are much superior1 in         
quickness and capability of acquiring   
and retaining knowledge1 to the negroes4

 ,the ,indian half-breeds are remarkable
 for the immediate ascendency1 which    
they acquire in their tribes over the   
full-blooded ,indians4 ,in oriental     
,india1 the intermarriages of the       
,hindoos with ,europeans have produced  
an intermediate race much superior to   
the natives1 and destined1 it is already
 predicted1 to be the future sovereigns 
of ,india4 ,in fact1 physiology has     
deduced no conclusion more certain1 than
 that1 in ordinary cases1 the           
temperament and intellect of the        
children are a compound of that of their
 parents4 ,of this ,i might produce     
innumerable instances from history of   
the ,alexanders1 ,csars1 and ,antonines1
 the distinguished great and wise1 of   
ancient and modern times2 and equally1  
in the opposite direction1 in the ,neros
 and ,caligulas1 the depraved and       
abandoned of all ages and countries1    
where observation has been able to trace
 their parentage4  ,one of the most     
fertile sources of human misery1 then1  

arises from persons uniting in marriage1
 whose tempers1 talents and dispositions
 do not harmonize4 ,if it be true that  
natural talents and dispositions are    
connected by the ,creator with          
particular constitutions of the parents1
 it is obviously one of his             
institutions1 that these constitutions  
should be most seriously taken into the 
calculation in forming a compact for    
life4 ,the ,creator1 having formed such 
ordinances in the unchangeable          
arrangements of nature1 as to confer    
happiness1 when they are discovered and 
observed1 and misery1 when they are     
unknown or unobserved1 it is obviously  
our best wisdom to investigate and      
respect them4 ,if individuals1 after    
this truth reaches their conviction     
should go on1 in imitation of the common
 example1 to form reckless connexions1  
which can only eventuate in sorrow1 it  
is obvious that they must do so either  
from contempt of the effects of this    
influence upon the happiness of domestic

 life1 and a secret belief1 that they   
may in some way evade its consequences1 
or from the predominance of avarice1 or 
some other animal feeling1 precluding   
them from yielding obedience to what    
they see to be an institution of the    
,creator4  ,at the first aspect of this 
subject three alternatives are          
presented1 one of which1 it should seem1
 must have a determining power upon the 
offspring4 ,either1 in the first place1 
the corporeal and mental constitution1  
which the parents themselves inherit at 
birth1 are transmitted so absolutely1 as
 that the children are exact copies of  
the parents1 without variation or       
modification1 sex following sex2 or1 in 
the second place1 the inherent qualities
 of the father and mother combine1 and  
are transmitted in a modified form to   
the offspring2 or1 thirdly1 the         
qualities of the children are determined
 jointly by the constitution of the     
parents1 and the faculties and          
temperaments1 which predominated in     

power and energy at the particular      
period1 when the organic existence of   
the child commenced4  ,if these views   
are correct1 and if a man and woman     
about to marry1 have not only their own 
domestic happiness but that of five or  
more human beings depending on their    
attention to considerations essentially 
the same as the foregoing1 how          
differently ought this contract to be   
viewed from the common aspect1 which it 
presents to persons assuming its solemn 
stipulations6 ,yet it is astonishing1 to
 what extent pecuniary and other minor  
considerations will induce men to       
investigate and observe the natural     
laws2 and how small an influence moral  
and rational considerations exert upon  
this most important of all earthly      
connexions4  ,i cannot forbear1 under   
this head1 quoting entire another       
passage from the author1 from whom ,i   
have substantially drawn many of the    
foregoing observations4  #8,rules1      
however1 are best taught by examples2   

and ,i shall1 therefore1 proceed to     
mention some facts that have fallen     
under my own notice1 or been            
communicated to me from authentic       
sources1 illustrative of the practical  
consequences of infringing the law of   
hereditary descent4  #8,a man1 aged     
about fifty1 possessed a brain1 in which
 the animal1 moral1 and knowing         
intellectual organs were all strong1 but
 the reflecting weak4 ,he was pious1 but
 destitute of education2 he married an  
unhealthy young woman1 deficient in     
moral development1 but of considerable  
force of character2 and several children
 were born4 ,the father and mother were 
far from being happy2 and1 when the     
children attained to eighteen or twenty 
years of age1 they were adepts in every 
species of immorality and profligacy2   
they picked their father's pockets1     
stole his goods1 and got them sold back 
to him1 by accomplices1 for money1 which
 was spent in betting and cock-fighting1
 drinking1 and low debauchery4 ,the     

father was heavily grieved2 but knowing 
only two resources1 he beat the children
 severely as long as he was able1 and   
prayed for them2 his words were1 that   
8if1 after that1 it pleased the ,lord to
 make vessels of wrath of them1 the     
,lord's will must just be done40 ,i     
mention this last observation1 not in   
jest1 but in great seriousness4 ,it was 
impossible not to pity the unhappy      
father2 yet who that sees the           
institutions of the ,creator to be in   
themselves wise1 but in this instance to
 have been directly violated1 will not  
acknowledge that the bitter pangs of the
 poor old man were the consequences of  
his own ignorance2 and that it was an   
erroneous view of the divine            
administration1 which led him to        
overlook his own mistakes1 and to       
attribute to the ,almighty the purpose  
of making vessels of wrath of his       
children1 as the only explanation which 
he could give of their wicked           
dispositions4 ,who that sees the cause  

of his misery must not lament that his  
piety should not have been enlightened  
by philosophy1 and directed to          
obedience1 in the first instance1 to the
 organic institutions of the ,creator1  
as one of the prescribed conditions1    
without observance of which he had no   
title to expect a blessing upon his     
offspring4  #8,in another instance1 a   
man1 in whom the animal organs1         
particularly those of ,combativeness and
 ,destructiveness1 were very large1 but 
with a pretty fair moral and            
intellectual development1 married1      
against her inclination1 a young woman1 
fashionably and showily educated1 but   
with a very decided deficiency in       
,conscientiousness4 ,they soon became   
unhappy1 and even blows were said to    
have passed between them1 although they 
belonged to the middle rank of life4    
,the mother1 in this case1 employed the 
children to deceive and plunder the     
father1 and1 latterly1 spent the produce
 in drink4 ,the sons inherited the      

deficient morality of the mother1 and   
the ill temper of the father4 ,the      
family fireside became a theatre of war1
 and1 before the sons attained a        
majority1 the father was glad to get    
them removed from his house1 as the only
 means by which he could feel even his  
life in safety from their violence2 for 
they had by that time retaliated the    
blows with which he had visited them in 
their younger years2 and he stated that 
he actually considered his life to be in
 danger from his own offspring4  #8,in  
another family1 the mother possesses an 
excellent development of the moral and  
intellectual organs1 while1 in the      
father1 the animal organs predominate in
 great excess4 ,she has been the unhappy
 victim of ceaseless misfortune1        
originating from the misconduct of her  
husband4 ,some of the children have     
inherited the father's brain1 and some  
the mother's2 and of the sons whose     
heads resembled the father's1 several   
have died through mere debauchery and   

profligacy under thirty years of age2   
whereas1 those who resemble the mother  
are alive and little contaminated1 even 
amidst all the disadvantages of evil    
example4  #8,on the other hand1 ,i am   
not acquainted with a single instance in
 which the moral and intellectual organs
 predominated in size1 in both father   
and mother1 and whose external          
circumstances also permitted their      
general activity1 in which the whole    
children did not partake of a moral and 
intellectual character1 differing       
slightly in degrees of excellence one   
from another1 but all presenting the    
decided predominance of the human over  
the animal faculties4  #8,there are     
well-known examples of the children of  
religious and moral fathers exhibiting  
dispositions of a very inferior         
description2 but in all of these        
instances that ,i have been able to     
observe1 there has been a large         
development of the animal organs in the 
one parent1 which was just controlled1  

but not much more1 by the moral and     
intellectual powers2 and in the other   
parent1 the moral organs did not appear 
to be in large proportion4 ,the         
unfortunate child inherited the large   
animal development of the one1 with the 
defective moral development of the      
other2 and1 in this way1 was inferior to
 both4 ,the way to satisfy one's self on
 this point1 is to examine the heads of 
the parents4 ,in all such cases1 a large
 base of the brain1 which is the region 
of the animal propensities1 will very   
probably be found in one or other of    
them4  #8,another organic law of the    
animal kingdom deserves attention2 viz4 
that by which marriages betwixt blood   
relations tend decidedly to the         
deterioration of the physical and mental
 qualities of the offspring4 ,in ,spain1
 kings marry their nieces1 and1 in this 
country1 first and second cousins marry 
without scruple2 although every         
philosophical physiologist will declare 
that this is in direct opposition to the

 institutions of nature4 ,this law holds
 also in the vegetable kingdom4 8,a     
provision1 of a very simple kind1 is1 in
 some cases1 made to prevent the male   
and female blossoms of the same plant   
from breeding together1 this being found
 to hurt the breed of vegetables1 just  
as breeding in and in does the breed of 
animals4 ,it is contrived1 that the dust
 shall be shed by the male blossom      
before the female is ready to be        
affected by it1 so that the impregnation
 must be performed by the dust of some  
other plant1 and in this way the breed  
be crossed40'  ,such considerations1 ,i 
hope1 will induce you to exercise       
cautious examination of this subject1 if
 either of you should ever be placed in 
circumstances to contemplate assuming   
the duties of the wedded life4 ,if you  
do not1 you will have cast the pursuit  
of happiness upon the die of chance at  
the very outset of your career4 ,allow  
me1 before ,i dismiss the book1 from    
which ,i have already so liberally      

quoted1 to extract one passage more1    
touching the application of the natural 
laws to the practical arrangements of   
life4  #8,if a system of living and     
occupation were to be framed for human  
beings1 founded on the exposition of    
their nature1 which ,i have now given1  
it would be something like this4        
#8#ast4 ,so many hours a day would      
require to be dedicated by every        
individual in health1 to the exercise of
 his nervous and muscular systems1 in   
labor calculated to give scope to these 
functions4 ,the reward of obeying this  
requisite of his nature would be health1
 and a joyous animal existence2 the     
punishment of neglect is disease1 low   
spirits and death4  #8#b;dly4 ,so many  
hours a day should be spent in the      
sedulous employment of the knowing and  
reflecting faculties2 in studying the   
qualities of external objects1 and their
 relations2 also the nature of all      
animated beings1 and their relations2   
not with the view of accumulating mere  

abstract and barren knowledge1 but of   
enjoying the positive pleasure of mental
 activity1 and of turning every         
discovery to account1 as a means of     
increasing happiness1 or alleviating    
misery4 ,the leading object should      
always be to find out the relationship  
of every object to our own nature1      
organic1 animal1 moral1 and             
intellectual1 and to keep that          
relationship habitually in mind1 so as  
to render our acquirements directly     
gratifying to our various faculties4    
,the reward of this conduct would be an 
incalculably great increase of pleasure1
 in the very act of acquiring knowledge 
of the real properties of external      
objects1 together with a great accession
 of power in reaping ulterior           
advantages1 and in avoiding disagreeable
 affections4  #8#c;dly4 ,so many hours a
 day ought to be devoted to the         
cultivation and gratification of our    
moral sentiments2 that is to say1 in    
exercising these in harmony with        

intellect1 and especially in acquiring  
the habit of admiring1 loving1 and      
yielding obedience to the ,creator and  
his institutions4 ,this last object is  
of vast importance4 ,intellect is barren
 of practical fruit1 however rich it may
 be in knowledge1 until it is fired and 
prompted to act by moral sentiment4 ,in 
my view1 knowledge by itself is         
comparatively worthless and impotent1   
compared with what it becomes when      
vivified by elevated emotions4 ,it is   
not enough that intellect is informed2  
the moral faculties must simultaneously 
cooperate2 yielding obedience to the    
precepts which the intellect recognises 
to be true4 ,one way of cultivating the 
sentiments would be for men to meet and 
act together1 on the fixed principles   
which ,i am now endeavoring to unfold1  
and to exercise on each other in mutual 
instruction1 and in united adoration of 
the great and glorious ,creator1 the    
several faculties of ,benevolence1      
,veneration1 ,hope1 ,ideality1 ,wonder1 

and ,justice4 ,the reward of acting in  
this manner would be a communication of 
direct and intense pleasure to each     
other2 for ,i refer to every individual 
who has ever had the good fortune to    
pass a day or an hour with a really     
benevolent1 pious1 honest1 and          
intellectual man1 whose soul swelled    
with adoration of his ,creator1 whose   
intellect was replenished with knowledge
 of his works1 and whose whole mind was 
instinct with sympathy for human        
happiness1 whether such a day did not   
afford him the most pure1 elevated1 and 
lasting gratification he ever enjoyed4  
,such an exercise1 besides1 would       
invigorate the whole moral and          
intellectual powers1 and fit them to    
discover and obey the divine            
institutions4'  ,you will study1 and    
obey the moral laws of the universe1 of 
which you are a part1 because you are   
moral beings1 and because obedience to  
these laws constitutes the tie of       
affinity between you1 the higher orders 

of being and the divinity4 ,you will    
respect them1 because it is the glory of
 your nature1 that you alone1 of all    
creatures below1 are morally subject to 
them4 ,laying out of the question their 
momentous sanctions in the eternal      
future1 you must be aware1 that the     
,creator has annexed pleasure to obeying
 them1 and pain to their violation as   
inevitably1 as gravity belongs to       
matter4 ,one would think1 it must be    
enough to determine the conduct of a    
being1 who laid claim to the character  
of rational1 to know1 that no art nor   
dexterity1 that no repentance nor return
 to obedience1 can avert the            
consequences of a single violation of   
these laws2 and that no imaginable      
present good can counterbalance the     
future misery1 that must accrue in      
consequence4  ,in regard1 for example1  
to the practice of the most common and  
every day duties1 who can doubt the     
truth of the trite adage1 honesty is the
 best policy8 ,this is1 in effect1 no   

more than saying1 that the moral laws of
 the universe are constituted upon such 
principles1 as to make it every man's   
interest to obey them4 ,it is as        
certain1 that they are so constituted1  
as that fire will burn1 or water drown  
you2 and when you understand this       
constitution1 it marks the same want of 
a sane mind to violate them1 as to be   
unable to keep out of these elements4   
,yet the greater portion of the species 
do not constantly act upon a full belief
 in this hackneyed maxim4 ,they think   
apparently1 that they can in some way   
obtain the imagined advantage of        
dishonesty and evade the connected evil1
 not aware1 that detection and          
diminished confidence may be avoided1   
for once or twice2 but not the loss of  
self-respect1 the pureness and integrity
 of internal principle1 the certainty of
 forging the first link in a chain of   
bad habits1 and a thousand painful      
consequences1 which it would be easy to 
enumerate in detail4 ,almost every one  

deems that he may safely put forth every
 day false compliment1 double-dealing1  
deception on a small scale1 and little  
frauds1 not cognisable by any law or    
code of honor4 ,in a word1 if actions   
are a test of the sincerity of          
conviction1 very few really are         
convinced that honesty is the best      
policy4  ,we hold the man insane who    
should leap from a high building upon   
the pavement1 or attempt to grapple with
 the blind power of the elements4 ,but  
it is scarcely the subject of our       
remark1 that the multitude about us1 in 
the most important1 as well as the      
minute concerns of life1 live in        
habitual recklessness or violation of   
the organic and moral laws2 and yet we  
certainly know1 that whoever infringes  
them is as sure to pay the penalty1 as  
he who madly places himself in          
opposition to the material laws4 ,i can 
never present this astonishing and      
universal blindness in too many forms of
 repetition1 if the effect is to bring  

you to view these two species of folly  
in the same light4  ,the reason clearly 
is1 that in too many instances1 men take
 no pains to acquaint themselves with   
these laws1 and their bearing upon the  
constitution of man2 or1 deceived by the
 clamors of the inclinations1 and the   
illusions of present pleasure and       
advantage1 when balanced with future and
 remote penalties1 they commit the      
infractions1 and hope1 that between the 
certain pleasure and the distant and    
contingent pain1 they can interpose some
 evasion1 and sever the consequences    
from the fault4 ,the expectation always 
ends1 like the alchymist's dream1 and   
the projector's perpetual motion4 ,even 
in the apprehension of the consequences1
 the mind is paying the penalty of an   
unquiet conscience1 and of an abatement 
of self-confidence1 and self-respect1   
penalties1 which very few earthly       
pleasures can compensate4  ,when ,i     
speak of these unchangeable laws1 as    
emanations from the divine wisdom and   

goodness1 as transcripts of the divine  
immutability1 and as being the best of  
all possible arrangements1 not to be    
superseded1 or turned from their course 
by the wisest of beings1 you will not   
understand me to bear upon the consoling
 and scriptural doctrine of providence4 
,i firmly believe1 and trust in it2 not1
 however1 in the popular view4 ,it would
 not increase my veneration for the     
,almighty1 to suppose that his laws     
required exceptions and variations1 to  
meet particular cases2 nor that they    
would call for frequent suspensions and 
changes1 to provide for contingencies   
not foreseen at the commencement of the 
mighty movements4 ,such are not the     
grounds of my trust in the wisdom and   
goodness of the ,supreme ,being4 ,i     
neither desire1 nor expect any deviation
 of laws1 as wise and good as they can  
be1 in their general operation1 to meet 
my particular wishes1 or those of the   
friends most dear to me4 ,i expect1 that
 none of the powers of nature will      

change for me2 ,i encourage no insane   
hopes1 that things will forego their    
tendencies to meet my conveniences or   
pleasures4 ,prayer is a duty equally    
comforting and elevating2 but my prayers
 are not1 that these fixed laws of the  
divine wisdom may change for me2 but    
that ,i may understand and conform to   
them4 ,the providence1 in which ,i      
believe1 supposes no exceptions1        
infringements1 or violations of the     
universal plan of the divine government4
 ,miracles only seem such to us1 because
 we see but a link or two in the endless
 chain of that plan4 ,an ingenious      
mechanician constructs a clock1 which   
will run many years1 and only once in   
the whole period strike an alarm bell4  
,it is a miracle to those who comprehend
 not1 that it was part of the original  
plan of the mechanician4 ,may we not    
with more probability adopt the same    
reasoning1 in relation to the recorded  
miracles1 as parts of the original plan 
of the ,eternal8  ,piety1 established   

upon a knowledge of these laws1 and a   
respect for them1 and associated with   
veneration for their author1 is         
rational1 consistent1 firm and manly4   
,it seeks1 it expects nothing in the    
puerile presumption1 that the ordinances
 of a code1 fitted for the whole system 
of the ,creator1 will be wrested to the 
wants of an insect4 ,in docility and    
meekness it labors for conformity to    
those ordinances2 in other words1 to the
 divine will4 ,it violates no principle1
 and calls for the exercise of no faith1
 that is repugnant to the dictates of   
common sense1 and the teaching of common
 observation4 ,piety1 founded on such   
views1 abides the scrutiny of the       
severest investigation4 ,no vacillation 
of the mind from varying fortunes1 no   
questionings of unbelief1 doubt and     
despair1 can shake it4 ,it rests firmly 
on the basis of the divine attributes4  
,it holds fast to the golden chain1 the 
last link of which is riveted to the    
throne of the ,eternal4  ,thus it seems 

to me indispensable1 as a pre-requisite 
to the pursuit of happiness1 that the   
inquirer should hold large discourse    
with the physical1 organic and moral    
laws2 that he should carefully          
investigate their whole bearing upon his
 constitution2 that he should trace all 
their influences on him from the first  
hour1 in which he opens his eyes on the 
light1 to his departure out of life4 ,i 
insist the more earnestly upon this1    
because in these days the study of the  
moral relations of things seems to me   
comparatively abandoned4 ,the exact and 
natural sciences are studied1 rather1 it
 would seem1 as an end1 than a means4   
,natural philosophy1 mathematics and    
astronomy may be highly useful2 but who 
will compare these sciences1 in regard  
to their utility and importance1 with   
those1 which guide the mind to their    
author1 which teach the knowledge of his
 moral laws1 which instruct us how to   
allay the passions1 to moderate our     
expectations1 and to establish morality 

on the basis of our regard to our own   
happiness8  ,if1 then1 you would give   
yourself to the patient study of the    
natural sciences1 that you may gain     
reputation and the ability to be useful1
 much more earnestly will you study     
regimen1 exercise1 temperance1          
moderation1 cheerfulness1 the benefits  
of a balanced mind1 and of a wise and   
philosophic conformity to an order of   
things1 not a tittle of which you can   
change1 that you may be resigned1 useful
 and happy4 ,all knowledge1 which cannot
 be turned to this account1 either as   
relates to yourselves1 or others1 is    
useless4  ,innumerable counsels1 in     
relation to your habits1 your pleasures 
and pursuits1 your studies1 your tastes 
and modes of conduct1 your beau idal of 
natural and moral beauty1 your standard 
of dignity and worth of character1 press
 upon my mind1 and all in some way      
connected with the views1 which ,i have 
just taken4 ,but ,i shall be able to    
present such of them as ,i may deem     

worthy to find a place in these letters1
 perhaps with most propriety and effect1
 as suggested in the form of notes,b    
appended to the chapters of the essay of
 ,m4 ,droz1 a paraphrase of which ,i now
 offer you4     ,,letter ,,iv4          
,,general ,,views ,,of ,,the ,,subject4 
,man is created to be happy4#a ,his     
desires and the wisdom of the ,creator  
concur to prove the assertion4 ,yet the 
earth resounds with the complaints of   
the unhappy1 although they are          
encompassed with the means of enjoyment1
 of which they appear to know neither   
the value nor the use4 ,they resemble   
the shipwrecked mariner1 on a desert    
isle1 surrounded with fruits1 of the    
flavors and properties of which he is   
ignorant1 as he is doubtful whether they
 offer aliment or poison4  ,i was early 
impelled to investigate the character   
and motives of the crowd around me1     
eagerly rushing forward in pursuit of   
happiness4 ,i soon noted multitudes     
relinquishing the chase in indolent     

despondency4 ,they affirmed to me that  
they no longer believed in the existence
 of happiness4 ,i felt an insatiate     
craving1 and saw life through the       
illusive coloring of youth4 ,unwilling  
to resign my hopes1 ,i inquired of      
others1 who seemed possessed of greater 
strength of mind1 and more weight of    
character1 if they could guide me to the
 place of happiness8 ,some answered with
 an ill-concealed smile of derision1 and
 others with bitterness4 ,they declared 
that in their view the pleasures of life
 were more than counterbalanced by its  
pains4 ,because they were disappointed  
and discouraged1 they deemed that their 
superior wisdom had enabled them to     
strip off the disguises of life1 and    
contemplate it with sullen resignation4 
,i remarked others in high places1 whose
 restless activity and brilliance       
dazzled the multitude and inspired envy4
 ,i eagerly asked of them the secret of 
happiness4 ,too proud and self-satisfied
 to dissemble1 they made little effort  

to conceal their principles4 ,i saw     
their hearts contracted by the vileness 
of egotism1 and devoured with           
measureless ambition4 ,a faithful       
scrutiny1 which penetrated beyond their 
dazzling exterior1 showed me the        
righteous reaction of their principles1 
and convinced me that they suffered     
according to their deserts4  ,weary and 
disheartened1 ,i left them1 and repaired
 to the class of stern and austere      
moralists4 ,they represented the world  
to me as a melancholy and mysterious    
valley1 through which the sojourner     
passes1 groaning on his way to the      
grave4 ,their doctrines inspired me at  
once with sadness and terror4 ,i soon   
resumed the elastic confidence of youth1
 and replied1 #8,i will never believe   
that the ,author of my being1 who has   
imaged in my heart such pure and        
tranquil pleasures1 who has rendered man
 capable of chaste love1 and of         
friendship in its sanctity1 who has     
formed us innocent before we could      

practise virtue1 and who has connected  
the salutary bitterness of repentance   
with errors1 has unalterably willed our 
misery4'  ,thence ,i passed to the      
opposite extreme1 and accosted a gay and
 reckless throng1 whose deportment      
showed that they had found the object of
 my pursuit4 ,i discovered them to be   
fickle by character1 and vacillating    
from indifference4 ,they had only       
escaped the errors of the moralists1 by 
substituting1 in place of their austere 
maxims1 enjoyments without any regard to
 consequences4 ,i asked them to point me
 to happiness4 ,without comprehending   
the import of my question1 they offered 
me participation in their pleasures4    
,but ,i saw them prodigal of life1      
dissipating years in a few days1 and    
reserving the remnant of their existence
 for unavailing repentance4#b  ,in view 
of so many observations1 ,i abandoned   
the idea of guiding my researches by the
 counsels of others2 and began to       
inquire for the secret in my own bosom4 

,i heard the multitude around me        
complaining1 in disappointment and      
discouragement4 ,i resolved1 that ,i    
would not commence the pursuit of       
happiness by servilely following in     
their beaten path4 ,i determined to     
reflect1 and patiently investigate a    
subject of so much moment4 ,i detected  
at once the error of the common         
impression1 that pleasure and happiness 
are the same4 ,the former1 fickle and   
fleeting1 assumes forms as various as   
human caprice2 and its most attractive  
charm is novelty4 ,the object which     
gives it birth today1 ceases to please1 
or inspires disgust tomorrow4 ,the      
perception of happiness is not thus     
changeable and transient4 ,it creates   
the consciousness of an existence so    
tranquil and satisfying1 that the longer
 we experience it1 the more we desire to
 prolong its duration4  ,another        
mistaken1 though common impression is1  
that the more profoundly we reflect1 and
 make the pursuit of happiness a study1 

the less we shall be likely to enjoy4   
,this is an error not only in regard to 
happiness1 but even pleasure4 ,if it be 
innocent and exempt from danger1 to     
analyze it1 and reason upon it1 so far  
from diminishing1 prolongs the delight1 
and renders it higher4 ,without         
reflection we only skim its surface2 we 
do not penetrate1 and enjoy it4  ,let us
 observe the few1 who have acquired the 
wisdom to enjoy that existence1 which   
the multitude waste4 ,in their festal   
unions of friendship1 let us mark the   
development of their desire to multiply 
the happy moments of life4 ,by what     
ingenious and pleasant discussions do   
they heighten the charms of their       
condition6 ,with what delicacy of tact  
do they analyze their enjoyments1 to    
taste them with a more prolonged and    
exquisite relish6 ,with what skill do   
they discipline themselves sometimes to 
efface the images of the future1 that   
nothing may embitter1 or distract their 
relish of the present2 and sometimes to 

invoke remembrances and hopes1 to impart
 to it still brighter embellishments6   
,contrary to the prevalent impression1  
,i therefore deem that1 to reflect much 
upon it1 is one of the wisest means in  
the pursuit of happiness4 ,the first    
analysis of reflection1 it is true1     
dispels the charm with which youth      
invests existence4 ,it forces the       
conviction upon us1 that the pleasures  
of life are less durable1 and its forms 
more numerous and prolonged1 than we had
 anticipated4 ,the first result of the  
process is discouragement4 ,but1 as we  
continue to reflect1 objects change     
their aspect a second time4 ,the evils  
which at the first glance seemed so     
formidable1 lose a portion of their     
terrific semblance2 and the fleeting    
pleasures of existence receive new      
attractions from their analogy to human 
weakness4  ,they mistake1 too1 who      
suppose that the art on which ,i write  
has never been taught4 ,the sages of    
,greece investigated the science of     

happiness as eloquently and profoundly1 
as they studied the other sciences4     
,they wisely held the latter in         
estimation only so far as they were     
subservient to the former4 ,in all      
succeeding ages there have arisen a few 
thinking men1 who have regarded all     
their faculties1 their advantages of    
nature and fortune1 their studies and   
acquirements1 not as ends in themselves1
 but as means conducive to the right    
pursuit of happiness4  ,so long a period
 has elapsed since this has been a      
subject of investigation1 that when the 
opinion is advanced that this pursuit   
may be successfully conducted by system1
 its rules reduced to an art1 and thus  
become assimilated to those of the other
 arts1 most men are utterly             
incredulous4#c ,no truth1 however1 is   
more simple4 ,to attain to a knowledge  
of the rules1 it is only requisite1 as  
in the other arts1 that there should be 
natural dispositions for the study1     
favorable circumstances1 and an         

assiduous investigation of the precepts4
  ,the influence of fortunate           
dispositions for this study is chiefly  
discernible in men of marked and        
energetic character4 ,some are endowed  
by nature with such firmness and force  
of character1 that misfortune cannot    
shake them4 ,it slides1 if ,i may so    
speak1 over the surface of their stoical
 hearts1 and the shock of adversity     
inspires them almost with a sort of     
pleasure1 calling forth the conscious   
feeling of power and independence for   
resistance4 ,but we observe the greater 
number shrinking from affliction1 and   
even images of sadness1 enjoying the    
present without apparent consciousness1 
and forgetting the past without regret4 
,always fickle and frivolous1 they evade
 suffering by recklessness and gayety4  
,the most perfect organization for      
happiness#d imparts at the same time    
great force to resist the pains of life1
 and keen sensibility to enjoy its      
pleasures4 ,i am aware that great energy

 and quick sensibility are generally    
supposed to be incompatible qualities2  
,i have1 nevertheless1 often seen them  
united4 ,i would lay down precepts1 by  
which to obtain the combination4 ,by a  
more perfect education1 it is hoped     
that1 in the ages to come1 this union   
may become general4  ,perhaps some will 
ask1 if he who thus assumes to teach the
 art of happiness has himself learned to
 be constantly happy8 ,endowed with a   
moderate share of philosophy1 and aided 
by favorable circumstances1 ,i have thus
 far found the pleasures of life greatly
 overbalancing its pains4 ,but who can  
hope felicity without alloy8 ,i would   
not conceal that ,i have had my share of
 inquietudes and regrets2 and ,i have   
sometimes forgotten my principles4 ,i   
resemble the pilot1 who gives lessons   
upon his art after more than one        
shipwreck4     ,,letter ,v4  ,,our      
,,desires4   ,whence are our most common
 sufferings8 ,from desires which surpass
 our ability to satisfy them4 ,the      

ancients relate1 that ,oromazes appeared
 to ,usbeck1 the virtuous1 and said1    
#8form a wish1 and ,i will grant it4'   
#8,source of light1' replied the sage1  
#8,i only wish to limit my desires by   
those things1 which nature has rendered 
indispensable4'#f  ,let us not suppose1 
however1 that a negative happiness1 a   
condition exempt from suffering1 is the 
most fortunate condition to which we may
 aspire4 ,they who contend for this     
gloomy system1 have but poorly studied  
the nature of man4 ,if he errs in       
desiring positive enjoyments1 if his    
highest aim ought to be1 to live free   
from pain1 the caves of the forest      
conceal those happy beings whom we ought
 to choose for our models4  ,bounded by 
the present1 animals sleep1 eat1        
procreate1 live without inquietude1 and 
die without regret3 and this is the     
perfection of negative happiness4 ,man1 
it is true1 loses himself in vain       
projects4 ,his long remembrances1 his   
keen foresight create him suffering in  

the past and the future4 ,his           
imagination brings forth errors1 his    
liberty1 crimes4 ,but the abuse of his  
faculties does not disprove their       
excellence4 ,let him consecrate to      
directing them aright1 that time which  
he has hitherto lost in mourning over   
their aberrations1 and he will have     
reason to be grateful to the ,creator1  
for having given him the most exalted   
rank among sublunary beings4 ,if1 on the
 other hand1 he chooses to abandon that 
rank1 of which he ought to be proud1 he 
will degrade his immortal nature at his 
own cost2 and will only add to his other
 evils the shame of wishing to render   
himself vile4  ,let us examine those    
animals1 the instincts of which have the
 nearest relation to intelligence4 ,not 
one of them takes possession of the     
paternal heritage1 increases it1 and    
transmits it to posterity4 ,man alone   
does this1 improves his condition and   
his kind1 and in this is essentially    
distinct from all other beings below4   

,from the ,eternal to him1 and from him 
to animals the chain is twice broken4   
,for man1 the absence of suffering and a
 negative happiness are not sufficient4 
,his noble faculties refuse the repose  
of indifference4 ,created to aspire to  
whatever may be an element of enjoyment1
 let him cherish his desires1 and let   
them indicate to him the path of        
happiness2 too fortunate1 if they do not
 entice him towards objects1 which      
retire in proportion as he struggles to 
attain them1 and towards those imaginary
 joys1 of which the deceitful possession
 is more fertile in regrets than in     
pleasures4  ,far from being the austere 
censor of desires1 ,i admit1 that they  
often produce charming illusions4 ,what 
loveliness have they not spread over our
 spring of life6 ,our imagination at    
that time1 as brilliant and as vivid as 
our age1 embellished the whole universe1
 and every position in which our lot    
might one day place us4 ,we were        
occupied with errors2 but they were     

happy errors2 and to desire was to      
enjoy4  ,those enchanting dreams1 which 
hold such a delightful place in the life
 of every man1 whose imagination is gay 
and creative1 spring from our desires4  
,ingenious fictions6 ,prolific visions6 
,while ye cradle us1 we possess the     
object of our magic reveries4 ,real     
possession may be less fugitive4 ,but   
may it not also vanish like a dream8    
,doubtless there are dangers blended    
with these seductive imaginings4 ,in    
leaving the region of illusion1 the     
greater part of men look with regret    
upon the abodes of reality1 in which    
they must henceforward dwell4 ,let us   
not share their gloomy weakness4 ,let us
 learn to enjoy the moments of error1   
and perpetuate and renew them by        
remembrance4 ,children1 only1 are       
allowed to weep1 when the waking moment 
dispels the toys1 of which a dream had  
given them possession4  ,we give        
ourselves up to illusions without       
danger1 if we have formed our reason2 if

 we wisely think that the situation     
where our lot has placed us may have    
advantages which no other could offer4  
,imagination embellishes some hours     
without troubling any4 ,prompt to yield 
to the delightful visions1 there are few
 of which ,i have not contemplated the  
charm4 ,in seeing them vanish like a    
fleeting dream1 ,i look round on my wife
 and children1 and believe that ,i am   
remembered by a few friends4 ,i open my 
heart to the pleasures of my retreat1   
which1 though simple1 are ever new4 ,as 
the gilded creations of imagination     
disappear1 ,i smile at my creative      
occupation1 and console myself with the 
consciousness1 that fancy can paint     
nothing brighter or more satisfying1    
than these my realities4#g  ,but let me 
hasten to make an important distinction1
 to prevent the semblance of            
contradiction4 ,let me discriminate     
those fleeting desires1 which amuse1 or 
delude us for a moment1 from those deep 
cravings1 which1 directing all our      

faculties towards a given end1          
necessarily exercise a strong influence 
upon life4 ,it is time to contemplate   
the latter1 and to suggest more grave   
reflections4 ,while the scope of our    
faculties is limited to narrow bounds1  
our desires run out into infinity4 ,from
 this fact result two reflections--the  
one afflicting1 that the multitude are  
miserable1 because it is easier to form1
 than to obtain our wishes2 the other   
consoling1 that they might be happy1    
since every one can regulate his        
desires4  ,reduced to the necessity to  
realize1 or restrain them1 which course 
does wisdom indicate8 ,will ambition    
conduct us to repose8#h ,he who chases  
its phantoms1 resembles the child who   
imagines that he shall be able to grasp 
the rainbow1 which spans the mountain in
 the distance4 ,but from mountain to    
mountain1 a new horizon spreads before  
his eyes4 ,but the courage and          
perseverance requisite to regulate our  
desires1 may intimidate us4 ,we vex     

ourselves in the pursuit of fortune1    
honor and glory4 ,philosophy is worth   
more than the whole1 and do we expect to
 purchase it without pain8 ,true1 she   
declares to us1 that to realize our     
desires is a part of the science of     
happiness2 but by no means the most     
important one4 ,yet it is the only one  
to which most men devote themselves4    
,philosophy should teach us1 what       
desires we ought to receive and cherish1
 as inmates4 ,when they are fleeting and
 spring from a gay and creative         
imagination1 let us yield ourselves     
without fear to their transient dreams4 
,but when they may exercise a long and  
decisive influence1 let a mature        
examination teach us1 whether wisdom    
allows the attempt to realize them4 ,oh6
 how much uncertainty and torment we    
might spare our weakness1 if from       
infancy we directed our pursuit towards 
the essential objects of felicity1 and  
if we stripped those1 which1 in their   
issue1 produce chimerical hopes and     

bitter regrets1 of their deceitful      
charms6 ,what gratitude should we not   
owe that provident instruction1 whose   
cares should indicate1 and smooth our   
road to happiness6 ,the great results1  
which might be obtained from education1 
would be1 to moderate the desires1 and  
to find some indemnities for the sorrows
 of life4 ,on the present plan1 by      
arousing our emulation1 by enkindling   
our instinctive ardor to increase our   
fortune1 and eclipse our rivals1 we make
 it a study1 if ,i may so say1 to render
 ourselves discontented with our        
destiny2 and1 as if afraid that we      
should not be sufficiently perverted by 
the contagion of example1 we invoke     
ambition and cupidity to enter the soul4
 ,we treat as chimerical those desires1 
which are so simple and pure1 as to be  
pleasures of themselves1 and which look 
to a happiness easy of attainment4  ,let
 us1 then1 unlearn most of the ideas we 
have received4 ,let us close our eyes on
 the illusions which surround us4 ,let  

us remould our plan of life1 and retain 
in the heart only those desires which   
nature has placed there4 ,let reflection
 impart energy to our mind1 and be our  
guide in the new path which reason opens
 before us4  ,we shall be told1 that    
these desires animate us unsought and   
continually4 ,i admit it4 ,but in most  
men they are the simple result of       
instinct1 and are vague1 and without    
decisive effect4 ,a craving for         
happiness is diffused as widely as life4
 ,the enlightened desire of happiness is
 as rare as wisdom4 ,the mass of our    
species do not avail themselves of life1
 to enjoy it2 but apparently for other  
purposes4 ,my first and fundamental     
maxim is1 that no one should live by    
chance4 ,enfranchised from vulgar ideas1
 and guided by the principles of true   
wisdom1 let happiness be our end2 and   
let us view all our employments and     
pursuits1 as means4  ,i meet men of     
sanguine temperament1 who say in the    
pride of internal energy1 #8my          

calculations must succeed4 ,i am certain
 to acquire wealth4' ,another of the    
same class assures me1 that he sees no  
turn to his rapid career of advancement2
 and that he is confident of reaching   
the summit of greatness4 ,what more     
fortunate result can he propose1 than   
happiness8 ,my pupil should make all his
 plans subservient to the numbering of  
happy days even from the commencement of
 his career4#i  ,let us beware1 however1
 of aspiring after a perfect felicity4  
,the art ,i discuss1 will not descend   
from heaven4 ,its object is1 to indicate
 desirable situations1 to guide us      
towards them1 when they offer1 and to   
remove the vexations of life4 ,the      
greater part of mankind might exist in  
comfort4 ,they fail of this1 in aiming  
at impracticable amelioration of their  
condition4 ,it is an egregious folly    
only to contemplate the dark side of our
 case4 ,i deem it a mark of wisdom and  
strength of mind1 rather to exaggerate  
its advantages4  ,let us carefully      

ascertain1 what things are indispensable
 to our well-being2 and let us          
discipline all our desires towards the  
acquisition of them4 ,if ,i consult     
those who are driven onward by the      
whirlwind of life1 to learn what objects
 are absolutely necessary to my end1    
what a long catalogue they will name6   
,if ,i ask moralists1 how many          
sacrifices1 incompatible with human     
nature1 will they impose6 ,agitated1 and
 uncertain1 ,i am conscious1 that my    
powers are equally insufficient to amass
 all which the former prescribe1 or to  
tear me from all which the latter       
disdainfully interdict4  ,in examining  
this all important subject1 without the 
spirit of system1 ,i realize1 that the  
essentials of a happy life are          
tranquillity of mind1 independence1     
health1 competence1 and the affection of
 some of our equals4 ,let us strive to  
acquire them4 ,they are numerous1 ,i    
admit1 and difficult to unite in the    
possession of an individual4            

,nevertheless1 if a severe              
discrimination enabled us to bound our  
pursuit by the desire of obtaining only 
these objects1 what a great and happy   
change would be effected upon the earth2
 and how many disappointments would be  
henceforward unknown6#aj     ,,letter   
,,vi4  ,,tranquillity ,,of ,,mind4   ,by
 the word tranquillity ,i designate that
 state of the mind in which1 estranged  
from the weaknesses of life1 it tastes  
that happy calm which it owes to its own
 power and elevation4 ,inaccessible to  
storms1 it still admits those emotions  
which give birth to pure pleasures1 and 
yields to the generous movements which  
the virtues inspire4 ,tranquillity seems
 indifference only in the eyes of the   
vulgar4 ,a delightful consciousness of  
existence accompanies it4 ,we may       
meditate with a just pride upon the     
causes which produce it4 ,without       
reasoning we respire and enjoy it4 ,it  
is the appropriate pleasure of the sage4
  ,a pure conscience is the profoundest 

source of this delightful calm4 ,without
 it1 we shall attempt in vain to veil   
our faults from ourselves1 or to listen 
only to the voice of adulation4 ,an     
interior witness must testify that we   
have sometimes sought occasions to be   
useful2 and that we have always welcomed
 those who offered us opportunities to  
do good4  ,another condition equally    
necessary is to close the heart against 
unregulated ambition4 ,i am well aware1 
in laying down this precept1 that ,i    
shall be deemed an idle dreamer4 ,if you
 are convinced beyond argument that     
there is nothing worth seeking in life  
but distinctions and honors1 you may    
close my book4 ,if you are ready to     
receive these brilliant illusions when  
they come unsought1 and return to the   
repose of your heart should you obtain  
them not1 you may pursue the reading of 
my lessons4  ,do not fear that ,i am    
about to announce trite truths touching 
the vices which ambition brings in its  
train1 and the shameful actions and base

 measures by which it proposes to       
elevate its aspirant4 ,why should ,i    
declaim in common-place against ambition
 when ,i have truths to offer so        
pressing1 simple and self-evident8  ,to 
consecrate to true enjoyment as many    
days as possible1 to lose in disquieting
 desires as few moments as we may1 these
 are the elements of my philosophy4 ,the
 world1 on the other hand1 incessantly  
repeats1 #8,shine--ascend high          
places--bind fortune to your chariot    
wheels2' the multitude listen1 and      
consume life in tormenting desires which
 end in disappointment4 ,i say to my    
disciple1 make your pursuit1 whatever it
 be1 a source of present enjoyment1 and 
be happy without delay4 ,but the cry of 
objection reaches me1 #8would you wish  
him to vegetate in obscurity and never  
transcend the limits of the narrow      
circle in which he was born8' ,i would  
have him enjoy the self-respect of      
conscious usefulness1 and taste all the 
innocent pleasures of the senses1 the   

heart1 mind and understanding4 ,farther 
than these1 ,i see nothing but the      
miserable inquietudes of vanity4 ,i     
admit that the pleasures of gratified   
ambition are high flavored and          
intoxicating2 but compelled to choose   
among enjoyments which cannot all be    
tasted together1 ,i balance the delights
 which they spread over life with the   
pains which it must cost to obtain them4
 ,if ,i incline to ambition1 ,i must fly
 privacy and my retreat2 and renounce   
the pleasures which my family1 friends  
and free pursuits daily renew4 ,i must  
no longer inhabit the paradise of my    
pleasant dreams4 ,abandoning the simple 
and sincere enjoyments of obscurity1 ,i 
abandon repose and independence4        
,suppose ,i obtain those honors of which
 the distant brilliancy dazzles my      
vision1 what destiny can ,i propose to  
myself8 ,how long can ,i enjoy my       
honors8 ,besieged by incessant alarm1   
through fear of losing them1 how often  
shall ,i sigh over the ill-judged       

exchange by which ,i bartered peace and 
privacy for them8 ,number all the truly 
happy days of the ambitious--they are   
those in which1 forming his projects1   
and1 in his imagination1 removing the   
obstacles that lie in his way1 he       
embellishes his career with the         
illusions of his fancy4 ,too often the  
desired objects1 which in the distance  
glittered in his eyes1 resemble those   
paintings which1 seen from afar1 present
 enchanting scenery1 but offer only     
revolting views when beheld close at    
hand4  ,i wish to avoid the usual       
exaggeration upon these subjects4       
,moralists deceive us when painting the 
contrast between the virtues and the    
vices2 they assign unmingled felicity to
 the one1 and absolute misery to the    
other4 ,i am sensible that even in his  
deepest inquietudes1 and notwithstanding
 his desires and regrets1 the votary of 
ambition still has his moments of       
intoxicating pleasure4 ,it is not this  
alone1 but happiness we seek4 ,if we    

wish only to toil up the heights of     
ambition to enjoy the dignities of the  
summit1 counsels are useless4 ,if we ask
 for nothing more than pleasures1 they  
may be varied to infinity1 and be found 
pervading all situations in forms       
appropriate to all characters4 ,this    
hypocrite1 that victim of envy1 yonder  
miser1 do they experience1 the moralist 
will ask1 nothing but torment8 ,mark the
 misanthrope who incessantly repeats    
that in a world peopled with perverse   
beings and malign spirits1 existence is 
an odious burden4 ,this man1            
notwithstanding1 finds his pleasures in 
a world which he affects so to detest4  
,every invective which he throws out    
against it1 is a eulogy reflected back  
upon himself4 ,he rises in his own      
estimation in proportion as he debases  
others1 and finds in himself all the    
qualities which he makes them want4     
,does he meet with a partisan of his    
principles8 how delightful for two      
misanthropes to communicate their       

discoveries1 and to make a joint war of 
sarcasm upon the human race6 ,does he   
find an antagonist8 he experiences a    
charm in controverting him4 ,besides1 as
 in vilifying human nature1 no one can  
want either facts or arguments to       
present it in hues sufficiently dark1 in
 the complacency of conscious triumph1  
he terminates his war of words4  ,the   
votary of ambition not only has         
pleasures which are often dazzling1 but 
perhaps enjoyments not within the       
ordinary ken1 which require profound    
observation4 ,the ardent aspiration     
after success gives a charm to efforts  
in the struggle which would otherwise   
present only unmixed bitterness4 ,acts  
in themselves vile1 ridiculous1 or      
revolting1 contemplated as means        
essential to a proposed end1 lose their 
meanness and tendency to lessen         
self-respect4 ,it is possible1 in this  
view1 that even extraordinary           
humiliations may inspire the ambitious  
with a sort of pride1 in the            

consciousness that he has strength to   
stoop to them for his purposes4 ,in     
fine1 it is too true that pleasure may  
be found in the most capricious         
aberrations1 the most shameful vices1   
and the most atrocious crimes4  ,it will
 be seen that ,i abandon most of the    
trite declamation against ambition4 ,i  
touch not on its long inquietudes1 its  
inevitable torments1 exacerbated a      
hundred fold1 if their victim preserve  
degrees of mental elevation and remains 
of moral sentiment4 ,life passes        
pleasantly among men who have just      
views1 upright hearts and frank manners1
 the true elements of greatness and     
enjoyment4 ,surrounded by such minds1 we
 respire1 as it were1 a free and an     
empyrean atmosphere4 ,yield yourself to 
the empire of ambition2 and in all      
countries1 and in all time1 you condemn 
yourself to live surrounded by greedy1  
unquiet1 false and vindictive           
intriguers1 gnashing their teeth at all 
success in which they had no agency4    

,all that encircle you unite insolence  
and baseness4  ,those who envy authority
 and office are worthy of commiseration4
 ,men in power are happy1 they think4   
,they have but to wish1 and it is       
accomplished4 ,the epitaph of the       
,swedish minister is sublime1 and the   
index of a great truth4 ,he had run the 
career of power and fortune with        
success4 ,when near the period of his   
death1 he ordered this inscription for  
his tomb3 ,tandem ,felix4 ,at last ,i am
 happy4  ,we never leave the society of 
the great as we entered it4 ,we have    
become either better or more perverse4  
,inexperience is easily dazzled with the
 superficial splendor4 ,for a man of    
disciplined mind and a character of     
energy1 it is the most useful of        
schools4 ,here he tests and confirms his
 principles4 ,here he observes1         
sometimes with terror1 sometimes with   
disgust1 the melancholy results of the  
seductive passions4 ,he here sees those 
who seem to have reached all their aims 

enjoying the repose of happy privacy4 ,i
 anticipate the objection1 #8that this  
is all absurdity2 that not one will be  
so convinced of his misery as to resign 
his power and descend from his elevation
 to that obscurity for which he sighs4' 
,i believe it2 and ,i see in this a     
deeper shade in his misery4 ,he has so  
long experienced the pernicious         
excitement of this splendid torment1    
that he can no longer exist in repose4  
,such is the lot of erring humanity1    
that the world naturally associates     
glory and happiness with ambition1 and  
sees not that the association is formed 
by our own mental feebleness4 ,to rise  
above vulgar errors and the common train
 of thinking1 to form sage principles1  
and1 still more1 to have the courage and
 decision to follow them1 this is the   
proof of real force of character4 ,but1 
to feel the need of dazzling the vulgar1
 to be willing to creep in order to     
rise1 to struggle and dispute for       
trinkets1 this is the common standard by

 which the multitude estimate a great   
mind4  ,philosophers are accused of     
having presented grandeur under an      
unfavorable aspect in order to console  
themselves for not having enjoyed it4   
,history reads us another lesson4       
,aristotle instructed the son of        
,philip4 ,plato was received at the     
courts of kings4 ,cicero received the   
title of #8father of his country' by a  
decree of the senate4 ,boethius1 thrice 
clad with the consular purple1 when his 
locks were hoary1 was dragged to a      
dungeon4 ,he wrote #8the consolations   
inspired by philosophy1' and laid down  
his book at the foot of the scaffold4   
,marcus ,aurelius honored the throne of 
the world by those modest virtues which 
shone still brighter in obscurity4      
,fenelon was raised to the highest      
dignities only to experience their      
bitterness1 and1 like his great         
predecessor1 to owe his glory and his   
happy days only to wisdom and           
retirement4 ,franklin will be remembered

 in all time1 not as the governor1      
legislator and ambassador1 but as having
 trained himself to his admirable       
philosophy of common sense amidst the   
laborious occupations of a printer4     
,the certainty of acquiring the         
self-respect of conscious usefulness1 a 
certainty which the great can seldom    
have1 ought alone to determine a wise   
man to quit his obscurity4 ,but if the  
emoluments and honors of a high station 
seduce us1 let us value our independence
 and let us not exchange treasures for  
tinsel4  ,we have freedom to avoid every
 culpable action1 and to contemplate    
with pity the chimeras of ambition4 ,let
 us see if in misfortune we can preserve
 tranquillity of mind4     ,,letter     
,,vii4  ,,of ,,misfortune4   ,if we wish
 our precepts to be followed1 we must   
avoid the extremes to which moralists   
and philosophers are too much inclined  
to press their doctrines1 for they are  
impracticable in real life4 ,it is      
useless to deny that there are evils    

against which the aids of reason and    
friendship are powerless4 ,let us leave 
him who is about to lose a being whose  
life is blended with his own1 to groan  
unreproved4 ,time alone can enfeeble his
 remembrances and assuage his pain4 ,to 
render man inaccessible to suffering    
would be to change his nature4 ,those   
austere moralists who treat our         
feebleness with disdain1 and who would  
render us indifferent to the most       
terrible blows of destiny1 would at the 
same time leave us no sensibility to    
taste pleasure4 ,nothing can be more    
absurd than the vain harangues by which 
common-place consolation is offered to  
those who mourn a wife1 a child1 a      
friend4 ,all reasonings are ineffectual 
when opposed to these words1 #8,i have  
lost the loved one4 ,you inform me that 
my misfortune is without a remedy4 ,oh6 
if there were a remedy1 instead of      
unavailing tears1 ,i would employ it4   
,it is precisely because there is none1 
that ,i grieve4' #8,your tears are      

useless4' #8,still they serve to solace 
me4' #8,god has done it4' #8,true1 and  
,god has formed my heart to suffer from 
his blow4' #8,your child is happy1 and  
knew neither the errors nor the sorrows 
of life4' #8,a parent's instinctive love
 inspired the desire that ,i might teach
 it to avoid both and obtain happiness4'
 #8,in the course of a long career your 
friend gave an example of all the       
virtues4' #8,it is because the loss of  
these virtues is irreparable to me that 
,i must deplore his death4'#aa  ,the    
greater portion of men1 ,i admit1       
exaggerating their regrets1 pay a       
tribute of dissembled grief rather to   
opinion1 than to nature2 and cold       
declamation and frivolous distractions  
are sufficient to console them4 ,but the
 orators of consolation sometimes press 
their lessons on hearts which are really
 bleeding4 ,let such groan at liberty1  
and attempt not to contradict nature4   
,solitude may exalt the imagination2 but
 it also inspires consoling ideas4 ,in  

the silence of its refuge the desolate  
mourner brings himself to a nearer      
communion with him he regrets4 ,he      
invokes1 sees1 and addresses him4 ,grief
 is more ingenious than we imagine in   
finding consolation1 and has learned to 
employ different remedies according as  
the wounds are slight or deep4 ,two     
persons have each lost a dear friend4   
,the one studiously avoids the places   
where he used to meet his friend4 ,the  
other repairs to his desolate haunts1   
and surrounding himself by monuments    
associated with his memory1 he seeks1 if
 ,i may so say1 to restore him to life4 
,the death of a beloved wife is1        
perhaps1 the most inconsolable of evils4
 ,let this follow a series of other     
misfortunes1 and it so effaces their    
remembrance that the sufferer feels he  
has not until then known real grief4    
,but if this affliction be one under    
which our strength is broken1 let it be 
the only one to obtain this fatal       
triumph4 ,under all other misfortunes we

 may find in ourselves resources for    
sustaining them2 and may invariably     
either evade or assuage them1 or        
mitigate their bitterness by            
resignation4  ,moralists have expatiated
 upon the manner in which a sage ought  
to contemplate the evils of life4       
,instead of subscribing to their trite  
maxims1 often more imposing than        
practicable1 ,i sketch a summary of my  
philosophy4 ,i caution the feeble and   
erring beings that surround me1 not to  
dream of unmixed happiness4 ,i invite   
them to partake promptly of all innocent
 pleasures4 ,the evils too often        
appended to them may follow4 ,know      
nothing of those which have no existence
 except in opinion4 ,struggle with      
courage to escape all that may be       
evaded4 ,but if it become inevitable to 
meet them1 let resignation1 closing your
 eyes on the past1 secure the repose of 
patient endurance when happiness exists 
for you no longer4  ,permit me to give  
these ideas some development4 ,if ,i may

 believe the most prevalent modern      
philosophy1 tranquillity of mind is the 
result of organization1 or temperament1 
and of circumstances4 ,it is the burden 
of my inculcation1 that it may be of our
 own procuring2 and that we owe it still
 more to the masculine exercise of our  
reason1 discipline1 and mental energy1  
than to our temperament or condition4   
,we have reason to deplore that unhappy 
being1 who1 yielding to dreams of       
pleasure1 forgets to forearm himself    
against a fatal awakening4 ,the history 
of great political convulsions1 and1    
more than all1 that of the ,french      
revolution furnishes impressive examples
 of this spectacle4 ,it offers more than
 one instance1 in the feebler sex1 of   
persons1 who seemed created only to     
respire happiness4 ,to the advantages of
 youth1 talent and beauty1 were united  
the most exalted rank1 and wealth1      
pleasure and power1 apparently to the   
extent of their wishes4 ,to the dazzling
 fascination1 with which a brilliant    

crowd surrounded their inexperience1    
many of them united the richer domestic 
enjoyments of the wife and mother4 ,in  
the midst of their illusions1 the       
revolutionary shout struck their ear1   
like a thunderstroke4 ,executioners bade
 them ascend the scaffold4#ab  ,these   
great catastrophes1 ,i know1 are rare4  
,but there will never cease to be       
sorrows1 which will receive their last  
bitterness only in death4 ,they are all 
too painful to be sustained1 unless they
 have been wisely foreseen4 ,let us     
think of misfortune1 as of certain      
characters1 with whom our lot may one   
day compel us to consort4  ,it is       
novelty alone1 which gives our emotions 
extreme keenness4 ,whoever has strength 
of character1 may learn to endure       
anything4 ,the red men of the ,american 
wilderness are most impressive examples 
of this truth4 ,time1 however1 is the   
most efficacious teacher of the lesson  
of endurance4 ,poussin1 in his painting 
of ,eudomidas1 has delineated the human 

heart with fidelity4 ,the young girl of 
the piece abandons herself to despair4  
,half stretched upon the earth1 her head
 falls supinely on the knees of the aged
 mother of the dying4 ,this mother is   
sitting4 ,her attitude announces mingled
 meditation and grief4 ,amidst her      
tears1 we trace firmness on her visage4 
,one of the two women is taking her     
first lesson of misery4 ,the other has  
already passed through a long           
apprenticeship of grief4#ac  ,reflection
 imparts anticipated experience4 ,it    
takes from misery that air of novelty1  
which renders it terrible4 ,when a wise 
man experiences a reverse1 his new      
position has been foreseen4 ,he has     
measured the sorrows1 and prepared the  
consolations4 ,into whatever scene of   
trial he is brought1 he will show in no 
one the embarrassment of a stranger4    
,taught to be conscious that we are     
feeble combatants1 thrown upon an arena 
of strife1 let us not calculate that    
destiny has no blows in store for us4   

,let us prepare for wounds1 painful and 
slow to heal4 ,let us blunt the darts of
 misfortune in advance4 ,then1 if they  
strike they will not penetrate so deep4 
,but in premeditating the trials1 which 
may be in reserve for our courage1 let  
not anticipated solicitude disturb the  
present4 ,of all mental efforts1        
foresight is the most difficult to      
regulate4 ,if we have it not1 we fall   
into reverses unprepared4 ,if we        
exercise it too far1 we are perpetually 
miserable by anticipation4  ,the        
philosopher prepares himself for        
contingent perils by processes which    
impart a keener pleasure to present     
enjoyment4 ,he better understands the   
value of the moments of joy1 and learns 
to dispel the fears1 which might mar    
their tranquillity4 ,that is a gloomy   
wisdom1 which condemns the precepts that
 invite us to draw1 from the uncertainty
 of our lot1 a motive to embellish the  
moment of actual happiness4 ,transient  
beings1 around whom everything is       

changing and in motion1 adopt my maxims4
 ,let us aid those who surround us1 to  
put them in practice4 ,let us render    
those who are happy today more happy4   
,tomorrow the opportunity may have      
passed forever4  ,as though nature had  
not sowed sufficient sorrows in our path
 during our short career1 we have added 
to the mass by our own invention4 ,the  
offspring of our vanity and puerile     
prejudices1 these factitious pains seem 
sometimes more difficult to support1    
than real evils4 ,a warrior1 who has    
shown fearless courage in the deadly    
breach1 has passed a sleepless night1   
because he was not invited to a party1  
or a feast2 or because a riband1 or a   
diploma has not been added to the many1 
with which he is already decorated4 ,i  
had been informed1 that the wife and son
 of a distinguished acquaintance were   
dangerously sick4 ,i met him pale1 and  
thoughtful4 ,i was meditating1 how to   
give him hope in regard to the objects  
of his supposed anxiety4 ,while ,i was  

hesitating how to address him1 he made  
known the subject of his real           
inquietude4 ,he was in expectation of a 
high employment4 ,the man of power1 in  
whose hand was the gift1 had just       
received him coldly a second time4 ,he  
was anxiously calculating his remaining 
chances1 and striving to divine the     
causes of his discouraging reception4   
,to avoid such ridiculous agonies1 let  
us adopt a maxim1 not the less true1    
because the phrase1 in which ,i express 
it1 may seem trivial4 ,three quarters   
and half the remaining quarter of our   
vexations are not worth wasting a       
thought upon their cause4 ,i add1 that  
even in expectations which appear       
important1 we ought to fear trusting too
 little to chance4 ,the order of events1
 which we call by this name1 is often   
more sage than any that human           
calculation can arrange4 ,if it decides 
in a manner which at first view seems   
greatly against us1 let us defer our    
accusations1 until we have more         

thoroughly tested the event4 ,i have met
 a man1 who had long been an aspirant   
for a certain place1 with a radiant     
countenance1 having just obtained it4   
,three months afterwards1 he would have 
purchased at any price the power of     
recalling events4 ,i have seen another  
friend in desolation1 because he could  
not obtain the hand of the daughter of a
 man1 whose enterprises promised an     
immense fortune4 ,he had been rejected4 
,the speculations of her father all     
failed2 and the reputation of his       
integrity and good faith with them4 ,the
 despairing lover would have shared the 
poverty and disgrace of a helpless      
family2 and would have been tormented1  
besides1 with an incompatible union1 of 
itself sufficient to have rendered him  
miserable in the midst of all the       
expected prosperity4 ,one event is      
contemplated with a charmed eye2 another
 with despair4 ,the issue alone can     
declare1 which of the two we ought to   
have desired4  ,i grant1 that we are    

surrounded by real dangers4 ,i pretend  
not to be above suffering2 and ,i attach
 no merit to becoming the reckless dupe 
of men or chance4 ,the highest          
philosophy is at the same time the most 
simple and practicable4 ,there is no    
error more common than one1 which is    
taken for profound wisdom4 ,most men    
look too deep for the springs of events1
 and the motives of action4 ,in many    
alternatives1 we shall be most wise in  
giving the reins to chance4 ,when we are
 menaced by an evident peril1 let us    
summon all our energy1 and courageously 
struggle to ward it off4 ,if1 after all1
 neither wisdom can evade it1 nor       
bravery vanquish it1 let us see1 how    
true wisdom ordains us to sustain it4   
,how many are ignorant of the value of  
resignation1 or confound it with        
weakness6 ,the courage of resignation   
is1 perhaps1 the most high and rare of  
all the forms of that virtue4 ,man      
received the gift directly from the     
,author of his being4 ,his desires1     

inquietudes1 misguided opinions1 the    
fruits of an ambitious and incongruous  
education1 have weakened its force in   
the soul4 ,who can read the anecdote of 
the ,american wilderness without        
thrilling emotion8 ,an ,indian1         
descending the ,niagara river1 was drawn
 into the rapids above the sublime      
cataract4 ,the nursling of the desert   
rowed with incredible vigor at first1 in
 an intense struggle for life4 ,seeing  
his efforts useless1 he dropped his     
oars1 sung his death song1 and floated  
in calmness down the abyss4 ,his example
 is worthy of imitation4 ,while there is
 hope1 let us nerve all our force1 to   
avail ourselves of all the chances it   
suggests4 ,when hope ceases1 and the    
peril must be braved1 wisdom counsels   
calm resignation4#ad  ,in regard to     
unconquerable evils1 the true doctrine  
is not vain resistance1 but profound    
submission4 ,it conceals the outline of 
what we have to suffer1 as with a veil4 
,it hastens to bring us the fruit of    

consoling time4 ,it opens our eyes to a 
clearer view of the possessions which   
remain to us4 ,it precedes hope1 as     
twilight ushers in the day4  ,it is by  
laying down certain well ascertained    
principles of conduct1 and re-examining 
them every day1 that a new empire is    
given to reason1 and that we learn to   
select the most eligible point in all   
situations in life4 ,the ,greek         
philosophers were1 incontestably1 the   
men1 who best understood the art of     
becoming happy4 ,their studies led them 
to the unwearied contemplation of the   
true good1 the advantages of elevation  
of mind1 the danger of the passions1 and
 a calm submission to inevitable ills4  
,such were the habitual subjects of     
their meditations and discourses4 ,they 
suffered less from the evils of life1   
only because they cultivated habits of  
profound reflection4  ,among the        
moderns1 in pursuit of happiness1 some  
study only to multiply their physical   
enjoyments2 and limited to gross        

sensations1 differ little from brutes1  
except in discoursing about what they   
eat4 ,others1 higher in the scale of    
thought1 cultivate the pleasures of     
literature and the fine arts4 ,but      
disciplining but a single class of their
 powers1 with a view to distinguish     
themselves from the vulgar1 they are not
 always more happy4 ,true philosophy is 
chiefly conversant about that kind of   
acquisition1 which preminently          
constitutes the rational man1 forms his 
reason1 and places him1 as a master1 in 
the midst of an unreflecting world      
surrounded by children full of ignorance
 and fatuity4     ,,letter ,,viii4  ,,of
 ,,independence4   ,we distinguish many 
kinds of liberty4 ,that which we owe to 
equal laws1 without being indispensable 
to a philosopher1 renders the attainment
 of happiness more easy to him4 ,however
 men differ in their political opinions1
 they all have an instinctive desire to 
be free4 ,every one is reluctant and    
afraid to submit himself to the         

capricious power of those about him4    
,the thirst of power is only another    
form of this ardor for independence4    
,with what interest we read in history  
of those ignorant tribes1 unknown to    
fame1 whose liberty and simple manners  
at once astonish and delight us8 ,when  
visiting the isles of ,greece1 where the
 charm of memory rendered the view of   
their actual slavery more revolting1    
what delight the traveller experiences  
in traversing the little isle of ,casos 
which had never submitted to the        
,ottoman yoke6 ,he there found the      
usages of the ancient ,greeks1 their    
costume1 their beauty and their amiable 
and elevated natural manner4 ,this isle 
is but a rock4 ,but its dangerous shores
 have defended it against tyranny4      
,associations with the songs of ,homer  
and ,hesiod are renewed4 ,such a picture
 delights even a people whose manners   
are refined to a degree tending to      
depravation4 ,thus those opulent        
citizens who find the country a place of

 exile still decorate their splendid    
halls with landscapes and flowers4  ,let
 not a sensitive and wandering          
imagination kindle too readily at the   
recitals of travellers4 ,were we to     
transport ourselves to one of those     
remote points of the earth where        
felicity is represented to have chosen  
her asylum1 new usages1 manners and     
pleasures1 and a foreign people every   
moment reminding us that we are         
strangers1 would1 perhaps1 give birth to
 the most painful regrets4 ,when in our 
youth we were charmed as we read of the 
prodigies of ,athens and ,rome1 we      
uttered the wish that we had been born  
in those renowned republics4 ,there is  
little doubt that1 had our wish been    
realized1 we should be glad to escape   
their storms1 in exchange for obscurely 
tranquil days4  ,it is a distinguished  
folly which impels men far from their   
country in search of happiness4 ,the    
greater portion1 deceived in their hopes
 after having wandered amidst danger1   

die with regret and sorrow1 worn out    
with vexation resulting from the broken 
ties and remembrances of home4 ,home is 
the last thought that comes over the    
departing mind4 #8,et dulces moriens    
reminiscitur ,argos4' ,ubi patria ibi   
bene is an adage which contains as much 
wise observation as elevated patriotism4
 ,our country is our common mother4 ,we 
ought to love and sustain her more      
firmly in her misery than in her        
prosperity4  ,whatever manners1 opinions
 and talents we carry into another      
country1 we are still strangers there4  
,the manners which we adopt are new and 
irksome4 ,the eye sees nothing to awaken
 dear and embellished remembrances2 and 
we find in the heart of no one the      
reverberating chord of ancient          
friendship and sympathy4 ,we always     
regret the places where we knew the     
first pleasures and the first pains1 and
 saw the first enchanting visions of    
life2 the cherished spots where we      
learned to love and be loved4 ,if1      

returning there1 drawn back by an       
invincible sentiment1 after a long      
absence we see it again1 what sorrows   
await us6 ,we find ourselves strangers  
in our own country4 ,we ask for our     
parents and friends who departed in     
succession4 ,the blows were struck at   
long intervals4 ,we receive them all in 
a moment4 ,we return to shed tears only 
on the tombs of our fathers6#ae         
,retreat and competence everywhere      
supply a wise man a degree of           
independence4 ,even when the sport of   
oppression and injustice1 he yields to  
these evils as the caprices of destiny4 
,he would be free in the midst of       
,constantinople under the government of 
the ,sultan4  ,another kind of liberty  
is the portion of but a few in our own  
country--the liberty of disposing of our
 whole time at our choice4 ,to those who
 understand not the value of time1 this 
liberty bequeaths a heavy bondage4 ,but 
to those who have learned the secret of 
happiness it is of inestimable value4   

,the privilege of the favored possessor 
of opulence is a high one4 ,neither the 
slave of business1 fashion1 opinion or  
routine1 it is in his power at awaking  
to say #8this day is all my own4'#ae;a  
,but moralists exclaim1 #8you must pay  
your debt3 you must render yourselves   
useful to society4' ,let me not be      
understood to inculcate the doctrine of 
indolence4 ,industry will have wings and
 power when you unite it to freedom4    
,but how many repeat the hackneyed cry  
of #8the debt to society1' who1 in the  
choice of their profession1 had never a 
thought but of its honors and           
emoluments6 ,this man whose industry in 
the pursuit of his choice proves that   
his toil is his pleasure1 that man who  
is in earnest to serve every one whom he
 can oblige and who might have shone1   
had he chosen it1 in the career of      
ambition1 but who1 modest1 proud1       
studious and free1 lives happily in the 
bosom of retreat1 has this man done     
nothing to acquit his debt8 ,is his     

example useless to society8  ,if my     
condition deny me leisure and           
independence in regard to the disposal  
of my time1 without bestowing much      
concern upon the choice of my           
profession1 ,i should choose that most  
favorable to free thoughts1 to breathing
 the open air1 and1 as much as might be1
 in view of a beautiful nature4 ,i      
should consider it as a most important  
element in my happiness that ,i should  
be chiefly conversant with people of    
compatible characters4 ,the profession  
of an advocate1 perpetually conversant  
with the follies1 vices and crimes of   
society1 is one of the most trying1 both
 to integrity and philosophy4 ,that of  
the physician1 continually witnessing   
groans1 tears and physical suffering1   
however painful to sensibility1 may     
become the source of high reflected     
pleasure to a generous and humane heart4
 ,i would avoid a function the          
disquieting responsibility of which     
would disturb my sleep4 ,above all1 ,i  

should dread one of high honor and      
emolument1 connected with proportionate 
uncertainty of tenure4  ,the balance of 
enjoyment being taken into view1 ,i     
should prefer an occupation of privacy4 
,it would be more easy at once to obtain
 and preserve4 ,it would expose me less 
to envy and competition4 ,exempt from   
the inquietudes inspired by severe      
labors1 and the ennui of important      
etiquette1 ,i should at least find an   
absolute independence1 every evening1 at
 the relinquishment of my daily routine 
of occupation1 and ,i should suffer no  
care for the morrow2 ,i would learn to  
enhance the charms of my condition by   
thinking of the agitation1 regrets and  
alarms of those who are still swept by  
the whirlwinds of life4 ,in this way ,i 
would imitate him who1 to procure a more
 delicious repose1 placed his couch     
under a tent near the sea1 to be lulled 
by the dashing of its waves and the     
noise of its storms4 ,but it is time to 
contemplate the most useful kind of     

liberty1 the only indispensable kind1   
and happily one which is accessible to  
all4 ,it is the liberty resulting from  
self-command and inward mastery of      
ourselves4 ,it has a value to cause all 
others to be forgotten--a value which no
 other kind can replace4  ,what liberty 
can that man enjoy who is the slave of  
ambition8 ,a gesture1 a look of the eye1
 a smile affrightens him and causes him 
painful and trembling calculations what 
that sinister sign of his master may    
presage4  ,look at the opulent merchant 
whose hopes are the sport of the winds1 
seas1 robbers1 changes of trade1        
municipal regulations1 and a crowd of   
agents who seem subordinate1 but who    
really command him4  ,whatever kind of  
liberty we aim to possess1 we may       
certainly conclude that the surest means
 to enjoy it is to have few wants4 ,but 
how restrain our wants8 ,the greater    
portion are happily placed by their     
condition where they are ignorant of the
 objects which most powerfully excite   

and seduce desire4 ,the golden mean     
secludes them from many temptations full
 of the bitterest regret1 and exacts of 
them little effort of wisdom4 ,in the   
class of men of leisure and elevated    
mind there are two means of rising above
 many wants4  ,the more austere         
philosophers have altogether disdained  
those pleasures which they could never  
hope to obtain4 ,reducing themselves to 
the limits of the strictest necessity1  
they indemnify themselves for some      
privations by the certainty of being    
secured from many pains1 and by the     
sentiment of conscious independence4    
,this is1 doubtless1 one of the surest  
means of obtaining independence2 and    
they who attempt to employ any other1   
differ from the vulgar by their         
principles rather than their conduct4   
,how many objects1 of which the         
contemplation awakens the desires1 would
 have nothing dangerous if we could     
always exercise a stern self-control    
over our minds6 ,the surest means of    

exercising this self-control is to      
reduce the number of our wants4 ,to do  
it1 ,i admit1 demands a rare elevation  
of mind and the exercise of a high      
degree of philosophy4 ,but since its    
value is beyond its cost1 let us dare to
 acquire it4  ,while the fleeting dreams
 of pleasure hover around us1 let reason
 still say to us1 #8an instant may      
dissipate them4' ,let us1 then1 be ready
 to find a new pleasure in the          
consciousness of our firmness and our   
masculine and vigorous independence4 ,an
 enlightened mind reigns over pleasures2
 and while they glitter around1 enjoys  
all that are innocent2 but disdains a   
sigh or a regret when they have taken   
wings and disappeared4  ,i commend the  
example of ,alcibiades1 the disciple of 
the graces and of wisdom1 who astonished
 in turn the proud ,persian by his      
dignity1 and the ,lacedemonian by his   
austerity4 ,his enemies may charge him  
with incessant change of principle4 ,to 
me he seems always the same1 always     

superior to the men and circumstances   
that surround him4 ,such strong mental  
stamina resemble those robust plants    
that sustain1 without annoyance1 the    
extremes of heat and cold4     ,,letter 
,,ix4  ,,of ,,health4   ,health results 
from moderation1 gayety and the absence 
of care4 ,eternal wisdom has ordained1  
that the emotions which disturb our     
days1 are those which have a natural    
tendency to shorten them4#af  ,if there 
were ground for a single charge against 
the justice of nature1 it would be1 that
 the errors of inexperience seem        
punished with too great severity4 ,we   
prodigally waste the material of life   
and enjoyment1 as we do our other       
possessions1 as if we thought it        
inexhaustible4  ,to the errors of youth 
succeed the vices of mature age4        
,ambition and cupidity1 envy and hatred 
concur to devour the very aliment of    
life4 ,the storms which prostrate the   
moral faculties1 equally sap the        
physical energy4 ,every debasing passion

 is a consuming poison4 ,to what other  
source of evil can we assign those      
inquietudes and puerile anxieties1 which
 disturb the days of the greater portion
 of mankind8 ,they are occupied by      
trifling interests1 and agitated by vain
 debates4 ,they watch for futile        
excitements1 and are in desolation from 
chimerical troubles4 ,pleasant emotions 
sustain life1 and produce upon it the   
effect of a gentle current of air upon  
flame4 ,trains of thought habitually    
elevated1 and sometimes inclined to     
revery1 impart pure and true gayety to  
the soul4 ,to be able to command this   
train is one of the rarest felicities of
 endowment4 ,a distinguished physician  
recorded in his tablets the apparent    
paradox1 that three quarters of men die 
of vexation or grief4  ,huffland has    
published a work1 upon the art of       
prolonging life1 full of interesting    
observations4 #8,philosophers1' says he1
 #8enjoy a delightful leisure4 ,their   
thoughts1 generally estranged from      

vulgar interests1 have nothing in common
 with those afflicting ideas1 with which
 other men are continually agitated and 
corroded4 ,their reflections are        
agreeable by their variety1 their vague 
liberty1 and sometimes even by their    
frivolity4 ,devoted to the pursuits of  
their choice1 the occupations of their  
taste1 they dispose freely of their     
time4 ,oftentimes they surround         
themselves with young people1 that their
 natural vivacity may be communicated to
 them1 and1 in some sort1 produce a     
renewal of their youth4' ,we may make a 
distinction between the different kinds 
of philosophy1 in relation to their     
influence upon the duration of life4    
,those which direct the mind towards    
sublime contemplations1 even were they  
in some degree superstitious1 such as   
those of ,pythagoras and ,plato1 are the
 most salutary4 ,next to them1 ,i place 
those1 the study of which1 embracing    
nature1 gives enlarged and elevated     
ideas upon infinity1 the stars1 the     

wonders of the universe1 the heroic     
virtues1 and other similar subjects4    
,such were those of ,democritus1        
,philolaus1 ,xenophanes1 the ,stoics1   
and the ancient astronomers4'  #8,i may 
cite next those less profound thinkers1 
who instead of exacting difficult       
researches1 seemed destined only to     
amuse the mind2 the followers of which  
philosophy1 deviating wide from vulgar  
opinion1 peaceably sustain the arguments
 for and against the propositions       
advanced4 ,such was the philosophy of   
,carneades and the ,academicians1 to    
whom we may add the ,grammarians and    
,rhetoricians4'  #8,but those which turn
 only upon painful subtilties1 which are
 affirmative1 dogmatic and positive1    
which bend all facts and opinions to    
form and adjust them to certain         
preconceived principles and invariable  
measures2 in fine1 such as are thorny1  
arid1 narrow and contentious1 these are 
fatal in tendency1 and cannot but       
abridge the life of those1 who cultivate

 them4 ,of this class was the philosophy
 of the ,peripatetics1 and that also of 
the ,scholastics4'  ,tumultuous passions
 and corroding cares are two sources of 
evil influences1 which philosophy       
avoids4 ,another influence1 adverse to  
life1 is that mental feebleness1 which  
renders persons perpetually solicitous  
about their health1 effeminate and      
unhappy4 ,fixing their thoughts         
intensely on the functions of life1     
those functions1 that are subjects of   
this anxious inspection1 labor4         
,imagining themselves sick1 they soon   
become so4 ,the undoubting confidence   
that we shall not be sick1 is perhaps   
the best prophylactic for preserving    
health4  ,i am ignorant of the exact    
influence of moral upon physical action1
 in relation to health4 ,but of this ,i 
am confident1 that it is prodigious2    
that physicians have not made it a      
sufficient element in their             
calculations1 or employed it as they    
should2 and that in future1 under a wise

 and more philosophic direction1 it may 
operate an immense result1 both in      
restoring and preserving health4  ,a man
 reads a letter1 which announces        
misfortunes1 or sinister events4 ,his   
head turns4 ,his appetite ceases4 ,he   
becomes faint1 and oppressed2 and his   
life is in danger4 ,no contagion1       
however1 no physical blow has touched   
him4 ,a thought has palsied his forces  
in a moment2 and has successively       
deranged every spring of life4 ,we have 
read of persons of feeble and uninformed
 mind1 who have fallen sick1 in         
consequence of the cruel sport of those1
 who have ingeniously alarmed their     
imagination1 and cautiously indicated to
 them a train of fatal symptoms4 ,since 
imagination can thus certainly overturn 
our physical powers1 why may it not1    
under certain regulations1 restore them8
 ,among the numberless recorded cases of
 cures1 reputed miraculous1 it is       
probable1 that a great part may be      
accounted for on this principle4#ag     

,suppose a paralytic disciple of the    
school of miracles1 whose head is       
exalted with ideas of the mystic power  
of certain holy men1 and who is         
meditating on the succor which he       
expects from a divine interposition     
manifested in his favor4 ,in an ecstasy 
of faith1 he sees a minister of heaven  
descend enveloped in light1 who bids him
 #8arise1 and walk4' ,in a moment the   
unknown nervous energy1 excited by the  
mysterious power of faith1 touches the  
countless inert and relaxed movements4  
,the man arises and walks4 ,during the  
siege of ,lyons1 when bombs fell on the 
hospital1 the terrified paralytics arose
 and fled4  ,i am not disposed to       
question all the cures1 which in ,france
 have been attributed to magnetism4 ,we 
know1 what a salutary effect the sight  
of his physician produces on the        
patient1 who has confidence in him4 ,his
 cheerful and encouraging conversations 
are among the most efficient remedies4  
,if we entertained a long cherished and 

intimate persuasion1 that by certain    
signs1 or touches1 he could dispel our  
complaints1 his gestures would have a   
high moral and physical influence4      
,magnetism was in this sense1 as ,bailly
 justly remarked1 a true experiment upon
 the power of the imagination4 ,at the  
moment of its greatest sway1 while some 
regarded it an infallible specific1 and 
others deemed it entirely inefficient1  
another class held it in just           
estimation4 ,i cite an extract from the 
report of the ,academy of ,science4     
#8,we have sought1' say they1 #8to      
recognise the presence of the magnetic  
fluid4 ,but it escaped our senses4 ,it  
was said1 that its action upon animated 
bodies was the sole proof of its        
existence4 ,the experiments1 which we   
made upon ourselves1 convinced us1 that1
 as soon as we diverted our attention1  
it was powerless4 ,trials made upon the 
sick taught us1 that infancy1 which is  
unsusceptible of prejudice experienced  
nothing from it2 that mental alienation 

resisted the action of magnetism1 even  
in an habitual condition of excitability
 of the nerves1 where the action ought  
to have been most sensible4 ,the effects
 which are attributed to this fluid1 are
 not visible1 except when the           
imagination is forewarned1 and capable  
of being struck4 ,imagination1 then1    
seems to be the principle of the action4
  #8,it remained to be seen1 whether we 
could reproduce these effects by the    
influence of imagination alone4 ,we     
attempted it1 and fully succeeded4      
,without touching the subjects1 who     
believed themselves magnetised1 and     
without employing any sign1 they        
complained of pain and a great sensation
 of heat4 ,on subjects1 endowed with    
more excitable nerves1 we produced      
convulsions1 and what they called       
crises4 ,we have seen an exalted        
imagination become sufficiently         
energetic to take away the power of     
speech in a moment4 ,at the same time1  
we proved the nullity of magnetism1 put 

in opposition with the imagination4     
,magnetism alone1 employed for thirty   
minutes1 produced no effect4            
,imagination put in action produced upon
 the same person1 with the same means1  
in circumstances absolutely similar1 a  
strong1 and well defined convulsion4    
#8,in fine1 to complete the             
demonstration1 and to finish the        
painting of the effect of the           
imagination1 a power equally capable of 
agitating1 and calming1 we have caused  
those convulsions to cease by the same  
power1 which produced them--the power of
 the imagination4  #8,what we have      
learned1 or1 at least what has been     
confirmed to us in a demonstrative and  
evident manner1 by examination of the   
processes of magnetism is1 that man can 
act upon man at every moment and almost 
at will1 by striking his imagination2   
that signs and gestures the most simple 
may have effects the most powerful2 and 
that the influence which may be exerted 
upon the imagination1 may be reduced to 

an art1 and conducted by method4'       
,these truths had never before acquired 
so much evidence4 ,we know1 that cures  
may be wrought by the single influence  
of imagination4 ,ambrose ,par           
,boerhaave1 and many other physicians1  
have cited striking proofs of this fact4
 ,the first of these writers procured   
abundant sweats for a patient1 in making
 him believe that a perfectly inert     
substance given him1 was a violent      
sudorific4  ,it is worthy of the        
attention of moralists and              
physiologists1 as well as physicians1 to
 examine1 to what point we may obtain   
salutary effects1 by exciting the       
imagination4 ,but perhaps1 there would  
soon be cause to dread the perilous     
influence of this art1 which can kill1  
as well as make alive4 ,this excitable  
and vivid faculty is never more easily  
put in operation1 that when acted upon  
by the presentiments of charlatanism and
 superstition4  ,we possess another     
means of operation1 which may be        

exercised without danger1 and the power 
of which is1 also1 capable of producing 
prodigies4 ,education rendering most men
 feeble and timid1 they are ignorant1   
how much an energetic will can          
accomplish4 ,it is able to shield us    
from many maladies2 and to hasten the   
cure of those under which we labor4  ,in
 mortal epidemics1 the physicians1 who  
are alarmed at their danger1 are        
ordinarily the first victims4 ,fear     
plunges the system into that state of   
debility1 which predisposes it to fatal 
impressions1 while the moral force of   
confidence1 communicating its aid to    
physical energy1 enables it to repel    
contagion4  ,i could cite many          
distinguished names of men1 who         
attributed their cure1 in desperate     
maladies1 to the courage which never    
forsook them1 and to the efforts which  
they made to keep alive the vital spark1
 when ready to become extinct4 ,one of  
them pleasantly said1 #8,i should have  
died like the rest1 had ,i wished       

it4'#ah  ,pecklin1 ,barthes and others  
think that extreme desire to see a      
beloved person once more1 has sometimes 
a power to retard death4 ,it is a       
delightful idea4 ,i feel with what      
intense ardor one might desire to live  
another day1 another hour1 to see a     
friend or a child for the last time4    
,the flame of love1 replacing that of   
life1 blazes up for a moment before both
 are quenched in the final darkness4    
,the last prayer is accorded2 and life  
terminates in tasting that pleasure for 
which it was prolonged4 ,if this be     
true1 the principle on which the most   
touching incident of romance is founded1
 is not a fiction4  ,i have no need to  
say that an energetic will to recover   
from sickness has no point of analogy   
with that fearful solicitude which the  
greater part of the sick experience4    
,the latter1 produced by mental         
feebleness1 increases the inquietude and
 aggravates the danger4 ,even           
indifference would be preferable4 ,if   

education had imparted to us the        
advantages of an energetic will and real
 force of mind1 if from infancy we had  
been convinced of the efficacy of this  
moral power1 we have no means to        
determine that it would not have been1  
in union with the desire of life1 an    
element in the means of healing our     
maladies4  ,medicine is still a science 
so conjectural that the most salutary   
method of cure1 in my view1 is that     
which strives not to contradict nature1 
but to second her efforts by moral      
means4 ,i am ready to believe that      
amidst the real or imagined triumphs of 
science1 those of medicine will1 in the 
centuries to come1 hold a rank to which 
its past achievements will have borne no
 proportion4 ,but what an immense amount
 of experiment will be necessary6 ,how  
many unfortunate beings must contribute 
to the expense of these experiments6    
,contrary to the general opinion1 ,i    
highly esteem physicians and think but  
very little of medicine4 ,in the        

profession of medicine we find the      
greatest number of men of solid minds   
and various erudition2 and the best     
friends of humanity4 ,but they are in   
the habit of vaunting the progress of   
their science4 ,to me it seems          
incessantly changing its principles1    
without ever varying its results4 ,the  
systems of various great men have been  
successively received and rejected4 ,do 
we1 however1 imagine that the great     
physicians who have preceded us were    
more unfortunate in their practice than 
those of our days8 ,among the most      
eminent physicians of our cities1 one   
practises by administering strong       
cathartics4 ,another is resolute for    
copious bleeding4 ,a third bids us watch
 and wait the indications of nature4    
,each of these assumes that the system  
of the rest is fatal--and so1 it would  
seem1 it should be4 ,at the end of the  
year1 however1 ,i doubt if any one of   
them all has more reproaches to make1 as
 regards want of success1 than any      

other4  ,from these facts1 there are    
those who hold that it is most prudent  
to confide to nature1 as the physician2 
forgetful that1 if he could bring no    
other remedy than hope1 he unites moral 
to physical aid4 ,yet1 the very persons 
who1 in health are readiest to maintain 
this doctrine1 like children who are    
heroes during the day but cowards in the
 dark1 when they are sick1 are as prompt
 as others in sending for the physician4
  ,even if agitation and fear had not   
fatal effects1 in rendering us more     
accessible to maladies1 wisdom would    
strive to banish them1 in pursuit of the
 science of happiness4 ,fear1 by        
anticipating agony1 doubles our         
sufferings4 ,if there could exist a     
rational ground for continual           
inquietude1 it would be found in a frail
 constitution4 ,but how many men of the 
feeblest health survive those of the    
most vigorous and robust frame6         
,calculations upon the duration of life 
are so uncertain that we can always make

 them in our favor4  ,to him who        
cultivates a mild and pleasant          
philosophy1 old age itself should not be
 contemplated with alarm4 ,it may seem a
 paradox to say that all men are nearly 
of the same age1 in reference to their  
chances of another day4 ,men are as     
confident of seeing tomorrow and the    
succeeding day1 at eighty1 as at        
sixteen4 ,such is the beautiful veil    
with which nature conceals from us the  
darkness of the future4  ,in general1   
men have less sympathy for the suffering
 than their condition ought to inspire4 
,we meet them with a sad face and are   
more earnest to show them that we are   
afflicted ourselves1 than to seek to    
cheer their dejection4 ,we multiply so  
many questions touching their health    
that it would seem as if we feared to   
allow them to forget that they were     
sick4  ,of all subjects of conversation1
 my own pains and physical infirmities  
have become the least interesting to me2
 as ,i know they must be to others4 ,i  

do not wish that those who surround my  
sick bed should converse as though      
arranging the preparations for my last  
dress1 or determining the hour of my    
interment4  ,if we would live in peace1 
and die in tranquillity1 let us1 as much
 as possible1 avoid importunate cares4  
,our business is to unite as many       
friends as we may2 and to beguile pain  
and sorrow by treasuring as many        
resources of innocent amusement as our  
means will admit4 ,if our sufferings    
become painful and incurable1 we must   
concentrate our mental energy and settle
 on our solitary powers of endurance4   
,we die1 or we recover4 ,nature1 though 
calm1 moves irresistibly to her point2  
and complaint is always worse than      
useless4#ai  ,but in arming ourselves   
with courage to support our own evils1  
let us preserve sensibility and sympathy
 for the sufferings of others4 ,it is   
among the dangerously sick that we find 
those unfortunate beings who are most   
worthy to inspire our pity4 ,their only 

expectation is death1 preceded by cruel 
tortures2 and yet they1 probably1 suffer
 less for themselves than for weeping   
dependents whom they are leaving1 it may
 be1 without a single prop4 ,ah6 during 
the few days of sorrow that remain to   
them on the earth1 how earnestly ought  
we to strive to mitigate their pains1 to
 calm their alarms and animate their    
feeble hopes6 ,blessed be that          
beneficent being who shall call one     
smile more upon their dying lips6#bj    
,,letter ,x4  ,,of ,,competence4        
,pretended sages announce to us1 with   
sententious gravity1 that virtue ought  
to be the single object of our desires2 
that1 strengthened by it1 we can support
 privations and misery without          
suffering4 ,useless moralists6 ,shall ,i
 yield faith to precepts which the      
experience of every day falsifies8 ,it  
is only necessary1 in refutation1 to    
present a man who has broken his limb1  
or whose children suffer hunger4  ,his  
plan is wise1 who examines1 with a      

judgment free from ambition1 the amount 
of fortune necessary to competence in   
his case1 viewed in all its bearings2   
and commences the steady pursuit of it4 
,having reached that measure1 if his    
desires impel him beyond the limit      
which1 in a more reasonable hour1 he    
prescribed for himself1 he henceforward 
strives to be happy by sacrificing      
enjoyment4 ,he barters it for a very    
uncertain means of purchasing even      
pleasures4 ,in this way competence      
becomes useless to the greater part of  
those who obtain it4 ,victims of the    
common folly1 and still wishing a little
 more1 they lose1 in the effort to get  
rich1 the time which they ought to spend
 in enjoyment4 ,we see grasping and     
adroit speculators on every side2 and1  
but rarely1 men who know how to employ  
the resources of a moderate fortune4 ,it
 is not the art of acquiring beyond     
competence1 but of wisely spending1 that
 we need to learn4  ,our business in    
life is to be happy2 and yet1 simple and

 obvious as this truism is1 the greater 
number disdain or forget it4 ,to judge  
from the passions and objects that we   
see exciting man to action1 we should   
suppose that he was placed on the earth1
 not to become happy1 but rich4  ,to    
what purpose so many cares and studies8 
#8,that man1' we are answered with a    
peculiar emphasis1 #8has an immense     
income4' ,in his rare1 brilliant and    
envied condition1 if he does not        
vegetate under the weight of ennui1 ,i  
recognise in him a man of astonishing   
merit4  ,the opulent may be divided into
 two classes4 ,the employment of the one
 is to watch over their expenditures4   
,the other study the mode of dissipating
 their revenue4 ,can ,i present1 in     
detail1 the cares and vexations which an
 immense fortune brings8 ,the possessor 
leaves discussion with his tenants1 to  
commence angry disputes with his        
workmen4 ,from these he departs to      
listen to the schemes of projectors1 or 
to the information of advocates4 ,is not

 such a result dearly purchased at the  
expense of repose1 independence and     
time8 ,would it not be better to        
relinquish a part of these possessions1 
in order to dispose1 in peace1 of the   
remainder8 ,i admit that a man who      
devotes himself to lucrative pursuits is
 not overwhelmed with continual ennui4  
,the banker respires again1 after having
 grown pale over his accounts4 ,a       
speculation has succeeded1 and the      
enchantment of success banishes his     
alarms1 fatigues and slavery4 ,but he   
whose purpose in life is to secure as   
many happy moments as he can1 and who   
sees how many innocent pleasures the    
other allows to escape him1 would refuse
 his fortune at the price which he pays 
for it4  ,another opulent class inherit 
fortunes acquired by the industry and   
sacrifices of their fathers4 ,rendered  
effeminate in a school1 the reverse of  
that in which their fathers were        
trained1 without resources in           
themselves1 accustomed from infancy to  

have their least desires anticipated1   
under the influence of feeble parents1  
pliant and servile instructers1 greedy  
servants and a seducing world1 their    
appetite is early palled1 and every     
pleasure in life worn out4  ,but suppose
 the rich heir brought up as though he  
were not rich1 destiny places before him
 a strange alternative4 ,if he succeed  
in resisting desires which everything   
excites and favors1 what painful        
struggles6 ,if he yield to them1 what   
effort can preserve him an untainted    
mind8 ,the experience of all time       
declares the improbability that he will 
resist4 ,so many pretended friends are  
at hand to take up the cause of the     
present against the future1 a cause1    
too1 which always finds a powerful      
patron in our own bosoms6 ,the pleasures
 of the senses have1 besides1 this      
dangerous advantage1 that before we have
 tasted them we are sufficiently        
instructed by the imagination1 that we  
shall receive vivid and delightful      

emotions from their indulgence4 ,we are 
not certain that pleasures of a higher  
class have a charm of enchantment until 
after we have made the happy experiment4
 ,thus everything prepares the opulent  
for the sadness of satiety1 moral       
disgust and ennui without end1 the only 
suffering of life which is not softened 
by hope4  ,you will sometimes see these 
men at public places where they are     
professedly in search of amusement1     
giving no sign of existence except by an
 occasional yawn4 ,cast your eyes on    
those spectators who are alive to the   
most vivid enthusiasm4 ,they are young  
students or mechanics who have          
economised ten days to spend an hour of 
the eleventh in this amusement6#ba ,it  
is in clean cottages1 in small but well 
directed establishments1 that pleasures 
are vivid1 because they are obtained at 
a price1 and through industry and order4
 ,a festival is projected1 or a holiday 
returns4 ,friends are assembled1 and how
 blithe and free is the joy6 ,a slight  

economy has been practised to supply the
 moderate expenses4 ,there is high      
pleasure in looking forward to the epoch
 and in making the arrangements in      
anticipation4 ,there is still more      
pleasure in the remembrance4 ,when the  
interval which separates us from        
pleasure is not very long1 even this    
interval has charms4  ,what a touching  
narrative is recorded of the suppers of 
two of the greatest men of the past age1
 of whom one was the ,abbe de           
,condillac4 ,both were so poor that the 
expenses were reduced to absolute       
necessaries4 ,but what conversations    
prolonged the repast1 and with what     
swiftness flew the enchanted hours6     
,neither great genius nor profound      
acquirements are necessary to enjoy     
evenings equally pleasant4  ,in an      
establishment of moderate competence1   
those who compose it rarely leave it4   
,all the joys which spring up in the    
bosom of a beloved family seem to have  
been created for them4 ,give them       

riches1 without changing their hearts1  
and they would taste less pleasure4 ,new
 duties and amusements would trench upon
 a part of that time which had hitherto 
been sacred to friendship4 ,more        
conversant with society1 they would be  
less together4 ,receiving more          
visitants1 they would see fewer friends4
 ,transported into a new sphere where a 
thousand objects of comparison would    
excite their desires1 they would1       
perhaps1 for the first time1 experience 
privations and regrets4  ,women and     
young people taste the advantages which 
a retired1 pleasant and modest condition
 offers only so long as they avoid      
comparisons of that lot with one which  
the world considers more favored4 ,we   
must carry into the world a high        
philosophy1 or never quit our retreat4  
,persons even of a disciplined reason1  
just thought and a noble character1 may 
grow dizzy1 for a moment1 with the      
splendor and noise of opulence1         
perceived for the first time4 ,but as   

soon as they begin to blush and forfeit 
self-respect in tracing the causes of   
their intoxication1 the scene vanishes1 
and1 as they contemplate and compare1 it
 is replaced by the sentiment of their  
own happiness4 ,in the midst of the     
brilliant crowd they experience a       
legitimate pride in saying1 #8from how  
many regrets and cares am ,i saved6 ,how
 many futilities are here1 of which ,i  
have no need6'  ,but ,i shall be told   
that opulence has at least this         
advantage1 that it attracts             
consideration4 ,there is no doubt that  
many people measure the esteem they pay 
you by the scale of your riches4 ,you   
will never persuade them that merit     
often walks on foot1 while stupidity    
rides in a carriage4  ,but will a man   
esteem himself a philosopher1 and take  
into his calculation the opinion of such
 fools as these8 ,in a circle where     
opulence puts forth its splendor1 when  
you experience a slight revulsion of    
shame in perceiving that the simplicity 

of your dress is remarked1 ask yourself 
if you would change your mode of life1  
character and talents with those around 
you8 ,if you feel that you would not1   
repress the weakness of wishing         
incompatible advantages2 and resume the 
self-respect of an honest man4#ba;a  ,to
 be satisfied with a moderate fortune   
is1 perhaps1 the highest test and best  
proof of philosophy4 ,all others seem to
 me doubtful4 ,he who can live content  
on a little1 gives a pledge that he     
would preserve his probity and courage  
in the most difficult situations4 ,he   
has placed his virtue1 repose and       
happiness as far as possible above the  
caprices of his kind1 and the           
vicissitudes of earthly things4  ,there 
are moments when the desire of wealth   
penetrates even the retreat of a sage1  
not with the puerile and dangerous wish 
to dazzle with show1 but with the hope1 
dear to a good mind1 that it might      
become a means of extended usefulness4  
,when imagination creates her gay       

visions1 we sometimes think of riches1  
and in our dreams make an employment of 
them worthy of envy4 ,what a delightful 
field then opens before those who       
possess riches8 ,they can encourage the 
progress of science1 and aid in         
advancing the glory of letters4 ,how    
much assistance they can offer to       
deserving young people whose first      
efforts announce happy dispositions1 and
 whose character1 at the same time1     
little fitted for worldly success1 is a 
compound of independence and timidity8  
,how much they may honor themselves in  
decking the modest retreat of the aged  
scholar who has consecrated his life to 
study1 and who has neglected his        
personal fortune to enrich the age with 
inventions of genius6 ,they have the    
means of giving a noble impulse to the  
arts1 without trenching upon their      
resources4 ,a picture1 which perpetuates
 the remembrance of a generous or heroic
 exploit1 costs no more than a group of 
bacchanalians or debauchees4 ,a career  

more beautiful still1 is open to        
opulence4 ,of how many vices and how    
many tears it may dry the source6 ,a    
rich man1 to become happy1 has only to  
wish to become so4 ,he can not only     
immortalize his name as the patron of   
arts and useful inventions1 but1 what is
 better1 can deserve the blessings of   
the miserable4 ,such pleasures are      
durable1 and may be tasted1 with unsated
 relish1 after a settled lassitude from 
the indulgence of all others4#bb  ,let  
not such seducing dreams1 however1 leave
 us a prey to ambitious and             
disappointing desires at our awakening4 
,it is in the sphere where ,providence  
has placed us1 that we must search for  
the means of being useful2 and if there 
are pleasures which belong only to      
opulence1 there are others which can    
best be found in mediocrity4 ,perhaps1  
in giving us riches1 we shall realize   
but half the dream of virtue and        
contentment4 #8,it seems to me1' says   
,plato1 #8that gold and virtue were     

placed in the opposite scales of a      
balance2 and that we cannot throw an    
additional weight into one scale1       
without subtracting an equal amount from
 the other4'     ,,letter ,,xi4  ,,of   
,,opinion ,,and ,,the ,,affection ,,of  
,,men4   ,in selecting the same route1  
in which the agitated crowd is pressing 
onward1 we are evidently on the wrong   
road to happiness2 since we hear the    
multitude on every side expressing      
dissatisfaction with their life4 ,if we 
choose a different path1 we cannot      
expect to evade the shafts of censure1  
since the same multitude are naturally  
disposed1 from pride of opinion1 to     
think all1 not on the same road with    
themselves1 astray4 ,it is1 then1 an    
egregious folly to hope for a happiness 
thus pursued by system1 and for the     
approbation of the vulgar at the same   
time4 ,among the obstacles which are at 
war with our repose1 one of the         
greatest1 and at the same time most     
frivolous1 is the fatal necessity of    

becoming of importance to others1       
instead of becoming calmly sufficient to
 ourselves4 ,like restless children1    
always seduced by appearances1 it is a  
small point1 that we are happy in our   
condition4 ,we desire that it should    
excite envy4 ,a happiness which glares  
not in the eyes of the multitude1       
compelling them to take note of it1 is  
no longer regarded as happiness4 ,there 
are both dupes and victims of opinion4  
,those who are devoured by the fever of 
intrigue1 and those who1 to dazzle      
others1 dissipate their fortune1 are the
 miserable victims4 ,the dupes are those
 who voluntarily weary themselves out of
 three quarters of their life1 and offer
 this as their apology--#8these visits1 
these ceremonies1 these evening parties6
 they are tiresome1 we grant4 ,but we   
must mix with good company4' ,why not   
always mix with the best--your own      
enlightened and free thoughts8  ,i shall
 be obliged to present one truth under a
 thousand forms4 ,it is that much       

courage is exacted for the attainment of
 happiness4 ,such a man has estimable   
qualities1 an interesting family1 tried 
friends1 a fortune equal to his wants4  
,his lot ought to seem a delightful one4
 ,how differently the public judge6     
#8,this man1' says the public1 #8has    
intelligence4 ,why has he not increased 
his fortune8 ,he is able to distinguish 
himself4 ,why has he not sought place or
 office8 ,he seems to stand aloof1 that 
he may pique himself on a proud and     
foolish originality4 ,we judge him less 
favorably4 ,every one distinguishes     
himself1 that can4 ,to be without       
distinction is a proof that he has not  
power to acquire it4' ,if the man1 of   
whom this is said1 has not courage1     
mourn over him4 ,the public will end1 by
 rendering him ashamed of his happiness4
  ,to hear the false reasoning of the   
multitude is not what astonishes me4    
,that stupid people1 full of            
self-esteem1 should hold these foolish  
discourses1 with strong emphasis1 is    

perfectly natural4 ,what ,i wonder at   
is1 that their maxims should guide      
people of understanding4  ,we are guilty
 of the whimsical contradiction of      
judging our own ideas with complacency1 
and of pronouncing upon those of others 
with severity4 ,yet we every day        
sacrifice principles which we esteem1   
through fear of being blamed by people  
whom we despise4#bc  ,the moment ,i     
escape the yoke of opinion1 what a vast 
and serene horizon stretches out before 
my eyes6 ,the pleasures of vanity       
scatter1 like morning mists4 ,those of  
repose and independence remain4 ,i no   
longer sacrifice to the disquieting     
desire of preserving a protector1 or    
eclipsing my rivals4 ,i am no longer the
 slave of gloomy etiquette4 ,i          
henceforward prolong my delightful      
evenings for my own enjoyment4 ,the     
caprices of men have lost their empire  
over me4 ,if poor1 ,i shall remain a    
stranger to the pains excited by        
blasting ridicule and overwhelming      

contempt4 ,if rich1 indolent and        
impertinent people will no longer       
regulate my expenses2 and the happy     
choice of my pleasures will multiply my 
riches4 ,these are presented to a wise  
man in two opposite relations4 ,do they 
call for a service8 ,the most tender    
interest excites him to their aid4 ,do  
they show a disposition to manage him8  
,he meets the attempt only with profound
 disdain4 ,he who possesses a           
disciplined reason1 and a courageous    
mind1 does not choose to walk by the    
faith of a feeble and uncertain guide1  
who has need himself to be led4 ,allow  
yourself to become docile to the        
eccentric laws of opinion1 and the slave
 of its imperious caprices1 and follow  
it with the most earnest perseverance of
 loyalty2 still it will finally         
terminate in condemning you4  ,but      
hypocrisy opens against me1 and feeble  
men ask me1 if it be not dangerous1 thus
 to inculcate contempt of opinion8 ,in  
following but a part of the ideas1 which

 ,i announce1 my readers might be led   
astray4 ,the whole must be adopted1 for 
a fair experiment of the result4 ,a     
physician had chosen many plants1 from  
which to form a salutary decoction4 ,his
 patient swallowed the juice of but one 
and was poisoned4  ,let us discard that 
timidity1 which conducts to falsehood2  
and1 to subserve morals1 let us be      
faithful to truth4 ,the wicked and the  
sage alike break the yoke of opinion2   
the former to increase his power of     
annoyance2 the latter that of doing     
good4  ,i can conceive1 that a depraved 
man will commit fewer faults1 in        
yielding to the caprices of opinion1    
than in abandoning himself to his own   
errors4 ,there are cruel passions and   
shameful vices1 which he reproves even  
in the midst of his aberrations4 ,but in
 doing so he gives to falsehood the name
 of politeness1 and to cowardice the    
title of prudence4 ,his favorite        
inculcation is1 the terror of ridicule4 
,to form true men1 it is indispensable1 

that this precept should be engraven on 
their hearts--,fear nothing but remorse4
  ,the simple and generous mind1 that   
follows these lessons1 and is worthy of 
happiness1 need not blush1 in view of   
his course4 ,only let him march on with 
unshrinking courage4 ,in breaking the   
yoke of opinion1 let him fly the still  
more shameful chains which the passions 
impose4 ,in contemning the prejudices of
 the multitude dread still more those   
fatal instructers1 who treat morality as
 a popular fable1 and pretend to the    
honor of dispelling our errors4 ,the    
aberrations of opinion prove only1 that 
the most bold1 not the most virtuous1   
press forward to announce their         
principles4 ,these principles cannot    
annihilate that secret and universal    
opinion1 that voice of conscience1      
without which the moral world would have
 presented only a chaos2 and the human  
race would have perished4 ,consult those
 men1 who have been instructed by the   
lessons of wisdom and experience4       

,consult those whom you would choose to 
resemble4 ,their first precept will be1 
that you descend into yourself4 ,if we  
interrogate conscience1 in good faith1  
she will enlighten us4 ,she makes       
herself heard in the tumult of our      
vices1 even against our will4 ,if she   
become distorted1 during the storm of   
our passions1 she recovers the serenity 
of truth1 as soon as that passes away2  
as a river1 which has been agitated by a
 tempest1 as soon as calm returns1      
reflects anew the verdure of the shores 
and the azure of heaven4  ,if there were
 a people formed by sage laws1 whose    
words were frank1 and whose actions     
upright1 there it would be a duty to    
hearken to the voice of opinion in      
religious silence2 and to follow its    
decrees1 as though they were those of   
the divinity4 ,phocion asked1 what      
foolish thing he had done when the      
,athenians applauded him8 ,happy the    
country1 where this would have been a   
criminal pleasantry1 and where the pages

 of that chapter which condemns opinion 
ought to be torn out4  ,perhaps ,i may  
be accused of contradiction1 in saying  
that1 in the enlightened pursuit of     
happiness1 the opinion of the multitude 
must be received with neglect2 and yet1 
that it is pleasant to be esteemed by   
the society1 of which we are members4   
,we receive their services1 and ought to
 know the pleasure of obliging them4 ,we
 often share those weaknesses1 which we 
censure in them4 ,our multiplied        
relations with them render their        
affection desirable4 ,it may not be     
necessary to happiness2 but it gives to 
enjoyment a more vivid charm4  ,may we  
be able1 in pursuing the path indicated 
by wisdom1 to obtain esteem1 and taste  
the delight of a sentiment still        
pleasanter1 and more precious4          
,friendship is1 to esteem1 what the     
flower is to the stem which sustains it4
  ,but ,i can never imagine1 that we    
ought to become subservient to the      
caprices of opinion4 ,we should first be

 satisfied with ourselves2 and          
afterwards1 if it may be1 with others4  
,to merit affection1 ,i perceive but two
 methods2 to love our kind1 and to      
cultivate those virtues which diffuse a 
charm over life4     ,,letter ,,xii4    
,,of ,,the ,,sentiment ,,men ,,ought    
,,to ,,inspire4   ,there is no such     
being as a misanthrope4 ,the men        
designated by this name1 may be divided 
into many classes4 ,in one class ,i see 
men of philosophic minds1 revolted by   
our vices1 or shocked by our            
contradictions1 who censure these       
universal traits with a blunt frankness4
 ,their disgust springs from the evils1 
which the universal follies of the age  
have shed upon our career4 ,but if they 
really hated men1 would they wield the  
pen of satire1 in striving to correct   
them8  ,another class consists of those 
unfortunate beings1 who hope to find    
peace only in solitude4 ,they fly a     
world which has pierced their heart with
 cruel wounds2 and perhaps avow1 in     

words1 an implacable hatred towards men4
 ,but their sensibility belies their    
avowal2 and we soothe their griefs1 as  
soon as we ask their services4          
,finally1 there are those who strive    
only to render themselves singular1 who 
are really less afflicted1 than         
whimsical2 rather officious than        
observing4 ,these would tire us with the
 avowal of their love of mankind1 if    
they did not deem that they render      
themselves more piquant and original by 
declaring that they hate them4  ,we may 
excuse indignation towards prejudices1  
contradictions and vices4 ,but how can  
man have merited hatred or contempt8    
,man is good4 ,such is his primitive    
character1 which he can never entirely  
efface4 ,good1 but seduced1 erring and  
unhappy1 he has claims upon our most    
tender interest4  ,i do not propose to  
vex the question whether man is born    
good8 ,i consider him to be born without
 either virtue or vice4 ,but as he      
advances in life1 nature arranges       

everything around him in such a manner1 
as ought to render him good4 ,a mother  
is the first object that offers to his  
view4 ,the first words which he hears   
express the tenderest affection4        
,caresses inspire his first sentiments2 
and his first occupations are sports4   
,too soon1 it is true1 very different   
objects surround him4 ,as he grows into 
life1 he is struck with such a general  
spectacle of injustice1 as reverses his 
ideas1 and sours his character4 ,but1   
although the contagion reaches him1 and 
the passions and prejudices degrade him1
 some traits of his primitive goodness  
will always remain in his heart4  ,even 
those terrible enthusiasts1 who thrust  
themselves forward in the effervescence 
of party1 who1 to give triumph to their 
cause1 blow up the incipient flame of   
civil discord1 and with an unshrinking  
hand raise the sword of proscription1   
these fanatics may be strangers to every
 humane sentiment4 ,yet many of them are
 seen to love their wives and children  

with tenderness1 and to preserve in the 
bosom of their family1 so to speak1 the 
germs of innocence4 ,robbers1 the horror
 of society1 whom the gibbet claims1    
honor themselves with some acts of      
humanity2 and tyrants have their days of
 clemency4  ,during great calamities1   
natural sentiments develope themselves1 
and form a touching contrast with the   
scenes of horror with which they are    
surrounded4 ,when a destructive         
conflagration is sweeping along a city1 
there are no distinctions1 no           
animosities among the wretched          
sufferers1 whom the same terror pursues4
 ,enemies forget their hatred1 and      
partisans their parties4 ,the rich and  
poor cry out together4 ,all love and aid
 each other4 ,misfortune has broken down
 the separating barriers of pride and   
prejudice1 and they find each other good
 and equal4  ,even upon the theatre of  
war1 where the spectacle of destruction 
excites an appetite to destroy1 we often
 discover affecting traces of humanity4 

,at the siege of ,mentz1 in #agie1 ,i   
remember that the advanced guards of the
 attack on the left1 occupied an        
,english garden1 near the village of    
,montback4 ,the garden was completely   
destroyed4 ,the walks and labyrinths    
were changed1 by the trampling of the   
soldiers1 into high roads4 ,batteries   
were raised upon the mounds1 from       
distance to distance1 around which still
 grew rare trees and shrubs4 ,the       
,french bivouacs banished the verdure of
 the bowling greens2 and in advance of  
them1 a half overturned kiosk served for
 the front guard of the ,austrians4 ,the
 nearest water was on their side2 the   
nearest wood on the side of the ,french4
 ,to obtain water1 the ,french threw    
their canteens to the ,austrians1 who   
filled them and sent them back again4   
,when night drew on1 the ,french        
soldiers1 in return1 cut wood for the   
,austrians1 and dragged fagots between  
the videttes of the two armies4 ,thus1  
waiting the signal to cut each other's  

throat1 the advance guards lived in     
peace1 and made exchanges like those    
between friendly people4 ,this spectacle
 excited in me a profound emotion2 and  
,i was scarcely able to refrain from    
tears1 in seeing men1 so situated1 still
 good1 on a soil red with blood4#bd     
,this primitive goodness is not the only
 beautiful trait which is continually   
developing to our view in human nature4 
,for men to be generous1 and            
magnanimous1 the soul never entirely    
loses the elevation1 which it received  
from its author4  ,under oppression1 in 
degradation1 in slavery1 men still      
preserve some impress of their first    
dignity4 ,those outrages which inflict  
personal humiliation1 are among the most
 frequent causes of revolutions2 and1   
perhaps tyrants incur less danger in    
shedding the blood of citizens1 than in 
insulting them4 ,an outrage upon a woman
 was the signal of the liberty of ,rome4
 ,a similar crime drew on the fall of   
the ,pisistrati1 who had found no       

obstacle in overturning the laws of     
their country4 ,the ,swiss and ,danes   
supported the rigors of a tyrannic yoke 
in silence4 ,they arose the first day in
 which their oppressors exacted of them 
an act of degradation4 ,genoa had been  
conquered4 ,an ,austrian officer struck 
a man of the lower class4 ,the indignant
 ,genoese flew to arms1 and drove away  
their conquerors4  ,under the most      
absolute despotism1 we sometimes see the
 subjects preserving magnanimous        
sentiments2 and not being able to give  
them a useful direction1 put forth1 to  
serve their master1 a courage equal to  
that with which free citizens honor     
themselves in serving their country4 ,of
 this ,i might cite striking proofs from
 the history of even barbarous nations4 
,a convincing demonstration1 that an    
innate principle of elevation exists in 
the soul1 results from the universality 
of religious ideas4 ,man is discouraged 
by his errors1 his infirmities and      
faults in vain4 ,an interior voice      

admonishes him of his high destination4 
,transient as he is1 and comparatively  
lost in the immensity of the universe1  
he invokes the ,divinity to sanctify the
 union of his espousals1 and to preside 
over the birth of his infants4 ,he      
raises his voice to him over the tombs  
of his fathers4 ,when the contemplation 
of the works of the ,eternal has        
inspired him with humble sentiments of  
himself1 he still deems himself superior
 to all the beings that surround him4   
,occupying but a point on the globe1 his
 disquieting thoughts embrace the       
universe4 ,he beholds time devouring the
 objects of his affections1 crumbling   
monuments and overturning even the works
 of nature4 ,from the midst of the ruins
 he aspires to immortality4#bd;a  ,what 
would not these sentiments1 at once     
elevated and good1 these precious germs 
produce1 were they developed by happy   
circumstances6 ,that they exist in the  
human bosom is a sufficient indication  
that we owe a tender interest to the    

being who possesses them4 ,let us love  
our kind1 and cultivate the virtues     
which render us worthy of their         
affection4     ,,letter ,,xiii4  ,,of   
,,some ,,of ,,the ,,virtues4   ,placed  
in the midst of men1 the most useful    
virtue is indulgence4 ,to allow         
ourselves to become severe1 is to forget
 how many good qualities we want        
ourselves2 and from what faults we are  
preserved only by chance and our        
circumstances4 ,it is to forget the     
weakness of men1 and the empire         
exercised over them by the objects that 
surround them4 ,to render exact justice 
to our kind1 we ought to take into the  
estimate all the assistance and all the 
obstacles1 with which they have met in  
their career4 ,thus weighing them1      
celebrated actions will become less     
astonishing1 and faults begin to appear 
excusable4  ,by cultivating the spirit  
of indulgence1 we learn the happy secret
 of being well with ourselves1 and well 
with men4 ,some carry into their        

intercourse with the world an austere   
frankness4 ,they are dreaded1 and the   
opposition which they every day         
experience1 increases their disagreeable
 and tiresome roughness1 and their      
officious rudeness4 ,others1 blushing at
 no complaisance1 and equally supple and
 false1 smile at what displeases them2  
praise what they feel to be ridiculous2 
and applaud what they know to be vile4  
,be indulgent1 and you will not         
sacrifice self-esteem2 and your         
frankness1 far from annoying1 will      
render your affability more amiable4    
,the less we occupy ourselves with the  
vices and aberrations of men1 the more  
pleasant does existence become4         
,indulgence carries its own recompense  
with it1 and causes us to see our kind  
almost such as they should be4  ,let us 
extend a courageous indulgence towards  
those unfortunate beings1 who are       
victims of long continued errors4       
,enough will be ready to assume the     
office of their accusers4 ,let us draw  

round them the veil of charity4 ,i am   
aware that gloomy moralists will object 
to these views2 and call them easy      
principles1 that encourage the vices1   
flatter the passions1 and excuse        
disorders4 ,believe me1 the most easy   
and successful mode of reclaiming the   
wandering1 is to carry encouragement and
 hope to their hearts1 and to have faith
 in their repentance4#be  ,born in an   
age when every one professes to applaud 
toleration1 far from adopting the real  
spirit1 we scarcely know how to practise
 indulgence even towards abstract       
opinions1 that differ from our own4 ,let
 us never forget the weakness and error 
of our own judgment and understanding2  
and then we shall possess an habitual   
temper of candor towards the views of   
others4 ,in most instances1 when we say 
#8that man thinks rightly1' the phrase1 
when translated1 imports1 #8that man    
thinks as ,i do4'  ,let us never forget 
that chance may have given us the       
opinions most dear to us4 ,the ardent   

patron of this party1 had he only been  
in a house contiguous to his own1 would 
have had opinions and prejudices1 the   
exact reverse of those he now reveres4  
,it is not improbable that he might have
 died in the opposite ranks4  ,a        
particular idea1 which you formerly     
deemed correct1 at present seems false4 
,perhaps you may one day return to your 
first judgment4 ,let us accord1 to our  
antagonist1 a right which we frequently 
exercise for ourselves1 the right to be 
deceived4 ,during the contests of party1
 ,i have more than once seen the        
spectacle of two men changing their     
principles almost at the same moment1 in
 such a manner1 that one of them takes  
the place of the other in the faction1  
which1 but a short time since1 he       
professed to detest4 ,taking human      
nature as it is1 into view1 this does   
not astonish me4 ,what ,i find strange  
is1 that these two men should hate each 
other more than ever1 and that it has   
become impossible to reconcile them1 now

 that the one has espoused the opinion  
which the other held but a moment       
before4#bf  ,an essential truth that    
ought to be constantly announced1 is1   
that both political and religious       
opinions have much less influence than  
is commonly imagined upon the qualities 
of the heart4 ,no verity has been so    
completely demonstrated to my           
conviction4 ,i have been conversant with
 men of all parties4 ,in every one ,i   
have met with persons full of           
disinterestedness and integrity4 ,to    
esteem them1 it was only necessary to   
remark the noble and unshrinking courage
 with which they were willing to suspend
 everything on the issue of their       
convictions4#bg  ,a crowd of useful     
reflections upon this subject naturally 
offer1 upon which it would be easy to   
enlarge4--,the brevity of my plan impels
 me to other subjects4 ,there is one    
quality1 difficult to define1 yet easily
 understood1 which always affects us    
pleasantly4 ,it is a quality as rare as 

its effects are useful2 and yet we have 
scarcely a specific term in our language
 by which fully to designate it4 ,an    
obliging disposition is the common      
phrase that conveys it4 ,examine all the
 pleasant things of life1 and you will  
find this disposition the pleasantest of
 all4 ,there often remains no memory of 
the benefits received4 ,of those we have
 rendered1 something is always retained4
  ,but what shall we say of the         
ungrateful8 ,we are told that they are  
formidable from their numbers and       
boldness1 and that they people the whole
 earth4 ,how eccentric and contradictory
 are the common maxims of the world6 ,we
 admit that we have a right to exact    
gratitude2 and yet wish that benefits   
should be forgotten3 ,i hold it wrong to
 depend upon gratitude1 since the       
expectation will generally be           
deceived4--,on the contrary1 ,i approve 
his course1 who keeps an exact account  
of his good actions4 ,in reading the    
record1 he will one day taste a         

legitimate reward4 ,what reading can be 
so useful8 ,to remember that we have    
done good in time past1 is to bind us to
 beneficence in time to come4 ,we hear  
it continually repeated1 that it        
requires a sublime effort to do good to 
our enemies4--,men more zealous than    
enlightened have advanced1 that the     
morality of the gospel has alone        
prescribed the rendering of good for    
evil4 ,evangelical duty is sufficiently 
elevated by being founded on the basis  
of higher sanctions and a future        
retribution2 and rests not its claims   
upon new discoveries of what is true1   
beautiful and obligatory in morals4     
,they who advocate that the grand maxims
 of evangelical morality are found      
nowhere else than in the gospel1 seem to
 me to have committed two faults2 the   
one in advancing an error1 the other in 
tending to estrange men from the virtues
 they inculcate1 by intimating that     
their practice exacts more than human   
power4  ,a writer of unquestionable     

piety1 the late ,sir ,william ,jones    
found the grand maxim1 #8do unto others 
as you would wish them to do unto you1' 
implied in the discourses of ,lysias1   
,thales and ,pittacus1 and1 word for    
word1 in the original of ,confucius4    
,the obligation to render good for evil1
 he affirms1 is inculcated in the       
religious books of the ,hindoos and     
,arabians2 in confirmation of which he  
cites many passages from them4 ,the     
sentiment of moralists has everywhere   
been graven upon the human heart4 ,it is
 enough that our ,lord has sanctioned   
the sublime precepts that belong to our 
faith with immortal recompenses2 and    
still more may we rely upon those       
sanctions1 when we add to them the      
present pleasure of performing good     
actions4#bg;a  ,let us add1 that in     
enjoining the gospel maxim to render    
good for evil1 we inculcate elevation of
 mind1 the source of all the virtues4   
,but christian moralists have too often 
been tempted to neutralize or destroy   

the effect of their precepts1 by pushing
 them to absurd or impracticable        
lengths4 ,to practise forgiveness1 and  
to do good1 are evangelical commands1 as
 sublime as they are conformable to our 
natural views of duty4 ,to enjoin upon  
us to degrade ourselves in the estimate 
of our enemies1 by feeling and acting   
towards them as though they were our    
friends1 as some have understood the    
bearing of the christian precept1 would 
be injurious and impracticable4         
,socrates pardoned his enemies1 but     
preserved an imposing dignity4 ,there   
was no abasement in the infinitely      
higher example of him1 who1 suffering on
 the cross1 prayed for his murderers4   
,if such are our obligations as men and 
,christians towards our enemies1 what   
duties ought we not to fulfil to those  
benefactors who have steadily sought    
occasions to be useful to us1 to ward   
off danger from us1 and to repair our   
misfortunes8 ,to such let us seek       
incessant opportunities of acquitting   

our debt4 ,gratitude will prolong the   
pleasure conferred by their benefits4   
,indulgence1 and the desire to oblige1  
seem to me the two principal means of   
conciliating to ourselves the affections
 of our kind4 ,a virtue which at least  
commands their esteem is integrity4 ,not
 only is he who practises it1 faithful  
to his engagements1 since he allows no  
promises of his to be held slight1 but  
his uprightness makes itself felt in all
 his actions1 and frankness in all his  
conversation4 ,the faults that he       
commits he is prompt to acknowledge2 he 
confesses them without false shame1 and 
seeks neither to exaggerate nor         
extenuate them4 ,touching the interests 
which are common to him and other       
people1 he decides for simple justice2  
and1 in so awarding1 does not deem that 
he injures himself1 his first possession
 being his own self-respect4 ,without   
rendering me high services1 he obliges  
me in the lesser charities1 and procures
 me one of the most vivid pleasures ,i  

can taste1 that of contemplating a noble
 character4  ,among the virtues which   
ought to secure a kind regard1 we       
universally assign to modesty a high    
rank4 ,a simple and modest man lives    
unknown1 until a moment1 which he could 
not have foreseen1 reveals his estimable
 qualities and his generous actions4 ,i 
compare him to the concealed flower     
springing from an humble stem1 which    
escapes the view1 and is discovered only
 by its perfume4 ,pride quickly fixes   
the eye1 and he who is always his own   
eulogist1 dispenses every other person  
from the obligation to praise him4 ,a   
truly modest man1 emerging from his     
transient obscurity1 will obtain those  
delightful praises which the heart      
awards without effort4 ,his superiority1
 far from being importunate1 will become
 attractive4 ,modesty gives to talents  
and virtues the same charm which        
chastity adds to beauty4  ,let us carry 
into the world neither curiosity nor    
indiscretion4 ,curiosity is the defect  

of a little mind1 which1 not knowing how
 to employ itself at home1 feels the    
necessity of being amused with the      
occupations of others4 ,in relation to  
minute objects it is ridiculous4 ,in    
important affairs it becomes odious4    
,let us know nothing about those        
debates1 piques and parties1 which it is
 not in our power to settle4  ,an       
attribute so precious1 that1 in my eye1 
it becomes a virtue1 is a gentle and    
constant equality of temper4--,to       
sustain it1 not only exacts a pure mind1
 but a vigor of understanding which     
resists the petty vexations and fleeting
 contrarieties which a multitude of     
objects and events are continually      
bringing4 ,what an unalterable charm    
does it give to the society of the man  
who possesses it6 ,how is it possible to
 avoid loving him whom we are certain   
always to find with serenity on his brow
 and a smile in his countenance8  ,i    
foresee that our brilliant observers1 as
 they run over these precepts1 will say 

to me1 #8you resemble those philosophers
 who trace the plan of a republic1      
without taking into the account the     
passions of men or the state of society2
 a thousand times more unreasonable1    
than those writers of romance who       
publish their dreams as dreams4 ,your   
maxims upon indulgence will only awaken 
for you the pity due to good natured    
weakness4 ,the maxim of the world is1 be
 adroit to seize upon defects1 and      
prompt to censure the weaknesses of men1
 that you may intimidate those who can  
only serve to annoy you2 and give up to 
ridicule those who can only amuse you4  
,make a display of your desire to       
oblige4 ,pronounce sentimental phrases  
with grace4 ,make dupes if you can2 but 
take care that you do not become one    
yourself1 by having your own maxims     
practised upon you4 ,credit is not      
revenue1 but a sum which becomes        
exhausted in proportion as you spend    
upon it1 without replacing it4 ,ought ,i
 to be modest when so many examples     

prove that talents are a small thing1 if
 there be not subjoined the happy talent
 of making them known4 ,the man who     
speaks of himself with modesty is       
believed upon his word2 and when ,i     
search for the causes of that admiration
 which certain personages have obtained1
 ,i can discover no other than the long 
obstinacy and persevering intrepidity   
which they have put in requisition to   
praise themselves4 ,there are eulogies  
which men give themselves1 of which1 as 
of the calumnies that they wipe out1    
some traces will always remain4         
,finally1 opinion alone renders our     
qualities estimable2 and he who1 with a 
view to succeed1 should immediately     
cultivate the tawdry virtues which you  
celebrate1 would be as ridiculous as he 
who should appear in society in the     
costume worn a century ago4' ,they who  
say this are as right1 in their views1  
as ,i am in mine4 ,if the interest with 
which our kind inspires us1 if our      
virtues cannot shield us from injustice1

 let us hold ourselves aloof from       
opinion1 and while we allow the         
multitude their way of thinking1 let it 
not disturb our repose4 ,among the      
circumstances essential to felicity1 ,i 
count the attachment of some            
individuals1 but not popularity4        
,,letter ,,xiv4  ,,of ,,marriage4       
,since we cannot assure ourselves of the
 general affection1 nor even of the     
justice of men1 it becomes our interest1
 in the midst of the great mass1 that we
 cannot move1 to create a little world1 
which we can arrange at the disposal of 
our reason and affections4  ,in this    
retreat1 dictated to us alike by our    
instincts and our hearts1 let us forget 
the chimeras which the crowd pursue2 and
 if the men of fashion and the world    
stare1 ridicule1 and even condemn us1   
let their murmurs sound in our ears as  
the dashing of the waves on the distant 
shore1 to the stranger1 under the       
hospitable roof which shelters him from 
the storm4  ,the universe of reason and 

affection must be composed of a single  
family4 ,of that universe a wedded pair 
must be the centre4 ,a wife is the best 
and the only disinterested friend1 by   
the award of nature4 ,she remains such1 
when fortune has scattered all others4  
,how many have been recalled to hope by 
a virtuous and affectionate wife1 when  
all beside had been lost6 ,how many1    
retrieved from utter despondency1 have  
felt in an ineffable effusion of heart1 
that conjugal heroism and constancy were
 an ample indemnity for the deprivation 
of all other good things6 ,how many1    
undeceived by external illusions1 have  
in this way been brought home to their  
real good6 ,if we wish to see the       
attributes of conjugal heroism1 in their
 purest brilliancy1 let us suppose the  
husband in the last degree of           
wretchedness4 ,let us imagine him not   
only culpable1 but so estimated1 and an 
outcast from society4 ,repentance       
itself1 in the view of candor1 has not  
been available to cloak his faults4 ,she

 alone1 accusing him not1 is only       
prodigal of consolations4 ,embracing    
duties as severe as his reverses1 she   
voluntarily shares his captivity or     
exile4 ,he finds still1 on the faithful 
bosom of innocence1 a refuge1 where     
remorse becomes appeased2 as in former  
days1 the proscribed found1 at the foot 
of the altar1 an asylum against the fury
 of men4  ,marriage is generally assumed
 as a means of increasing credit and    
fortune1 and of assuring success in the 
world4 ,it should be undertaken as a    
chief element of happiness1 in the      
retirement of domestic repose4#bh ,i    
would wish that my disciple1 while still
 in the freshness of youth1 might have  
reason and experience enough to select  
the beloved person1 whom he would desire
 one day to espouse4 ,i would hope1     
that1 captivated with her dawning       
qualities1 and earnestly seeking her    
happiness1 he might win her tenderness1 
and find his satisfaction in training   
her to a conformity to his tastes1      

habits and character4  ,the freshness of
 her docile nature demands his first    
forming cares4 ,as she advances in life 
she is moulded to happy changes1 adapted
 to supply his defects4 ,she is reared  
modest1 amiable1 instructed1            
respectable1 and respected2 one day to  
govern his family1 and direct his house1
 by diffusing around the domestic       
domain1 order and peace4 ,let neither   
romances1 metaphysics1 pedantry nor     
fashion render a qualification for these
 important duties1 either trifling or   
vulgar in her view4 ,still1 domestic    
duties are by no means to occupy all her
 hours4 ,the time which is not devoted  
to them will flow quietly on in friendly
 circles1 not numerous1 but animated by 
gayety1 friendship and the inexplicable 
pleasures which spring from intercourse 
with rational society4 ,there are1 also1
 more unimportant duties1 which we      
expect her not to neglect4 ,we wish her 
to occupy some moments at a toilet2     
where simplicity should be the basis of 

elegance2 and where native tact might   
develope the graces1 and vary1 and      
multiply1 if ,i may so say1 the forms of
 her beauty4 ,in fine1 the versatility  
of her modes of rendering herself       
agreeable1 should increase the chances  
of always escaping ennui in her         
presence4  ,but train women to visit a  
library as savans1 and they will be     
likely to bring from it pedantry without
 solid instruction2 and coquetry without
 feminine amiability4 ,i would not be   
understood to question the capability of
 the female understanding4 ,i am not    
sure that ,i would wish the wife of my  
friend to have been an author1 though   
some of the most amiable and enlightened
 women have been such4 ,but ,i deem that
 in their mental constitution1 and in   
the assignment of their lot1 providence 
has designated them to prefer the graces
 to erudition2 and that to acquire a    
wreath of laurels1 they must ordinarily 
relinquish their native crown of        
roses4#bh;a ,when we see a husband and  

wife thus united by tenderness1 good    
hearts and simple tastes1 everything    
presages for them a delightful futurity4
 ,let them live contented in their      
retirement4 ,instead of wishing to      
blazon1 let them conceal their          
happiness1 and exist for each other4    
,life will become to them the happiest  
of dreams4  ,perhaps the world will say1
 #8you speak1 it may be1 of such a wife 
as you would be understood to possess   
yourself4 ,but you do not paint marriage
 in the abstract1 while you thus        
describe happiness as finding a         
habitation within the domestic walls1   
and pain and sorrow without3 how many   
people find eternal ennui at home1 and  
respire pleasure1 only when they have   
fled their own threshold4' ,there are   
few wives so perfect1 says ,la ,bruyere1
 #8as to hinder their husbands from     
repenting at least once in a day1 that  
they have a wife2 or from envying the   
happiness of him who has none4'  ,this  
sentence1 instead of containing a just  

observation1 is only an epigram4 ,in    
looking round a circle of individuals1  
ridiculously called the world1 we shall 
find happy family establishments less   
rare than we imagine4 ,besides1 it would
 be absurd to count among unhappy       
unions1 all those which are not wholly  
exempt from stormy passions4 ,not only  
is perfect felicity a chimerical        
expectation on the earth1 but we meet   
with many people who would be fatigued  
into ennui in a perfect calm1 and who   
require a little of the spice of        
contrariety to season the repast of     
life4 ,i would not covet their taste2   
but there are modes of being singular1  
which1 without imparting happiness1     
procure pleasures4 ,finally1 supposing  
the number of unhappy marriages to be as
 immense as is contended1 what is the   
conclusion8 ,the great majority         
adopting1 as maxims of life1 principles 
so different from mine1 it would be     
strange if they obtained such results as
 ,i desire4  ,in these days1 the        

deciding motive with parents1 in        
relation to marriage1 is interest2 and1 
what seems to me revolting in the spirit
 of the age1 is1 that the young have    
also learned to calculate4 ,when a man  
marries simply on a speculation of      
interest1 if he sees his fortune and    
distinction secured1 reign disorder and 
alienation in his house as they may1 he 
is still happier than he deserves to be4
  ,our marriages of inclination guaranty
 happiness no more than our marriages of
 interest4 ,what results should be      
anticipated from the blind impulse of   
appetite8 ,let there be mutual          
affection1 such as reason can survey    
with a calm and severe scrutiny4 ,such  
love as is painted in romances is but a 
fatal fever4 ,it is children alone who  
believe themselves in love1 only when   
they feel themselves in a delirium4     
,they have imagined that life should be 
a continual ecstasy2 and these indulged 
dreams of anticipation spoil the reality
 of wedded life4 ,i have supposed the   

husband older than his wife4 ,i have    
imagined him forming the character of   
his young1 fair and docile companion2   
and that1 so to speak1 they have become 
assimilated to each other's tastes and  
habits4 ,the right combination of reason
 and love assures for them1 under such  
circumstances1 as much as possible1 a   
futurity of happiness4  ,i might here   
speak of the misery of jealousy and     
infidelity1 and the comparative guilt of
 these vices in the husband and the     
wife4 ,but these are sources of torment 
only in unions contracted and sustained 
by the maxims and the spirit of the     
world4 ,according to my views these     
crimes could not mar the marriages which
 were undertaken from right motives1 and
 under the approving sanction of severe 
reason4 ,i1 therefore1 pass them by1 as 
not belonging to my subject2 and as     
supposing that when marriage is the     
result of wise foresight and regulated  
choice1 and when its duties are         
discharged from a proper sense of their 

obligation1 such faults can not occur4  
,another cause of disunion springs from 
the proud temper of some wives4 ,they   
erroneously and obstinately persuade    
themselves that fidelity includes all   
their duty4 ,more than one husband1     
incessantly tormented by an imperious   
and capricious wife1 feels almost       
disposed to envy the gentle spouse who  
sleeps pleasantly under deceitful       
caresses4 ,as much as an honest man     
ought to avoid crimes1 in order to merit
 his reputation and sustain it1 ought   
the highest meed awarded to women to be 
bestowed1 not on those alone who are    
chaste1 but on those who know how to    
watch over the happiness of their family
 by eager attentions and studious cares4
  ,this petulance of temper is commonly 
supposed to be a conjoined attribute of 
conjugal fidelity4 ,i have sometimes    
seen wives both peevish and coquettish1 
and ,i cannot imagine a more odious     
combination4 ,if we despise the man who 
is rough and slovenly at home1 and      

becomes charming in society1 what       
sentiment does that wife merit who wears
 out her husband's patience with her    
arrogance1 and puts on seducing graces1 
and affects sensibility1 in the presence
 of strangers8  ,i have often heard men 
who were sensible upon every other      
subject1 express their conviction that  
the orientals1 in excluding their women 
from all eyes but their own1 had        
established the only reasonable domestic
 policy4 ,there is no more wit than     
humanity in this barbarous sentiment1   
however frequently it is uttered4 ,no   
one could be in earnest1 in wishing to  
copy1 into free institutions1 this      
appalling vestige of slavery4 ,but my   
inward respect for women withholds me   
from flattering them4 ,authority ought  
to belong to the husband2 and the       
influence of tenderness1 graces and the 
charms of constancy1 gentleness and     
truth1 constituting the appropriate     
female empire1 belongs of right to the  
wife4 ,i take leave to illustrate this  

phrase4 ,masculine vigor1 and aptitude  
to contend and resist1 clearly indicate 
that nature has confided authority to   
man4 ,to dispossess him of it1 and      
control him by a still more irresistible
 sway1 it is necessary that the feeble  
sex should learn patience1 docility1    
passive courage1 and the management of  
their appropriate weapons in danger and 
sorrow1 and to become energetic for the 
endurance of the peaceful cares of the  
domestic establishment4 ,man is formed  
by nature for the calls of active       
courage2 and woman1 for the appalling   
scenes of pain and affliction1 and the  
agony of the sick and dying bed4 ,in a  
word1 all argument apart1 nature has    
clearly demonstrated to which sex       
authority belongs4  ,i discover that the
 defects of man spring from the tendency
 of his natural traits1 in which force  
predominates1 to run to excess4 ,i see  
his gentle companion endowed with       
attributes and qualities naturally      
tending to temper his defects4 ,the     

means she has received to reach this end
 announce that it is the purpose of     
nature that she should use them with    
this view4 ,she has charms which1 when  
rightly applied1 none can resist4 ,her  
character is a happy compound of        
sensibility1 wisdom and levity4 ,she has
 superadded a felicity of address which 
she owes to her organization1 and which 
the reserve1 that her education imposes1
 serves to develope4 ,thus the          
qualities1 and even the imperfections of
 the two sexes serve to bring them      
together4 ,it follows1 that man should  
possess authority1 and woman influence1 
for their mutual happiness4  ,when the  
wife commands1 ,i cease to behold a     
respectable married pair4 ,i see a      
ridiculous tyrant1 and a still more     
ridiculous slave4 ,it is vain to urge   
that she may be most capable of         
authority1 and that her orders may be   
conformable to wisdom and justice4 ,they
 are absurd1 from the very circumstance 
that they are orders4 ,the virtues which

 the husband ought to practise towards  
his wife must have their origin in love1
 which can only be inspired1 and which  
flies all restraint4 ,in a single       
position1 the wife honors herself in    
assuming authority4 ,it is when reverses
 have overwhelmed and desolated her     
husband1 so that1 ceasing to sustain her
 and changing the natural order1 she    
supports him4 ,grant that he receives   
hope as her gift2 grant that he is      
compelled to blush in imitating her     
example of courage2 she aspires to this 
power no longer than to be able to      
restore him to the place whence misery  
had cast him down4#cj  ,it is a truth   
that ought not to be contested1 that    
dissatisfied husbands and wives often   
love each other more than they imagine4 
,suppose them to believe themselves     
indifferent2 and to seem so2 and even on
 the verge of mutual hate2 should one of
 them fall sick1 we see the other       
inspired with sincere alarms4 ,suppose  
them on the eve of separation2 when the 

fatal moment comes1 both recoil from the
 act4 ,habit almost causes the pains1 to
 which we have been long accustomed1 to 
become cause of regret when they cease4 
,when the two begin mutually to complain
 of their destiny1 ,i counsel each1     
instead of wishing to criminate and     
correct each other1 to give each other  
an example of mutual forbearance and    
indulgence4 ,it may be1 that the cause  
of their mutual dissatisfaction is      
unreal2 the supposed wrong not intended1
 the suspicion false4 ,candor and       
forgiveness will appease all4 ,the      
husband may have gone astray only in    
thought2 which is beyond human privilege
 to fathom4 ,the wife may have minor    
defects and an unequal temper1 without  
forfeiting much excellence and many     
remaining claims to be loved4 ,the      
morbid influence of ill health and      
irresistible temperament1 in their      
powerful action upon the temper1 may    
have been the source whence the faults  
flowed on either part2 and the mutual   

wrongs may thus have been1 in some      
sense1 independent of the will of the   
parties4 ,bound1 as they are1 in such   
intimate and almost indissoluble        
relations1 before they give that        
happiness1 which they hoped and         
promised1 to the winds1 let them exhaust
 their efforts of self-command and      
mutual indulgence1 to bring back deep   
and true affection4  ,the purest        
happiness of earth is1 unquestionably1  
the portion of two beings wisely and    
fitly united in the bonds of            
indissoluble confidence and affection4  
,what a touching picture does ,madame de
 ,stael present in these lines3 #8,i    
saw1 during my sojourn in ,england1 a   
man of the highest merit united to a    
wife worthy of him4 ,one day1 as we were
 walking together1 we met some of those 
people that the ,english call gipseys1  
who generally wander about in the woods 
in the most deplorable condition4 ,i    
expressed pity for them thus enduring   
the union of all the physical evils of  

nature4 8,had it been necessary10 said  
the affectionate husband1 pointing to   
his wife1 8in order to spend my life    
with her1 that ,i should have passed    
thirty years in begging with them1 we   
would still have been happy40 8,yes10   
responded the wife1 8the happiest of    
beings40'     ,,letter ,,xv4            
,,children4   ,one of the happiest days1
 and1 perhaps1 the most beautiful of    
life1 is when the birth of a child opens
 the heart of the parent to emotions1 as
 yet1 unknown4#ca ,yet what torments are
 prepared by this epoch6 ,what painful  
anxiety1 what agonies their sufferings  
excite6 ,what terror1 when we fear for  
their infant life6 ,these alarms        
terminate not with their early age4 ,the
 inquietude with which their parents    
watch over their destiny fills every    
period of their life to their last sigh4
  ,the compensating satisfaction which  
they bring must be very vivid1 since it 
counterbalances so many sufferings4 ,in 
order to love them1 we have no need to  

be convinced that they will respond to  
our cares1 and one day repay them4 ,if  
there be in the human heart one         
disinterested sentiment1 it is parental 
love4 ,our tenderness for our children  
is independent of reflection4 ,we love  
them because they are our children4     
,their existence makes a part of ours2  
or1 rather1 is more than ours4 ,all that
 is either useful or pleasant to them1  
brings us a pure happiness1 springing   
from their health1 their gayety1 their  
amusements4  ,the chief end which we    
ought to propose to ourselves1 in       
rearing them1 is to train and dispose   
them so that they may wisely enjoy that 
existence which is accorded them4 ,of   
all the happy influences which can be   
brought to bear upon their mind and     
manners1 none is more beneficial than   
the example of parental gentleness4 ,the
 good ,plutarch most eloquently advanced
 this doctrine in ancient time4         
,montaigne1 ,rousseau1 ,m',kenzie1 and  
various writers of minor fame among the 

moderns1 have reproduced his ideas1 and1
 by their authority1 have finally       
effected a happy revolution in          
education4 ,i delight to trace the most 
important ideas thus reproduced by      
enlightened and noble minds in different
 ages4 ,it is chiefly by persevering in 
the system of the influence of          
gentleness that we may expect an        
ultimate melioration in the human       
character and condition4  ,but scarcely 
has any such salutary change been       
effected1 before minds1 either          
superficial or soured1 see only the     
inconveniences which accompany it2 and1 
instead of evading or correcting them1  
would return to the point whence they   
started4 ,we hear people regretting the 
decline of the severity of ancient      
education2 and maintaining the wisdom of
 those contrarieties and vexations which
 children used to experience2 #8a       
fitting discipline of preparation1' say 
they1 #8to prepare them for the sorrows 
of life4' ,would they1 on the same      

principle1 inflict bruises and          
contusions1 to train them to the right  
endurance of those that carelessness or 
accident might bring8 #8,it is an       
advantage1' say they1 #8to put them to  
an apprenticeship of pain at the period 
when the sorrow it inflicts is light and
 transient4' ,this mode of speaking1    
with many others of similar import1     
presents a combination of much error    
with some truth4  ,the sufferings of    
childhood seem to us trifling and easy  
to endure1 because time has interposed  
distance between them and us2 and we    
have no fear of ever meeting them again4
 ,it does not cease to be a fact1 that  
the child that passes a year under the  
discipline of the ferule of a severe    
master1 is as unhappy as a man deprived 
a year of his liberty4 ,the latter1 in  
truth1 has less reason to complain2     
since he ought to find1 in the          
discipline of his reason1 and his       
maturity and force of character1 more   
powerful motives for patient endurance4 

,parents6 ,providence has placed the    
destiny of your children in your hands4 
,when you thus sacrifice the present to 
an uncertain future1 you ought to have  
strong proof that you will put at their 
disposal the means of indemnification4  
,if the sacrifice of the present to the 
future were indispensable1 ,i would not 
dissuade from it4 ,but my conviction is1
 that the best means of preparing them  
for the future may be found in rendering
 them as happy as possible for the      
present4 ,if it should be your severe   
trial to be deprived of them in their   
early days1 you will1 at least1 have the
 consolation of being able to say1 #8,i 
have rendered them happy during the     
short time they were confided to me4'   
,strive then1 by gentleness1 guided by  
wisdom and authority1 to cast the       
sunshine of enjoyment upon the necessary
 toils and studies of the morning of    
their existence4  ,it is the stern award
 of nature to bring them sorrows4 ,our  
task is to soothe them4 ,i feel an      

interest when ,i see the child regret   
the trinket it has broken1 or the bird  
it has reared4 ,nature in this way1     
gives them the first lessons of pain1   
and strengthens them to sustain the more
 bitter losses of maturer days4 ,let us 
prudently second the efforts of nature2 
and to console the weeping child1 let us
 not attempt to change the course of    
these fugitive ideas1 nor to efface the 
vexation by a pleasure4 ,in unavoidable 
suffering let the dawning courage and   
reason find strength for endurance4 ,let
 us first share the regrets1 and gently 
bring the sufferer to feel the inutility
 of tears4 ,let us accustom him not to  
throw away his strength in useless      
efforts2 and let us form his mind to    
bear without a murmur the yoke of       
necessity4 ,these maxims1 ,i am aware1  
are directly against the spirit of      
modern education1 which is almost       
entirely directed towards the views of  
ambition4  ,but while ,i earnestly      
inculcate gentleness in parental        

discipline1 ,i would not confound it    
with weakness4 ,i disapprove that       
familiarity between parents and children
 which is unfavorable to subordination4 
,fashion is likely to introduce an      
injurious equality into this relation4  
,i see the progress of this dangerous   
effeminacy with regret4 ,the dress and  
expenditures which would formerly have  
supplied ten children1 scarcely satisfy 
at present the caprices of one4 ,this   
foolish complaisance of parents         
prepares1 for the future husbands and   
wives1 a task most difficult to fulfil4 
,let us not1 by anticipating and        
preventing the wishes of children1 teach
 them to be indolent in searching for   
their own pleasures4 ,their age is      
fertile in this species of invention4   
,that they may be successful in seizing 
enjoyment1 little more is requisite to  
be performed on our part than to break  
their chains4  ,there are two fruitful  
sources of torments for children4 ,one  
is1 what the present day denominates    

politeness4 ,it is revolting to me to   
see children early trained to forego    
their delightful frankness and          
simplicity1 and learning artificial     
manners4 ,we wish them to become little 
personages2 and we compel them to       
receive tiresome compliments1 and to    
repeat insignificant formulas of        
common-place flattery4 ,in this way1    
politeness1 destined to impart amenity  
to life1 becomes a source of vexation   
and restraint4 ,it would seem as if we  
thought it so important a matter to     
teach the usages of society1 that they  
could never be known unless the study   
were commenced in infancy4 ,besides1 do 
we flatter ourselves1 that we shall be  
able to teach children the modes and the
 vocabulary of politeness1 without      
initiating them1 at the same time1 in   
the rudiments of falsehood8 ,they are   
compelled to see that we consider it a  
trifle4 ,if we wish them to become      
flatterers and dishonest1 ,i ask what   
more efficient method we could take8    

,labor is the second source of their    
sufferings4 ,i would by no means be     
understood to dissuade from the         
assiduous cultivation of habits of      
industry4 ,you may enable children to   
remove mountains1 if you will contrive  
to render their tasks a matter of       
amusement and interest4 ,the extreme    
curiosity of children announces an      
instinctive desire for instruction4 ,but
 instead of profiting by it1 we adopt   
measures which tend to stifle it4 ,we   
render their studies tiresome1 and then 
say that the young naturally tire of    
study4  ,when the parent is sufficiently
 enlightened to rear his child himself1 
instead of plying him with rudimental   
books1 dictionaries and restraint1 let  
him impart the first instructions by    
familiar conversation4 ,ideas advanced  
in this way are accommodated to the     
comprehension of the pupil1 by mutual   
good feeling rendered attractive1 and   
brought directly within the embrace of  
his mind4 ,this instruction leads him to

 observe1 and accustoms him to compare1 
reflect and discriminate1 offers the    
sciences under interesting associations1
 and inspires a natural thirst for      
instruction4 ,of all results which      
education can produce1 this is the most 
useful4 ,a youth of fifteen1 trained in 
this way1 will come into possession of  
more truths1 mixed with fewer errors1   
than much older persons reared in the   
common way4 ,he will be distinguished by
 the early maturity of his reason1 and  
by his eagerness to cultivate the       
sciences1 which1 instead of producing   
fatigue or disgust1 will every day give 
birth to new ideas and new pleasures4 ,i
 am nevertheless little surprised1 that 
the scrupulous advocates of the existing
 routine should insist that such a      
method tends to form superficial        
thinkers4 ,i can only say to these      
profound panegyrists of the present     
order of instruction1 that the method   
which ,i recommend1 was that of the     
,greeks4--,their philosophers taught    

while walking in the shade of the       
portico or of trees1 and were ignorant  
of the art of rendering study tiresome1 
and not disposed to throw over it the   
benefits of constraint4 ,modern         
instructers ought1 therefore1 to find   
that they were shallow reasoners1 and   
that their poets and artists could have 
produced only crude and unfinished      
efforts4#cc  ,besides1 this part of     
education is of trifling importance1    
compared with the paramount obligation  
to give the pupil robust health1 pure   
morals1 and an energetic mind4 ,i deeply
 regret that the despotic empire of     
opinion is more powerful than paternal  
love4 ,instead of gravely teaching to   
your son the little arts of shining in  
the world1 have the courage to say to   
him1 #8oblige those of thy kind whose   
sufferings thou canst lighten1 and      
exhibit a constant and universal example
 of good morals4 ,form1 every evening1  
projects necessary for enjoying a happy 
and useful succeeding day4' ,thus you   

will see him useful1 good and happy1 if 
not great in the world's estimation4    
,you will behold him peacefully         
descending the current of time4 ,in     
striking the balance with life1 he will 
be able to say1 ,i have known only those
 sufferings which no wisdom could evade1
 and no efforts repel4 ,but such are the
 prejudices of the age1 to give such    
counsels to a son requires rare and     
heroic courage4  ,is not that filial    
ingratitude1 of which parents so        
generally complain1 the bitter fruit of 
their own training8--,you fill their    
hearts with mercenary passions1 and with
 measureless ambition4 ,you break the   
tenderest ties1 and send them to distant
 public schools4 ,your children1 in     
turn1 put your lessons to account1 and  
abandon your importunate and declining  
age1 if you depend on them1 to mercenary
 hands4 ,when they were young1 you      
ridiculed them out of their innocent    
recklessness1 and frankness1 and want of
 worldly wisdom4 ,you vaunted to them   

that ambition and those arts of rising1 
which1 put in practice1 have steeled    
their hearts against filial piety1 as   
well as the other affections that belong
 not to calculation4 ,since the         
paramount object of your training was to
 teach them to shine1 and make the most 
out of every body1 you have at least a  
right to expect from their vanity1      
pompous funeral solemnities4 ,i revere  
that indication of infinite wisdom1 that
 has rendered the love of the parent    
more anxious and tender than that of the
 child4 ,the intensity of the affections
 ought to be proportionate to the wants 
of the beings that excite them4 ,but    
ingratitude is not in nature4 ,better   
training would have produced other      
manners4 ,in rearing our children with  
more enlightened care1 in inspiring them
 with moderate desires1 in reducing     
their eagerness for brilliancy and      
distinction1 we shall render them happy1
 without stifling their natural filial  
sentiments2 and we shall thus use the   

best means of training them to sustain  
and soothe our last moments1 as we      
embellished their first days4#cd        
,,letter ,,xvi4  ,,of ,,friendship4     
,let us bring within the family circle a
 few persons of amiable manners and     
simple tastes4 ,our domestic retreat may
 then become our universe4 ,but we must 
search for real friends1 with           
capabilities for continuing such4 ,if   
interest and pleasure break the         
accidental ties of a day1 shall         
friendship1 which was always a stranger 
to the connexion1 be accused of the     
infraction8  ,a real friend must not be 
expected from the common ties of vulgar 
interest2 but must be1 in the circle to 
which he belongs1 as a brother of       
adoption4 ,so simple should be our      
confidence in the entireness of his     
affection1 and the disinterestedness and
 wisdom of his advice1 as to incline us 
to consult him without afflicting our   
wife or children by a useless           
communication of our perplexities4 ,to  

him we should be able to confide our    
fears2 and while we struggle1 by his    
advice and aid to escape the pressing   
evil which menaces to overwhelm us1 our 
family may still repose in tranquil     
security4#ce  ,if he suffer in turn1 we 
share his pains4 ,if he have pleasures1 
we reciprocally enjoy them4 ,if either  
party experience reverses1 instead of   
finding himself alone in misery1 he     
receives consolations so touching and   
tender1 that he ceases to complain of a 
lot which has enabled him to become     
acquainted with the depth of the        
resources of friendship4  ,how pure is  
the sentiment1 how simple the pleasures1
 which flow from the intercourse of two 
men united by similar opinions and like 
desires1 who have both cultivated       
letters1 the arts1 and true wisdom6     
,with what rapidity the moments of these
 charming conversations fly6 ,even the  
hours consecrated to study are less     
pleasant1 perhaps less instructive4     
,such a friend1 so to speak1 is of a    

different nature from that of the rest  
of men4 ,they either conceal our        
defects1 or cause us to see them from   
motives of ill feeling4 ,a friend so    
discusses them1 in our presence1 as not 
to wound us4 ,he kindly reproaches us   
with faults1 to our face1 which he      
extenuates1 or excuses before others in 
our absence4 ,we can never fully        
comprehend to what extent a friend may  
be useful and dear until after having   
been a long time the faithful companion 
of his good and evil fortune4 ,what     
emotions we experience in giving        
ourselves up to the remembrance of the  
common perils1 storms and trials we have
 experienced together6 ,it is never     
without tenderness of heart that we say1
 #8we have had the same thoughts1       
affections and hopes4 ,such an event    
penetrated us with common joy2 such     
another filled us with grief4 ,uniting  
our efforts1 we rescued a victim of     
poverty and misfortune4 ,we mutually    
shared his tears of gratitude4 ,the hard

 necessity of circumstances separated   
us2 and our paths so diverged that seas 
and mountains divided us4 ,but we still 
remained present to each other1 in      
communion of thought4 ,he had fears for 
me1 and ,i for him1 as we foresaw each  
other's dangers4 ,i learned his         
condition1 interpreted his thoughts and 
feelings1 and said1 #8such a fear       
agitates him2 he forms such a project1  
conceives such a hope4' ,finally1 we met
 again4 ,what charms1 what effusion of  
heart in the union6'  ,it is a puerile  
absurdity to be proud of the reputation 
of one to whom we are united by the ties
 of blood--a distinction which nature   
gave us4 ,but we may be justly proud of 
the rare qualities of our friend4 ,the  
ties of this relation are not the work  
of nature or contingency4 ,we prove     
that1 in meriting his esteem1 we1 at    
least1 resemble him in the qualities of 
his heart4  ,i immediately form a high  
opinion of the man whom ,i hear earnest 
in the applause of the talents or       

virtues of his friend4 ,he possesses the
 qualities which he applauds2 since he  
has need to affirm their existence in   
the person he loves4  ,this noble and   
pure sentiment has had its peaceable    
heroes4 ,what names1 what examples could
 ,i not cite1 in ancient and in modern  
times6 ,what splendid and affecting     
proofs of identity of fortune1 joys and 
sorrows1 and even danger and death6 ,i  
knew two friends1 of whom every one     
spoke with respect4 ,one of them was    
asked the extent of his fortune8 #8,mine
 is small1' he replied1 #8but my friend 
is rich4' ,the other1 a few days before 
he died of a contagious disease1 asked1 
#8why so many persons were allowed to   
enter his chamber8 ,no one1' he added1  
#8ought to be admitted but my friend4'  
,thus were they one in fortune1 in life 
and in death4#cf  ,i deem1 that even    
moralists have sought to render this    
peaceable sentiment1 this gentle        
affection1 and the only one exempt from 
storms1 too exclusive4 ,i am aware1 how 

much our affections become enfeebled1 in
 proportion as their objects multiply4  
,there is force in the quaint expression
 of an old author4 #8,love is like a    
large stream which bears heavy laden    
boats4 ,divide it into many channels1   
and they run aground4' ,still1 we may   
give the honored name of friend to      
several1 without profaning it1 if there 
exist between us mutual sympathy1 high  
esteem and tender interest2 if our      
pleasures and pains are1 in some sense1 
common stock1 and we are reciprocally   
capable of a sincere devotion to each   
other's welfare4 ,as much1 however1 as  
,i revere the real sentiment1 ,i am     
disgusted by the sickly or exaggerated  
affectation of it4  ,the sentiment is   
still more delightful when inspired by a
 woman4 ,i shall be asked1 if it can    
exist in its purity between persons of  
the different sexes8 ,i answer in the   
affirmative1 when the impulses of youth 
no longer agitate the heart4 ,we then   
experience the whole charm of the       

sentiment1 as the difference of sex1    
which is never entirely forgotten1      
imparts to it a vague and touching      
tenderness and an ideal delight for     
which language is too poor to furnish   
terms4  ,why can love and friendship1   
the sunshine of existence1 decay in the 
heart8 ,why are they not eternal8 ,but  
since it is not so1 if we are cruelly   
deceived in our affections1 the surest  
means of medicating our pain is1 instead
 of cherishing misanthropic distrust1 to
 look round and form the same generous  
ties anew4 ,has your friend abandoned   
you8 or1 worse1 has your wife become    
unworthy of your love8 ,it is better to 
be deceived a thousand times than to    
add1 to the grief of wounded affection1 
the insupportable burden of general     
distrust1 misanthropy and hatred4 ,let  
these baneful feelings never usurp the  
place of those sentiments which must    
constitute human happiness4 ,pardon to  
those by whom you have been loved1 the  
sorrows which their abandonment has     

caused you1 in consideration of those   
days of the past which was embellished  
by their friendship4  ,but these        
treasons and perfidies are only frequent
 in the intercourse of those who are    
driven about by the whirlwinds of life2 
in which so many opposing interests1 so 
many deceitful pleasures confuse and    
separate men4 ,the simple minded and    
good1 whose days flow pleasantly in     
retreat1 every day value more the price 
of those ties that unite them4 ,their   
happiness is veiled and guarantied by a 
guardian obscurity4  ,i give place to   
none of the illusions of inexperience in
 regard to men4#cg ,the errors1         
contradictions and vices with which they
 are charged1 exist4 ,i admit that the  
greater part of satires are faithful    
paintings4 ,but there are still to be   
found1 everywhere1 persons whose manners
 are frank1 whose heart is good1 and    
whose temper amiable4 ,these persons    
exist in sufficient numbers to compose  
this new world of which ,i have spoken4 

,writers are disposed to declaim against
 men4 ,i have never ceased to feel good 
will towards my kind4 ,i have chosen    
only to withdraw from the multitude1 in 
order to select my position in the      
centre of a small society4 ,for me there
 are no longer stupid or wicked people  
on the earth4  ,i have examined the     
essential things of life1 tranquillity  
and independence of mind1 health1       
competence and the affection of some of 
our kind4 ,i wish now to give my        
observations something more of detail   
and diversity4 ,but ,i wish it still to 
be borne in mind1 that ,i give only the 
materials and outlines of an essay1 and 
make no pretensions to fill out a       
complete treatise4 ,i wish that a temple
 may be raised to happiness4 ,hands1    
more skilful than mine1 will rear it4   
,it is sufficient to my purpose to      
indicate those delightful sites1 in the 
midst of which it may be erected4       
,,letter ,,xvii4  ,,the ,,pleasures ,,of
 ,,the ,,senses4   ,nature has decreed1 

that each one of our senses should be a 
source of pleasure4 ,but if we seek our 
enjoyment1 only in physical sensations1 
the same stern arbiter has enacted1 that
 our capability of pleasure should soon 
be exhausted1 and that1 palled and      
disgusted1 we should die without having 
known true happiness4#ch  ,exactly in   
proportion as pleasures are less        
associated with the mind1 their power to
 give us any permanent satisfaction is  
diminished4 ,on the contrary1 they      
become vivid and durable1 precisely in  
the degree in which they awaken and call
 forth moral ideas4 ,they become        
celestial1 when they connect the past   
with the present1 the present with the  
future1 and the whole with heaven4  ,in 
proportion as we scrutinize the         
pleasures of the senses1 we shall always
 find their charm increasing in the same
 degree1 as losing1 if ,i may so say1   
their physical stain1 they rise in the  
scale of purification1 and become       
transformed1 in some sense1 to the      

dignity of moral enjoyments4  ,i look at
 a painting3 it represents an old man1 a
 child1 a woman giving alms1 and a      
soldier1 whose attitude expresses       
astonishment4 ,i admire the fidelity1   
the truth and coloring of the picture2  
and my eye is intensely gratified4 ,but 
remaining ignorant of the subject1 ,i go
 away1 and the whole shortly vanishes   
from my memory4 ,i see it again2 and am 
now struck with the inscription at the  
bottom1 #8,date obolum ,belisario4' ,i  
remember an interesting passage of      
history4 ,a crowd of moral images throng
 upon my spirit3 ,i soften to           
tenderness2 and ,i comprehend the       
affecting lesson1 which the artist is   
giving me4 ,i review the painting1 again
 and again2 and thrill at the view of   
the blind warrior1 and of the child     
holding out his helmet to receive alms4 
,when we travel1 those points of view in
 the landscape which long fix our eye1  
are those which awaken ideas of         
innocence and peace2 affecting the heart

 with associations connected with the   
morning of our life2 or ideas of that   
power and immensity1 which move and     
elevate the soul4 ,the paintings of     
nature1 as well as those of men1 are    
thus capable of being embellished by    
moral associations4 ,in travelling1 ,i  
perceive a delightful isle embosomed in 
a peaceful lake4 ,while ,i contemplate  
it1 with the simple pleasure excited by 
a charming landscape1 ,i am told that it
 is inhabited by a happy pair1 who were 
long crossed and separated2 but who wore
 out the persevering opposition of      
fortune2 and are now living there in the
 innocence and peace of the first       
tenants of paradise4 ,how different an  
interest the landscape now assumes6 ,i  
behold the happy pair1 without care or  
regret1 sheltered from jealous          
observation1 enjoying the dream of their
 happy love1 gratefully contemplating   
the ,author of the beautiful nature     
around them1 and elevating their love   
and their hearts1 as a sacrifice to     

,,him4  ,sites1 which1 in themselves1   
have no peculiar charm1 become most     
beautiful as soon as they awaken        
touching remembrances4 ,suppose yourself
 cast by misfortune on the care of a    
stranger in a strange land4 ,he attempts
 to dispel your dejection1 and says1    
#8these countries are hospitable1 and   
nature here puts forth all her opulence2
 come1 and enjoy it with us4' ,the gay  
landscapes1 which spread before you1 all
 assume the appearance of strangers2 and
 offer no attractions4 ,but while your  
eye traverses the scenery with          
indifference1 you see blue hills melting
 into the distant horizon4 ,no person   
remarks them1 but yourself4 ,they       
resemble the mountains of your own      
country1 the scenes upon which your     
infant view first rested4 ,you turn away
 to conceal the new emotions1 and your  
eyes are filling with tears4 ,you       
continue to gaze fondly on those hills1 
dear to memory4 ,in the midst of a rich 
landscape1 they are all that interests  

you4 ,you return to review them every   
day1 and demand of them their treasured 
remembrances and illusions1--the dearest
 pleasures of your exile4#ci  ,all the  
senses would offer me examples1 in      
illustration of this idea4 ,deprive the 
pleasures of physical love of moral     
associations1 which touch the heart1 and
 you take from it all that elevates the 
enjoyment above that of the lowest      
animals4 ,else1 why do modesty1         
innocence1 the expression of unstained  
chastity1 and the graces of simplicity  
possess such enchanting attractions8    
,the truth1 that there exists in love a 
charm stronger than physical impulse1 is
 not unknown even to women of abandoned 
manners4 ,the most dangerous of all     
those in this unhappy class1 are they1  
who1 not relying on their beauty1 feign 
still to possess1 or deeply to regret   
those virtues1 which they have really   
cast away4  ,there are useful duties    
upon this subject1 which ,i should find 
it difficult to present in our language4

 ,in proportion as the manners of a     
people reach the extreme refinement of  
artifice and corruption1 their words    
become chaste4 ,it is a final and       
sterile homage rendered to modesty4     
,the last delights which imagination can
 add to the pleasures of love1 are not  
to be sought in those vile places where 
libertinism is an art4 ,we must imagine 
the first wedded days of a young and    
innocent pair1 whose spirits are blended
 in real affection1 in similar tastes1  
pursuits and hopes1 who realize those   
vague images which they had scarcely    
allowed before to float across their    
mind4  ,they who seek in the pleasures  
of taste only physical sensations1      
degrade their minds and finish their    
useless existence in infirmity and      
brutal degradation4 ,the pleasures of   
taste should only serve to render the   
other enjoyments more vivid1 the        
imagination more brilliant1 and the     
pursuits of life more easy and          
pleasant4--,all objects should present  

themselves under a gay aspect4 ,a happy 
veil should shroud those pains which    
have been1 or are to be endured4 ,even  
the wine cup1 more powerful than the    
waters of ,lethe1 should not only       
procure forgetfulness of the past1 but  
embellishment of the future4  ,the      
pleasures derived from odors are only   
vivid1 when they impart to the mind a   
fleeting and vague exaltation4 ,if the  
orientals indulge a passion for         
respiring perfumes1 it is not solely to 
procure pleasurable physical sensations4
 ,an embalmed atmosphere exalts the     
senses1 and disposes the mind to        
pleasant revery1 and paints dreams of   
paradise upon the indolent imagination4 
,were ,i disposed to present the details
 of a system upon this subject1 the     
sense of hearing would offer me a crowd 
of examples4 ,the brilliant and varied  
accents of the nightingale are          
ravishing4 ,but what a difference       
between hearing the melody from a cage1 
and listening to the song at the noon of

 night1 when a cool and pure air        
refreshes the lassitude of the burning  
day1 and we behold objects by the light 
of the moon1 and hear the strains of the
 solitary bird poured from her free     
bower6  ,a symphony1 the sounds of which
 only delight the ear1 would soon become
 wearying4 ,if it have no other         
determinate expression1 it ought1 at    
least1 to inspire revery1 and produce an
 effect not unlike that of perfumes upon
 the orientals4  ,suppose we have been  
at an opera1 got up with all the luxury 
of art4 ,emotions of delight and        
astonishment rapidly succeed each other1
 and we believe it impossible to        
experience new sensations of pleasure4  
,in returning home1 we chance to hear in
 the distance1 through the stillness of 
night1 a well remembered song of our    
infancy1 that was sung to us by some one
 dear to our memory4 ,it is at once a   
music exciting more profound emotion1   
than all the strains of art which we so 
recently thought could not be surpassed4

 ,the remembrances of infancy and home  
rush upon the spirit1 and efface the    
pompous spectacle1 and the artificial   
graces of execution4#ci;a  ,observations
 to the same effect might be multiplied 
without end4 ,if you desire pleasures1  
fertile in happy remembrances1 if you   
wish to preserve elevation of mind and  
freshness of imagination1 choose1 among 
the pleasures of the senses1 only those 
which associate with moral ideas4       
,feeble1 when separated from the        
alliance of those ideas1 they become    
fatal when they exclude them4 ,to dare  
to taste them1 is to sacrifice happiness
 to pleasures which are alike ephemeral 
and degrading4 ,it is to resemble him1  
who should strip the tree of its        
flowers1 to enjoy their beauty4 ,he     
loses the fruits which would have       
followed1 and scarcely casts his eye on 
the flowers before they have faded4     
,,letter ,,xviii4  ,,the ,,pleasures    
,,of ,,the ,,heart4   ,the ,creator has 
put forth in his gifts1 a magnificence  

which should impress our hearts4 ,what  
variety in those affectionate           
sentiments1 of the delights of which our
 natures are susceptible6 ,without going
 out of the family circle1 ,i enumerate 
filial piety1 fraternal affection1      
friendship1 love1 and parental          
tenderness4 ,these different sentiments 
can all coxist in our hearts1 and1 so   
far from weakening each other1 each     
tends to give vigor and intensity to the
 other4 ,no doubt1 the need of so many  
affections and props attests our        
feebleness and dependence4 ,but ,i can  
scarcely conceive of the happiness1     
which a being1 impassible to weaknesses 
and wants1 could find in himself4 ,i am 
ready to bless that infirmity of our    
natures1 which is the source of such    
pure pleasures1 and such tender         
affections4  ,let us avoid confounding  
that sensibility which exacts the       
pleasures of the heart1 with that which 
produces impassioned characters4 ,they  
differ as essentially as the genial1    

vital warmth1 from the burning of a     
fever4 ,indolence1 objects calculated   
strongly to strike the imagination1 and 
those maxims which corrupt the          
understanding1 develope a vague and     
ardent sensibility1 which sometimes     
conducts to crime1 and always to misery4
 ,the other species is approved by      
reason and preserved by virtue4 ,we owe 
to it those pure emotions which impart  
upon earth an indistinct sentiment of   
the joys of heaven4  ,there are men1    
however1 who dread genuine sensibility2 
and1 under the conviction that it will  
multiply their pains1 study to eradicate
 the germs of it from their soul4  ,hume
 was unhappily an unbeliever2 but ,i    
might easily cite from his life many    
honorable traits indicative of a good   
natural disposition4 ,he remarked to a  
friend1 who confided to him his secret  
sorrows1 #8you entertain an internal    
enemy1 who will always hinder you from  
being happy4 ,it is your sensibility of 
heart4' #8,what6' responded his friend  

with a kind of terror1 #8have you not   
sensibility8' #8,no4 ,my reason alone   
speaks1 and it declares that it is right
 to soothe distress4'  ,in listening to 
this reply of ,hume1 we are at once     
struck with the idea1 that the greater  
part of those who adopt his principles1 
do not pause at the same point with     
their model4 ,they sink into that       
heartless class1 who see all human      
calamities with a dry eye1 provided they
 have no tendency to abridge their own  
enjoyments4  ,suppose even that they    
pursue the lessons of the ,scotch       
philosopher to better purpose2 and      
without any emotion1 without any impulse
 of heart1 hold out a succoring hand to 
those who suffer4 ,this1 perhaps1 may   
answer the claims of reason4 ,but the   
social instinct will always repel that  
austere morality1 which would give to   
the human heart an unnatural            
insensibility1 and deprive it1 if ,i may
 so say1 of its amiable weakness4 ,i    
would hardly desire to see a man oppose 

a courage1 too stoical1 to his own      
miseries4 ,the natural tears which he   
sheds in extreme affliction1 are his    
guaranty for the sympathy which he will 
feel for my sorrows4  ,it is a vile but 
common maxim1 that two conditions are   
necessary to success in life4 ,the one  
is1 to have a selfish heart4 ,the other1
 the adage of egotism1 is1 that to avoid
 suffering1 we must stifle sensibility4 
,i say to these heartless philosophers  
of the world1 that if the only requisite
 is to avoid suffering1 through         
destitution of feeling1 to die is the   
surest method of all4#dj  ,the secret of
 happiness does not consist in avoiding 
all evils2 for in that case1 we must    
learn to love nothing4 ,if there be a   
lot on earth worthy of envy1 it is that 
of a man1 good and tender hearted1 who  
beholds his own creation in the         
happiness of all who surround him4 ,let 
him who would be happy1 strive to       
encircle himself with happy beings4 ,let
 the happiness of his family be the     

incessant object of his thoughts4 ,let  
him divine the sorrows and anticipate   
the wishes of his friends4 ,let him     
inspire the fidelity of affection in his
 domestics1 by pledging to them a       
comfortable and pleasant old age4 ,let  
him1 as far as may be1 preserve the same
 servants1 and give them all needed     
succor and counsel4 ,in fine1 let the   
inmates and dependents of the house all 
respire a calm and regulated happiness4 
,let even the domestic animals know1    
that humanity presides over their       
condition4  ,entertaining such views1 it
 will be easy to see in what light ,i   
contemplate those men who take pleasure 
in witnessing the combats of animals4   
,what man who has a heart1 can see      
spectacles1 equally barbarous and       
detestable1 with satisfaction2 such as  
dogs tearing to pieces a bull1 exhausted
 with wounds1 cocks mangling each other1
 the encounter of brutal boxers1 or of  
bad boys in the streets1 encouraged to  
the diabolical sport of fighting8 ,these

 are the true schools of cowardly and   
savage ferocity1 and not of manly       
courage1 as too many have supposed4#da  
,but it is not my purpose to draw a     
painting in detail of the abominations  
of cruelty1 or the pleasures of         
beneficence1 and ,i resume my rapid and 
desultory reflections4  ,to preserve the
 sentiments of beneficence and          
sensibility1 let us avoid the pride     
which mars them4 ,beneficence in one    
respect resembles love4 ,like that1 it  
courts concealment and the shade4  ,the 
most useful direction we can give to    
beneficence is1 to multiply its gifts as
 widely as possible4 ,let us avoid      
imitating those men who are always      
fearful of being deceived by those who  
solicit their pity4 ,in an uncertainty  
whether or not you ought to extend      
succor1 grant it4 ,it can only expose   
you to the error that is least subject  
to repentance4#db  ,offer useful        
counsels and indulgent consolations4    
,save1 from despair1 the unfortunate    

victim1 who groans under the remorse of 
an unpremeditated fault4 ,unite him     
again to society by those cords which   
his imprudence has broken4 ,rekindle in 
him the love of his kind1 by saying to  
him1 #8though you may not recover       
innocence1 repentance can at least      
restore your virtue4'  ,if we have      
access to the opulent and powerful1 we  
have an honorable1 but difficult task to
 fulfil4 ,to assume the often thankless 
office of soliciting frequent favors for
 friends1 without losing the            
consideration necessary to success1     
requires peculiar tact1 discernment and 
dignity4--,above all1 it requires       
disinterested zeal4 ,in attempting this 
delicate duty in the form of letters1 we
 may soon dissipate our slender fund of 
credit4 ,letters of recommendation      
resemble a paper currency4 ,they are    
redeemed in specie so long as they are  
issued discreetly1 and in small amounts1
 but which become worse than blank      
paper1 as soon as we multiply them too  

far4#dc  ,such is the intrinsic         
attraction of beneficence1 that even if 
we refuse to practise it1 we still love 
whatever retraces its image4 ,a romance 
affects us4 ,pathetic scenes soften our 
hearts at the theatre4 ,in thus         
embracing the shadow1 we pay a sublime  
testimonial to the substance4  ,the     
example of beneficence so readily finds 
its way to every heart1 that we are     
affected even in thinking of those who  
practise it4 ,the coldest hearts pay a  
tribute of veneration to those women1   
who1 in consecrating themselves to the  
service of the poor and the sick1       
encounter extreme fatigue1 disgust1 and 
often abuse from the wretched objects   
themselves1 in the squalidness and filth
 of prisons and hospitals4 ,how         
beautiful to learn to put forth patience
 to mitigate the maladies of the body1  
and hope1 to soothe those of the        
mind6#dd ,ye1 who practise virtues thus 
touching and sublime1 may well hope the 
highest recompenses of heaven4 ,such    

alone are worthy of your pure spirits4  
,ye seem to have passed in light across 
our dark sphere1 only to fulfil a       
transient and celestial mission1 to     
return again to your country4           
,,letter ,,xix4  ,,the ,,pleasures ,,of 
,,the ,,understanding4   ,in the savage 
man the intellectual faculties sleep4   
,as soon as his appetites are satisfied1
 he sees neither pleasures to desire1   
nor pains to fear4 ,he lies down and    
sleeps again4 ,this negative happiness  
would bring desolation to the heart of a
 civilized man4 ,all his faculties have 
commenced their development4 ,he        
experiences a new craving1 which        
occupations1 grave or futile1 but       
rapidly changed and renewed1 can alone  
appease4 ,if there occur between them   
intervals which can be filled neither by
 remembrances1 nor by necessary repose1 
lassitude and ennui intervene1 and      
measure for him the length of these     
chasms in life by sadness4  ,the next   
enemy to happiness1 after vice1 is      

ennui4 ,some escape it without much     
seeming calculation4 ,my neighbor every 
morning turns over twenty gazettes1 the 
state articles of which are copied the  
one from the other4 ,economising the    
pleasure of this reading1 and gravely   
reposing in the intervals1 he           
communicates1 sometimes with an oracular
 tone1 sometimes with a modest reserve1 
his reflections to those who surround   
him2 and1 at length1 leaves the reading 
room with the importance of one who     
feels that he has discharged a debt to  
society4  ,in public places1 it is not  
the spectacles1 but the emotions of the 
common people who behold them1 that are 
worthy of contemplation4 ,in the murder 
of a poor tragedy by poorer actors1 what
 transports from this enthusiastic mass 
of the audience when a blow of the      
poniard1 preceded by a pompous maxim1   
lays the tyrant of the piece low6 ,what 
earnest feeling1 what sincere tears do  
we witness6 ,how much more worthy of    
envy these honest people who lose their 

enjoyment neither by the revolting      
improbability of the situations1 nor by 
the absurdity of the dialogue1 nor by   
the mouthing of the rehearsal1 than     
those fastidious critics who exalt their
 intellectual pride at the expense of   
these cheap enjoyments6  ,from the      
moment in which a man feels sincere     
pleasure in cultivating his             
understanding1 he may date defiance to  
the fear of the weight of time4 ,he has 
the magic key which unlocks the         
exhaustless treasury of enjoyments4 ,he 
lives in the age and country which he   
prefers4 ,space and time are no longer  
obstacles to his happiness4 ,he         
interrogates the wise and good of all   
ages and all countries2 and his         
conversations with them cease1 or change
 object1 as soon as he chooses4 ,how    
much gratitude does he owe the author of
 nature for having impressed on genius  
so many different impulses6 ,with       
,plato1 he is among the sages of        
,greece1 hearing their lessons and      

associating his wishes with theirs for  
the happiness of his kind4#de ,in the   
range of history1 he ascends to the     
infancy of empires and time4 ,does he   
court repose8 ,horace bids him gather   
the roses before they fade2 or          
,shakspeare reminds him1 when illusions 
will vanish like the baseless fabric of 
a vision4  ,if a man has powers and     
acquirements1 it is a great evil1 if he 
is disposed to fatigue others with his  
self-love4 ,if we could number all the  
subjects of which the most accomplished 
scholar is ignorant1 we should perceive 
that the interval between him and a     
common person is not so immense as he   
may imagine4 ,ought he to be astonished 
if the real friends of the ,muses tire  
of his declamations1 his recitations and
 occupancy with himself8  ,to attain    
truth should be the real end of all     
study4 ,in such researches the mind     
kindles1 as by enchantment1 at every    
step6 ,the desire to succeed1 produces  
that noble emotion which is always      

developed by ardent zeal and pure       
intentions4 ,success1 although we were  
to think nothing of its results1        
inspires a kind of pleasure2 because    
truth comports with our understanding1  
as brilliant and soft colors agree with 
the eye1 or pleasant sounds with the    
ear4 ,this enjoyment naturally          
associates with another still more      
vivid4 ,the effect of truth is          
universally salutary2 and every instance
 in which our feeble intellect discovers
 some gleams1 elevates the spirit1 and  
intimately penetrates it with a high    
degree of happiness4  ,one of the chief 
advantages of study is1 that it         
enfranchises the mind from those        
prejudices that disturb life4 ,how many1
 and what agonizing torments have been  
caused by those which are associated    
with false ideas of religion4#df ,after 
those great calamities in the dark ages 
which destroyed the traces of the       
sciences and arts1 men1 pursued by      
terror1 seemed to imagine that they     

constantly saw malevolent spirits flying
 among the clouds or wandering in the   
depth of woods4 ,the sound of strong    
wind and thunder came to their ear as   
the voice of infernal divinities2 and1  
prostrate with terror1 they sought to   
appease their angry gods by bloody      
sacrifices4 ,in process of time1 a small
 number of men1 enlightened by          
observation1 dared to raise the veil by 
degrees1 and succeeded in dissipating   
these terrors by tracing the seeming    
prodigies to some of the simplest laws  
of physics4 ,the phantoms of            
superstition vanished1 and1 in the light
 of reason1 revealed a just and         
beneficent ,divinity presiding over     
obedient nature4  ,we think1 in our     
pride1 that an immense interval         
separates us from those times of        
disaster1 ignorance and alarm4 ,how many
 of our kind1 unhappy by their          
intellectual weakness1 still tremble    
before the jealous and implacable god of
 their imaginations1 who enjoins hatred 

and wrath2 and punishes even the errors 
of opinion by the most horrible         
torments4 ,the man who is exempt from   
prejudices is alone capable of          
prostrating himself before the ,divinity
 from a feeling of love1 and whose      
prayer1 alike confident and resigned1 is
 addressed to his noble attributes of   
power1 justice and clemency4  ,there are
 other errors which study dispels4 ,the 
student who is charmed with communion   
with the muses1 does not consume his    
best years in gloomy intrigues2 nor do  
you meet him pressing forward in the    
path which ambition has traced4 ,the    
,greeks1 fertile in significant         
allegories1 supposed the same divinity  
to preside over the sciences and wisdom4
  ,the habit of living in converse with 
the noblest works of mind and art1      
produces elevation of soul2 and he who  
has an elevated mind must be            
intrinsically good and happy4 ,exempt   
from the weaknesses of vanity1 free from
 the tumultuous passions1 he cultivates 

the noble and generous virtues for the  
pleasure of practising them4 ,disdaining
 a mass of objects of desire which      
disturb the vulgar1 he offers a small   
mark to misery4 ,should adversity strike
 him1 he has resources so much the more 
sure1 as he finds them in himself4  ,no 
one can ever taste the full charm of    
letters and the arts1 except in the     
bosom of retirement4 ,if he reads and   
meditates only for the pursuit of fame1 
amusements change to labors4 ,if we     
propose to enter the lists1 outstrip    
rivals1 and direct a party1 we are soon 
agitated with little passions1 but great
 inquietudes4 ,heaven1 sternly decreeing
 that no earthly felicity shall be      
unalloyed1 has placed a thirst for      
celebrity as a drawback upon the love of
 study4  ,but ought the ardor to render 
immortal services--ought the noble      
ambition to be useful1 to be stifled8   
,are not these the source of pleasures  
as pure as they are ravishing8 ,i       
contemplate an immense and              

indestructible republic1 composed of all
 those men who devote themselves to the 
happiness of their kind4 ,occupied      
without relaxation or abatement in      
continuing the works which their        
predecessors have begun1 they bequeath  
to their successors the care of pursuing
 and crowning their labors4 ,men of     
genius are the chiefs of this republic4 
,as they have talents which separate    
them from the rest of the human race2   
they have also pleasures reserved for   
themselves alone4 ,what a sublime       
sentiment must have elevated the spirit 
of ,newton when a part of the mysterious
 laws of the universe first dawned on   
his mind6 ,a glow still more delightful 
must have pervaded the bosom of ,fenelon
 when meditating the most beautiful     
lessons which wisdom ever announced to  
the powerful and the rulers of the      
people4 ,to these privileged beings it  
belongs1 to give a powerful impulse to  
minds1 and to trace a new path for the  
generations to come4  ,i shall have     

attained my humble ambition if1 docile  
to the voice of the wise1 ,i shall be   
able1 in any degree1 to indicate the way
 in which these lessons may be put in   
practice4 ,i shall thus have contributed
 my aid to dissipate the night of       
prejudice and vice4     ,,letter ,,xx4  
,,the ,,pleasures ,,of ,,the            
,,imagination4   ,if these words denote 
pleasures which have no reality1 let us 
no longer use them4#dg ,the person who1 
during the twelve hours of every day    
that he passed in sleep1 believed       
himself clothed with royal authority1   
shared a lot exactly similar to the king
 who1 dreaming through the same number  
of hours1 imagined that he suffered cold
 and hunger1 and asked the pity of the  
peasants in the streets4  ,all our      
pleasures are fugitive1 and they are all
 real4 ,that wonderful faculty1 the     
imagination1 awakens past pleasures1    
charms the instant that is flowing1 and 
either veils the future1 or embellishes 
it in the radiance of hope4  ,let us    

banish that vulgar prejudice which      
represents reason and imagination as two
 enemies which cannot coxist4 ,the      
severest reason ought to disdain no easy
 and pure pleasures4 ,the happy         
paintings even of a dream bring joy1    
until their rainbow hues melt away4 ,the
 dreams of the imagination have greatly 
the advantage over those of sleep4 ,our 
will gives them birth4 ,we prolong1     
dissipate and renew them at pleasure4#dh
 ,all1 who have learned to multiply     
these happy moments1 know1 at the same  
time1 how to enjoy these agreeable      
visions1 and paint with enchantment     
those dreamy hours which they owe to the
 effervescence of a gay imagination4    
,there are situations in which reason   
has no better counsel to give us than to
 yield ourselves up to those illusions  
which mingle pleasures with our         
sufferings4 ,i knew a worthy1 but       
unfortunate man1 who passed twenty      
months in prison4 ,he informed me that1 
every night1 he had a dream1 in which he

 imagined that his wife and children    
visited him and restored him to liberty4
 ,this dream left a remembrance so      
profound1 an emotion so delightful1 that
 he determined to attempt to renew it by
 day4 ,when evening came1 exciting his  
imagination to its most vigorous action1
 he endeavored to persuade himself that 
the moment of the reunion was come4 ,he 
represented to himself the transport of 
his wife and the caresses of his        
children2 and he allowed no thought but 
these delightful visions to occupy his  
mind until the moment when sleep once   
more wrapped him in forgetfulness4 ,the 
habit of concentrating his imagination  
for this result1 he assured me1 finally 
rendered these illusions incredibly     
vivid and real4 ,he expected night with 
impatience2 and the certainty that the  
close of day would bring some happy     
moments1 threw over the tedious hours an
 emotion which mitigated his sufferings4
  ,these charming illusions1 in         
misfortune1 resemble those brilliant    

boreal lights which1 in the midst of a  
night that lasts for weeks1 present the 
image of dawn during the dreary winters 
of the polar circle4 ,an excitable and  
vivid faculty1 which deceives           
misfortune1 ought to embellish          
happiness4 ,to the pleasant things we   
possess1 it adds those we desire4 ,by   
its magic1 we renew the hours of which  
the memory is dear4 ,we taste the       
pleasures which a distant future        
promises2 and see1 at least1 the        
fleeting shadow of those which are      
passing away4  ,a gloomy philosopher has
 told us1 that such illusions are the   
effect of a transient insanity4 ,it     
seems to me that insane thoughts are    
those which create ennui2 and that      
reasonable ideas are those which throw  
innocent charms over life4 ,if you      
reject these views1 be persuaded1 at    
least1 not to adopt a false and gloomy  
wisdom4 ,you ought rather to prefer the 
conviction that everything below is     
folly4#ej ,but still1 ,i can distinguish

 gay follies1 frightful follies1 and    
amiable follies2 and ,i easily discover 
that there is a choice among them4  ,why
 should the morose being who perceives  
only bad people on the earth1 and only  
miseries in the future1 blame him who   
cradles flattering hopes1 always        
springing up anew1 for allowing himself 
to be beguiled by the illusions of his  
imagination8 ,both deceive themselves4  
,but the one cherishes a mistake which  
brings hatred and suffering1 and the    
other lives on gaily in his illusions4  
,wisdom does not disdain a faculty      
merely for being brilliant2 and1 to     
taste all the pleasures of imagination1 
it is indispensable that reason should  
be much exercised4  ,imagination        
resembles the magician of an oriental   
romance who transports his favorite hero
 to scenes of enchantment1 to try him   
with pleasures2 and then delivers him   
over to a hostile magician1 who         
multiplies peril and misery around him4 
,this creative faculty1 in its          

perversion1 is as fertile to invent     
torments as1 in its more propitious     
moods1 to bring forth pleasures4 ,if    
once we resign ourselves to its gloomy  
caprices1 it conjures up the terror of a
 thousand unreal evils4 ,reason cannot  
always follow its meteor path2 but      
ought1 at least1 to point out the course
 in which happiness invites it to walk4 
,the aid of reason is still more        
necessary at the moment when the        
chimeras of imagination disappear4 ,it  
is an afflicting moment4 ,reason should 
prepare us to meet it4 ,every man1 with 
an elevated mind and a good heart1 has  
delighted to imagine himself far away   
from the stupid and wicked2 in a smiling
 country1 separated from the rest of the
 world1 and alone with a few friends4   
,suppose this dream realized2 ,i am     
aware that1 tomorrow1 the peaceful exile
 might be indulging regrets for the     
place he had left2 and forming plans to 
escape from the ennui of the new        
country4 ,since we change our destiny in

 these respects1 without altering our   
instinctive desire of change1 let us    
study the art of softening the pains of 
our actual condition2 and let us learn  
to extract all possible advantages from 
it by imparting to it1 if nothing more1 
the embellishment created by the happy  
anticipations of a fertile imagination4 
,ought we to indulge regrets because    
these paintings of the imagination so   
rapidly disappear4 ,i have seen the rich
 and the great stripped1 in a moment1 of
 their fortune and power2 and shall ,i  
afflict myself because my dream has     
vanished8 ,these unfortunate people lost
 all that was dear to them1 forever4    
,for me1 ,i can renew these pleasures of
 imagination at my will4  ,far from     
sacrificing any of our faculties1 let us
 exercise them all2 and let them        
mutually conduce to our happiness4 ,as  
we advance in life1 our reason should   
grow to the calm of mature age4 ,but let
 the imagination and the heart still    
preserve scintillations of the fire of  

youth4     ,,letter ,,xxi4              
,,melancholy4   ,there is no pleasure of
 earth but1 as soon as it becomes vivid1
 has a tendency to tinge itself with    
melancholy4 ,the birth of an infant1 the
 convalescence of a father1 the return  
of a friend who has been long absent1   
fill the eyes with tears4 ,nature has   
thus chosen to mingle the colors of joy 
and sadness4 ,having destined us to     
experience each of the emotions in turn1
 she has ordained that the shades of    
transition should melt into each        
other4#ea  ,the dearest remembrances are
 those which are accompanied by         
tenderness of heart4 ,the sports of     
infancy1 the first loves1 the perils we 
have forever escaped1 and the faults we 
have learned to repair1 are of the      
number4 ,whoever will recollect the     
happiest moments of his life1 will find 
them to have produced this emotion4     
,but there are two kinds of melancholy2 
or rather1 we must not confound         
melancholy with gloom4 ,will the slight 

tenderness of sorrow which imparts a new
 charm to the fugitive pleasures of     
existence be inspired by those gloomy   
books which this age has attempted to   
bring into fashion2 by those terrific   
and wild dreams in which hideous        
personages enact revolting scenes8      
,modern imagination has painted         
melancholy a tall and unearthly spectre 
enveloped in a winding sheet4 ,the real 
traits of her countenance are those of  
innocence occupied in pleasant revery2  
and at the same time that tears are in  
her eyes1 a smile dwells on her lips4   
,it is the resort of a sterile          
imagination and a cold heart1 to invest 
even the tomb with borrowed ideas of    
darkness2 to wait for night in which to 
visit it2 and to torment the fancy to   
people it with sinister phantoms4 ,real 
sensibility would not require such an   
effort to be awakened4 ,it fills my mind
 with a pleasing sadness to wander in   
the church-yard1 under the melancholy   
radiance of the moon1 among monuments of

 white marble1 and hear the night breeze
 sigh among the weeping willows4 ,i am  
deeply affected with1 here and there1 a 
touching inscription4#eb ,i remember one
 in which a father says1 that he has had
 five children1 and that here sleeps the
 last that remained to him for          
consolation4 ,in another1 a father and  
mother announce that their daughter died
 at seventeen1 a victim of their weak   
indulgence1 and of the extravagant modes
 of the time4 ,this sojourn of repose1  
these words written in the abodes of    
silence1 which inspire tenderness for   
those that are no more1 and those whose 
treasured affection still remembers     
them1 always penetrate the soul with an 
emotion not without its charms4 ,in the 
view of tombs1 we immediately direct our
 thoughts to an internal survey of      
ourselves4 ,i mark out my place among   
the peaceful mansions4 ,i imagine the   
vernal grass and flowers reviving over  
my place of rest4 ,my imagination       
transports me to the days which ,i shall

 not see1 and sounds for me the soothing
 dirge of the adieus of friendship      
pronounced over the spot where ,i am    
laid4#ec  ,i generally carry from my    
sojourn in these our last mansions1 one 
painful sentiment4 ,i remark that many  
tombs are raised by parents for their   
children2 by husbands for their wives2  
by widows for their husbands4 ,i observe
 that there are but few erected by      
children for their fathers4 ,perhaps it 
is right that love should ascend in that
 scale1 rather than descend in the      
other4  ,occasional visits to ruins and 
tombs inspire salutary melancholy4 ,but 
the habit of frequently contemplating   
these lugubrious objects is dangerous4  
,it blunts sensibility and creates the  
necessity of always requiring strong    
emotions4 ,it nourishes in the soul     
sombre ideas which do not associate with
 happiness4 ,without doubt1 there are   
those who are so unhappy as to long for 
the repose of the grave2 who find solace
 in these gloomy spectacles4 ,young1    

after having lost his only daughter1    
after having in vain solicited a little 
consecrated earth to cover the remains  
of the youthful victim2 after being     
reduced to the necessity of interring   
the loved one with his own hands1 might 
be tempted to fly his kind and love only
 night1 solitude and tombs4 ,there have 
been men1 condemned by the award of     
nature1 to such reverses as nourish an  
incurable and perpetual melancholy4     
,their frigid imitators1 without their  
reason and profound feeling1 in wishing 
to render themselves singular1 become   
tiresome and ridiculous in their        
melancholy4  ,writers of the most       
splendid genius of the age have         
consecrated their talents to celebrate  
melancholy2 not that melancholy which   
has a smile of profound sensibility1 but
 that which has been cradled in tombs   
and which holds out to us the full      
draught of sadness4 ,there is something 
in these heart-rending scenes1 these    
lugubrious spectacles1 which the age    

seeks with avidity4 ,a writer whose     
talent tends to render his errors       
seducing1 has taken pleasure in viewing 
the christian religion as opening an    
inexhaustible source of melancholy4 ,it 
seems to exalt his mind1 most of all1   
when it presents itself to him under a  
funereal aspect4  ,he paints religion as
 born in the forests of ,horeb and      
,sinai1 forever surrounded with a       
formidable gloom2 and offering to our   
adorations a ,god who died for men4 ,he 
describes the invasion of the           
barbarians1 the persecutions of the     
first believers1 cloisters arising from 
deep and dark groves1 and melancholy    
continually receiving new accessions    
from the austere rules imposed upon the 
pious inmates4  #8,there1' said he1     
#8the tenants of these religious        
seclusions dug their own tombs1 by the  
light of the moon1 in the cemeteries of 
their own cloisters4 ,their couch was a 
coffin4 ,some of them occasionally      
wandered away to sojourn among the ruins

 of ,memphis and ,babylon1 striking the 
chords of the harp of ,david1 surrounded
 by beasts of prey4 ,some condemned     
themselves to perpetual silence4 ,others
 sung a continual hymn1 echoing the     
sighs of ,job1 the lamentations of      
,jeremiah1 or the penitential songs of  
the prophet king4 ,their monasteries    
were built on sites the most savage1 on 
the summits of ,lebanon1 in the deep    
forests of ,gaul1 or on the crags of the
 ,british shores4 ,how sad the knell of 
the religious bells1 heard at the noon  
of night1 must have sounded when calling
 the vestals to their vigils and        
prayers6 ,the sounds1 as they swelled   
and died away1 mingled the last strains 
of the hymns with the distant dashing of
 the waves4 ,how profound must have been
 the meditations of the solitary who1   
from his grated window1 indulged in     
revery1 as his eye wandered over the    
illimitable sea1 perhaps agitated with a
 tempest6 ,what a contrast between the  
fury of the waves and the calm of his   

retreat6 ,the expiring cries of men are 
heard as they dash upon the rocks at the
 foot of the asylum of peace4 ,infinity 
stretches out on one side of their cell2
 and on the other the slab of a tomb    
alone separates between eternity and    
life4 ,all the different forms of       
misfortune1 remembrance1 manners1 and   
the scenes of nature concurred to render
 the christian religion the genius of   
melancholy4'#ec;a  ,can it be thought1  
for a moment1 possible that sighs       
without end1 the love of deserts and the
 hope of the tomb are all the           
consolations that this divine religion  
is calculated to bring to the heart of  
man8 ,such an error could only have had 
its origin in an unregulated            
imagination4 ,the christian religion1   
though pensive and serious1 is not sad4 
,less brilliant1 less imaginative than  
paganism1 less friendly to pleasure1 she
 is far more favorable to happiness4    
,my opinion in regard to the legitimate 
tendency of religion1 is not only       

different but directly opposite4 ,a pure
 religion must produce tranquillity1    
confidence and joy4 ,it is departure    
from religious views which are true and 
just1 that is followed by a vague       
sadness1 gloom and despondency4  ,these 
funereal and yet eloquent paintings1    
traced with the enthusiasm of           
melancholy1 must have had the effect to 
increase the number of men of           
atrabilious temperament1 weary of the   
world1 and tired of themselves4 ,were it
 true that the christian religion       
inspired an insatiate craving for       
funereal reveries1 far from considering 
it as ,i do1 divine1 ,i should estimate 
it anti-social4--,the true friends of   
the christian religion always paint it  
as it is1 more powerful than even human 
misery2 giving clothing to the naked1   
bread to the hungry1 an asylum to the   
sick1 a peaceful home to the returning  
prodigal1 and a mother to the orphan2   
wiping away the tears of innocence with 
a celestial hand1 and filling the eyes  

of the culpable and contrite with tears 
of consolation4 ,let pious thankfulness 
and a calm courage1 which even death    
cannot shake1 environ its modest heroes4
 ,let its martyrs be those of charity   
and toleration2--the protestant opening 
an asylum to catholic1 falling under the
 fanatical fury of his brethren2 and    
when bloody and impious mandates order  
the massacre of protestants1 the        
catholic sheltering them in his mansion4
 ,such was the spirit of ,erasmus2 such1
 of the divine ,fenelon2 such1 of       
,william ,penn1 and a few tolerant      
lights that have gleamed through ages of
 persecution and darkness4 ,such are the
 men whose disciples we desire to       
multiply4 ,let us cease to incorporate  
melancholy errors and gloomy follies    
with the religion of peace1 confidence  
and hope4 ,eloquence was imparted for a 
nobler use4     ,,letter ,,xxii4        
,,religious ,,sentiments4   ,the        
philosophy of happiness must find its   
ultimate requisite in the hopes of      

religion4 ,man must be persuaded that   
his present life has relation to a never
 ending future1 and that an eternal     
providence watches over the universe1   
before he will abandon himself with a   
tranquil confidence to those            
irresistible laws by which he is borne  
along4 ,he then marches towards the     
future1 as he would confidently follow a
 guide of tried prudence and fidelity in
 a dark path4#ed  ,in the fever and     
tumult of worldly pleasures and         
pursuits1 the voice of wisdom has little
 chance to be heard1 and it seems       
necessary that misfortune should have   
forced the mind in upon itself1 before  
we become inclined to find resources in 
religion4 ,then we invoke this sublime  
and consoling power1 and like the friend
 that avoids our prosperity and our     
festivals1 but returns to cheer our     
misfortunes1 this celestial friend is at
 hand to offer her sustaining succor4   
,we may class all those pleasures as    
noxious1 which will not associate with  

this august visitant4 ,even in our      
periods of happiness1 if we pause for   
the reflection of a moment1 we find the 
need of immortality4 ,all the generous  
and tender affections acquire a new     
charm in alliance with religious ideas1 
in the same manner as objects beautiful 
in themselves1 receive a new lustre when
 a pure light is thrown upon them4      
,filial piety becomes more touching in  
those children who pray with fervor for 
the preservation of the life of a       
mother4 ,let a pious courage guide the  
sister of charity1 and she becomes the  
angel of consolation1 as she visits the 
abodes of misery4 ,even virtue itself   
does not receive its celestial impress1 
except in alliance with religious       
sentiments4 ,a few of the higher        
philosophers among the great ancients1  
and ,fenelon1 ,newton1 ,milton and a few
 other men of immortal name1 saw the    
divinity as ,he is1 and contemplated the
 perfect model of his infinite          
perfections4 ,their efforts tended to   

coperate with the divine views of order 
and harmony1 in constantly directing    
human actions and thoughts towards good4
 ,the beautiful system of the gospel has
 the same simplicity of object2 and its 
tendency to honor and meliorate humanity
 is directed by the highest wisdom4     
,sentiments which give to all our       
faculties a direction1 fertilize genius 
as well as virtue4 ,high models1 in any 
walk of mind1 will never be produced in 
a world whose inhabitants believe in    
nothing but matter1 fortuitous          
combinations1 and the annihilation of   
our being4 ,apostles of atheism6 your   
dreary creed throws an impenetrable     
gloom upon the universe1 and dries the  
source of all high thoughts4 ,the       
advocates of these views vaunt the      
necessity of proclaiming the truth4 ,i1 
too1 am the fearless advocate of the    
truth1 and have no dread of its results4
 ,but could ,i be persuaded1 that       
religious hopes were unfounded1 ,i      
should be tempted to renounce my        

confidence in truth itself2 and no      
longer to inculcate the necessity of    
loving and seeking to propagate it4 ,it 
is by the light of this divine torch1   
that real sages have desired to         
investigate religion4 ,were it possible 
that the elevated and consoling ideas1  
which religion offers1 could be baseless
 and absurd chimeras1 error and truth   
would be so confounded1 that there would
 no longer remain any discriminating    
sign by which to distinguish the one    
from the other4 ,atheists boast that    
they are the only frank and hardy       
antagonists of superstition4 ,they are  
its most effectual allies4 ,the         
superstitious have brought forth the    
atheists1 and the atheists have         
re-produced the superstitious2 as1 in   
revolutions1 resistance produces fury1  
and that multiplies resistance4  ,i have
 known excellent men1 apparently earnest
 and docile inquirers for truth1 who    
have desired in vain to establish in    
their mind these consoling              

convictions4--,their understanding      
refused to respond to the wish of their 
hearts4  ,why can ,i not impart this    
happy conviction to their understanding8
 ,my subject precludes reasoning1 and ,i
 only know arguments that are very      
simple2 but ,i think with ,bacon1 that  
it needs quite as much credulity to     
adopt the opinion of atheists1 as to    
yield faith to all the reveries of the  
,talmud or the ,koran4 ,the more        
profoundly ,i attempt to investigate the
 doctrines of infidelity1 and consider  
everything that surrounds me1 as        
resulting from the combinations of      
chance1 the play of atoms1 the efforts  
of brute matter1 the more my inquiries  
are involved in darkness4 ,i strive in  
vain to give to any hypothesis of       
atheism the honest semblance of         
probability4 ,matter cannot reflect upon
 the order which its different parts    
require4 ,neither can those parts       
interchange reason and discussion4      
,neither an atom1 nor a globe can say to

 others of their class1 #8such are the  
courses in which we must move4' ,let us 
simplify difficulties1 as much as       
possible1 and admit that matter has     
always existed2 let us even suppose     
motion essential to it2 a supreme       
intelligence is none the less necessary 
to the harmony of the universe4 ,without
 a governor of worlds1 ,i can only      
conceive of nihility or chaos4  ,from   
the sublimest of all thoughts1 there is 
a ,god1 flow all the truths which my    
heart desires4 ,the beautiful           
superstructure of ,christianity results1
 as a corollary1 or ultimate inference1 
from this consoling axiom4 ,the system  
which rejects the soul's immortality1 is
 equally absurd with that of atheism4   
,of the different arguments against the 
being of a ,god1 the most striking one  
is that which is drawn from the evils   
which prevail on the earth4 ,the first  
thought of every man of sensibility1 is1
 that had he the power to make a world1 
he would banish misery from it1 and so  

arrange the order of things1 as that    
existence should be1 to all conscious   
beings1 a succession of moments1 each   
marked by happiness4 ,but infirmities1  
vices1 misery1 sorrow and death pursue  
us4 ,how reconcile the misery of the    
creation with the power and beneficence 
of the ,creator8 ,how resolve this      
strange problem8 ,how explain this      
revolting contradiction8 ,immortality is
 the only solution of the enigma of     
life4#ee  ,a whimsical combination of   
deism and materialism forms1 at present1
 the most widely diffused system among  
the unbelieving4 ,they have imagined a  
,god possessing only physical power1 and
 contemplating the movement of his      
innumerable worlds1 alike indifferent to
 crime and virtue4 ,he beholds with the 
same carelessness the generations that  
pass1 and those that succeed2 and sees  
deliverers and tyrants alike confounded 
in their fall4--,admit the truth of such
 dogmas1 and the conceptions of a       
religious man would possess more        

expansion and sublimity than the views  
of the ,eternal4 ,socrates1 without the 
illumination of the gospel1 could have  
taught them better4 ,surrounded by his  
weeping disciples1 he points them beyond
 the tomb to the places where the sage  
at last respires freely2 and where the  
misfortunes and inequalities of earth   
are redressed4 ,in painting these       
illusions of hope1 if they are vain1 the
 sage has conceived in his dreams an    
equity superior to that of the infinite 
,being4 ,let us dare to maintain that   
the feeble children of clay have a right
 to entertain ideas of order and desert1
 more just than those of the ,creator1  
or admit that the heart1 made capable of
 the desire of another life1 is destined
 to enjoy it4  ,the destiny of all the  
inferior orders that surround us1       
appears to terminate upon the earth4    
,ours alone is evidently not            
accomplished here4 ,the animals1 exempt 
from vice1 incapable of virtue1         
experience1 in ceasing to live1 neither 

hopes nor regrets4 ,they die without the
 foresight of death4 ,man1 in the course
 of an agitated life1 degrades himself  
by follies and vices1 or honors himself 
by generous and useful actions4         
,remembrances1 loves1 ties1 in countless
 forms1 twine about his heart4 ,he is   
torn1 in agony1 from beings for whom he 
has commenced an affection that he feels
 might be eternal4 ,persecuted for his  
virtue1 proscribed for his wisdom and   
courage1 calumniated for his most       
conscientious acts1 he turns to heaven a
 fixed look of confidence and hope4 ,has
 he nothing to perform beyond death8    
,has the author of nature forgotten his 
justice1 only in completing his most    
perfect work8  ,our immortality is a    
necessary consequence of the existence  
of ,god4 ,let us not wander astray in   
vain discussions1 which1 with our       
present faculties1 we can never         
master--such as relate to the nature of 
the soul4 ,my hopes1 my convictions1    
rest not upon a cloudy1 metaphysical    

argument4 ,neither can the proud        
treatise of a sophist weaken1 nor the   
puerile dialectics of a pedant increase 
it4 ,it is enough for me that there is a
 ,god4 ,virtue in misfortune must have  
hopes which do not terminate with the   
tomb4 ,the sublime inculcation of       
,socrates was1 #8preserve confidence in 
death4' ,but recompense in another      
existence supposes merit2 and merit     
requires liberty4  ,is man free8 ,we can
 reduce this question which has been so 
much vexed1 and so often obscured1 to   
terms of entire simplicity4 ,it has been
 most forcibly presented by ,hobbes1 the
 vile apostle at once of atheism and    
despotism1 who seems to have striven to 
unite the most pernicious doctrines with
 an example1 which merits execration4   
#8,two objects1' he remarks1 #8attract  
us in opposite directions4 ,as long as  
they produce impressions nearly equal1  
our mind1 in a state of uncertainty1    
vacillates from the one to the other2   
and we believe1 that we are             

deliberating4 ,finally1 one of the      
objects strikes us with a stronger      
impression than the other4 ,we are drawn
 towards it2 and we believe that it is  
because we will it4--,thus1 man1 always 
passive1 yields to the strongest and    
most vivid sensation4 ,free actions     
would be an effect without a cause4'    
,admirable reasoning6 ,what other       
freedom could ,i wish1 than to prefer   
what seems to me the most desirable8    
,let the disciples of ,hobbes instruct  
me how they would choose that man should
 determine1 in order to be conscious of 
liberty8 ,would they wish him to choose 
the object that is repugnant to him8    
,this is too evidently absurd4 ,should  
he vacillate in indifference between the
 one object and the other8 ,this would  
be to sink into an existence of perfect 
apathy1 without reason or will4 ,man has
 all the liberty1 of which such a being 
is capable--all1 in fact1 which he could
 desire4  ,how puerile are these        
metaphysical subtleties1 when employed  

upon moral truths6#ef ,what a monster   
would man become on the system of the   
fatalists6 ,what is that system worth1  
the consequences of which cannot be     
admitted8 ,if we act under the          
inevitable empire of fatalism1 why is he
 who proclaims this doctrine1 indignant 
at the thought of crime8 ,does he       
contemplate ,socrates and his           
executioners with the same              
approbation8--,will he regard with the  
same feeling ,antoninus dictating pious 
lessons to his son1 and ,nero           
assassinating his mother8 ,will he      
estimate as alike meritorious a         
persecuted ,christian praying for his   
enemies1 and the monarch ordering the   
massacre of ,st ,bartholomew8 ,do such  
contrasts offend us8 ,and why8          
,according to the system of fatalism1   
the good ought to inspire us with less  
interest than the wicked4 ,a blind      
fatality awards to the virtuous that    
pure pleasure1 that is inseparably      
connected with good actions4 ,they      

receive a high reward without any merit2
 while the others are a prey to remorse1
 and the incessant object of public     
hatred and abhorrence4 ,if they are     
innocent1 as on the principles of       
fatalism they must be1 how ought we to  
mourn over them1 and pity them6 ,what   
purpose can these doctrines serve8 ,he  
who advocates them1 is conscious of     
impulses to do good1 and deliberates    
upon alternatives in the courses which  
honor and duty call him to pursue4 ,his 
principles1 then1 are contradicted by   
the voice of his own heart4 ,when he has
 committed a fault1 it declares to him  
that he might have chosen a contrary    
part4--,when he has done a virtuous     
action1 it inspires emotions of joy1    
which render him conscious that he is a 
free agent4 ,this voice within is       
anterior to all reasoning1 and as       
incapable of being invalidated as any   
other consciousness4 ,inexhaustible     
emotions of satisfaction spring from    
religious hopes4 ,reanimated by them1 ,i

 no longer see tears without            
consolation1 nor fear an eternal        
adieu4--,the tomb1 though a fearful1 is 
but a frail barrier1 which separates us 
from those real joys1 of which the      
pleasures of a fugitive existence are   
but the shadow4  ,never would men have  
exchanged their natural convictions1    
their internal aspirations1 their       
instinctive hopes of immortality1 for   
the lurid and deceptive glare of        
infidelity1 if religious views had not  
been disfigured by being combined with  
the grossest errors and prejudices4 ,of 
these1 there are two which every good   
man ought to strive to eradicate from   
all minds1 and if it were possible1 to  
purge from the earth4  ,the first causes
 us to behold in the divinity a menacing
 and implacable judge1 constantly eager 
to execute vengeance4 ,monstrous        
conception6 ,revolting error6 ,infancy  
and old age1 the two extremes of earthly
 existence1 which from their feebleness1
 call for our most soothing cares1 are  

those most persecuted with this vile and
 fierce prejudice4 ,a cruel superstition
 has selected these terrific ideas1     
these horrible images1 with which to    
besiege the bed of death1 to light up   
the scene of agony--of parting and      
trembling apprehensions--with the flames
 of perdition4 ,my bosom swells with    
mingled emotions1 when ,i see any one   
attempting to darken the feeble and     
docile reason of a child with these     
sinister views4 ,pursued even in his    
dreams by these terrible menaces1 before
 he knows the meaning of crime1 he has  
already felt its torments4 ,astonishing 
infatuation6 ,it is in this aspect that 
gloomy religionists have presented the  
compassionate and sustaining hope of the
 gospel4 ,instead of inspiring sweet and
 consoling ideas1 they have succeeded in
 filling innocence with remorse4  ,the  
other prejudice is intolerance1 or that 
spirit which causes us to view all      
persons guilty1 whose faith is different
 from ours4 ,while religion enjoins it  

upon us to cover the faults of our kind 
with a veil of indulgence1 intolerance  
teaches us to transform their opinions  
into crimes4 ,religion rears asylums for
 the unfortunate4--,intolerance prepares
 scaffolds for all whom she chooses to  
denominate heretics4 ,the one invokes   
ministers of charity1 and the other1    
executioners4 ,the one wipes away tears1
 and the other sheds blood4             
,intolerance without power is simply    
ridiculous2 but becomes most odious when
 armed with authority4 ,the cry of      
humanity is #8,peace with all men4' ,if 
any were excepted1 it should be the     
intolerant4 ,even they merit no severer 
punishment1 than the inflictions of     
their own fury4 ,they may attain to     
deliverance from remorse in their       
confident delirium1 and may count their 
crimes as virtues1 through the influence
 of self-blindness4 ,but this strange   
obliquity of the understanding1 this    
horrible intoxication1 repels happiness4
 ,joy and peace must fly the soul1 of   

which this spirit has taken possession4 
,in another life1 the measure of our    
felicity in the mansions of the just1   
will be the happiness we have created   
for the beings around us in this        
fleeting existence4 ,a religious man    
constantly strives to render this1 our  
terrestrial sojourn1 more like the abode
 towards which his thoughts are         
elevated4 ,his constant occupation is to
 mitigate suffering1 banish prejudice   
and hatred1 and calm the fury of party4 
,all his relations are those of peace   
and love4 ,intolerant men6 ,who1 of your
 number1 will hope to hear it said of   
him in the retribution of the just1     
#8much has been forgiven him1 because he
 has loved much8'     ,,letter ,,xxiii4 
,,of ,,the ,,rapidity ,,of ,,life4   ,in
 considering the different ages of life1
 the first sentiment ,i feel1 is        
gratitude for the variety of pleasures1 
destined for us by nature4 ,thrice happy
 for us1 if we knew how to taste the    
charms of all the situations through    

which we pass6 ,instead of this1 we     
first regret infancy1 then youth1 then  
mature age4 ,the happy period is always 
that which is no more4  ,it is a great  
folly to sadden the present1 in looking 
back upon the past1 as though it had    
been darkened by no shadow of a cloud4  
,the sorrows which nature sends us in   
infancy1 resemble spring showers1 the   
traces of which are effaced by a passing
 breeze4 ,the pains and alarms of each  
age have been chiefly the work of men4  
,who cannot remember the violent        
palpitations which he felt1 when1       
exposed to the searching eye of his     
companions1 he went forward to excuse   
his not having prepared his task1 his   
translation or theme1 at school8 ,i have
 seen situations more perilous1 since   
that time1 but no misfortunes have      
awakened more bitterness1 than the      
preference granted by the professor to  
the theme of another over mine4 ,the    
beautiful age1 for a frivolous being1 is
 youth2 for the ambitious1 maturity2 for

 the recluse1 old age2 for a reasonable 
man1 each age3 for heaven has reserved  
peculiar pleasures for each4  ,the      
second sentiment ,i experience1 in      
contemplating life1 is1 regret to see   
the moments so rapidly gliding away4    
,time flies1 and days and years steal   
away as rapidly as hours4 ,still1 some  
complain of the burden of time1 and     
endure cruel suffering from not knowing 
how to employ it4  ,to prolong my days1 
,i will neither ask the elixir of life  
from alchymists1 nor precepts from      
physicians4 ,a severe regimen tends to  
abridge life4 ,multiplied privations    
give a sadness to the spirit1 more      
noxious than the prescribed remedies are
 salutary4 ,besides1 what is physical   
without moral life2 that is to say1     
improvement and enjoyment8 ,physicians  
vaunt the miracles of abstinence and a  
careful regimen in the case of ,cornaro1
 the ,venetian1 who was born dying1 and 
yet spun out the thread of life with so 
much care that he vegetated a century4  

,to attain this result1 he weighed his  
aliment1 and marked every hour of the   
day1 with the most minute exactness4    
,bacon cites the case1 but jests upon a 
man who believed himself living1        
because1 in fact1 he was not dead4      
,moderation1 cheerfulness and the happy 
employment of time furnish the best     
means of living as many days as nature  
permits2 and the regimen of philosophic 
moralists has an effect more certain    
than that of physicians4#eg  ,every one 
has observed that a year in youth       
presents a long perspective2 and that   
the further we advance in our career1   
the more the course of time seems to    
accelerate4 ,let us strive to           
investigate the causes which so modify  
our judgments1 with a view1 if it be    
possible1 to avoid them4  ,there is one 
inevitable cause--experience4 ,at       
sixteen1 what an illimitable prospective
 space is seen in the sixteen years that
 are to succeed6 ,the termination of the
 latter period is lost to vision in the 

future1 as the commencement of the first
 years are effaced from the memory of   
the past4 ,but1 in touching the goal    
which seemed so distant1 we have        
discovered a scale by which the mind's  
eye measures the future4 ,impatient     
youth1 burning to overleap the interval 
which separates the object from the     
desires1 strives to accelerate the tardy
 hours4 ,in mature age1 on the contrary1
 seeing every day bringing us nearer the
 termination of our career1 we begin to 
regret the want of power to arrest the  
march of time4 ,thus our weakness       
hastens the flight which we desire to   
delay4 ,let us be less fearful of the   
uncertain future1 and the hours will    
lose their desolating swiftness4        
,finally1 in our youth1 all objects     
being new1 produce the vivid impression 
of novelty4 ,every instant is filled    
with landmarks of memory1 because in    
every instant a new sensation is        
produced1 and a new link in the chain of
 the succession of ideas4 ,as we advance

 in time1 objects imperceptibly cease to
 excite our curiosity4 ,we pass by      
beautiful objects and striking events   
which once filled us with transport or  
surprise1 with a carelessness which     
fails to fix them in our memory4 ,we    
return mechanically to the occupations  
of the preceding day1 scarcely noting   
the transit of those monotonous periods 
which were rendered remarkable neither  
by ennui nor pleasure4 ,let us avoid    
this mental carelessness1 which gives   
new speed to the flight of time1 and is 
so fatal to happiness4 ,friends of      
humanity1 of literature1 of the arts and
 true enjoyment1 let us preserve the    
mind in its freshness1 the imagination  
in its youthful brilliancy4 ,let us thus
 arrest the happy moments2 and let us   
preserve the enthusiasm of youth        
enlightened by the taste of mature age1 
for everything which merits our         
admiration4#eh  ,if we desire that our  
days should not be abridged1 we must    
love retreat4 ,the immediate result of  

this shelter is to keep off a crowd of  
officious and indolent people4 ,there   
are those who would not think of taking 
our money1 and who yet will steal hours 
and days from us without scruple4 ,they 
seem not to realize the value of these  
fractions of time which are the material
 of life4  ,but while the idle rob us of
 hours1 we ourselves sacrifice years4 ,a
 great portion of our race1 deafened by 
the clamor of the passions1 agitated by 
feverish dreams1 are scarcely conscious 
of existence2 and1 awakening for a      
moment1 at death1 regret that they have 
been long on the earth and yet have not 
lived4 ,a few others1 after having been 
long swept onward by the torrent1 taught
 at last by experience1 resist1 land and
 fix their sojourn far from the tumult2 
and1 finally1 begin to taste the        
pleasant consciousness of existence4    
,why not prolong these final hours to   
the utmost8 ,if our pursuits interdict  
us from the independent command of our  
time1 we may1 at least1 consecrate      

portions of every evening to retreat1 in
 order to review the past1 pause on the 
present1 and prepare for the future4    
,thus1 making every day count in        
accumulating the pleasant stores of     
memory1 we add it to the happy days of  
the past1 and no longer allow life to   
vanish like a dream4  ,it is1 more than 
all1 in converse with ourselves that we 
give a right direction to the mind1     
elevation to the soul1 and gentleness   
and firmness to the character4 ,life is 
a book in which we every day read a     
page4 ,we ought to note down every      
instructive incident that passes4  ,the 
admirable ,marcus ,aurelius took delight
 in converse with himself2 and learned  
to find enjoyment in the present by     
extracting from the past lessons for the
 future4 ,i never fail to be affected   
when ,i read the account which he gives 
of all those persons whose cares had    
concurred to form his character and his 
manners4 #8,i learned1' says he1 #8of my
 grandfather ,verus1 to be gentle and   

complaisant4  #8,the reputation which my
 father left1 and the memory of his good
 actions which has been preserved1      
taught me modesty4 ,my mother formed me 
to piety1 taught me to be liberal1 and  
not even to meditate1 still less1 to do 
a wrong4  #8,i owe it to my governor    
that ,i am patient of labor1 indulge few
 wants1 know how to work with my own    
hands1 meddle with no business that does
 not concern me1 and give no            
encouragement to informers4             
#8,diognetus taught me not to be amused 
with frivolities1 to yield no credit to 
charlatans and enchanters1 and to have  
no faith in conjurations1 demons and    
superstitions of that sort4 ,i learned  
of him to permit every one to speak to  
me with entire freedom1 and to apply    
myself wholly to philosophy4            
#8,rusticus made me perceive that ,i    
needed to correct my manners1 that ,i   
ought to avoid the pride of the         
sophists1 and not use effort to inspire 
the people with admiration of my        

patience and austerity of life2 to be   
always ready to pardon those who had    
offended me1 and to receive them kindly 
whenever they were disposed to resume   
their former intercourse4  #8,i learned 
of ,apollonius to be at the same time   
frank and firm in my designs1 to follow 
no guide but my reason1 even in the     
smallest matters1 and to be always      
composed1 even under the most acute     
sufferings4 ,by his example ,i was      
instructed that it is possible to be at 
once severe and gentle4  #8,sextus      
taught me to govern my house as a good  
father1 to preserve a simple gravity    
without affectation1 to attempt to      
divine and anticipate the wishes and    
necessities of my friends2 to endure1   
with calmness and patience1 the ignorant
 and presumptuous who speak without     
thinking what they say2 and to sustain  
relations of kindness with all4  #8,i   
learned from ,alexander1 the grammarian1
 in disputation to use no injurious     
words in reply to my antagonist4        

#8,fronto taught me to know that kings  
are surrounded by the envious1 by knaves
 and hypocrites4  #8,alexander1 the     
,platonist1 instructed me never to say  
or to write to any person interceding   
for my interest1 8,i have had no time to
 attend to your affairs20 nor to allege1
 as an excuse1 8,i have been overwhelmed
 with business20 but to be always prompt
 to render all those good offices which 
the bonds of society demand4  #8,i owe  
to my brother ,severus1 the love which  
,i have for truth and justice4 ,from him
 ,i derived the desire to govern my     
states by equal laws1 and to reign in   
such a manner as that my subjects might 
possess perfect liberty4  #8,i thank the
 ,divinity for having given me virtuous 
ancestors1 a good father1 a good mother1
 a good sister1 good preceptors and good
 friends2 in a word1 all the good things
 ,i could have desired4'#ei  ,a crowd of
 useful thoughts cannot but flow from   
such self-converse4 ,hold every day one 
of these solitary conversations with    

yourself4 ,this is the way in which to  
attain the highest relish of existence2 
and1 if ,i may so say1 to cast anchor in
 the river of life4     ,,letter ,,xxiv4
  ,,on ,,death4   ,if we were to allow  
ourselves to express the wish that we   
might never die1 an absurd wish which1  
perhaps1 every man has sometimes        
indulged1 a moralist might say1         
#8,suppose it were granted1 where would 
be the end of dissension1 hatred1       
revenge8 ,where would the victim whom   
injustice pursues1 find an asylum and   
repose8' ,to all this it is sufficient  
to reply1 that if we accuse nature for  
having subjected us to the penalty of   
death1 we have not less reason to accuse
 her for having often rendered death    
desirable1 as a relief from greater     
evils4 ,instead of showing herself so   
niggardly in bestowing happy moments1   
why did she not spare humanity the evils
 that render death a comparative        
release8  ,there are1 as ,i believe1    
more solid reasons to justify nature in 

rendering death an inevitable allotment4
 ,when1 undertaking to reform the       
universe in my day dreams1 ,i render our
 earthly existence eternal1 ,i find no  
difficulty in imagining all the evils   
which afflict us removed4 ,but ,i strain
 my imagination to no purpose to give   
form and reality to those pleasures     
which shall be adequate to replace those
 which this new order of things cannot  
admit4 ,suppose that it were no longer  
necessary that generation should succeed
 generation2 and that death were        
banished from the earth4 ,the same      
beings1 without hopes or fears1 would   
always cover its surface4 ,no more      
loves2 no more parental tenderness2 no  
more filial piety6 ,flattering hopes    
forsake the bosom along with enchanting 
remembrances4 ,all those affections     
which give value to life owe their      
existence to death4#fj  ,our prejudices 
transform death into a terrible spectre1
 accompanied by frightful dreams4 ,the  
dark and anti-social doctrine1 that we  

were placed on the earth for the        
punishment of exile1 and that we ought  
never to intermit our contemplation of  
the grave1 was imagined by hypocrites1  
who preached to others contempt of the  
world1 that they might appropriate it to
 themselves4 ,a wise man sees in        
existence a gift which he ought not to  
sacrifice4 ,in learning how to live1 he 
instructs himself how to die4  ,we must 
sometimes look ,death in the face to    
judge how we shall be able to sustain   
his approach4#fa ,it is not necessary   
often to repeat this stern examination  
which presents gloomy ideas1 even to    
minds the most disciplined4 ,another    
manner of contemplating the final scene 
offers all the useful results of the    
first1 and presents nothing afflicting4 
,it consists in observing the influence 
which death ought to exercise over life4
 ,this term1 unknown1 but always near1  
should render our duties more sacred1   
our affections more tender1 our         
pleasures more vivid4 ,in noting the    

rapidity of the flight of time1 a wise  
man seizes upon those ideas which       
disturb the hours of the multitude1 to  
enhance the charm of his own thoughts4  
,it was not without an aim that certain 
of the ancient philosophers placed in   
their festal hall a death's head decked 
with roses4  ,those who say that death  
is nothing1 may be thought to affect the
 semblance of courage4 ,they speak1 in  
fact1 only one of the simplest truths4  
,the term death is the sign of a purely 
negative idea2 and denotes an instant   
impossible for thought to measure4 ,it  
is not yet death1 or it is past2 and    
there is no interval4  ,without doubt1  
the circumstances which precede it are  
extremely afflicting4 ,sudden deaths    
ought to cost us fewer tears than any   
others4 ,yet we hear it repeated1 with a
 sigh1 #8the unfortunate sufferer       
lingered but a few hours4' ,was not that
 space sufficiently long when the       
moments were counted by agony8 ,let us  
not tinge our views by the coloring of  

egotism2 and we shall perceive in this  
prompt departure1 two motives for       
consolation2 that the deceased1 whom we 
regret1 saw not the long approach of    
death in advance2 and1 that1 in meeting 
it1 he experienced a brief pang4 ,such  
an end is worthy of envy1 and is the    
last benefit of heaven4  ,so died my    
father1 the best of fathers1 whom every 
one recognised by his force of          
character1 his gentleness and serenity4 
,he did not dazzle1 either by his       
vivacity of mind1 or the variety of his 
acquirements4 ,but he so said the       
simplest things as to render them the   
best4 ,during sixty-five years he shared
 the pains of others1 but never added to
 them4 ,one day1 having experienced     
unaccustomed fatigue1 he retired early1 
and a few moments after1 slept in death4
 ,such a death1 without pain and alarm1 
was worthy of a life so pure that1 to   
render him happy in the life to come1 it
 would be only necessary to leave him   
the remembrance of what he had been and 

what he had done upon earth4  ,a fact   
recognised by numberless observing      
physicians is1 that the last agony of a 
good man is rarely violent4 ,it is      
probable1 that in regard to all forms of
 death1 mankind generally entertain the 
most erroneous conceptions4 ,the vulgar1
 naturally embracing ideas that terrify 
them1 believe that the dissolution of   
our earthly being is accompanied by all 
conceivable torments4 ,it is probable1  
on the contrary1 that1 in entering upon 
eternal repose1 we experience sensations
 analogous to those of a wearied man who
 feels the sweet influence of sleep     
stealing gently upon him4  ,these       
sensations1 it is true1 can be imagined 
to belong only to the last moments4     
,cruel maladies may precede them4 ,but  
it would seem that nature invariably    
employs some means to mitigate the evils
 which she inflicts4 ,among mortal      
diseases1 those which are severely      
painful are equally rapid2 while those  
which are slow in their progress are    

comparatively free from pain4 ,they     
allow the patient time to accustom      
himself to the idea of his departure4   
,it is common for those who die in this 
way to close their career in the        
indulgence of dreamy and melancholy     
musings1 solacing themselves alternately
 by resignation and hope4  ,a spectacle1
 touching to the heart1 and1 unhappily1 
too common1 is presented in the case of 
a fair and florid young woman struck    
with a pulmonary malady4 ,absolute      
unconsciousness of danger often         
accompanies this cruel disease to the   
last moment4 ,we are perfectly aware    
that the patient cannot survive the     
coming winter4 ,we hear her pantingly   
discuss the projects which she expects  
to execute with her companions when     
health and spring shall return4 ,the    
contrast of her daily increasing        
debility with her gentle gayety1 and of 
her future projects1 with the rapid     
approach of death1 makes the heart      
bleed4 ,every one is pained for her but 

herself4 ,the hectic fever imparts a    
kind of joyous inspiration2 and nature1 
to absolve itself for inflicting death  
on one so young1 leads her to her last  
hour in tranquil security4 ,death is to 
her as a sleep4  ,it is certain that    
physical sufferings are not those which 
infuse the utmost bitterness into this  
last cup4 ,the gloomy thoughts with     
which death is invested are excited much
 more keenly by those affections which  
attach us to earth and our kind4 ,we may
 well hold the understanding of those   
ambitious persons in disdain who        
instruct us1 that when they have        
finished their vast projects their days 
shall thenceforward glide in peace and  
serenity4 ,death uniformly surprises    
them1 tormenting themselves in the      
pursuit of their shadows4 ,others1 with 
less show of stupidity1 repine because  
death strikes them reposing upon their  
pleasures4 ,their groans are caused by  
having forgotten the rapidity and       
evanescence of their joys4 ,they had not

 known how to give them an additional   
charm in saying1 #8we possess them but  
for a day4'  ,but suppose we regret     
neither ambitious projects nor transient
 pleasures1 may we not wish to live     
longer for our children8 ,i attempt not 
to inculcate an impracticable or        
exaggerated system4 ,there is a         
situation in which death is fearful4    
,there is a period in which it would    
seem as if man ought not to die4 ,it    
commences when one has become a parent1 
and terminates when his sustaining hand 
is no longer indispensable to his       
family4  ,if nature calls us to quit    
life before this epoch1 all consolations
 resemble the remedies which palliate   
the pains of the dying1 without         
possessing efficacy to remove them4     
,still we dare not so outrage nature as 
to believe that there can exist a       
situation in which a good man can find  
no alleviation for his sorrows4 ,in     
quitting a life which he would wish to  
retain longer1 for the happiness of     

those most dear to him1 he may derive   
force and magnanimity from the thought  
that he owes it to himself to leave an  
example of courage and decent dignity in
 the last act2 that he may show the     
influence of piety1 resignation1 the    
hope of a good man1 and the discipline  
of that philosophy which forbids its    
disciple to struggle against the        
inevitable lot4  ,the approach of death 
always brings associations of gloom when
 it comes in advance of old age1 to     
destroy the tender affections4 ,in the  
slow and natural course of years1 it is 
an event as simple1 as little to be     
deprecated1 as the other occurrences of 
life4 ,alas6 during a short sojourn1 we 
see those who were most dear continually
 falling around us4 ,we soon retain a   
less number with us than exist already  
in another world4 ,the family is        
divided4 ,i am not surprised that it    
becomes a matter of indifference to a   
wise man to remain with his present     
friends1 or go and rejoin those that are

 absent4  ,as long as our children have 
need of our support1 we resemble a      
traveller charged with business of      
extreme importance4 ,as soon as these   
cares become useless1 we resemble him   
who travels at leisure and by chance2   
and who takes up his lodging for the    
night wherever the setting sun surprises
 him4 ,for me1 ,i see the second epoch  
drawing near4 ,if ,i reach it1 ,i shall 
bless heaven for having awarded me a    
sufficient number of years1 and for     
having diffused over them so few pains4 
,let us not charge that man with        
weakness who1 when on the eve of        
departure for distant and untravelled   
countries1 is perceived to impart the   
intonation and tenderness of sorrow to  
his adieus4 ,ought we to exact more of  
him whom death is about to conduct to   
that #8undiscovered country from whose  
bourne no traveller returns8' ,i would  
not seem to affect an austere and       
unnatural courage4 ,but whenever        
delivered from the only heart-rending   

agony1 ,i will hope and strive to       
preserve sufficient tranquillity of mind
 to impress the sentiment on those ,i   
love1 that we ought1 with becoming      
dignity1 to submit ourselves to the     
immutable laws of nature2 that complaint
 is useless1 and murmuring unjust2 and  
that it becomes us1 with transient but  
subdued emotion1 to say1 as we receive  
the final embrace1 #8may we meet again6'
     ,,letter ,,xxv4  ,,conclusion ,,of 
#8,,droz ,,sur ,l',,art ,d',,etre       
,,heureux4'   ,i shall have attained my 
purpose if these sketches should produce
 any degree of conviction that man1 in  
exercising his faculties1 can mitigate  
his pains and multiply his pleasures1   
and1 consequently1 should serve as the  
outlines of a plan for reducing the     
pursuit of happiness to an art4 ,i am   
aware that no view could be offered more
 contrary to the prevalent opinions in  
society4 ,the morose and the frivolous  
make common cause to attack it4 ,to them
 the very idea seems absurd2 and the    

most indulgent among them question the  
good faith of him who announces it4#fb  
,to such grave and learned authorities1 
and more1 even to the general suffrage  
against it1 ,i might dare to oppose     
counterbalancing authorities4 ,from     
,socrates to ,franklin1 ,i see          
philosophers who have been persuaded    
that man may be directed in the art1 and
 instructed in the science of happiness2
 and that his faculties may be enlarged 
to pursue it4 ,who are the men that have
 entertained this persuasion8 ,the very 
elite of the human race4 ,was each      
individual of them surrounded by those  
happy circumstances which would         
naturally inspire the same philosophy8  
,they were persons who had experienced  
all the conditions of life4 ,as if      
nature had studied to prove1 by great   
examples1 that our happiness depends    
upon our reason more than upon our      
circumstances1 ,epictetus lived in      
chains1 and ,marcus ,aurelius on a      
throne4  ,we justly render homage to the

 ,greek philosophers4 ,is their glory   
founded on their physics1 long since    
known to be full of errors1 or their    
metaphysics1 often puerile8 ,upon       
neither2 but they have merited the      
veneration of ages by indicating        
principles1 the practice of which1 would
 render us better and more happy4       
,which of the sciences did the admirable
 ,socrates chiefly esteem8 ,the single  
one which teaches us how to live as we  
ought4 ,let it not be said that ,i      
substitute one science for another2 and 
that ,socrates taught morals1 and not my
 pretended science of happiness4 ,with  
the ,greeks1 morals had a perfectly     
definite end4 ,their philosophers held  
all their teaching subservient to       
conducting their disciples to happiness4
 ,illustrious men6 we disdain their     
maxims1 but still revere their names4   
,what fruit have we obtained from the   
boasted light and improvement of the    
age8 ,we speak with enthusiasm of those 
sciences which they judged frivolous2   

and we treat as chimerical those studies
 which they judged alone worthy of human
 nature4  ,suppose it had been said to  
these philosophers1 #8you will never    
reform the human race2 and1 instead of  
profitless dreams about wisdom and      
happiness1 you ought to desist from     
subjects so futile1 and consecrate your 
vigils to sciences more worthy to occupy
 your thoughts4' ,would they not have   
smiled with pity upon such counsel8 ,had
 they deigned to reply1 would they not  
have said1 #8,we are well aware that we 
shall not purify the heart of the wicked
 of its pride1 envy1 cupidity2 but shall
 we derive no glory from having         
confirmed some good men in their career8
 ,in the midst of storms we felt our    
energies invigorated as we perceived    
that our spirits were in accordance with
 theirs4 ,however feeble may have been  
the influence of our writings1 affront  
not humanity by supposing that ours1    
however partial may have been their     
circulation1 will1 nowhere1 find minds  

worthy to profit by them4 ,perhaps they 
will kindle the holy love of virtue in  
some of those who may read them in the  
youthful age of unsophisticated and     
generous resolutions4 ,few1 who read1   
will practise our doctrine in all its   
extent4 ,almost every one will be       
indebted to it for some solitary        
principles4 ,it is possible we may never
 have numerous disciples4 ,but we shall 
have some in all countries and in all   
time4 ,it is a truth that ought to      
satisfy us1 that such discussions are   
based neither upon exaggeration nor     
revery4 ,the science of happiness would 
indeed be chimerical if we expected that
 it would impart the same charms to all 
predicaments in which our lot might cast
 us4 ,instead of indulging such         
visionary hopes1 if these discussions   
dissipate the errors which veil the true
 good from our eyes1 if we learn to     
bring together all the easy and innocent
 pleasures1 and to render the painful   
moments of life more rapid1 we have been

 taught an art which it is possible to  
demonstrate and improve to an indefinite
 extent4'  ,does this art appear        
difficult8 ,let any one be named which  
it exacts no effort to acquire4 ,will it
 be thought that it cannot become of    
general utility8 ,will professors1 of   
the highest reputation1 cease to teach  
eloquence because they do not form as   
many orators as they have pupils8 ,the  
more maturely ,i have reflected upon the
 art in question1 the more clearly ,i am
 convinced that it may be assimilated to
 the other arts4 ,it differs from them  
only in its superior importance4 ,the   
interest and attention that all the rest
 merit should be measured only by their 
relation1 more or less direct1 to this  
first of all arts4 ,to settle the       
utility of any science1 law1 enterprise1
 or action1 ,i know no better measure   
than to note its influence on human     
happiness4  ,if moral lessons leave but 
a transient influence1 it may be        
attributed to two principal causes2 the 

weakness of our nature1 and the         
contagion of example4 ,a third belongs  
to those who teach us the doctrine of   
morals1 and is found in their           
exaggeration of their doctrine4 ,they   
elevate the altar of wisdom upon steep  
mountains2 and discourage our first     
steps1 by proclaiming the painful       
efforts necessary to scale them4 ,from  
the sadness of the ministers of the     
worship1 it would not be inferred1 that 
the divinity of the place was liberal in
 dispensing pure pleasures1 bright      
hopes1 oblivion of pain1 and            
remembrances almost as pleasant as      
either4  ,it is a fatal error to imagine
 that it is useful to exaggerate the    
doctrine of morals4 ,to do this1 fails  
not to excite disgust towards the       
precepts inculcated4 ,men1 that have    
been deceived upon these points1 as soon
 as they judge for themselves1 in their 
impatience to shake off the yoke of     
prejudices1 are tempted to reject       
principles the most wise with those     

errors by which they have been misled4  
,that we may be heard and followed1 let 
us be true4 ,let us present1 with force1
 the evils which the abuse of our       
faculties brings upon our short         
career4--,let us avow with equal        
frankness1 that we commit an egregious  
mistake1 if we refuse1 or neglect to    
draw from our faculties all the         
advantages in our power1 to embellish   
life4  ,the doctrine of morals is a     
phrase that has been often employed to  
designate the propagation of false and  
extravagant principles4 ,for this       
phrase1 which is too worn out1 and of   
equivocal import1 suppose we substitute 
a definition1 which will clearly        
indicate the end1 towards which1 morals 
ought to be directed4 ,morals is that   
which teaches the art of happiness4 ,if 
it be not so1 the foundation of ethics  
is a mere matter of convention1 either  
useless or dangerous4  ,morals should be
 taught only as subservient to          
happiness4 ,austerity should be banished

 equally from the manner of teaching and
 from the matter that is taught4--,they 
are the useful teachers1 whose          
tenderness of heart impels them rather  
to inspire virtue than to enjoin it2 and
 whose brilliant imagination enables    
them to offer wise principles under such
 pleasant forms as charm the mind and   
awaken curiosity4 ,if ,i were to point  
to one of the best works on morals1     
according to my judgment1 ,i would name 
#8,the ,vicar of ,wakefield4' ,to       
present a family struggling with every  
form of misfortune1 and constantly      
opposing resignation or courage to each1
 is to offer the sublimest painting that
 it is possible to execute4 ,the        
concurrence of genius and virtue could  
alone have conceived the idea4 ,all good
 men owe the tribute of gratitude and   
veneration to the memory of the author4 
,the concurrent influence of public     
institutions and education would be     
necessary to render the general habits  
conformable to happiness4 ,books1 the   

influence of which ,i certainly have not
 exaggerated1 may be useful to men1     
raised by the discipline of their reason
 above the multitude4 ,that man is      
happy1 who knows how to add good books  
to the number of his friends1 who often 
retires from the world to enjoy their   
peaceful and instructive conversation1  
and always brings back serenity1 courage
 and hope4  ,were the doctrine true1    
that it is impossible to increase the   
happiness or diminish the evils of life1
 it is not perceived that it would not  
still be necessary to follow my         
principles4 ,preach this discouraging   
doctrine to a good man1 and you may     
afflict him1 but will obtain no         
influence over his conduct4 ,he will    
always strive to improve his condition1 
mitigate the sufferings that press upon 
him1 and render men more compassionate  
and happy4 ,such noble efforts cannot be
 entirely lost4 ,the pure intentions1   
the sincere wishes1 which he forms for  
the good of his kind1 give to his mind a

 pleasant serenity4 ,it assures his own 
happiness to meditate the means of      
increasing that of others4     ,,letter 
,,xxvi4  ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,a         
,,profession4   ,the considerate ,knight
 of ,la ,mancha would not dismiss his   
follower and friend to the government of
 ,barataria1 without a few more last    
words1 and without arming him for his   
high functions with a copious homily of 
counsels and admonitions4 ,before ,i    
leave you to the stern encounter of the 
painful emergencies of life1 to unravel 
its intricacies1 and settle its         
innumerable perplexing and difficult    
alternatives1 ,i do not mean to oppress 
your memory with the thousand and one   
particular directions1 to meet every    
imaginable occurrence with the right    
mode of conduct4 ,innumerable cases of  
perplexity will be continually          
occurring1 that can only be settled by  
extempore judgment and prudence4 ,i     
shall limit my counsels to a single one 
among the many questions of universal   

application1 each one of which present a
 great variety of aspects and           
alternatives2 questions of difficult    
solution for the young2 and yet on the  
right disposal of which depend their    
character1 success and happiness in     
life4 ,among the subjects to which ,i   
refer1 are1 the choice of a             
profession--decision in regard to our   
plans and projects--the selection of our
 company--the dispositions with which we
 should regard the place assigned us in 
society--the deportment appropriate to  
gentlemen and ladies--the proper        
selection of books--the mode and place  
of worship1 and what are the best       
evidences of true wisdom in character4  
,the first of these is the only one upon
 which ,i shall offer you my remarks4   
,in the choice of a profession1 the     
first point to be consulted is our      
physical and mental temperament and     
endowment1 or aptitude4 ,that some are  
constituted for sedentary and inactive  
pursuits1 others to beat the anvil1     

follow the plough1 or mount the reeling 
mast with a firm step in the uproar of a
 tempest2 some for the bar1 others for  
the pulpit1 and still others to be      
musicians1 painters1 poets or engineers1
 ,i consider a truth so universally and 
obviously taught by observation and     
experience1 that ,i shall not deem it   
necessary to pause to prove it to such  
as would contest it4 ,i am sufficiently 
informed that there are those who       
contend that all minds are formed equal 
and alike--and that all the after       
differences result from education and   
circumstances4 ,with them1 ,virgil and  
,byron had no constitutional aptitudes  
to poetry1 and the same training that   
gave ,handel and ,gluck their preminence
 in music1 would have imparted to any   
other mind equal skill4 ,according to   
their system1 ,la ,place and ,zerah     
,colburn were no earlier or more        
strongly inclined to mathematics1 than  
other children4 ,these sapient          
physiologists in descending to the      

animal tribes1 ought to find1 that      
web-footed animals had no natural       
aptitude for water1 the canine tribes   
for animal food1 and the ruminating1 to 
feed on grass and vegetables4 ,i shall  
leave those who hold this dogma to      
retain it unquestioned so far as ,i am  
concerned2 and they will be obliged to  
leave me to mine1 which is1 that there  
are immense differences in the physical 
and mental constitution1 differences    
which every enlightened parent discovers
 in his children from the very dawn of  
their faculties--differences which every
 intelligent instructer notes in his    
pupils1 as soon as he becomes intimately
 acquainted with them--differences      
which1 to keen and close observation1   
distinguish more or less each individual
 in the immense mass of society4 ,no    
matter how much alike these persons are 
reared and trained2 the most striking   
diversities of endowment are often      
observed in members of the same family1 
reared and educated with all possible   

uniformity4 ,this is1 no doubt1 a       
beautiful trait of that general impress 
of variety1 which providence has marked 
upon every portion of the animate and   
inanimate creation4 ,nature has willed1 
that not only men should possess an     
untiring diversity of form1 countenance 
and mind1 but that not two pebbles on   
the shore1 or insects in the air1 should
 be found precisely alike4 ,the sign    
manual of the ,creator on his works is a
 grand and infinite variety4  ,the      
physiological inquiry whence these      
differences of temperament and aptitude 
arise1 is one1 which belongs to another 
subject2 though ,i have no wish to      
conceal my belief1 that the fundamental 
positions of phrenology are as immovably
 founded in fact1 and as certainly      
follow from observation1 as the leading 
axioms of any physical science4 ,it is  
enough for my present purpose1 that the 
order of every form of society calls for
 an infinite variety of aptitude1 talent
 and vocation1 and that nature has      

furnished the requisite variety of      
endowment1 adequately to meet those     
calls4  ,the ancient system1 still in   
use1 goes on the supposition1 that all  
minds are originally alike2 and that all
 children are equally fit to be trained 
for each of the vocations4 ,hence we see
 tailors at the anvil1 and blacksmiths  
on the shopboard1 innumerable excellent 
ploughmen generating prose1 and sleeping
 at the bar and pulpit1 and ingenious   
fiddlers ruined as engineers2 in a word1
 all that ludicrous disarrangement and  
seeming play at cross purposes1 in      
virtue of which1 men1 who would have    
been borne1 by a strong current1 to the 
first place in the profession for which 
nature designed them1 become dull and   
useless in another4 ,a great part of the
 whole labor of instruction has thus    
been worse than thrown away4 ,it has    
been the hard effort of poetic fiction1 
laboring the huge stone up an acclivity1
 to see it recoil and hear it thunder   
back again2 the effort to circumvent1   

and cross the purposes of nature4  ,it  
seems to me to be among the most        
responsible inquiries of a parent and a 
conscientious instructor1 what pursuit  
or calling is indicated for his child by
 his temperament and aptitude8 ,the boy1
 who1 like ,pope1 even in childhood     
lisps in numbers1 because the numbers   
come1 will probably be found to have not
 only an ear for the peculiar harmony of
 rhythm1 but an inventive mind1 stored  
with images1 and a quick eye to catch   
the various phases of nature and        
society4 ,if placed under favorable     
circumstances1 and judicious training1  
this child will become a poet1 while    
ninety-nine in a hundred of those1 who  
make verses1 could by no forcing of     
nature ever rise higher than rhymers4   
,thus may be detected the embryo germs  
of temperament1 endowment and character1
 which give the undeveloped promise of  
the future orator1 lawyer1              
mathematician1 naturalist1 mechanician1 
in a word1 of the mind fitted to attain 

distinction in any walk in society4 ,i  
am aware of the mistakes1 which fond and
 doting parents are likely to make1 in  
interpreting an equivocal1 perhaps an   
accidental sally of the cherished child1
 to be a sure proof of genius and       
endowment4 ,no judicious and intelligent
 parent will be in much danger of being 
led astray by fondness so weak and      
misguided4--,wherever real endowment    
exists1 it never fails to put forth     
continual indications4 ,it is the       
elastic vigor of nature working at the  
root1 to which no foolish partiality    
will be blind4  ,it is true1 that       
nature1 equally beneficent in what she  
has granted1 and what she has withheld1 
forms the million for the common duties 
and undistinguished employments2 stamps 
them at once with a characteristic      
uniformity and variety2 and sends them  
forth with specific adaptations1 but not
 so strongly marked1 as not to be       
mistaken with comparative impunity4     
,hence the ordinary pursuits and        

employments of life are conducted with  
general success1 notwithstanding these  
smaller mistakes in regard to endowment4
  ,not so in those rarer instances1     
where she has seen fit to stamp the     
clear and strong impress of peculiar    
endowment and aptitude1 in which the    
embryo poet1 painter1 mathematician1    
naturalist1 and orator are indicated by 
such unequivocal signs1 as cannot easily
 be overlooked1 or mistaken by any      
competent judge4 ,hence1 in the         
biography of most of those who have     
truly and greatly distinguished         
themselves1 we are informed that the    
most ordinary people about them were    
perfectly aware of the harbingers of    
their future greatness4 ,i am confident1
 that to keen and faithful observation  
these harbingers are as palpable in the 
germ1 as in the development4 ,to mistake
 in such a case1 and not only to        
withdraw the youthful aspirant from the 
career to which nature beckons him1 but 
to force him into one1 in which every   

effort must be rowing against the       
stream1 is to consign him to an         
,egyptian bondage1 a slavery of the     
soul1 by which many a spirit of firmer  
mould has been broken down1 and lost to 
society1 and others worse than lost1    
rendered the scourge and curse of all   
with whom their lot was cast4  ,such as 
have arrived at a maturity of reason and
 years1 to have the responsibility of   
the choice of a profession cast upon    
themselves1 will infer1 what are my     
views in regard to the first element1 by
 which they ought to be directed4 ,it   
involves a previous question1 for what  
pursuit or calling their temperament1   
faculties and powers best fit them8 ,by 
long and close observation1 pursued with
 a fidelity proportioned to its         
importance1 by intent study of          
themselves1 as called out by the changes
 of their health and prospects1 the     
fluctuations of their spirits1 their    
collisions with society1 in all the     
contingencies that befall them1 they can

 scarcely fail to form some conception  
of the peculiar cast of their powers1   
and the walk in life1 for which their   
capabilities are best adapted4 ,if they 
select wisely in this respect1 habit and
 time will certainly render it the      
profession of their inclinations4  ,as  
soon as the mind begins to survey the   
professions1 in regard to the honors1   
emolument and success1 which they       
respectively offer1 there is great      
danger1 lest imagination1 taking the    
place of reason1 should look at the     
scene through a prism1 and see all the  
chances of an illusive brilliancy of    
promise1 which sober experience will be 
sure to disappoint4 ,there are the      
immense promises of the law1 alluring a 
crowd of aspirants and competitors1 the 
greater portion of whom must fail to    
realize their expectations4 ,there are  
the honors of the physician1 binding    
him1 by the strongest of all ties1 to   
the confidence and affection of the     
families that employ him4 ,he exercises 

the only profession that does not depend
 upon the caprice of fashion1 or the    
vibrations of transient feeling4--,there
 is the ministry1 with its time-honored 
claims1 its peculiar title to be        
admitted to the privacy of affection1   
sickness and death1 and its paramount   
capability of the highest forms of that 
only eloquence that swells and softens  
the heart1 by coming home to men's      
business and bosoms4 ,there is the      
varied range1 and the rapidly acquired  
fortunes of merchandize and commerce2   
the growing interest and importance of  
the new portico to a new order of       
nobility1 manufactures4 ,there is       
agriculture1 always seen to be the most 
satisfactory and useful of employments1 
and now rapidly coming to be viewed in  
the light of scientific investigation   
and of a liberal pursuit4 ,to adjust and
 settle the respective views1 which the 
judgment and imagination will take of   
the chances of these various pursuits1  
and their contiguity to love1 marriage1 

wealth1 and distinction1 will be found  
to be no easy task4 ,sometimes one view 
will predominate--sometimes another2 and
 the mind appears like a pendulum       
vibrating between them4  ,reason        
presents one decisive view of the       
subject4 ,all these chances--all these  
balances of advantage and disadvantage  
have long since settled to their actual 
and natural level4 ,if the law presents 
more tempting baits1 and more rich and  
glittering prizes1 over-crowded         
competition1 heart-wearing scramble1    
difficulty of rising above the common   
level1 into the sun and air of          
distinction1 are appended1 as inevitable
 weights1 in the opposing scale4 ,the   
advantages and disadvantages of all the 
professions are adjusted by the level of
 society1 exactly in the same way4 ,he  
who is guided in this inquiry by common 
sense1 will comprehend at a glance1 that
 it is impossible1 in the nature of     
things1 to combine all the advantages   
and evade all the disadvantages of any  

one pursuit4 ,no expectation more       
irrational and disappointing can be     
indulged1 than to unite incompatible    
circumstances of happiness4 ,the        
inquirer must reflect1 that such a      
pursuit connects a series of fortunate  
chances2 but there are the              
counterbalancing evils4 ,such another   
has a different series of both4 ,it is  
folly to expect to form an amalgam of   
these immiscible elements4 ,reason can  
expect no more than that we unite in the
 calling1 finally fixed upon1 as many   
fortunate circumstances as possible1 and
 avoid1 as far as may be1 its           
inconveniences and evils4     ,,notes4  
,,notes4   ,note #a1 page #ci4  ,the    
history of circumstances under which ,i 
commenced reading the book of ,m4 ,droz1
 sur l' art d' tre heureux1 the         
substance of the first chapter of which 
is given as above1 will not be          
irrelevant1 ,i would hope1 to you1 if to
 others4 ,it was a beautiful ,april     
morning1 and ,i had wandered away from  

the town1 with the book in my hand1     
among the hills4 ,i inhaled a bland     
atmosphere that just ruffled half formed
 leaves1 and shook from trees1 shrubs   
and flowers the pearly drops and the    
delicious aroma of the season4 ,a dun1  
purple1 smoky vapor veiled the          
brilliancy of the sun and gave the face 
of nature its most exquisite coloring4  
,a repose1 like sleep1 seemed to rest   
upon the earth1 only interrupted by the 
ruminating of the flocks and herds on   
the hill sides4 ,the bees sped away to  
their nectar cells from tree and flower1
 leaving upon the dark and fleeting line
 of their passage through the air a     
lulling hum like the tones of an ,eolian
 harp4 ,a large town1 with its ceaseless
 and heavy roll of mingled sounds1 lay  
outstretched beneath my feet4 ,painted  
boats were slowly wending their way     
along a canal from the town1 and winding
 their course round the foot of the     
hills4 ,before me was a vast panorama of
 activity1 business1 commerce and all   

the accompaniments of a busy town4 ,a   
few paces behind me1 and ,i was plunged 
in a forest where town and commerce and 
life were hidden as if by the shifting  
of a scene1 and the jay screamed1 and   
the woods showed as to the red man who  
had seen them centuries before4 ,a      
beautiful spring branch murmured by me  
in its deep and flood-worn channel down 
the glen4 ,a little advance spread the  
town before me4 ,a little retreat gave  
me back to the wildness of nature in the
 forest4 ,here ,i had often enjoyed much
 of the little that life allows us to   
enjoy1 in quiet communion with nature   
and my own thoughts4 ,i had never       
experienced it in higher measures than  
at this moment4 ,could ,i1 by a         
volition1 have arrested the flight of   
time and the succession of sensations1  
here would ,i have fixed the punctum    
stans of existence1 and been content to 
have this scene always around me1 and   
the enjoyment of this union of          
meditation and repose1 perpetual4  ,but 

a change came over my thoughts1 as ,i   
read the quaint axiom1 laid down with   
such mathematical precision1 man is     
formed to be happy4 ,what ,i saw and    
what ,i felt1 my own consciousness      
assented to the proposition4 ,but1      
startled by a transient feeling of pain1
 a new train of ideas succeeded4 ,i have
 only to pass1 said ,i1 the short       
interval between this repose1 verdure1  
quietness and internal satisfaction1 to 
reach the scene of dust and smoke before
 me4 ,besides spires and mansions1 ,i   
shall see hovels1 poor1 blind1 lame1    
squalid1 blaspheming youth1 imbecile    
age1 prostitutes1 beggars1 haunts of    
felons and outlaws2 and even in the     
abodes of what shows external comfort   
and opulence1 the sick and dying hanging
 in agonies of suspense upon the        
countenance of their physician and      
friends1 as they catch gleams of hope or
 shades of despair from their aspect4   
,many of these sick1 even if they       
recover1 will only be restored to       

trembling age1 to perpetual and         
incurable infirmity1 and to evils worse 
than death4 ,yet1 unhappy in living1 and
 afraid to die1 they cling to this      
wretched existence as though it were the
 highest boon4 ,these varied shades of  
misery that the picture before me will  
present to the slightest inspection1 in 
ten thousand forms and combinations1 are
 visible in every part of our world4 ,i1
 too1 shall soon add to the deepness of 
the shading4 ,my friends will depart in 
succession2 and in my turn1 on the bed  
of death1 ,i shall look in the faces of 
those most dear to me1 as ,i am         
compelled to depart out of life4 ,what  
an affecting contrast with what ,i see  
and what ,i am6  ,why there is this     
partial evil in the world is not a      
question which ,i shall here attempt to 
vex2 for ,i could add nothing to what   
has already been said upon the subject4 
,it is enough that the evil does        
actually exist4 ,is it remediless8 ,can 
life be so spent as to leave a balance  

of enjoyment set over against the evil8 
,these are my questions4 ,there will    
always be inequality1 ignorance1 vice1  
disease1 a measureless amount of misery 
and death4 ,what portion of the evils of
 life can be cured8 ,what portion must  
be manfully1 piously endured8 ,what     
transient gleams of joy can be made to  
illumine the depth of shade8  ,i yield  
entire faith to the doctrine before you1
 that1 estimate these evils as highly as
 you may1 a balance of enjoyment may    
still be struck in favor of life4 ,i do 
not doubt1 that more than one half the  
suffering and sorrow which every        
individual endures is simply of his own 
procuring1 and not only that it might   
have been wholly avoided1 but that      
positive enjoyment might have been      
substituted in its place4 ,an           
inconceivable mass of misery would at   
once be struck from the sum if1 as ,i   
have already remarked1 we knew the      
physical1 organic and moral laws of our 
being1 and conformed ourselves to them4 

,a uniform1 consistent and thorough     
education would cure us of innumerable  
errors of opinion1 injurious habits1 and
 a servile conformity to established and
 prescribed prejudices1 and would impart
 to us wisdom1 force of character and   
resignation1 to enable us to sustain1 as
 we ought1 those that are unavoidable4  
,imperfection1 pain1 decay and death1 in
 the inevitable measures belonging to   
organized beings1 would remain4 ,the    
dignity of true philosophy1 the stern   
consciousness of the necessity of       
courage1 profound and filial submission 
to the divine will1 and the well defined
 and investigated hopes of religion     
would accomplish the remainder4         
,consider one single evil--fear1        
unnecessary fear1 an entirely gratuitous
 infusion of bitterness in the cup of   
life4 ,i ask the man who has seen       
fourscore winters to tell me1 were all  
that he has suffered in his pilgrimage  
cast into one account1 what would be the
 greatest item in the sum8 ,i believe   

that almost every one might answer1 that
 more than half might be charged to one 
single source of suffering--fear--fear  
of opinion1 reproach1 shame1 poverty1   
pain1 danger1 disease and death4 ,i     
pause not to consider the usual dull    
illustrations of the wisdom and utility 
of assigning to us the instinct of fear1
 to put us on our guard and to enable us
 to ward off evils4 ,it is not this     
instinctive shrinking and vigilance to  
avoid evil that ,i consider4 ,let       
education have its most perfect work in 
raising us superior to this servile and 
tormenting passion1 and too much of it  
would still remain4 ,of all that we have
 suffered from fear1 what portion has   
been of any service in shielding us from
 that which we apprehended8 ,not only   
have we avoided no evil in consequence1 
but the enervating indulgence of this   
passion has taken from us our quickness 
of foresight1 our coolness of           
deliberation1 our firmness of action and
 resolve1 by the exercise of which1 we  

might have escaped all that we dreaded4 
,we may calculate then1 that every pang 
we have felt from this source has been  
just so much gratuitous agony4  ,not    
only natural instincts1 but acquired    
habits are transmitted2 and this evil of
 fearfulness1 this foreboding of        
apprehension1 shaping the fashion of    
uncertain ills1 has been the growing    
inheritance of countless generations2   
and a shrinking and effeminate timidity 
has been woven into our mental          
constitution by nature4 ,education1     
instead of resisting1 or counteracting1 
or diminishing the transmitted mischief1
 has labored with terrible effect1 to   
make it a principle and a motive to     
action1 and the most efficient engine of
 the inculcated systems of morality and 
religion4 ,fear of death1 and a slavish 
terror1 springing from misapprehensions 
of the character of the divine being1   
and unmanly and debilitating horrors in 
regard to the unknown future in another 
life1 these have been the chief sources 

of this evil4 ,terribly have the father 
and the mother1 the minister and the    
school-master1 and general prescription 
and example concurred1 to strengthen    
this barbarous instrument of governing1 
which never inspired a good action1 and 
which it would be cruel to apply to a   
slave4 ,horrible have been the bondage1 
the mean abjectness of spirit1 the long 
agony of the soul1 which this           
inculcation has inspired4--,we have been
 sedulously trained in a course of      
discipline which has made us afraid of  
our own shadows in the dark1 and        
inspired us with shrinking and terror in
 view of a silent and peaceful corpse1  
which1 in the eye of sober reason1      
should originate associations no more   
fearful1 than a waxen figure4 ,we1 who  
are the victims of this inborn and      
instinctive inheritance1 we1 who have   
had it inwoven by precept1 education and
 example1 and the prevalent impression1 
that it is one of the purest and most   
religious motives of action1 are best   

able from our own consciousness1 and the
 memory of what we have suffered from   
it1 to present just views of it to      
others4--,it may be in us an ingrafted  
principle1 too deep to be uprooted by   
any rules1 or reasons1 or system of     
discipline2 a habit too unyieldingly    
become a part of our nature1 to be      
overcome4 ,but with minds more docile1  
with temperaments more pliant1 with     
habits less fixed1 it may be otherwise4 
,the next generation may transmit a more
 manly and less timid nature to the     
generations to come4 ,education1        
building on the basis of minds of more  
force1 may then accomplish its perfect  
work1 imbuing them with a filial        
confidence in the ,almighty1 a sense of 
the beauty of well-doing1 and a perfect 
fearlessness in regard to everything1   
but doing wrong4 ,the happier generation
 of that era1 will be spared the agony  
of all deaths1 but the single one of    
nature2 and will be fortified by        
discipline1 and the force of general    

opinion and example1 to regard this     
inevitable law of our being1 this       
merciful provision of providence1 this  
rest for the worn and weary1 as the     
hireling regards the evening shade1 when
 he reposes from his labors and receives
 his reward4 ,i shall elsewhere advert  
to this evil in more detail1 and point  
out such remedies1 as appear to me to be
 suggested by reason1 education and     
religion4   ,note #b1 page #da4  ,this  
classification of the great divisions of
 our species1 as they are occupied in   
the pursuit of happiness1 seems to me to
 unite truth with poetry and philosophy1
 and to be both happy and just4 ,the    
disappointed1 who affirm that the earth 
offers no happiness1 the gloomy1 who    
view life as a place of penance1        
austerity and tears1 the dissipated and 
voluptuous1 who seek only pleasure1 and 
whose doctrine is1 that life offers no  
happiness but in unbridled indulgence1  
the ambitious1 who consider happiness to
 consist only in wealth1 power and      

distinction1 and a very numerous class1 
who have no object in view1 but to      
vegetate through life by chance1        
constitute the great mass of mankind4   
,the number of those who have lived by  
system1 and disciplined themselves to   
the wise and calculating pursuit of     
happiness1 has always been small4 ,but  
there have still been some1 enough to   
prove the practicability of the         
art4--,wherever we find a person1 who   
declares that he has lived happily1 if  
his enjoyments have been of a higher    
kind1 than the mere vegetative easiness 
of a felicitous temperament and an      
unthinking joyousness1 we shall find on 
inquiry1 that he has been a philosopher 
in the highest and best sense4 ,he may  
scarcely understand the import of the   
term2 but1 however ignorant of systems1 
and the learning of the schools1 if he  
have made it his chief business1 to     
learn by the study of himself1 and      
general observation1 how to be happy1 he
 is the true sage4 ,he may well be      

content1 let others regard him as they  
may2 for he has put in requisition the  
best wisdom of life4 ,no one maxim1     
especially1 ever included more important
 and practical truth1 than that1 to be  
happy1 we must assiduously train        
ourselves to retain through life a keen 
and juvenile freshness of sensibility to
 enjoyment1 and must early learn to     
anticipate the effect of experience and 
years in cultivating a stern            
indifference1 a strong spirit of        
endurance1 and unshrinking obtuseness to
 pain4 ,it has been my fortune to see   
examples of persons who enjoyed life    
even to old age with all the ardor and  
the quick perception of the young1 and  
who had always been as remarkable for   
their impassive and heroic endurance of 
pain4   ,note #c1 page #dc4  ,we are    
told1 in ridicule of this study1 that   
men have been very happy without rules1 
and before any system had been laid     
down1 and will continue to be happy1    
unconscious of the means by which they  

arrived at their enjoyment4 ,so have men
 reasoned without acquaintance with the 
rules of logic2 but this proves not the 
inutility of the study4 ,let the        
objector convince us that the happy     
without thought and rules would not have
 been happier if they had sought        
enjoyment with the keen and practical   
intelligence of a ,franklin4  ,whatever 
men do well without definite aim and    
without rules1 it is clear to me1 they  
would do better with these advantages4  
,the same argument equally militates    
with all means of moral instruction4    
#8,the world1' the objector may say1    
#8will proceed as before1 say what we   
may4' ,but this would be deemed no just 
ground of objection to an attempt to    
improve the age1 though the efforts may 
have little visible and apparent effect4
   ,note #d1 page #dd4  ,no term has    
been more hackneyed1 in these days1 than
 education4 ,we have had system upon    
system1 and treatise upon treatise2 and 
more has been written and declaimed upon

 this subject than almost any other4    
,and yet1 scarcely a word has been said 
upon a grand and radical defect in all  
existing systems which reduces to a very
 humble scale the results of the best   
concerted efforts4 ,i lay out of the    
question all other incongruities1 that  
,i might easily mention1 and come       
directly to that which ,i have chiefly  
in my mind4 ,each of the different      
instructors1 through whose forming hands
 the pupil passes1 communicates to him  
different1 militant and incompatible    
impulses2 so that1 instead of a         
continuous operation and an onward      
movement1 it seems to be the work of    
each successive teacher to undo that of 
all the others4 ,the father and mother1 
besides various minor inculcations1     
labor1 as their highest object1 to      
infuse into the mind of their child1    
ambition1 the desire of preminence and  
distinction4 ,the school-master instils 
the same principles under such different
 circumstances as to render the envy1   

rivalry and competition of the          
school-room almost another series of    
impulses4 ,the minister and the         
catechism enjoin humility1 meekness and 
a disposition to prefer others in honor 
before themselves4 #8,be honest and     
high-minded1' say the parents and       
teachers4 #8,be adroit1 and circumvent  
those who are watching to take advantage
 of your weakness and inexperience1'    
says the master at the counting-desk4   
,the elder friends teach one class of   
maxims1 and the younger another4 ,the   
actual world inculcates rules different 
from all the rest4 ,thus the parents1   
the school-master1 the minister1 the    
politician1 society and the world are   
continually varying the direction of the
 youthful traveller4 ,no wonder that    
most people either have no character1 or
 one that is a compound of the most     
incongruous elements4 ,a pupil1 to have 
a strong1 wise1 marked and efficient    
character1 should have had it steadily  
trained to one end2 and every impulse   

ought to have been in a right line and  
concurrent with every other4 ,such must 
be the case before honest and uniform   
characters will be formed4  ,there is   
little force in the objection1 that he  
who has not been constantly happy       
himself ought not to presume to teach   
others to be happy4 ,on the contrary1 as
 the author beautifully suggests1 none  
can discuss1 with so much experience and
 force of truth1 the dangers of         
shipwreck1 as they who have themselves  
suffered it4 ,if the art of happiness   
can be taught1 the teacher must         
necessarily have paid the price of a    
qualification to impart it1 in having   
been himself unhappy4 ,conscious that he
 had the susceptibility of enjoyment1   
and wanted only the right direction of  
the means1 he will be able to set up    
way-marks1 as a warning to others1 at   
the points where he remembers that he   
went astray himself4   ,note #f1 page   
#de4  ,the necessity of moderating our  
desires and reducing them within the    

limits of what we may reasonably hope to
 acquire1 has been the beaten theme of  
prose and song for so many ages that the
 triteness of repetition has finally    
caused the great truth to be almost     
disregarded by moralists4 ,yet1 who can 
calculate the sum of torment that has   
been inflicted by wild and unreasonable 
desires1 by visionary and puerile       
expectations1 beyond all probable bounds
 of means to realize them1 indulged and 
fostered until they have acquired the   
force of habit6 ,whose memory cannot    
recur to sufferings from envy and ill   
will1 generated by cupidity1 for the    
possessions and advantages of others    
that we have not6 ,who can count the    
pangs which he has endured from         
extravagant and unattainable wishes6    
,poetry calls our mortal sojourn a vale 
of tears2 yet what ingenuity to multiply
 the gratuitous means of self-torment6  
,has another health1 wealth1 beauty1    
fortune1 endowment1 which ,i have not8  
,envy will neither take them from him1  

nor transfer them to me4 ,why1 then1    
should ,i allow vultures to prey upon my
 spirit8 ,learn neither to regret what  
you want and cannot supply1 nor to hate 
him who is more fortunate4 ,with all his
 apparent advantages over you1 he wants1
 perhaps1 what you may possess1 a       
tranquil mind4 ,there is little doubt   
that you are the happier person if you  
contemplate his advantages and his      
possessions with a cheerful and         
unrepining spirit4  ,i present two      
considerations only1 as inducements to  
control and regulate your desires4 #a4  
,in indulging them beyond reason you are
 fostering internal enemies and becoming
 a self-tormentor4 ,in the quaint       
language of the ancient divines1 they   
are like fire1 good servants but        
terrible masters4 #b;d4 ,the higher     
gifts of fortune1 the common objects of 
envious desire1 are awarded to but a    
few4 ,the number of those who may       
entertain any reasonable hope of        
reaching them is very small4 ,but every 

one can moderate his desires4 ,every one
 can set bounds to his ambition4 ,every 
one can limit his expectations4 ,what   
influence can fortune1 events1 or power 
exercise over a person1 who has learned 
to be content with a little1 and who has
 acquired courage to resign even that   
without repining8 ,franklin might well  
smile at the impotent malice of those   
who would deprive him of his means and  
his business1 when he proved to them    
that he could live on turnips and rain  
water4 ,it is not the less true or      
important1 because it has been a million
 times said1 that happiness1 the        
creature of the mind1 dwells not in     
external things4   ,note #g1 page #dg4  
,wherever civilized man has been found1 
the first effort of his mind1 beyond the
 attainment of his animal wants1 has    
been to travel into the regions of      
imagination1 to create a nobler and more
 beautiful world than the dull and      
common-place existing one1 to assign to 
man a higher character and purer motives

 than belong to the actual race4 ,to    
possess a frame inaccessible to pain and
 decay1 and to dwell in eternal spring1 
surrounded by beauty and truth1 is an   
instinctive desire4 ,a mind of any      
fertility can create and arrange such a 
scene2 and in this dreaming occupation  
the sensations are tranquillizing and   
pleasant beyond the more exciting       
enjoyment of actual fruition4 ,with the 
author1 ,i deem the propensity for this 
sort of meditation neither unworthy in  
itself1 nor tending to consequences to  
be deprecated4 ,so far as my own        
experience goes1 and ,i am not without  
my share1 it neither enervates nor      
satiates4 ,it furnishes enjoyment that  
is calm and soothing2 and such          
enjoyment1 instead of enfeebling1       
invigorates the mind to sustain trials  
and sorrows4 ,why should we not enter   
into every enjoyment that is followed by
 no painful consequences8 ,why should we
 not be happy when we may8 ,is he not   
innocently employed who is imagining a  

fairer scene--a better world--more      
benevolence1 and more joy than this     
#8visible diurnal sphere' affords8      
,addison is never presented to me in a  
light so amiable as when he relates his 
day-dreams1 his universal empire1 in    
which he puts down all folly and all    
wickedness1 and makes all his personages
 good and happy4 ,every writer who has  
produced a romance worth reading1 has   
been endowed in this way1 as a matter of
 course2 and ,i confidently believe that
 the greatest and best of men have been 
most strongly inclined to this sort of  
mental creation4 ,may not their noblest 
achievements have been the patterns of  
those archetypes8 ,i have no doubt that 
imaginings infinitely more interesting  
than any recorded in romances1 ,arabian 
tales1 or any other work of fiction1    
have imparted their transient           
exhilaration to meditative minds1 and   
have passed away with the things that   
never grew into the material and        
concrete grossness of sensible          

existence4 ,if ink and paper and        
printing could have been created as     
cheaply and readily as a new earth and  
better men and women1 and scenes more   
like what we hope for at last1 the world
 would have had bequeathed to it more   
volumes1 than would have weighed down   
all the ponderous dulness of by-gone    
romance4 ,i cannot assure myself1 that  
you would have been amused1 or          
instructed in reading2 but you would    
then have been able to form some idea of
 the hours of pain1 embarrassment1 lack 
of all external means of pleasant       
occupation1 journeying1 cold and        
watching1 that have been beguiled by    
this employment4 ,i only add that1 so   
far as my experience extends1 the first 
calm days of spring1 and the period of  
,indian summer in autumn are most       
propitious to this sort of revery4      
,note #h1 page #dh4  ,these and the     
subsequent views of ambition in this    
essay of ,m4 ,droz1 have been the theme 
of severe and sweeping strictures upon  

the general tendency of his book4       
,ambitious and aspiring men will find it
 ridiculous1 of course1 to exact1 as a  
pre-requisite to the pursuit of         
happiness1 the abandonment1 or the      
moderation of ambitious thoughts1       
especially in such a country as ours1   
where some boon is held out to tempt    
these aspirings in almost every         
condition1 from the mansion to the      
cabin4 ,it may not be amiss for men1 who
 are themselves aspirants1 and to whom  
the access to distinction and power is  
easy1 and the attainment probable1 to   
declaim against the tendency of these   
maxims4 ,i know well1 that in every rank
 and position1 the inculcation of       
aspiring thoughts1 emulation and rivalry
 is the first and last lesson1 the grand
 and beaten precept1 upon which the     
million are acting4 ,i am well aware how
 many hearts are wrung by all the fierce
 and tormenting passions1 associated    
with this devouring one4 ,i affirm      
nothing in regard to my own interior    

views1 respecting what the world calls  
fame1 glory and immortality4 ,those who 
are most dear to me1 will not understand
 me to be entering my caveat to dissuade
 them from this last infirmity of noble 
minds4 ,could ,i do it with more        
eloquence than ever yet flowed from     
tongue or pen1 there will always be a   
hundred envious competitors for every   
single niche in the temple of fame4 ,it 
can be occupied but by one2 and he who  
gains it will exult in his elevation    
only during its freshness and novelty4  
,the rest1 to the torment of fostered   
and devouring desires1 will add the     
bitterness of disappointment4  ,since it
 is a fact out of question1 that the    
greater portion of the species can never
 secure the objects of their ambition1  
is it ill-judged in one who treats upon 
the science of happiness1 to write for  
the million instead of the few favorites
 of fortune8 ,the principles of a       
philosophic investigation ought not to  
be narrowed down to meet the wishes of  

the few4 ,the question is1 whether1     
taking into view ambition and all the   
associated feelings1 the toil of        
pursuit1 and the difficulty and         
unfrequency of the attainment of its    
objects1 it is1 on the whole1 favorable 
to happiness to cherish the passion1 or 
not8 ,i am clear1 that even the         
successful aspirants1 if their rivalry  
were more generous and philanthropic1   
and their indulgence of the cankering   
and corroding of ill-concealed envy1    
derision1 hate and scorn1 were          
regulated1 would be not the less rapid  
in reaching the goal1 or happy in the   
fruition of their attainment4 ,i have   
little doubt1 if an exact balance of    
enjoyment and suffering could be struck1
 at the last hour between two persons1  
whose circumstances in other respects   
had been similar1 one of whom had been  
distinguished in place and power1 in    
consequence of cultivating ambition2 and
 the other obscure in peaceful privacy1 
in consequence of having chosen that    

condition1 that the scale of happiness  
would decidedly incline in favor of the 
latter4 ,in a word1 it is the index of  
sound calculation1 to prepare for the   
fate of the million1 rather than that of
 the few4 ,repress ambition1 as much as 
we may1 there will always remain enough 
to render the world an aceldama1 and the
 human heart a place of concentrated    
torment4  ,it is clear1 therefore1 to   
me1 that in making up the debt and      
credit account of life1 in relation to  
happiness1 most of the sentiments       
associated with ambition1 and its       
prolific family of self-tormenting      
passions1 may be set down as gratuitous 
items of misery1 superinduced by our own
 voluntary discipline4 ,i shall be      
asked1 what is to stimulate to exertion1
 to study1 toil and sacrifice1 to great 
and noble actions1 and what shall lead  
to fame and renown1 if this incentive be
 taken away8 ,i answer1 that1 what is   
ordinarily dignified with the           
appellation of ambition1 is a vile      

mixture of the worst feelings of our    
nature4 ,there is in all minds1 truly   
noble1 a sufficient impulse towards     
great actions1 apart from these         
movements1 which are generally the      
excitements of little and mean spirits4 
,take the whole nature of man into the  
calculation1 and there can never be a   
want of sufficient impulse towards      
distinction1 without a particle of those
 contemptible motives1 which are        
generally put to the account of         
praiseworthy incitement4 ,truly great   
men have been remarkable for their      
exemption from envy1 the inseparable    
concomitant of conscious deficiency2 and
 for a certain calm and tranquil spirit1
 indicating moderation and comparative  
indifference in the struggle of         
emulation4 ,they are able to say1 in    
regard to the highest boon of ambition1 
#8,i neither spurn1 nor for the favor   
call1        ,it comes unasked-for1 if  
it comes at all4'  ,why1 then1 in a     
world1 and in an order of society1 where

 ambition1 with its associated passions1
 brings in an enormous amount to the    
mass of human self-inflicted torment1   
should he be censured1 who advises1 that
 in the philosophic and calculating     
pursuit of happiness1 this element of   
misery should be1 as much as possible1  
repressed8 ,the question may be more    
strongly urged1 when we take into the   
account1 the consideration1 that the far
 greater portion of the species must    
calculate on the bitterness of          
disappointment1 in addition to the      
miseries which are inseparable from the 
indulgence of this passion4 ,all the    
inordinate thirst for power and fame of 
the countless aspirants1 who desire to  
be ,alexanders1 ,csars and ,napoleons1  
not only is so much subtracted from     
their enjoyment1 and added to their     
misery1 but has little tendency to aid  
them to attainments1 which1 after all1  
are as frequently the award of          
contingency1 as of calculation4  ,let   
the evils of retirement and obscurity1  

be fairly balanced with those of        
gratified ambition1 and let the aspirant
 feel1 that they are absolutely         
incompatible1 the one with the          
other4--,let him then make his election1
 in view of the consequences1 and not   
foolishly expect that he can unite      
incompatible advantages4 ,if he chooses 
the dust and scramble of the arena1 and 
the intoxicating pleasures at the goal1 
let him not repine1 that he cannot unite
 with them those of repose1 retirement  
and a tranquil mind4 ,if1 on the        
contrary1 he prefers to hold on the     
noiseless tenor of his way1 in peace and
 privacy1 let not the serpents of envy  
sting him1 when he sees the car of the  
fortunate aspirant drawn forward by the 
applauding million4 ,let not murmurs    
arise in his heart1 when he hears1 or   
reads of the rewards1 honors and        
immortality of those whom he may believe
 to be endowed no higher than himself   
with talents or virtues4 ,let him say1  
#8no one can show me the mind1 or paint 

me the consciousness of that man4       
,fortune and my own choice have assigned
 me the shade4 ,let me not embitter its 
coolness and its satisfactions1 by idle 
desires to unite advantages1 that are1  
in their nature1 incongruous4 ,let me   
remember1 that mine is the condition of 
the million4 ,my ,creator cannot have   
doomed so vast a proportion of his      
creatures to a state1 which is          
necessarily miserable4 ,all that remains
 to me1 is to make the best of the      
common lot4'   ,note #i1 page #ej4      
,severe strictures have1 also1 been     
passed upon this maxim4 ,i well know1   
that the common rules proposed to the   
young1 in commencing their serious and  
more advanced studies1 lead them to look
 forward to happiness1 as a garland     
suspended from the goal1 an object only 
in remote expectation1 the fruition of  
which should be hoped for only at a     
period of life1 when few are capable of 
enjoyment1 even if the means were in    
their power4 ,to calculate on comfort   

and repose1 early in life1 has been     
considered as a sort of effeminate      
weakness4  ,these unphilosophic views of
 education have1 more than almost any   
other1 thrown over the whole course of  
preparatory discipline for life1 a      
repulsive gloom1 tending to fill the    
mind of the pupil with dismay and       
disgust in view of his studies4--,the   
young should be early imbued with the   
sentiment1 that ,god sent them here to  
be happy1 not in indolence1             
intoxication1 voluptuousness or         
insanity2 but in earnest and vigorous   
discipline for coming duties4 ,and at   
this bright epoch1 when nature spreads a
 charm over existence1 a philosophic    
teacher may easily train them to invest 
their studies1 labors1 and pursuits1 and
 perhaps even their privations and      
severer toils1 with a coloring of       
cheerfulness and gayety1 when           
contemplated as the only means of       
discipline by which they may hope to    
reach a desired end4 ,they should be    

trained to meet events1 and brave the   
shock of adversity with a firm and      
searching purpose1 to find either a way 
to mitigate the pressure1 or to increase
 self-respect by the noble pride of     
manifesting to themselves1 with how much
 calmness and patient endurance they can
 overcome the inevitable ills of their  
condition4 ,in other words1 they should 
make enjoyment a means1 as well as an   
end1 that they may carry onward1 from   
their first days1 an accumulating stock 
of happiness1 with which courage and    
cheerfulness may paint future           
anticipations in the mellow lustre of   
past remembrances4 ,in this way the bow 
of promise may be made to bend its      
brilliant arch over every period of this
 transient existence1 connecting what   
has been1 and what will be1 in the same 
radiant span4  ,entertaining such views 
of the direction which might be given to
 the juvenile mind1 ,i mourn over those 
weak parents1 who are nursing their     
children with effeminate fondness1 not  

allowing the winds to visit them too    
roughly1 pampering their wishes1 instead
 of teaching them to repress them3 and  
rather striving to ward from them all   
pains and privations1 than teaching them
 that they must encounter innumerable   
sorrows and disappointments1 and        
disciplining them to breast the ills of 
life with a conquering fortitude4       
,opulence generally gives birth to this 
injudicious plan of parental education4 
,penury1 as little directed by sound    
views1 but impelled by the stern        
teaching of necessity1 imparts to the   
children of the poor1 a much more       
salutary discipline1 and they ordinarily
 come forward with a more robust spirit1
 with more vigor1 power and elasticity2 
and it is in this way1 that providence  
adjusts the balance of advantages       
between these different conditions4  ,we
 have all admired the practical         
philosophy of the man1 who1 when sick of
 a painful disease1 thanked ,god that he
 was not subject to a still more painful

 one2 and when under the pressure of the
 latter1 found cause for cheerfulness1  
that he was not visited with both       
diseases at the same time4 ,akin to this
 was the noble fortitude of the mariner1
 who1 when a limb was carried away by a 
cannon-ball1 congratulated himself that 
it was not his head4 ,i do not say that 
any one can find cheerfulness in        
contemplating such ,spartan spirits1 but
 that a philosophy of this sort would   
disarm the common ills of life of much  
of their power1 and would even enable   
the sufferer to find enjoyment in the   
midst of them4  ,it would be no         
disadvantage even to the ambitious and  
aspiring to abstract1 from the toils of 
their pursuit1 the bitter and corroding 
spirit of rivalry and envy1 and in its  
stead to cultivate sentiments of        
kindness1 complacency and moderation4   
,let their ends be so noble1 as to give 
an air of dignity to the means that they
 employ1 and they will throw a splendor 
of self-respect over their course4 ,let 

the aspirant say1 #8,i struggle not for 
myself1 but to procure competence for   
aged parents1 to gild their declining   
years with the view of my success4 ,it  
is for dependent relatives1 orphans1 the
 poor and friendless1 whom ,providence  
has given particular claims on me1 that 
,i struggle4 ,it is to benefit and      
gladden those who are dearer to me than 
life1 and not for my own sordid vanity  
and ambition1 that ,i strive to toil up 
the ascent of fame4  ,in fine1 the      
author1 while he inculcates the maxim   
that we should1 from the beginning1     
study to number happy days1 would not   
teach1 as he has been charged with      
teaching1 that we may give labor and    
study and the toil of preparation to the
 winds1 and consult only the indolent   
leading of our passions2 for he knows1  
as do we all1 that this course results  
in anything but #8happy days4' ,he would
 send us1 on the contrary1 in pursuit of
 happiness1 to the teaching of wisdom   
and experience1 that never bestow       

impracticable lessons4 ,he would only   
inculcate1 that while others have taught
 us to seek ultimate happiness through  
means of pain1 we should make the means 
themselves immediate sources of         
enjoyment4 ,it is a fact out of         
question1 that we may train ourselves to
 find enjoyment in those toils and      
privations1 which are to others1 sources
 of disgust and sorrow4 ,who has not    
thrilled1 as he read of the author1 who1
 oppressed with cares1 infirmities and  
years1 took leave of a book1 the result 
of the most laborious and protracted    
study1 that was to be published only    
after his death1 with a pleasant ode of 
thankfulness to it1 as having furnished 
him agreeable occupation1 and beguiled  
years of sorrow and pain8 ,on this      
subject1 ,i too can speak               
experimentally4 ,i have often           
experienced an inward conscious         
satisfaction in realizing the pleasure  
and enjoyment1 which ,i found in the    
same pursuits and labors1 which were the

 most painful drudgery to others1       
equally qualified to pursue them with   
myself4 ,the bee extracts honey from the
 same flower which to the spider yields 
only poison4  ,nothing but experience   
can teach us to what extent force of    
character1 and a capacity without       
cowardly shrinking1 to face danger1 pain
 and death1 may be acquired4--,compare1 
for example1 a militia-man torn from the
 repose of his retreat1 and forced into 
immediate battles1 with the same person 
in the same predicament1 when he shall  
have become a trained veteran4 ,compare 
the only child of weak1 fond and opulent
 parents1 as he is seen in the hour of  
apprehended shipwreck1 or of fierce     
conflict with the enemy1 with the       
sailor-boy1 born in the same vicinity1  
but compelled by the rough discipline of
 poverty1 to encounter the elements1 and
 the aspect of danger and death from    
boyhood4  ,i shall take occasion        
hereafter1 to remark on the stubborn and
 invincible apathy of the red men of our

 forests1 in the endurance of slow fire1
 and all the forms of torture1 which the
 ingenuity of ,indian revenge can       
devise4 ,i no longer trace this apparent
 insensibility to pain and fear1 as ,i  
formerly did1 to a more callous frame1  
and nerves of obtuser feeling4 ,i see in
 it the astonishing result of their     
institutions1 and the influence of      
public opinion upon them4 ,in the same  
connexion1 ,i shall remark upon the     
testimony which the conduct of martyrs  
bears to the same point4 ,place a       
sufficient motive before the sufferer1  
and the proper witnesses around him1 and
 he may be disciplined to endure        
anything without showing a subdued      
spirit4 ,the most timid woman will not  
shrink from a surgical operation1 when  
those she loves and respects1 surround  
her and applaud her courage4 ,leave her 
alone with the surgeon1 and the very    
sight of his instrument will produce    
shrieks and faintings4 ,the mad         
personage who leaped the ,genesee falls1

 fell a victim1 to the influence which  
encouraged vanity and ambition exert    
upon their subject to spur him on to any
 degree of daring4 ,if the right        
application of a motive1 so little      
worthy as the mere gratification of a   
moment's vanity1 can harden the spirit  
for such attempts1 what might not be    
effected by a discipline1 wisely guided 
by a simple purpose to impart force1    
energy and unshrinking courage1 to meet 
and vanquish the inevitable evils of    
life8 ,to me there is nothing incredible
 in the story of the ,spartan boy1 who  
had stolen the fox1 and allowed the     
animal1 while concealed under his       
mantle1 to tear his entrails1 rather    
than1 by uttering a groan1 to commit his
 character for hardihood and capability 
of adroit thieving4 ,parents1 your      
children will be compelled to encounter 
fatigue1 privation and pain1 under any  
circumstances in which they can be      
placed4 ,you can easily pamper them to  
an effeminacy that will shrink from any 

effort1 and1 if ,i may so quote1 #8to   
die of a rose in aromatic pain2' to be  
feeble1 timid1 repining1 and yet        
voluptuous4 ,you can as easily teach    
them to find pleasure in labor1 and in  
the sentiment of that force of mind1    
with which they can firmly meet pain1   
privation1 danger and death4 ,train them
 for the world in which they are        
destined to live4 ,teach them to quit   
themselves like men1 and be strong4     
,note #aj1 page #ea4  ,it is impossible 
to present a better summary of the      
essentials of happiness4 ,as the author 
remarks1 they are difficult to unite4   
,yet1 whoever lacks either1 must be     
peculiarly unfortunate1 or indulgent to 
himself1 if he cannot trace the want to 
some aberration or neglect of his own4  
,health1 perhaps1 is the least within   
our power2 for1 by the fault of our     
ancestors1 we may have inherited a      
constitution and temperament essentially
 vitiated and unhealthy4 ,we may lose   
health by casualty or by the influence  

of causes utterly beyond our knowledge  
or our control4 ,but for one person thus
 afflicted with want of health1 it is   
notorious that a hundred are so from    
causes which they may trace to their own
 mismanagement4 ,tranquillity of mind1  
is certainly a frame1 on which we have a
 controlling influence4 ,whoever1 in our
 country1 has not competence1 must      
assuredly seek the cause1 if he have    
health1 in his own want of industry or  
management4 ,most of the complaints of  
the caprice1 infidelity and unworthiness
 of friends would have a more equitable 
application to our own want of temper1  
truth and disinterestedness4 ,these     
things1 indispensable to happiness1 are 
far more subject to our command1 than   
our self-flattery will allow us to      
imagine4 ,the greater portion of those  
about us might unite all these          
advantages4 ,yet1 if all misery1 other  
than that which arises from want of     
being able to unite all these numerous  
and difficult requisites to happiness1  

were abstracted from human nature1 ,i am
 confident that a moiety of the sorrows 
of earth would be removed2 in other     
words1 that a philosophic pursuit of    
happiness1 would at once deliver us from
 more than half of our suffering here   
below4   ,note #aa1 page #ei4  ,the     
memory of almost every person who has   
been present at a funeral1 attended by a
 protestant minister of a certain class1
 will furnish him with recollections of 
these preposterous harangues of         
attempted consolation4 ,the mourners are
 instructed that it is sinful to grieve2
 that grief implies want of faith in the
 great truths of the gospel2 that       
,christianity forbids it2 and1 more than
 all1 that it argues doubt of the       
happiness of the deceased2 or a         
murmuring want of submission to the     
,divine will4 ,such doctrines1 in the   
minds of weak and superstitious mourners
 who feel that it is not in their power 
to repress grief1 inspire painful       
distrust and self-reproach2 and1 in men 

more disciplined in the ways of the     
world1 and more acquainted with human   
nature1 contempt for the ignorant folly 
or gross hypocrisy of the declaimer4    
,the unchanging constitution of human   
nature revolts at such maxims4 ,whoever 
affects to be insensible to the loss of 
a child1 relative1 or friend1 is either 
a stranger to his own perceptions1      
practises deceit1 or has no heart to be 
grieved4 ,christianity is preminently   
the religion of tenderness1 and forbids 
the indulgence of no inherent emotion of
 our nature within its proper limits4   
,it is most absurd of all1 to suppose   
that ,god has forbidden1 or interprets  
as murmurs1 the sorrows that we feel    
from his stroke4 ,there are few persons 
so disinterested1 even if they were     
assured beyond a doubt1 that the person 
they mourn is happy1 as not to grieve at
 the final earthly severance which cuts 
off the accustomed communion of heart2  
and interdicts the mourner from the     
sight and participation of that         

happiness4 ,the cause of ,christianity  
has suffered beyond calculation1 from   
the exaggeration of its requirements by 
weak enthusiasts1 or designing bigots4  
,distorted views and impracticable      
requisitions have disgusted more persons
 with the system of the gospel than     
,hume's argument against miracles1 or   
all the sophistry of unbelief4 ,the     
gospel takes into view the whole nature 
of man1 and all its precepts announce1  
nolumus leges natur mutari--we will that
 the laws of nature should not be       
changed4   ,note #ab1 page #fa4  ,it is 
not necessary to recur to the history of
 great revolutions to furnish the most  
impressive examples of human vicissitude
 and instability4 ,the ,latin poet had  
reason for his maxim1 who said1         
#8,si fortuna juvat caveto tolli2       
,si fortuna tonat caveto mergi4'  ,life 
in every country and in all time has    
been full of affecting instances of the 
young1 beautiful1 endowed and opulent   
struck down in the brightest presage of 

their dawn4 ,that is the true philosophy
 which draws1 from continual exposure to
 these blows1 a motive1 to make the     
most1 in the way of innocent enjoyment1 
of the period that is in our power4     
,note #ac1 page #fb4  ,this beautiful   
painting furnishes an impressive emblem 
of the capability of the human          
constitution1 corporeal and mental1 to  
assimilate itself to any change2 and of 
becoming insensible1 by habit1 to any   
degree of uniform endurance4 ,those     
fanatics in the early ages of the       
church1 preposterously called saints1   
and others like them1 professing all    
forms of religion1 that may still be    
found in the oriental countries1 who sit
 for years on a pillar under the open   
sky1 or curve themselves into a half    
circle and remain in that position until
 their forms grow to it1 shortly cease  
to feel much uneasiness in a posture    
which becomes habitual4 ,to restore them
 to their original forms1 after nature  
has affixed her seal of consent to the  

distortion1 would1 probably1 cause as   
much pain as was requisite to acquire   
the habit4 ,we have all read the        
affecting tale of the prisoner released 
from the ,bastille after a confinement  
of more than a quarter of a century4 ,he
 found the ordinary pursuits and        
intercourse of life insupportable1 and  
begged to be restored to his dungeon4   
,this is a most important aspect of the 
nature of man which parents and         
instructers have as yet scarcely taken  
into view in their efforts to mould the 
youthful character4 ,children can as    
easily be formed to be ,spartans as     
,sybarites2 and1 in the former case1    
they not only acquire the noble         
attributes of courage and force of      
character1 but contract habits of       
patient and manly endurance1 furnishing 
a better shield against the ills of life
 than any in the command of opulence or 
foresight4   ,note #ad1 page #fe4       
#8,fate leads the willing1 drags the    
unwilling on1' and the single question  

is1 by which of these processes would we
 choose to meet our lot8 ,no doctrine of
 the true philosophy lies so obviously  
on the surface as the wisdom of         
resignation2 the disposition1 in the    
exercise of which1 more than in any     
order1 a wise man differs from the      
million of murmuring and repining beings
 about him1 who are madly struggling    
with the inexorable powers of nature1   
and doubting their evils by this useless
 and painful resistance4 ,when we can no
 longer either evade or resist fortune1 
we can1 at least1 half disarm her by a  
calm and manly resignation4   ,note #ae1
 page #fi4  ,the instinctive sentiment  
of the love of country and home is      
beautifully described in these          
paragraphs4 ,in health and good fortune1
 the amusements and distractions of     
life1 may keep this sentiment out of    
sight4 ,but #8dulces moriens            
reminiscitur ,argos' is the feeling with
 which most strangers die in a foreign  
land4 ,in every heart1 rightly          

constituted1 the moment the absence of  
adventitious pleasures forces the mind  
back upon itself1 the instinctive       
feeling resumes its original force4 ,it 
seems to me always an unfavorable trait 
in the character of an immigrant from   
abroad1 that he is disposed to speak    
unfavorably of his native country1 or   
does not seem to prefer it to all       
others4 ,god has wrought into the mind  
of every good man a filial feeling      
towards his native country4   ,note     
#ae;a1 page #fi4  ,none of the          
sentiments and maxims of ,m4 ,droz have 
been more severely censured than those  
of the succeeding paragraphs4 ,i am as  
little disposed to inculcate an indolent
 philosophy1 as any other person4 ,these
 views seem peculiarly unfitted for the 
genius of our country1 where everything 
respires1 as it ought1 energy1 industry1
 a fixed purpose and a keen pursuit4    
,that such are the requirements of our  
institutions is a truth too strongly    
forced upon us by the order of          

everything in our country1 to require   
any other proof4 ,i would be the last   
person to feel disposed to recommend a  
philosophy1 which would tend to quench  
that busy and daring spirit which is the
 most striking characteristic of our    
nation4 ,no elevation or opulence among 
us can dispense with a definite pursuit4
 ,so forcibly is every citizen reminded 
of this1 by all he sees about him1 that 
without a pursuit1 no one among us can  
sustain his own self-respect4 ,he1 who  
courts seclusion and retirement1 on the 
principles of the author is obliged1    
even in his retirement1 to keep himself 
engaged4 ,he must devote himself to     
agriculture1 manufactures1 or some other
 absorbing pursuit4  ,it is hardly      
necessary to add that no ,american is in
 danger of subscribing to his           
disqualifying views of the law1 or any  
other profession4 ,a freeman ought to   
hold1 that he can confer respectability 
upon whatever pursuit circumstances may 
impel him to follow4 ,happily1 no harm  

would result1 in our country1 from the  
dislike of the author to the law4 ,by   
what seems to me an unhappy general     
consent among us1 the law is absorbing  
in the temptations that it offers to our
 young men4 ,it is the prescribed avenue
 to all honor and place4 ,all our       
functionaries must have passed into the 
temple of power and fame through this   
portico4 ,hence it is1 and probably long
 will be thronged by a great corps of   
supernumeraries4 ,i would certainly be  
the last1 not to think respectfully of  
the profession2 but still ,i dislike to 
see so many of our aspiring young men   
crowding into it1 to meet inevitable    
disappointment4  ,but critics will      
moderate their strictures upon the      
author1 when they call to mind1 that    
although there is no such class1 as     
people of leisure in our country1 it    
constitutes a great and powerful one in 
,france2 perhaps greater in proportion1 
than any other country4 ,the chief      
application of these paragraphs must be 

to men of that condition1 of whom the   
better class make literature at once    
their amusement and pursuit4 ,for such1 
these are1 probably1 the wisest and best
 precepts that could be given4 ,the     
whole of that part of this chapter1     
which inculcates an inactive retirement1
 is altogether calculated for another   
meridian1 than that of our country4 ,i  
have entirely omitted some of the       
passages1 as not only of erroneous      
general tendency1 but altogether        
inapplicable to any order of things     
among us4 ,but admitting this1 and a few
 other trifling exceptions1 ,i have been
 astonished at the charges which have   
been brought against the moral tendency 
of the general opinions of ,m4 ,droz4   
,note #af1 page #gc4  ,this short       
chapter upon health seems to me full of 
the soundest practical wisdom4 ,every   
one must be aware1 that the wise pursuit
 of happiness must be preceded by the   
preserving of health4 ,the wise ancients
 justly made the mens sana in corpore   

sano1 to be the condition1 if not the   
essence of human happiness4 ,most       
treatises upon health have oppressed the
 subject by too many1 and too intricate 
rules4 ,it would be difficult to add to 
the author's precepts1 brief as they    
are1 so far as they relate to the moral 
and intellectual regimen necessary to   
health4 ,i add a remark1 or two1        
touching some physical appliances1 that 
should be appended to the moral rules4  
,so far as my reading and observation   
extend1 there are but three             
circumstances1 which have almost        
invariably accompanied health and       
longevity4 ,the favored persons have    
lived in elevated rather than in low and
 marshy positions2 have been possessed  
of a tranquil and cheerful temperament1 
and active habits2 and have been early  
risers4  ,it is related that the late   
,king ,george the ,third1 who made the  
causes of longevity a subject of        
constant investigation1 procured two    
persons1 each considerably over a       

hundred years of age1 to dance in his   
presence4 ,he then requested them to    
relate to him their modes of living1    
that he might draw from them1 if        
possible1 some clue to the causes of    
their vigorous old age4 ,the one had    
been a shepherd1 remarkably temperate   
and circumspect in his diet and regimen2
 the other a hedger1 equally noted for  
the irregularity1 exposure1 and         
intemperance of his life4 ,the monarch  
could draw no inference1 to guide his   
inquiries1 from such different modes of 
life1 terminating in the same result4   
,on further inquiry1 he learned1 that   
they were alike distinguished by a      
tranquil easiness of temper1 active     
habits1 and early rising4  ,after all   
the learned modern expositions of the   
causes of dyspepsia1 ,i suspect that not
 one in a thousand is aware how much    
temperance and moderation in the use of 
food conduce to health4 ,there are very 
few among us who do not daily consume   
twice the amount of food1 necessary to  

satisfy the requisitions of nature4 ,the
 redundant portion must weigh as a      
morbid and unconcocted mass upon the    
wheels of life4 ,every form of alcohol  
is unquestionably a poison1 slow or     
rapid1 in proportion to the excess in   
which it is used4 ,disguise it is as we 
may1 be the pretexts of indulgence as   
ingenious and plausible1 as inclination 
and appetite can frame1 it retains its  
intrinsic tendencies under every        
sophistication4 ,wine1 in moderation1   
is1 doubtless1 less deleterious than any
 of its disguises4 ,in declining age1   
and in innumerable cases of debility1 it
 may be indicated as a useful remedy2   
but even here1 only as a less evil to   
countervail a greater4 ,pure water1 all 
other circumstances equal1 is always a  
healthier beverage for common use4 ,next
 to temperance1 a quiet conscience1 a   
cheerful mind1 and active habits1 ,i    
place early rising1 as a means of health
 and happiness4 ,i have hardly words for
 the estimate which ,i form of that     

sluggard1 male or female1 that has      
formed the habit of wasting the early   
prime of day in bed4--,laying out of the
 question the positive loss of life1 the
 magna pars dempta solido de die1 and   
that too of the most inspiring and      
beautiful part of the day1 when all the 
voices of nature invoke man from his    
bed2 leaving out of the calculation1    
that longevity has been almost          
invariably attended by early rising2 to 
me1 late hours in bed present an index  
to character1 and an omen of the        
ultimate hopes of the person who        
indulges in this habit4 ,there is no    
mark1 so clear1 of a tendency to        
self-indulgence4 ,it denotes an inert   
and feeble mind1 infirm of purpose1 and 
incapable of that elastic vigor of will 
which enables the possessor always to   
accomplish what his reason ordains4 ,the
 subject of this unfortunate habit      
cannot but have felt self-reproach1 and 
a purpose to spring from his repose with
 the freshness of the dawn4 ,if the mere

 indolent luxury of another hour of     
languid indulgence is allowed to carry  
it over this better purpose1 it argues a
 general weakness of character1 which   
promises no high attainment or          
distinction4--,these are never awarded  
by fortune to any trait1 but vigor1     
promptness and decision4 ,viewing the   
habit of late rising1 in many of its    
aspects1 it would seem as if no being1  
that has any claim to rationality1 could
 be found in the allowed habit of       
sacrificing a tenth1 and that the most  
pleasant and spirit-stirring portion of 
life1 at the expense of health1 and the 
curtailing of the remainder1 for any    
pleasure which this indulgence could    
confer4   ,note #ag1 page #gf4  ,from   
personal experience and no              
inconsiderable range of observation1 ,i 
am convinced that the author has by no  
means overrated the influence of        
imagination upon health and disease4 ,it
 is indeed astonishing1 at this late    
period1 when every physiologist and     

physician is ready to proclaim his own  
recorded observations upon the medicinal
 influence of the moral powers1 the     
passions1 and especially the            
imagination1 that so few medical men    
have thought it an object to employ them
 as elements of actual application4     
,hitherto these unknown and undefined   
powers of life and death have been in   
the hands of empirics1 jugglers1        
mountebanks and pretended dispensers of 
miraculous healing4 ,it is1 at the same 
time1 matter of regret1 that scientific 
physicians1 instead of questioning their
 undeniable cures1 and pouring attempted
 ridicule upon them1 have not separated 
the true from the false1 and sought     
access to the real fountain of the      
efficacy of their practice1 the         
employment of confident faith1 hope1 and
 the unlimited agency of the all        
pervading power of the imagination4     
,many physicians are sufficiently wise1 
and endowed with character1 to exercise 
circumspection in giving their opinions 

and pronouncing upon the prognostics of 
their patients4 ,they regulate their    
words1 countenance and deportment with a
 caution and prudence which speak       
volumes in regard to their conviction of
 the influence which imprudence in these
 points might have4  ,in fact1 it is    
only necessary to observe the intense   
and painful earnestness with which the  
patient and the friends watch his       
countenance and behaviour1 to be aware  
what an influence may be thus exerted4  
,it is only requisite to understand with
 what prying anxiety the sick man       
questions those around him1 what the    
physician thinks and predicts of his    
case1 to make him sensible how          
vigilantly he should be on his guard1 in
 spending his judgment rashly in the    
case4 ,all this negative wisdom1 in the 
application of moral means1 is          
sufficiently common4 ,not to possess it1
 in a considerable degree1 would        
indicate a physician unacquainted with  
the most common etiquette of a sick     

chamber4  ,but1 as yet1 we see the      
positive employment of these means      
almost wholly interdicted by custom to  
regular physicians4 ,we contend for     
their exercise only within the limits of
 the most scrupulous veracity and the   
most severe discretion4 ,what powers    
would he not exert1 who1 snatching these
 moral means from the hands of empirics1
 and who1 to thorough acquaintance with 
all that can be known in regard to      
physical means1 should join the wise and
 discriminating aid of an imagination   
creating a healing world of hope and    
confidence about the patient8 ,such a   
benefactor of our species will1 ere     
long1 arise1 who will introduce a new   
era into medicine4  ,who can doubt that 
implicit faith in the healing powers of 
prince ,hohenlohe may have wrought      
cures1 even in cases of paralysis1      
without the least necessity for         
introducing the vague and misapplied    
term1 a miracle2 or that some out of    
many persons in an asylum of paralytics 

would find themselves able to fly when  
bombs fell upon the roof of their       
receptacle8  ,the influence of a        
vigorous will upon the physical         
movements of our frame has scarcely been
 conjectured1 much less submitted to the
 scrutiny of experiment4 ,yet it would  
be easy1 ,i think1 to select innumerable
 cases where1 by its means1 men have    
exerted powers previously unknown to    
themselves4 ,we see the immediate       
application of almost superhuman energy 
upon the access of frenzy to the        
patient2 and this affords conclusive    
proof that1 upon the addition of the due
 amount of excitement1 the body and mind
 become capable of incredible exertions1
 and yet sink into infantine debility   
the moment that the excitement is       
withdrawn4 ,every one has been made     
aware of what mere resolution can do1 in
 sustaining the frame in cases of cold1 
exposure1 hunger and exhaustion4 ,all   
these instances are only different forms
 of proof1 which might be multiplied    

indefinitely1 of the agency of moral    
powers upon physical nature4 ,under     
similar influences1 omens and           
predictions1 in weak and superstitious  
minds1 become adequate causes of their  
own completion4 ,since perfect knowledge
 alone can deliver the mind from more or
 less susceptibility of this influence1 
it is important that it should be wisely
 directed to bear1 as far as it may1    
upon the imagination1 in kindling it to 
confidence1 cheerfulness and hope4      
,note #ah1 page #gi4        #8,why drew 
,marseilles' good bishop purer breath1  
,when the air sickened1 and each gale   
was death8'  ,because he was sustained  
by a cheerful reliance upon ,providence1
 a firm determination to do his duty1   
and have no fear of consequences4 ,the  
whole scope of my own observation1      
beside the sick bed1 perfectly coincides
 with these views4 ,i do not say that   
there are not numberless exceptions4    
,but of this ,i am confident1 that the  
general rule is1 that persons who attend

 the sick and dying1 in cases of        
epidemic disease of a mortal type1 with 
a fearless and cheerful mind1 escape2   
while the timid1 who are alarmed and    
have an implicit belief in the danger of
 contagion1 succumb4   ,note #ai1 page  
#hc4  ,if there ever was an age when    
invalids and the suffering might promise
 themselves sympathy in the dolorous    
detail of their symptoms1 which is      
questionable1 it certainly is not now1  
during the era of labor-saving          
machinery1 political economy1 and the   
all-engrossing influence of money and   
corporate achievement4 ,he who now      
suffers from acute pain1 in any form1   
will do wisely to summon all his        
strength and philosophy to suppress any 
manifestation in his countenance and    
muscles1 rather than task his eloquence 
in framing his tale of symptoms4  ,this 
whole chapter upon health abounds in the
 highest practical wisdom1 and the hints
 in it might easily be expanded to a    
volume4 ,i only add1 that ,i earnestly  

recommend a poem upon the same subject1 
one1 as it seems to me1 among the most  
classical and beautiful in our language1
 and which has become strangely and     
undeservedly obsolete--,dr ,armstrong's 
,art of ,health4   ,note #bj1 page #hc4 
,how often have similar thoughts pressed
 upon my mind1 as ,i have stood over the
 bed of the sick and dying6 ,here is the
 peculiar empire of minds truly and     
nobly benevolent1 where the head and    
main prop of a family is preparing to   
conflict with the last enemy3 where pain
 and groans1 terror and death1 fill the 
foreground1 and the dim but inevitable  
perspective of desolation1 struggle and 
want1 in contact with indifference and  
selfishness1 opens in the distance      
before the survivors4 ,let us thank ,god
 for religion4 ,philosophy may inculcate
 stern endurance and wise submission2   
but knows not a fit and adequate remedy4
 ,the hopes and the example imparted by 
him who went about doing good1 are alone
 sufficient for the relief of such      

cases1 of which1 alas6 our world is     
full4   ,note #ba1 page #hf4  ,no view  
of human life is more consoling or just 
than that presented in these paragraphs4
 ,yet no human calculation will ever    
reach the sum of agony that has been    
inflicted by the jealousy1 envy and     
heart-burning that have resulted from   
that most erroneous persuasion1 that    
certain conditions and circumstances of 
life bring happiness in themselves4     
,beautifully has the bible said1 that   
#8,god has set one thing over against   
another'--has balanced the real         
advantages of the different human       
conditions4 ,the result of my experience
 would leave me in doubt and at a loss1 
in selecting the condition which ,i     
should deem most congenial to happiness4
 ,i should have to balance abundance of 
food1 on the one hand1 against abundance
 of appetite1 on the other2 the habit   
superinduced by the necessity of being  
satisfied with a little1 with the habit 
of being disgusted with the trial of    

much4 ,there are joys1 numerous and     
vivid1 peculiar to the rich2 and others1
 in which none but those in the humbler 
conditions of life can participate4 ,in 
the whole range of the enjoyment of the 
senses1 if there be any advantage1 it   
belongs to the poor4 ,the laws of our   
being have surrounded the utmost extent 
of human enjoyment with adamantine      
walls1 which one condition can no more  
overleap than another4 ,it is wonderful 
to see this admirable adjustment1 like  
the universal laws of nature1 acting    
everywhere and upon everything4 ,even in
 the physical world1 what is granted to 
one country is denied to another2 and   
the wanderer who has seen strange lands 
and many cities1 in different climes1   
only returns to announce1 as the sum of 
his experience and the teaching of      
years1 that light and shadow1 comfort   
and discomfort1 pleasure and pain1 like 
air and water1 are diffused in nearly   
similar measures over the whole earth4  
,note #ba;a1 page #hh4  ,it needs but   

little acquaintance with human condition
 to perceive1 in the general adjustment 
of advantages settled by ,providence1   
that great proportions of them have been
 thrown into opposite scales1 and so    
contrasted that the selection of one    
class implies the rejection of the      
other4 ,for example1 smitten with the   
thousand temptations of wealth1 you are 
determined to be rich4 ,be it so4       
,industry1 frugality and the convergence
 of your faculties to this single point 
will hardly fail to render you so4 ,but 
then you will not be so absurd as to    
envy another the fame of talents and    
acquirements which required absorbing   
devotion to pursuits incompatible with  
yours4  ,you are rich1 and complain of  
satiety and ennui4 ,knew you not1 when  
you determined to be rich1 that poor    
people sing and dance about their cabin 
fires8 ,you have gained power and       
distinction and discovered the heartless
 selfishness of your competitors and    
dependents4 ,were you ignorant that     

friendship can only be purchased by     
friendship2 and that1 in selecting your 
all-engrossing pursuit1 you have        
precluded yourself from furnishing your 
quota of the reciprocity8 ,the choices  
of life are alternatives4 ,you may      
select from this scale1 or that4 ,but1  
in most cases1 you cannot take from     
both4 ,how much murmuring would be      
arrested if this most obvious truth were
 understood and men would learn to be   
satisfied with their alternative6       
,choose wisely and deliberately2 and    
then quietly repose on your choice4     
,say1 #8,i have this2 another has that4 
,i am certain that ,i have my choice4 ,i
 do not know but his condition was      
forced upon him4'   ,note #bb1 page #hi4
  ,if ,i have ever allowed myself the   
indulgence of envy1 it is after having  
tasted the pleasure of rewarding merit1 
or relieving distress1 in thinking how  
continually such celestial satisfactions
 are within the reach of the opulent4   
,what a calm is left in the mind after  

having wiped away tears6 ,what          
aspirations are excited in noting the   
joy and gratitude consequent upon misery
 relieved6 ,how delightful to recur to  
the remembrance during the vigils of the
 night watches6 ,how it expands the     
heart to reflect upon the consciousness 
of the all powerful and all good ,being1
 measuring the circuit of the universe  
in doing good6 ,unhappily1 the          
experience of all time demonstrates that
 the possession of opulence and power   
not only has no direct tendency to      
inspire increased sensibility to such   
satisfactions1 but has an opposite      
influence4 ,for one1 rendered more kind 
and benevolent by good fortune1 how many
 become callous1 selfish and proud by   
it6 ,kindly and wisely has ,providence  
seen fit to spare most men this         
dangerous trial4   ,note #bc1 page #ib4 
,this chapter of the author1 among the  
rest1 has been obnoxious to severe      
strictures4 ,i am sensible that the     
young require the exercise of cautious  

discretion in few questions more than in
 this1 #8,how far is it wise to         
disregard public opinion8' ,to press the
 point too far is to incur the          
reputation of eccentricity and arrogant 
confidence in our own judgment4         
,implicitly to copy the expressions and 
habits of the multitude precludes all   
pursuit of happiness by system2 and     
reduces the whole inquiry to the        
injunction1 to walk with the rest1 and  
add our ennui and disappointment to the 
mass of the unhappiness of all those who
 have gone before4 ,if certain modes    
appear to me1 after the most deliberate 
examination1 conducive to my happiness1 
why should ,i be deterred from adopting 
them1 because ,i am not countenanced by 
the general opinion and example of a    
crowd1 each individual of which ,i      
should altogether reject as a teacher   
and an example8 ,if ,i avow that the ten
 thousand1 in all time1 have formed the 
most erroneous judgments1 touching the  
wisdom of human pursuits1 why should ,i 

continue blindly to copy their errors8  
,he is certainly the most fortunate man 
who1 if an exact account of his         
sensations and thoughts could be cast   
into a sum at his last hour1 would be   
found to have enjoyed the greatest      
number of agreeable moments1 pleasurable
 sensations and happy reflections4 ,if  
to court retirement1 repose1 the        
regulation of the desires and passions1 
and the cultivation of those affections 
which are best nurtured in the shade1 be
 the most certain route to happiness1   
why should ,i be swayed from choosing   
that path by the suggestions of         
ambition1 avarice and the spirit of the 
world1 which enjoin the common course8  
,yet every one is1 more or less1 a slave
 to the prevalent fashions of thinking  
and acting4 ,how much vile hypocrisy    
does this slavery which covers the face 
of society with a vast mask of          
semblance1 engender8 ,contemplate the   
routine of all the professions which we 
make and infringe in a single day1 in   

the manifest violation of our inward    
thought and belief2 and we must admit   
that the world agrees to enact a general
 lie1 alike deceiving and deceived1     
through terror of being the first to    
revolt against the thraldom of opinion4 
,the very persons1 too1 who cherish the 
profoundest secret contempt for the     
judgment of the multitude1 are generally
 the loudest and the first in decrying  
any departure from the standard of      
public opinion almost as an immorality4 
,i would by no means desire to see those
 most dear to me arrogantly setting at  
defiance received ideas and usages4     
,these have1 as the author justly       
remarks1 a salutary moral sway in       
repressing the influence of the impudent
 and abandoned4 ,i am not insensible to 
the danger of following our independent 
judgment beyond the limits of a         
regulated discretion4 ,but there is no  
trait in the young for which ,i feel a  
more profound respect1 than the fixed   
resolve to consult their own light1 in  

setting the rules of their conduct and  
selecting their alternatives4 ,a calm   
and reflecting independence1 an unshaken
 firmness in encountering vulgar        
prejudices1 is what ,i admire as the    
evidence of strong character1 fearless  
thinking and capability of              
self-direction4   ,note #bd1 page #ih4  
,how often must every reflecting mind   
have been led to similar views of human 
nature6 ,to form just estimates and     
entertain right sentiments of our kind1 
we must not contemplate men under the   
action of the narrowness of sectarian   
hate1 or through the jaundiced vision of
 party feeling4 ,we must see them in    
positions like those so happily         
presented by the author1 when great and 
sweeping calamities level men to the    
consciousness and the sympathies of a   
common nature1 and a sense of common    
exposure to misery1 and open the        
fountains of generous feeling4 ,who has 
not seen men1 on such occasions1 forget 
their pride1 their miserable questions  

of rank and precedence1 and meet with   
open arms and the mingled tears of      
gratitude and relief1 persons1 the view 
of whom under other circumstances1 would
 have called forth only feelings of     
scornful comparison and reckless        
contempt8  ,the incident of the hostile 
,french and ,german posts is a          
singularly touching one4 ,in what a     
horrid light does it place the character
 and passions of princes1 generals1     
conquerors and warriors1 in all time1   
who for their measureless cupidity1 or  
the whim of their ambition1 have used   
these amiable beings1 formed with       
natural sympathies to aid and love each 
other1 as the mechanical engines of     
their purposes1 to meet breast to breast
 as enemies1 and plunge the murderous   
steel into each others' hearts6 ,hence1 
rivers of life blood have flowed as     
uselessly as rain falls upon the ocean6 
,it is difficult to determine whether we
 ought most to execrate the accursed    
ambition of the few1 or despise the weak

 stupidity of the many who have been    
led1 unresistingly1 like animals to the 
slaughter1 only the more firmly to rivet
 the chains of the survivors4 ,what a   
view does war present1 of the miserable 
ignorance1 the brute stupidity of the   
mass of the species1 and the detestable 
passions of those called the great1 in  
all time6 ,who does not exult to see the
 era1 every day approaching1 when men   
will be too wise1 too vigilant and      
careful of their rights to become       
instruments in the hands of others2 when
 the rational consciousness of their own
 predominant physical power shall be    
guided by wisdom1 self-watchfulness and 
self-respect8 ,then1 instead of being   
tamely led out to slay each other1 when 
invoked to this detestable sport of     
kings1 they will show their steel to    
their oppressors4   ,note #bd;a1 page   
#ii4  ,i am as much impressed with the  
eloquence of this passage as with its   
truth4 ,i reserve more particular views 
of religion for comments on the letter  

upon the subject4 ,i wish to present in 
this place1 as consonant with the spirit
 of this passage1 one view of religion  
which has long been one of my most fixed
 and undoubting conclusions4 ,it is1    
that man is a religious being1 by the   
organic constitution of his frame1 still
 more than by any intellectual process  
of reasoning4 ,i have no doubt1 that a  
rightly organized and well endowed man1 
born and reared in a desert isle1       
without ever being brought into contact 
with man or any discipline to call forth
 reason or speech1 would be subject to  
precisely the same emotions as1 varied  
and moulded by the circumstances of     
birth and education1 constitute the     
substance of all the religions in the   
world2 in other words1 that man is      
constituted a religious animal in the   
same way as he clearly is an animal with
 other instincts and passions4 ,i am    
aware1 that divines and moralists do not
 often insist upon the religious        
instinct1 as one of the most conclusive 

and convincing arguments 7to me1 at     
least17 of the soul's immortality4 ,it  
seems with them the favorite view to    
consider religion a science that may be 
taught1 like geometry or chemistry4  ,to
 me1 this absorbing subject presents a  
very different aspect4 ,i see man       
everywhere religious in some form4 ,the 
sentiment takes the molding of his      
accidental circumstances4 ,it is poetry1
 enthusiasm1 eloquence1 bravery2 but in 
every form an aspiration after the vast1
 illimitable1 eternal1 shadowy          
conceptions of an unknown hereafter1    
that the senses have not embodied4 ,it  
is rational or fanciful1 it is          
respectable or superstitious1 it is a   
pure abstraction or a gorgeous appeal to
 the senses1 according to one's country1
 training and temperament4 ,but man1    
whether he be a dweller in the far isles
 of the sea1 or in the crowded mart1    
whether christian or savage1 is         
everywhere found1 in some form1 invoking
 a ,god and reposing the hopes and      

affections of his worn heart in another 
and a better world2 and extending his   
faith to an immortal life and an eternal
 sphere of action4  ,instead of         
searching for this universal principle  
with metaphysicians1 pronouncing upon it
 with dogmatists1 or deducing it from   
creeds1 or creeds from it1 ,i behold in 
it the same unwritten revelation which  
we call instinct4 ,vague and undefined  
as is this law1 and questioned by some  
as is even its existence1 it announces  
to us one of the most impressive and    
beautiful homilies upon the truth and   
goodness of the ,author of our being4   
,it may be called the scripture of the  
lower orders1 guiding them1 with        
unerring certainty1 to their enjoyments 
and their end4 ,beasts feel it1 and     
graze the plain4 ,birds feel it1 and    
soar in the air4 ,fishes feel it1 and   
dart along their liquid domain2 each    
feeding1 moving1 resting1 playing and   
perpetuating its kind1 according to its 
organic laws4 ,winter comes upon the    

gregarious tribes of water fowls        
enjoying themselves in the ,canadian    
lakes4 ,they listen to this call from   
heaven1 and mount the autumnal winds2   
and without chart or compass1 by a      
course to which that of circumnavigators
 is devious1 they sail to the shores of 
the south1 where a softer atmosphere and
 new supplies of food await them4 ,it   
leads the young one of these animals1   
scarcely yet disengaged from the shell1 
to patter its bill in the dry sand1     
impatiently to search for water before  
it has yet seen it4 ,it creates in the  
new born infant a purpose to search for 
its supplies in the yet untasted        
fountains of the maternal bosom4 ,it    
guides all the lower orders of being    
through the whole mysterious range of   
their peculiar habits and modes of life4
 ,under its influence1 animals and men  
exercise powers which transcend the     
utmost efforts of our reason4 ,who can  
tell me why the duckling plunges into   
the water with the shell on its head8   

,who can inform me how the affectionate 
house dog1 blindfolded and conveyed in  
utter darkness in a carriage to a       
distance of fifty leagues1 the moment he
 is emancipated1 returns by a more      
direct route than that by which he came8
 ,there would be no use in presenting   
the most extended details of these      
developments of instinct through the    
whole range of animated nature4 ,every  
one knows that wherever we discern them1
 either in the structure or habits of   
the animal1 or both1 they are           
indications of unerring guidance1 the   
voice of eternal and unswerving truth1  
which1 as soon as promulgated1 is       
received as the parental counsel of the 
,author of nature4  ,he who could       
interpret the language and the gestures 
of the lower orders would see in the    
structure and manifested wants of       
fishes1 that water was provided as a    
home for them1 had he seen them in the  
air4 ,when he had noted the movements   
and heard the cries of the new born     

infant1 he would be in no doubt1 that   
the nutriment in the maternal bosom was 
stored for it somewhere4 ,seeing the    
structure1 the starting pinions and     
plumage of the unfledged bird in its    
nest1 he could be at no loss in         
reasoning1 that as these indications of 
contrivance for other modes of life were
 lost in its present manner of          
existence1 it was intended for          
movements1 where pinions and plumage    
would avail it4  ,as certain as these   
instincts and indications are the       
pledged verity of the ,author of nature1
 that a sphere is provided for the      
exercise of these undeveloped powers1   
and a corresponding gratification for   
these instinctive desires1 so sure as   
they point out1 in a language1 which can
 neither deceive nor be mistaken1 the   
aim and end of the animal to which they 
belong1 so sure1 if religion be an      
instinctive sentiment1 and the hope1 and
 the persuasion of another existence    
result from the organic constitution of 

our nature1 there must be another life4 
,that it is so1 the usages and modes of 
all people that have yet been known1 the
 people of the first ages1 and the last1
 the people of the highest refinement1  
and those1 who scarcely know the use of 
fire1 have concurred to prove to us4    
,superficial travellers1 indeed1 have   
told us of newly discovered tribes1 who 
had no visions of a ,god--a worship1 or 
an hereafter4 ,other travellers have    
followed them1 and observed better1 and 
discovered1 that their predecessors     
based the fact on their own ignorance4  
,they have been found to belong to the  
general analogy1 and to look to         
#8,some happier land in depth of woods  
embraced2        ,some lovelier island  
in the watery waste4'  ,it seems to me1 
that this universal agreement of        
religious ideas is the most unequivocal 
manifestation1 that the sentiment of    
religion is an instinct1 that is        
exhibited in the whole range of animated
 nature4 ,if so1 it is the offered      

pledge of the divine veracity1 that the 
soul is immortal2 and that as certain as
 the instinct of migrating birds is     
proof1 that the milder skies which they 
seek1 exist1 and are prepared for them1 
so surely the undeveloped powers of the 
spirit1 which have no range on the      
earth1 have a country prepared also for 
them4 ,our aspirations1 our longings    
after immortality1 every mode of        
worship1 and every form of faith--are   
the rudiments1 the germs1 the starting  
pinions of the embryo spirit1 which is  
to escape from its nest at death1 and   
fly in the celestial atmosphere1 in     
which it was formed to move4  ,to me    
these universal religious manifestations
 are proofs1 that religion springs not1 
as some suppose1 from tradition2 or1 as 
others think1 from reasoning4 ,it is a  
sentiment4 ,it is an inwrought feeling  
in our mental constitution1 an          
unwritten1 universal1 and everlasting   
gospel1 pointing to ,god and            
immortality4 ,bring the most            

uninstructed peasant1 who has seen      
nothing of the earth1 but its plains1 in
 sight of ,chimborazo4 ,the thrill of   
awe and sublimity1 that springs within  
him at the view1 and lifts his spirit   
above the blue summits to the divinity1 
is one of the forms1 in which this      
sentiment acts4 ,the natural mental     
movements1 in view of the illimitable   
main1 of the starry firmament1 of       
elevated mountains1 of whatever is vast 
in dimension1 irresistible in power1    
terrible in the exercise of anger1 in   
short1 all those emotions1 which we call
 the sublime1 are modified actings of   
the religious sentiment4 ,justly has the
 author pronounced the universality of  
these ideas the highest testimony to the
 elevation of human nature4 ,it is the  
most impressive and interesting         
attribute of the soul1 that it is       
subject to these impulses4 ,it is a     
standing index1 that the godlike        
stranger1 imprisoned in clay1 has1      
inwrought in its consciousness1         

indelible impressions of its future     
destiny4   ,note #be1 page #aja4        
,whoever philosophically considers the  
constitution of the human mind--how much
 we are the creatures of our            
circumstances1 how much we are blown    
about by impulse and passion1 the       
dimness of our own mental vision upon   
most subjects1 the narrow limit1 which  
separates between truth and falsehood1  
right and wrong1 and moreover1 that we  
ourselves view everything through the   
coloring of our own pride and           
prejudice--will perceive at once1 that1 
under all circumstances of error and    
even of crime1 men are quite as worthy  
of pity1 as of vindictive blame4 ,a     
little1 cold and selfish mind invariably
 finds much matter for bitter censure in
 every act1 that1 according to its own  
chart1 is an aberration4 ,on the        
contrary1 nothing1 in my estimate1 so   
decidedly marks a generous and noble1 as
 well as an enlightened and a           
philosophic spirit1 as the disposition  

to be indulgent in its construction of  
the views and conduct of others1 and to 
interpret all by the comment of         
palliation and kindness1 whenever the   
case will admit of them4 ,great minds   
fail not to be conscious what a weak1   
miserable compound of vanity1 impulse1  
ignorance and selfishness is that lord  
of creation1 that passive molding of    
circumstances1 which we call man4 ,of   
course in calmly scanning his views and 
conduct1 all other sensations than those
 of pity and kindness1 die away within  
him4 ,as the human mind is exalted by   
its light1 and its intrinsic elevation  
towards the divinity1 in the same       
proportion it soars above the mists of  
its own passions and prejudices1 and    
sees little in humanity to inspire other
 feelings1 than those of compassion and 
benevolence4 ,what is the view of human 
nature1 presented to a wise and good    
man8        #8',tis but to know how     
little can be known1        ,to see all 
others' faults1 and feel our own4'      

,note #bf1 page #ajb4  ,i am not        
certain1 that the real spirit of        
tolerance has made so much progress in  
this age1 as is commonly imagined4 ,who 
among us admits in practice1 as well as 
theory1 that the mind is passive in     
receiving evidence1 and forming         
conclusions1 which it cannot shape1     
except according to impressions1 which  
it has much less power to exclude1 or   
evade1 than is generally believed8 ,who 
among us acts on the conviction1 that   
errors of opinion are almost invariably 
involuntary8 ,every view of human       
nature1 and the laws of the human mind  
ought to inspire us with an unlimited   
feeling of tolerance towards those who  
differ from us in opinion1 howsoever    
widely4 ,we cannot fail so to feel1 if  
we reflect that1 had we been in their   
situation1 and under their              
circumstances1 and they in ours1 our    
views might have been reversed4 ,yet it 
is scarcely possible to converse with   
any one a few moments1 without starting 

them by some opposing opinion1 that jars
 with their excited feelings and a      
certain amount of estrangement is the   
result4 ,who can conduct a disputed     
point1 in politics or religion1 with an 
unruffled temper8 ,angry disputation is 
only another form of intolerance4 ,if we
 narrowly inspect the actings of human  
nature1 we shall discover1 that the     
whole world is composed of individuals1 
almost every one of whom thinks he has a
 right to be offended with every other  
one1 who does not adopt his opinions4   
,it is very true1 that the age of actual
 persecution1 by fines1 imprisonment and
 death1 is gone by4 ,but this results   
rather from practical political progress
 of ideas1 than from a settled          
conviction that no one mind has a right 
to find1 in the opinions of another     
mind1 cause of offence4 ,whoever cannot 
look upon the most opposite faith and   
opinions of his neighbor1 in religion1  
in politics1 and the ordinary concerns  
of life1 without any feeling of temper  

and bitterness1 in view of that         
difference1 is in heart and spirit      
intolerant4 ,in this view1 who can      
justly and fully lay claim to           
toleration8 ,the whole world is divided 
into millions of little parties and     
sects1 often finding the bitterest germs
 of contention in the smallest          
differences4 ,scarcely one in ten       
thousand1 of all these sects and        
parties1 has real philosophic           
magnanimity enough to perceive1 that all
 other men have as much claim for       
indulgence to their opinions1 as he     
exacts for his own4   ,note #bg1 page   
#ajb4  ,it would be amusing1 if such    
important consequences did not flow from
 the error1 to perceive1 how much weight
 most people attach to the sect and     
party to which the persons1 about whom  
they are forming an estimate1 belong4   
,the externals1 the deportment1 dress   
and manner are often strongly influenced
 by these matters2 but the mental       
complexion or temperament far less than 

is commonly supposed4 ,we meet with     
people1 every day1 of the most exclusive
 and bigoted creeds1 who act liberally3 
and again with people1 who have much    
liberality and catholicism in their     
mouths1 and very little in their temper 
and spirit4 ,i have met with liberal and
 illiberal people1 in almost equal      
proportions1 in all the sects1 parties  
and denominations1 with which ,i have   
been acquainted4 ,still1 ,i do not1 as  
from these remarks it might be inferred 
that ,i do1 deem error1 even in abstract
 opinions1 such as those which appertain
 to religious and metaphysical subjects1
 as of no consequence4 ,but ,i have not 
time1 nor have ,i place1 in a note1 for 
explaining my convictions on this       
subject4   ,note #bg;a1 page #ajd4  ,an 
indiscreet and exaggerating zeal often  
injures the cause it would wish to      
serve4 ,the gospel is best sustained by 
its own unborrowed glory1 and is        
prejudiced by adventitious appendages4  
,i have often heard ministers declare1  

from the pulpit1 that the duty of       
forgiveness1 and of loving and doing    
good to enemies was a peculiar discovery
 of the gospel1 a precept unknown       
before4 ,we have never considered it    
among the objects of the mission of our 
,lord1 to reveal a new code of morals4  
,the grand eternal principles of this   
science were originally engraven on the 
heart4 ,man could not have existed in   
society without them4 ,whoever has read 
the elaborate and eloquent treatises of 
heathen moralists1 will perceive1 that  
there was little left incomplete in the 
code2 and that these sublime virtues    
were eulogized1 as beautiful and just in
 theory1 if not to be expected in       
practice4 ,it is the spirit1 unction and
 tenderness of gospel inculcation1 that 
is unique and original4 ,the heathen    
ethical writers had not failed to enjoin
 it upon the members of communities1 to 
aid and love one another4 ,but it is    
only necessary to glance upon the       
apostolic epistles1 to see that         

,christians were a new and peculiar     
people1 bound together by cords of      
affection1 altogether unknown in the    
previous records of the human heart4    
,what tenderness1 what love1 stronger   
than death1 what sublime                
disinterestedness6 ,how reckless to the 
sordid motives of ambition and interest1
 which ruled the surrounding world6 ,we 
scarcely need other evidence1 that this 
simplicity of love1 so unlike aught the 
world had seen before1 was not an       
affection of earthly mold2 and that this
 new and strong people were not bound   
together by ties1 which had relation to 
the grossness of earthly bonds4 ,to me  
there is something inexpressibly        
delightful and of which ,i am never     
weary1 in contemplating the originality 
and simplicity of early ,christian      
affection1 nor is it one of the feeblest
 testimonies to the glory and divinity  
of the gospel4  ,for the rest1 ,i have  
much abridged the paragraphs1 to which  
this note alludes1 and have interpolated

 some expressions1 not found in the     
original--because ,i would not allow    
myself to leave anything equivocal1     
touching my own views of the importance 
of ,christian morals and example4  ,it  
would be useless to add to the beautiful
 views1 presented by the author1 of the 
disposition to oblige1 and the necessity
 of cultivating modesty1 and an equal   
and serene temper4 ,one cannot enlarge  
upon these beaten topics1 as he has     
foreseen1 without running into          
common-places4 ,these virtues are       
preminently their own reward4 ,whoever  
chooses to indulge the opposite tempers 
has only to reflect1 that he assumes the
 thankless office of becoming a         
self-tormentor1 and injures no one so   
much as himself4 ,of these fierce       
passions1 the heathen poets have given  
us an affecting emblem in the undying   
vultures1 gnawing upon the ever growing 
entrails of ,tityus4 ,if you would form 
the sublimest conceptions of the eternal
 and underived satisfaction of the      

divinity1 cultivate dispositions to     
oblige1 and seize occasions to practise 
beneficence4 ,if you would image more   
impressive ideas of the torment of      
demons than poets have dreamed1 muse    
upon injuries2 cultivate envy and       
revenge1 and wish that you had the bolts
 of the thunderer1 only that you might  
hurl them upon your foes4 ,if you would 
experience the eternal gnawing of the   
vulture allow yourself in the constant  
indulgence of your temper4   ,note #bh1 
page #aji4  ,to those1 who have already 
assumed this tie1 or contemplate        
assuming it1 not a word need be said    
upon the most worn of all themes1 the   
paramount influence of marriage1 beyond 
all other relations1 in imparting the   
coloring of brightness or gloom to all  
subsequent life4 ,the place1 in which   
the only satisfactions of life1 that are
 worth any serious pursuit1 are to be   
found1 is within the domestic walls4    
,honor1 fame1 wealth1 luxury1 literary  
distinction1 everything is extrinsic1   

and hollow1 everything the mere mockery 
and shadow of joy1 but the comfort of a 
quiet and affectionate home4 ,whoever   
does not share this faith with me1 will 
hardly be enlightened to the true       
sources of enjoyment by any lucubrations
 of mine4 ,instead of details and       
declamation upon this truth1 ,i present 
an unvarnished1 unexaggerated view1 an  
abstract1 if ,i may so say1 of the      
circumstances1 under which the greater  
number of marriages are consummated in  
our country1 and ,i imagine1 in most    
civilized countries4 ,it may not embrace
 the exact train of the incidents       
connected with every case2 but will     
serve1 in the phrase of the makers of   
calendars1 #8without material           
variation1' as an outline of the history
 of those courtships that terminate in  
matrimony4 ,what wonder1 that wedded    
life is so often unhappy6  ,i am        
compelled to believe1 that very few     
marriages take place in consequence of  
such an intimate acquaintance of the    

parties with each other's               
unsophisticated and interior character1 
as to justify the chances of affection  
and domestic happiness4 ,the first      
adverse circumstance is1 that both are  
constantly on such a trial to make a    
show of wit1 good temper1 and manners1  
as to render the whole scene1 from      
commencement to close1 a drama1 in which
 all is acting2 in which there is no    
admission to the real life behind the   
scenes1 until after marriage4 ,how often
 does the actor or actress1 who         
successfully personated a wit1 and an   
angel1 detect in the other party a      
simpleton1 a brute1 or a termagant6 ,the
 walk of life1 in which they are found1 
may vary the shades1 but it changes not 
the natural circumstances of a picture1 
which1 in its broader features1 applies 
alike to elevated and humble life4  ,the
 parties1 in the bloom of life1 in all  
the excitement of juvenile buoyancy1    
moving in the illumined atmosphere of   
imagination1 meet at the party1         

ball-room1 assembly1 church1 or other   
place of concourse1 for which the young 
dress1 to look around1 and be gazed     
upon4 ,they are clad in their gayest1   
and stand on their best4 ,no airs1 or   
graces1 that mothers1 or friends1 or    
society1 or their ,chesterfield1 or     
their imaginations can suggest1 are     
pretermitted4 ,no attempted inflictions 
are spared from any relentings of mercy4
 ,many gratuitous nods and smiles and   
remarks1 and much odious affectation1   
inspired by the love of conquest1 pass  
well enough in the tinsel illusion of   
the scene and circumstances4 ,accident  
brings the couple into contact4 ,they   
sing1 dance1 walk1 converse1 or1 in some
 of these ways1 are thrown together4    
,or1 perhaps1 some officious mediator   
reports1 to the one1 flattering remarks 
made by the other4 ,the first impulses  
to the acquaintance are those of vanity1
 and the instinctive attraction of      
persons1 so situated1 towards each      
other4 ,a vague and momentary liking1   

which might be effaced1 as easily as    
mists vanish in the sun1 is the result4 
,the lady1 from the delicacy of her     
organization1 and the quickness of her  
perceptions1 is the first aware of the  
new state of mutual feeling2 and by     
conjoining a happy combination of       
coquetry1 shyness1 and encouragement1   
adds fuel to the kindling spark4 ,they  
converse apart1 and the masonic pressure
 of hands is interchanged4 ,compliments 
ensue1 more or less polished1 and       
eloquent1 according to their native     
readiness and artificial training4      
,vanity comes in with her legion of     
auxiliaries1 and1 in the same proportion
 as memory invests this intercourse with
 pleasant sensations and agreeable      
associations1 conversation with other   
persons1 between whom and themselves    
these processes have not commenced1     
becomes tasteless and irksome2 and ennui
 in all other society does its part to  
put imagination in action4 ,they find   
themselves weary and sad in separation4 

,fancy runs riot and begins to weave her
 fairy tissue1 and to build her oriental
 bowers4 ,the parties are now in love1  
as they believe1 and as the world       
pronounces4 ,now commence the hours of  
poetry and sentimentality2 and the      
spring time of their new born passion4  
,not a moment1 for discriminating       
observation of each other's character1  
has yet occurred4  ,the freshness of the
 vernal inclination acquires the fervor 
of settled and summer passion4 ,the     
preliminaries of form are commenced2 and
 under such associations1 and with such 
mutual inclinations1 incompatibility1   
unfitness1 opposition of friends1 all   
obstacles that are not absolutely       
insurmountable1 disappear4 ,what parent 
can resist the impassioned eloquence of 
a child1 or contemplate for a moment the
 prospect of inflicting the agony of a  
disappointed and hopeless love6 ,have   
they measured each other's understanding
 and good sense8 ,no3 this requires a   
discrimination1 for which in the fever1 

the delirium of the senses1 they have no
 capacity4 ,know they aught of each     
other's worth and good temper8 ,no4     
,lovers find nothing to jar their       
temper1 or try their disposition4       
,surrounded by a halo of imagination1   
everything about them is invested with  
its brilliancy4 ,the silliest remark of 
the inamorata sounds in the ears of the 
lover1 like the response of an oracle2  
and he is astonished and enraged that   
all others do not see1 and hear with    
him4 ,everything that is said becomes   
wisdom1 and everything done noble and   
graceful4 ,who has not heard all these  
ascriptions1 all these extravagant      
eulogies1 applied to a fair female1     
uttering nothing1 and incapable of      
uttering anything1 but voluble and vapid
 nonsense2 or worse1 ebullitions of     
envy1 detraction and bad feeling6       
,meanwhile1 the parties1 enveloped in   
illusion1 would not see real character1 
if they could2 and could not1 if they   
would4 ,is this extravagant1 or         

exaggerated8 ,let the well known fact1  
that sensible men oftener marry fools1  
and gifted women coxcombs1 than         
otherwise1 be received as evidence1 that
 this great transaction is generally    
commenced1 and terminated under a spell1
 in which the actors see nothing1 as it 
really is1 and as it appears to         
disinterested spectators4 ,after having 
united many hundred pairs myself1 and   
seen all aspects of society1 such seem  
to me the most common circumstances     
appended to the beginning1 progress and 
issue of courtship1 in its common forms4
  ,when ambitious views1 the lust of    
wealth1 and purposes of aggrandizement1 
are the prompting incitements1 the order
 of circumstances indeed may be         
essentially varied1 without much        
altering the result4 ,the excitement of 
the senses and the illusions of the     
imagination give place to these more    
sordid motives4 ,they are1 however1     
equally absorbing with the former4 ,the 
faculties1 having converged to the point

 of cautious and keen speculation1 allow
 no greater scope1 and furnish no       
happier facilities1 for noting the      
development of understanding1 character 
and temper1 than in the other           
predicament4 ,the appetite for money1   
and the burning of ambition may as      
effectually blind the aspirant to the   
silliness and bad temper of her who is  
seen through the flattering medium of   
his plans and his hopes1 as could his   
vanity and his youthful inclinations4   
,how can a person be expected to        
compare1 and discriminate traits1 and   
the almost imperceptible lights and     
shades of character1 whose whole mind is
 intensely concentrated on the chances  
of his speculation1 the fear of rivals1 
the danger of mishap1 and the means of  
hastening the issue8 ,who1 under such   
circumstances1 inquires about the       
elements of happiness or misery1 the    
good sense1 the regulated temper1 the   
discretion1 health1 temperament1 and    
habits1 that appertain to the means1 by 

which a fortune and a name are to be    
obtained8 ,these are passed by1 as      
subordinate considerations4 ,suppose    
inquiries touching these points to      
glance through the mind4 ,suppose the   
speculator to have lucid glimpses1 and  
some startling premonitions of the      
importance of settled and discriminating
 views1 in relation to these matters2   
contemplated through golden associations
 and in the glare of ambitious hopes1   
they will be hardly likely to undergo a 
very severe or sifting scrutiny4  ,the  
marriage1 whether of love1 of ambition1 
of convenience or mere animal impulse1  
takes place4 ,the music and dancing are 
no more1 and the brilliancy of the      
bridal torch is extinct1 and with those 
physical parapharnalia1 one mental      
illusion after another begins to melt   
into thin air4 ,the discriminating      
faculties1 judgment and the critical    
vision1 now become morbidly sensitive   
and severe1 since satiety and the       
extinction of fancy and the imagination 

have left these capacities to unchecked 
action1 beholding the object of their   
scrutiny continually1 and close at hand4
 ,the medium becomes as unnaturally     
dark1 as it was unnaturally light       
before4 ,a thousand circumstances1 never
 dreamed of in the philosophy of love   
and courtship1 crowd upon this          
disposition to cynical and bilious      
criticism4 ,manifestations of temper and
 character1 that once indicated to the  
lover1 amiability and intelligence1     
become1 to the moody husband or the     
discontented wife1 marks of a weak      
understanding and a bad heart2 and in   
proportion1 as they nourish despondency 
and disappointment1 they destroy the    
capability of indulgence and            
forbearance1 and resist efforts to      
soothe1 and correct1 and conciliate4    
,in proportion as they become           
dissatisfied with each other1 by a      
mental progress1 exactly the reverse of 
that which brought them together1 home  
is enveloped with associations of gloom4

 ,the imagination finds sunshine in     
every other place2 and every other      
person is sensible and attractive1 but  
the one they have sworn to love and     
honor until death4  ,there are those who
 will see in these revolting            
representations1 a coloring of          
misanthropy2 and pronounce this         
statement of the case harsh beyond      
nature4 ,i would it were so2 for1 unless
 ,i deceive myself1 ,i love my kind2 and
 my only object is1 to impress upon the 
young the importance of inquiring1 when 
contemplating this vital and all        
important transaction1 whether they see 
things in the clear light of truth1 and 
as they will certainly appear after the 
delirium of love has passed away2 or    
under the nameless and numberless       
illusions of that fever of the senses1  
of vanity1 and instinct1 too often      
miscalled by the name of love4 ,i much  
mistake1 if the greater portion of the  
domestic infelicity1 which is loudly    
charged upon the wedded state in the    

abstract1 is not owing to this          
fascination1 this incapacity to examine 
the only elements1 on which the         
happiness of a family must depend4 ,all 
,i would say1 is1 before entering on    
this union1 remember1 that it is easier 
to repent before1 than after the evil is
 without a remedy4 ,pause and           
scrutinize2 and let not the first       
glimpse of real light open your eyes to 
your true condition1 when it is         
irretrievable4  ,i am as well aware1 as 
the author can be1 that there are many  
more happy marriages1 than vulgar       
opinion allows1 and that even in those1 
which are not reputed happy1 in which   
the parties themselves have had their   
criminating and complaining             
claircissements1 there is often much    
more affection1 than has been allowed to
 exist4 ,such is generally found to be  
the case1 in the numberless attempted   
separations1 which prove abortive1 when 
the final alternative is to be adopted4 
,i know1 too1 that the history of the   

manifestation of conjugal affection is  
one of the most affecting and honorable 
to human nature1 that has ever been     
exhibited4 ,no union of tenderness and  
fortitude has ever been displayed in the
 annals of human nature1 that can be    
compared with the maternal love and     
conjugal affection of a devoted wife4   
,of this1 if ,i had space1 and my scope 
were different1 ,i could cite numerous1 
and most impressive examples4   ,note   
#bh;a1 page #aaj4  ,i beg leave to enter
 my utter dissent to this doctrine4 ,it 
seems from a note appended to this      
chapter of the author1 that dislike to  
female authorship has been carried to   
the most ridiculous lengths in ,france4 
,this is the more astonishing1 as no    
country has produced so many admirable  
female writers1 many of them peculiarly 
noted for possessing the charm of       
simplicity1 and freedom from pedantry   
and affectation4 ,a woman1 not less than
 a man1 is more amiable1 interesting and
 capable of sustaining any relation with

 honor and dignity1 in proportion as she
 is more instructed and enlightened4 ,it
 is to female pedants only1 that the    
ridiculous question of the ,french      
academy1 whether a reputable woman could
 write a book1 ought to apply4 ,if a    
woman really deserves a crown of        
laurels1 it sits more gracefully on her 
brow1 than any chaplet of roses that    
poet ever dreamed of4 ,but let us have  
real1 unpresuming knowledge1 without    
pedantry or affectation1 either of which
 is always odious in man or woman1 but  
certainly1 as it seems to me1 most so in
 woman4   ,note #cj1 page #aae4         
,nothing1 however1 is more common1 than 
this contemptible ambition of wives to  
govern their husbands4 ,it is said that 
there are coteries of wives1 who impart 
the rules in masonic conclave4 ,be it   
so4 ,whoever exults in having usurped   
this empire1 glories in her shame4 ,if  
there be any axiom universally applying 
to this partnership1 it is1 that the    
interest and reputation of the concern  

must be identical4 ,however much a wife 
may humble her husband1 in general      
estimation1 by presenting him in the    
light of a weak and docile subject1 with
 all sensible persons1 she humbles      
herself still more4 ,if the slave is    
contemptible1 the tyrant is still more  
so4 ,for the rest1 this chapter contains
 more truth and impressive eloquence    
upon this all important theme1 than ,i  
have elsewhere met in so small a        
compass4   ,note #ca1 page #aag4  ,i    
present you with the following          
development of these new emotions1      
which1 ,i hope1 you will not find amiss4
 #8,william and ,yensi were as happy in 
this vale1 as man can hope to be here   
below4 ,they would have requested       
nothing more of heaven1 than thousands  
of years of this half dreaming1 yet     
satisfying existence4 ,a daughter was   
born to them1 a desert flower of        
exquisite beauty even from its birth4   
,new and unmoved fountains of slumbering
 and mysterious affections were awakened

 in the deepest sanctuary of their      
hearts4 ,in the clear waters of the     
brook1 which chafed over pebbles1 turfed
 with wild sage and numberless desert   
flowers1 under the overhanging pines1 in
 the tops of which the southern breeze  
played the grand cathedral service of   
the mountain solitudes1 ,william        
performed1 as priest1 father and        
,christian1 the touching ceremony of    
baptizing his babe4 ,adding the name    
,jessy to that of the mother1 it was    
called ,jessy ,yensi4 ,the sacred rite  
was performed on the sabbath1 as the sun
 was sinking in cloud-curtained majesty 
behind the western mountains4 ,the      
domestics1 ,ellswatta and ,josepha1     
looked on with awe4 ,william read the   
,scriptures1 prayed1 and sang a hymn2   
baptized his babe1 and handed the       
nursling of the desert to ,yensi4 ,as   
she received the beloved infant in her  
arms1 after it had been consecrated1 as 
an inmate in the family of the          
,redeemer1 while tears of tenderness and

 piety filled her eyes and fell from her
 cheeks1 she declared1 that she would no
 longer invoke the universal ,tien1 that
 the ,god of ,william and her babe      
should be her ,god1 and that they would 
both call on the same name1 when they   
prayed together for the dear babe even  
unto death4'--,shoshonee ,valley1 vol4  
i4 p4 #eb1 #ec4  ,of the emotions       
excited by all the incidents between the
 cradle and the grave1 none can be      
compared for depth and tenderness to    
those1 called forth by the birth and    
baptism of the first child of an        
affectionate and happy husband and wife4
 ,those1 for whom this work is more     
peculiarly intended1 will be aware1 to  
what incident in our common stock of    
remembrances the above extract refers4  
,delightful sentiments1 and yet deeply  
tinged with sadness6 ,what a mystery is 
this conjoined miniature image of the   
parents1 the babe itself6 ,what a       
mystery the world with its mingled      
lights and shadows1 upon which the      

feeble stranger is entering6 ,what a    
mystery the unknown bourne to which it  
is bound6 ,what a mystery the ,god1 to  
whom it is consecrated6 ,callous and    
cold must be the heart of parents1 that 
this mutual pledge of love and duty will
 not unite in one unchangeable sentiment
 of love and identity of interest1 until
 death4   ,note #cc1 page #abb4  ,my    
views touching the modes1 in which the  
best results of education are to be     
obtained1 whether just or erroneous1    
have at least the advantage of being    
entirely practical4 ,i am sufficiently  
convinced1 that there must be an        
adequate and happy organization and     
mental development1 without which no    
education1 however wise and assiduous1  
will ever effect anything more1 than    
mediocrity of character and acquirement4
 ,in the present state of public        
opinion1 as great mistakes are made by  
expecting too much from the training of 
schools1 as were formerly committed by  
attempting too little4 ,the opulent1 and

 people in the higher walks especially1 
are tempted by their condition to       
believe1 that wealth and distinction can
 purchase1 and even command mind1 and   
that cultivation of it1 by which more   
enlarged and distinguished minds differ 
from the common measure of intellect2 a 
mistake1 than which no other is more    
universally1 and palpably taught by     
every day's experience4 ,the ,author of 
our being reserves1 and will never      
impart his own high prerogative1 to     
bestow mind2 and he as often dispenses  
the noblest and richest endowment of it 
in the lower1 as in the upper walks of  
life2 though1 as we have seen1 he has   
indicated1 in the order of nature1 a    
process of unlimited improvement of     
organization and endowment4  ,but the   
substratum of a practical and well      
endowed mind1 to begin with1 being      
granted1 ,i beg leave to add my         
conviction to that of ,m4 ,droz1 a      
conviction1 which1 as ,i think1 will    
resume its authority and influence1 when

 most of the present tedious and endless
 systems and projects of education will 
have passed into their merited oblivion4
 ,it is1 that strong1 latent and        
distinguished character and acquirement 
receive in domestic education1 that     
predominant and fashioning direction1   
which they retain through life4 ,the    
peculiar impress of a parent1 a         
family-friend1 a single tutor1 is often 
as distinctly marked upon the whole     
after life of the scholar1 that becomes 
truly distinguished1 as though he had   
been wax in the hands of a moulder4 ,the
 numerous tutors of opulent families1   
and of public institutions1 seldom      
impart the same advantage4 ,their       
different views and modes of discipline 
countervail1 and neutralize each other4 
,the ,greeks and the great ,romans      
taught at home1 the master being a      
member and an honored one of the family4
 ,the master and the pupil walked1      
conversed1 and pursued their amusements 
together2 and the sweet associations of 

home and the shade and freedom from     
restraint were conjoined with the       
lessons4 ,when the good ,plutarch paints
 to us1 with his inimitable naivet1 one 
of his favorite characters1 he indicates
 as his first felicity1 that it was his 
lot to have the training of an          
,aristotle1 or some similar worthy4     
,consult the ,english ,plutarch for the 
same fact4 ,could all the commencing    
circumstances of most of the great men1 
who have lived1 be exactly traced1 we   
should find the same truth disclosed4   
,that the development of strong         
inclination for books1 studies and      
literature depends almost entirely on   
domestic habits and pursuits1 the       
family1 in which our common remembrances
 centre1 is a striking example4 ,during 
the years1 in which the minds of this   
family received their unchangeable      
impress1 the members were almost as     
vagrant in their modes1 as the ,tartars4
 ,all their education1 except domestic1 
was exceedingly imperfect and desultory4

 ,books were often wanting2 adequate    
teachers always4 ,but the love of the   
parents for books and reading was a     
simple1 natural1 unaffected and intense 
impulse4 ,they loved the thing for its  
own sake1 and independent of all its    
results4 ,the first instruments of      
pleasure1 and things of estimated value1
 that greeted the infant eyes of the    
children1 were books2 not furniture1    
dress1 and the imposing ostentation of a
 modern parlor4 ,pleasant conversations1
 disputes1 between laughter and         
seriousness1 about these books1 were the
 first conversations that greeted their 
listening ears4 ,these conversations    
were perceived to be of deep and        
heart-felt interest1 and as little mixed
 with pedantry and formality1 as the    
manifestations of instinct4 ,the        
children saw1 that to those1 they most  
loved1 admired1 and were disposed to    
imitate1 books were the grand sources of
 interest1 converse and enjoyment4 ,they
 as naturally imbibed similar tastes1   

as1 to use a coarse illustration1 the   
children of savages learn to love       
hunting4 ,the first thing for which they
 contended1 and with which they wished  
to play1 was a book1 or a picture4      
,their first lispings were trials of    
skill1 touching the comparative         
progress1 which they had made in their  
knowledge of the contents of these      
books1 and the application of it to     
present use4 ,these trials they saw to  
be the chief points of interest and     
amusement for their parents4 ,thus1     
habits of reading and application grew  
with their growth and strengthened with 
their strength2 and many a criticism1 if
 not erudite and profound1 at least     
eliciting hearty praise and laughter1   
passed away unrecorded in their domestic
 privacy4 ,their neighbors admired1 and1
 ,i fear1 envied1 and calumniated2 but  
could not but take astonished note of   
such results in a family without wealth1
 without the common appliances1 which   
themselves could so much better afford1 

and which they had been accustomed to   
consider the only price1 at which       
intellectual improvement could be       
purchased4 ,it was placed beyond        
question1 or denial1 that the members of
 that family had right views1 quiet and 
unawed self-respect1 and could converse 
rationally1 upon every other topic1 as  
well as books2 that tact and            
discrimination pervaded their           
manifestations of thought and pursuit2  
and that they possessed an inexhaustible
 source of amusement1 and satisfaction  
independent of wealth1 fashion1 society1
 distinction1 or any external resource  
whatever--the habit of internal         
reflection1 comparison and pleasant     
converse with themselves4  ,parents1    
when you have imparted to your children 
habits and tastes1 like these1 you have 
bequeathed them an intellectual fortune1
 which few changes can take away2 and   
which is as strictly independent1 as    
anything earthly can be4 ,you have      
unlocked to their gratuitous use        

perennial fountains of innocent and     
improving enjoyment4 ,you have secured  
them forever against the heart-wearing  
gloom of ennui1 insufficiency to        
themselves1 and slavish dependence upon 
others for amusement4 ,spend as lavishly
 as you may1 in multiplying fashionable 
instructers1 and blazon1 as much as you 
will1 the advantages of your children2  
if they do not perceive1 while the      
rudiments of their taste and habits are 
forming1 that you consider literature1  
science and the improvement of intellect
 a matter of paramount interest and     
importance1 you will never cause their  
stream to flow higher1 than your        
fountain4 ,an occasional parlor lecture1
 or a high wrought eulogy1 will not     
convince them1 or avail to your purpose4
 ,they must see this preference1 as all 
others1 which they will be inclined to  
copy1 manifested in your whole          
deportment and conversation4  ,but1     
while ,i am convinced1 that parents will
 find efforts to train their children to

 be highly intellectual1 rowing against 
the current1 unless they evince1        
themselves1 by their habitual examples1 
that they consider it a higher          
attainment1 to possess literature and   
conversational powers1 than fashion1 or 
wealth or the common objects of pursuit1
 in other words1 that all efficient     
education must be essentially domestic1 
,i would not be understood to undervalue
 public schools and colleges4 ,i am     
aware1 that in these places are best    
imparted the knowledge and adroitness   
that fit them for the keen scramble of  
ambitious competition4 ,but in regard to
 those boys who leave their competitions
 behind the classes of the university1  
,i think on examination1 we shall find1 
that the germ and the stamina of this   
progress were early communicated by     
instruction and example at home4 ,at    
table1 around the evening fire1 in the  
,sabbath walk1 in the common family     
intercourse1 in the intervals of the    
toil of your profession1 whatever it be1

 the taste and the permanent inclination
 for literature and intellectual        
cultivation are imparted4 ,this can     
never be1 if behind all your eulogy of  
these things1 you discover1 that your   
ruling passion is money1 or the sordid  
objects of common pursuit4   ,note #cd1 
page #abd4  ,it is a common and1 ,i much
 fear1 a well founded complaint1 that   
some latent mischief in our system of   
education1 political institutions1 the  
ordering of our establishments1 or in   
all these together1 has generated1 as a 
prevalent moral evil1 filial unkindness 
and ingratitude4 ,scramble1 competition 
and rivalry are the first1 last1 and    
universally witnessed order of things in
 our country4 ,nothing becomes a topic  
of conversation that is of absorbing    
interest1 but acquisition and           
distinction4 ,the manifestations of an  
intellect1 sharpened for the pursuit of 
these things1 is the subject of most    
earnest eulogy4 ,children1 by our       
usages1 are early cast upon their own   

resources1 and taught to shift for      
themselves4 ,the consequence seems to   
be1 that the parental and filial ties   
are severed1 as soon as the children are
 able to take care of themselves1 almost
 as recklessly1 in regard to subsequent 
duty1 piety or affection1 as those of   
the lower animals4 ,when we see a       
spectacle so revolting1 and unhappily so
 common1 of sons who1 as soon as they   
have realized the portion of goods that 
falleth to them1 or of daughters1 as    
soon as they have secured lovers or     
husbands1 forgetting the authors of     
their days1 it becomes us to search     
deeply for the defect in our discipline1
 or institutions1 that originates the   
evil4 ,the callous hearts of such       
children may no longer be appalled by   
the terrible execution of the ,jewish   
law against such monsters4 ,they may    
neither feel1 nor care1 how sharper than
 a serpent's tooth1 may be this want of 
filial piety to their parents4 ,but1 by 
a righteous reaction of the divine      

justice1 more terribly vindictive than  
the threatened judgment of the ,jewish  
law1 thankless children bear in their   
hearts the certain guaranty of their own
 self-inflicted punishment4 ,they part  
forever with the purest and noblest     
sentiments of the human heart2 and they 
procure for themselves the sad certainty
 of being cast off in their turn1 by    
their children1 in the helpless period  
of their old age4   ,note #ce1 page     
#abd4  ,the history of literature       
proves1 that none of the more unworthy  
sentiments of human nature have been so 
adverse to friendship1 as the vanity of 
literary rivals4 ,from many noble       
examples of a contrary kind1 which we   
might cite1 ,i select the intercourse   
between ,racine and ,boileau4 ,when     
,racine was persuaded1 that his malady  
would end in death1 he charged his      
eldest son to write to ,m4 de ,cavoye1  
to ask him to solicit the payment of    
what was due of his pension1 that his   
family might not be left without ready  

money4 ,he wrote the letter and read it 
to his father4 #8,why did you not1' said
 he1 #8request the payment of the       
pension of ,boileau at the same time8   
,write again1 and let him know1 that ,i 
was his friend in death4' ,this friend  
came to receive his last adieu4 ,racine 
rose in bed1 as far as his weakness     
would allow4 ,as he embraced his friend1
 he said #8,i regard it a happiness to  
die in your presence4'   ,note #cf1 page
 #abf4  ,the celebrated ,voiture1 one of
 the beaux esprits of the age of ,louis 
,,xiii4 had lost all his money1 and had 
an immediate call for #bjj pistoles4 ,he
 wrote to the ,abbe ,costar1 his        
faithful friend4 ,this admirable letter 
presents us with a trait of that        
confidence and frankness1 which sincere 
friendship inspires4 ,it was this4  #8,i
 yesterday lost all my money1 and #bjj  
pistoles more1 which ,i have promised to
 pay today4 ,if you have that sum1 do   
not fail to send it4 ,if not1 borrow it4
 ,obtain it1 as you may1 you must lend  

it me4 ,be careful1 to allow no one to  
anticipate you1 in giving me this       
pleasure4 ,i should be concerned lest it
 might affect my love for you4 ,i know  
you so well1 that ,i am aware1 you would
 find it difficult to console yourself4 
,to avoid this misfortune1 rather sell  
what will raise it4 ,you see how        
imperious my love for you is4 ,i take a 
pleasure in conducting in this manner   
towards you4 ,i feel1 that ,i should    
have a still greater1 if you would be as
 frank with me4 ,but you have not my    
courage in this point4 ,judge1 if ,i am 
not perfectly assured in regard to you1 
since ,i will give my promise to him1   
who shall bring the money4' ,the ,abbe  
,costar replied--#8,i feel extreme joy1 
to be in condition to render you the    
trifling service1 you ask of me4 ,i had 
never thought1 that one could purchase  
so much pleasure for #bjj pistoles4     
,having experienced it1 ,i give you my  
word1 that1 for the rest of my life1 ,i 
will retain a little capital1 always    

ready for your occasions4 ,order        
confidently at your pleasure4 ,you      
cannot take half the satisfaction in    
commanding1 that ,i shall in obeying4   
,but submissive as you may find me in   
other respects1 ,i shall be revolted1 if
 you wish to compel me to take a promise
 from you4'   ,note #cg1 page #abh4     
,although ,i do not intend to cite in   
this place the story of ,damon and      
,pythias1 nor to harp upon discussions  
of a theme1 upon which there has been   
more odious prosing1 and more semblance 
of sentiment than all others1 yet a     
subject1 intrinsically of the first     
importance1 and founded in nature1 can  
never cease to have claims upon         
attention1 in consequence of having been
 hackneyed to thread-bare triteness4    
,there is such an affection1 as         
friendship4 ,it belongs to man1 and is  
the highest honor of his nature1 less   
gross and terrene1 than the short       
epilepsy1 the transient and fitful fever
 of the senses1 commonly dignified with 

the name of love1 and warmer1 more      
exhilarating1 and elevated1 than mere   
esteem1 and common liking2 it excites1  
without inflaming2 it thrills1 without  
jealousy1 corroding fear1 or morbid     
solicitude4 ,it is that sentiment1 which
 a poet would naturally assign to       
intellectual beings of a higher order1  
who were never invested with the        
corporeal elements of mortality4  ,i    
wish those1 most dear to me1 implicitly 
to believe in friendship4 ,i would a    
thousand times prefer1 that they should 
err on the side of credulity1 than of   
suspicion and distrust4 ,i deprecate1   
above all things1 that they should give 
up human nature4 ,i consider real       
misanthropy the last misfortune4 ,i     
would1 rather1 my children should meet  
with treachery and inconstancy every day
 of their lives1 than resign themselves 
to the morbid and heartless persuasion1 
weakly considered an attribute of wisdom
 and greatness1 that men are altogether 
selfish1 and unworthy of confidence4 ,it

 is a persuasion1 that not only forever 
invests the universe in an ,egyptian    
gloom1 #8that may be felt1' but1 by an  
energetic bearing on all the faculties  
and sources of feeling1 causes the      
heart1 that entertains such views to    
become what it believes to be the       
character of the species4  ,no scruples 
of false decorum shall withhold me from 
saying1 that1 amidst all the            
selfishness1 which optics of the most   
charitable vision could not but discover
 on every side1 ,i have seen friendship1
 pure1 holy1 disinterested1 like that of
 the angels2 nay1 more--have been myself
 the subject of it4 ,my heart swells1   
and will to its latest pulsation1 with  
the remembered proofs4 ,true1 the       
instances1 that have fallen within the  
compass of my experience1 are very few4 
,but they are sufficient to settle my   
conviction1 that the sentiment1 which   
has inspired the enthusiasm of          
eloquence1 painting and song1 in all    
time1 is not the illusion of a weak and 

misguided imagination4 ,selfish as man  
is1 we often see instances of the most  
generous and devoted friendship1 even in
 this silver age1 the age of revenue and
 political economy4  ,with my author ,i 
believe1 that where the sentiment exists
 between a man and a woman1 admitting   
each to possess the estimable endowments
 peculiar to each sex1 and so exists1 as
 not to be modified by any of those     
countless associations of another order 
of sentiment1 that almost imperceptibly 
invest relations between the two sexes1 
it is more vivid1 permanent and         
disinterested1 more capable of making   
sacrifices1 and more tender and         
delightful than it can be between       
persons of the same sex4 ,of this class 
are the most noble1 touching and sublime
 examples of a constancy under every    
form of proof1 that the history of the  
human heart records4  ,while every one  
is sensible1 that there must exist      
between characters1 that are susceptible
 of all the fidelity and beauty of this 

sentiment1 a certain adaptation of      
circumstances1 and conformity of        
disposition1 mind1 development and      
temperament1 ,i believe with ,st        
,pierre1 that it is desirable1 that     
there should be a certain contrast as   
well as much fitness4 ,constant         
assentation1 the same opinions1 tastes1 
tempers and views have been found by    
experience1 not to generate the most    
permanent1 and pleasant unions of the   
sort4 ,the moral1 as well as the        
physical appetite1 would grow weary of  
perpetual uniformity and unvarying      
similarity1 and requires the spice1     
afforded by the mixture of various      
ingredients of affectionate contrariety4
 ,both the love and friendship1 most    
likely to endure1 spring up between the 
placid and piquant1 the tranquil and    
energetic1 the monotonously sweet       
tempered and the sensitive1 whose       
irritability is held in check by good   
sense1 kindness and                     
self-control2--between the temperament1 

connected with blue eyes and fair hair1 
and that of the keen1 deep black eye1   
and raven locks4 #8,soldiers1' says ,st 
,pierre1 #8on long and distant          
expeditions1 should be associated with  
ministers1 lawyers with naturalists1 and
 in general1 the strongest contrasts of 
profession'--all nature's discord thus  
making all nature's peace4 ,but ,i am   
perfectly aware1 that there will be     
great danger of making fatal mistakes1  
in acting on this principle4 ,i am      
confident1 that is true in the abstract2
 but let sentimentalists beware of      
trenching too confidently on ground1    
where the limits between safety and ruin
 are so narrow1 and difficult to        
discern4 ,doves of a different feather  
may pair happily1 but not doves and     
vultures4 ,there must be a certain      
compatibility not only of character1 but
 of age1 condition and circumstances1 as
 we are broadly instructed in the fable 
of the frog thinking to wed with the ox4
  ,any discussion of the details1       

touching the requisite circumstances of 
compatibility to form friendships with  
any chance of their being pleasant and  
permanent1 as well as the obligations   
and duties involved by it1 would require
 a volume1 and would carry me utterly   
beyond my present purpose4 ,books are   
ample1 if not interesting and just1 in  
the information which they impart upon  
this subject4 ,with my views of its     
obligations and duties in few words1 ,i 
shall dismiss it4  ,in a pecuniary point
 of view the claims of friendship are   
only limited by the sterner demands of  
justice4 ,the common adage1 which calls 
upon us to be just1 before we allow     
ourselves to be generous1 is worthy to  
be written in letters of gold2 though it
 has been a thousand times wrested by   
selfish and cold hearts1 into a pretext 
for their avarice4 ,whoever should think
 of lavishing his money upon a friend1  
in order to absolve himself from the    
more difficult calls of justice1 would  
show a mind1 too weak and incapable of  

discrimination1 to honor that friend by 
his bounty4 ,but1 grant that the friends
 have delicacy1 consideration and       
gentlemanly tact1 and they may possess a
 common purse1 without danger to the    
duties of either4  ,the fame and        
character of the one are strictly the   
property of the other4 ,let no one1 who 
has the least particle of the base alloy
 of envy in his feelings towards him1   
whom he calls his friend1 who is willing
 to hear1 and countenance abatements of 
his qualities1 talents1 or virtues1 dare
 to assume that almost sacred name4 ,he 
is equally unworthy of it1 if he stand  
by in neutrality when calumny is busily 
passing against him2 and still more1 if 
by smiles he gives his countenance1 and 
half his consent to the story of        
detraction and abatement4 ,it is a      
forfeiture of the right to the name1    
though it may be a less worthy one1 to  
make the person1 called friend1 the     
subject of jest and ridicule4 ,in regard
 to all these points1 the duties are    

clear1 distinct1 palpable and not to be 
compromised4 ,every honorable mind      
feels1 in witnessing any infraction of  
the laws of equity1 or strict justice1 a
 sentiment of recoil and disgust1       
difficult perhaps to define1 but one    
which instantly designates the person   
guilty of it1 as unworthy of the name of
 friend4 ,honest1 frank and             
disinterested advice1 especially in     
relation to concerns of great interest  
to the party1 is a paramount obligation1
 whether the advised will bear1 or      
forbear4 ,this prerogative may1 indeed1 
be claimed by unfeeling and rude        
bluntness4 ,but1 by a discriminating    
mind1 the suggestions of a counterfeit1 
will never be mistaken for those of     
genuine friendship4  ,the time1 the     
courtesy and the amount of intercourse1 
due from one friend to another1 can     
never be brought under subjection to    
rules4 ,moral1 like physical attraction1
 acting unconsciously1 will regulate    
this portion of duty1 with the unvarying

 certainty of the laws of nature4 ,if   
persons1 claiming to sustain this       
relation to each other1 do not wish to  
be as much together1 as duty and        
propriety will admit2 if they allow this
 matter to be settled by the rigid      
tithing of etiquette1 they are anything 
rather than real friends4  ,i have been 
struck by an incident in the life of a  
religious woman1 ,i think it was ,mrs   
,graham4 ,there was a sacramental pledge
 between her and a friend1 that1        
whichever of them should be first called
 from life1 the other should visit her  
in the sickness1 which she should       
consider her last1 and not leave her1   
until she had received her last sigh4   
,sublime test of affection6 ,what a     
tender1 sacred office1 after a life of  
friendship1 thus1 by a sacramental      
contract1 to close the eyes of the      
friend beloved in life1 and separated   
only by death6 ,there can be no doubt   
that the feelings1 called thus into     
action1 are peculiarly fitted to        

mitigate the last sorrows2 and in the   
simple grandeur of such a sentiment1 so 
manifested1 the departing friend will   
see a proof1 that such affections are1  
in their own nature1 immortal2 and that 
such ties shall be renewed in the       
eternal regions of the living4  ,when   
friends are separated wide from each    
other by distance1 duty1 and the stern  
calls of our pursuits1 ,i admire the    
custom of baptizing1 if ,i may so say1  
our remembrances1 by giving the names of
 our dear and distant friends to the    
hills1 valleys1 streams1 trees or       
pleasant views in our walks2 or the     
objects most familiar and pleasant to   
our view4 ,the stern silence of nature  
may thus be compelled to find a tongue1 
and discourse with us of those we love4 
,in a word1 the name1 ,i am sensible1 is
 too often a morbid mockery of cold and 
affected sentimentalism1 both weak and  
disgusting1 the cant term for the       
intercourse between the enlarged        
prisoners of boarding schools4 ,but the 

sentiment exists1 pure1 simple          
delightful4 ,neither fawning1 nor cant1 
nor flattery1 nor any mixture of earth's
 mould makes any part of it4 ,honorable1
 dignified1 unshaken1 it feels its      
obligations1 and discharges them4 ,the  
reputation1 character and whole interest
 of the friend is its object2 and his   
highest happiness its prayer4 ,in holy  
segregation from the hollow intercourse1
 false phrases and deceitful compliments
 of fashion1 and what is called the     
world1 it is faithful and consistent1   
under all proofs and trials1 until      
death2 and when the eyes of the departed
 are closed1 his memory is enshrined in 
the remembrance of the survivor4 ,thank 
,god6 ,i have seen1 ,i have felt1 that  
there are such friendships2 and if there
 is anything honorable1 dignified and   
attractive in aught1 that earth         
presents1 it is the sight of two        
friends1 whose attachment dates from    
their first remembered sentiment2 and   
has survived difference of opinion and  

interest1 the changes of distance1 time 
and disease1 and those weaning          
influences1 which1 while they crumble   
the most durable monuments1 convert most
 hearts to stone4   ,note #ch1 page     
#abi4  ,i have long been in the habit of
 measuring the character1 mental power  
and prospects of the young1 who are     
brought by circumstances under my       
observation1 by the power which they    
evince1 to resist the suggestion of the 
senses4 ,in the same proportion1 as ,i  
see them capable of rising above the    
thraldom of their appetites1 capable of 
that energy of will1 that gives the     
intellectual control over the animal    
nature1 ,i graduate them higher in the  
scale of moral power and prospect4 ,but 
if1 in their course1 they manifest the  
clear preponderance of the animal2 if   
sloth1 sensuality1 and the inclinations1
 which have no higher origin than the   
senses1 sway them beyond the influence  
of advice and moral suasion1 be they    
ever so beautiful1 endowed1 rich1       

distinguished1 be their place in general
 estimation ever so high1 ,i put them   
down1 as belonging to the animal1 and   
not the intellectual orders4 ,they can  
never reach higher worth and success1   
than that1 which is the blind award of  
accident4   ,note #ci1 page #aca4  ,it  
seems to me1 that writers on taste have 
not seen all the importance of uniting  
physical with moral ideas1 to give them 
any deep and permanent interest4 ,this  
subject might be enlarged to any extent1
 by carrying out the details1 suggested 
by the striking1 just1 but necessarily  
very brief views of the author4 ,we have
 here a clue1 by which we may explore a 
whole universe of the highest and purest
 pleasures which can touch the heart1   
and which to the greater portion of the 
species have no existence4  ,there are  
travellers more learned1 and equally    
capable of noting facts with ,m4 de     
,chateaubriand4 ,they have traversed the
 same countries1 seen the same objects1 
and collected an immense mass of facts1 

which they have published1 on their     
return1 to be read by none1 but kindred 
spirits1 as dull as themselves4 ,in his 
record of his travels in the same       
countries1 we are beguiled onward1 under
 the spell of a sustained charm4 ,the   
imagination is constantly in action2 the
 heart swells2 images of grandeur and   
beauty1 remembrances of pathos and power
 are evoked from every side1 and the    
shadows of the past throng round us4    
,why is it so8 ,the former see brute    
nature1 in its lifeless and motionless  
materiality1 divorced from mind and     
memory4 ,the latter not only sees that  
universe with a radiant eye1 but holds  
converse with a superincumbent universe1
 as much more vast1 beautiful1 touching1
 diversified1 than the other1 as mind is
 superior to matter4 ,it is this        
creation of thoughts1 remembrances1     
poetry1 and affecting images1 in his    
mind1 intimately connected with the     
other1 and overshadowing it1 like an    
illumined stratum over a region covered 

with palpable mist1 by virtue of which  
he makes nature eloquent4 ,this is the  
charm spread over all the beautiful     
passages that abound in his writings2 a 
peculiar aptitude to associate nature1  
in every position and form1 with the    
universe of thought within him4 ,such is
 the endowment of all poets1 orators1   
and painters1 that have produced efforts
 worthy of immortality4 ,common writers 
see nature dead1 silent1 sterile--mere  
brute and voiceless matter4 ,endowed    
minds kindle it into speech1 beauty and 
grandeur2 interpreting it by the        
internal world in their own minds4      
,note #ci;a1 page #acd4  ,these         
illustrations of the importance of      
uniting moral with physical ideas1 in   
regard to vision1 landscape1 painting   
and music1 are as true1 as they are     
eloquent and striking4 ,who has not had 
the vivid remembrance of home recalled  
in a distant land1 by a tree1 a feature 
in the landscape1 a blue hill in the    
distance6 ,how readily the shadowy      

images of memory are evoked6 ,every one 
is acquainted with the touching         
circumstance in the character of the    
,swiss soldiers serving in foreign      
countries4 ,great numbers of them used  
to serve1 as stipendaries1 in the       
,french armies4 ,it was forbidden to    
play1 in their presence1 the air ,ranz  
des vaches4 ,homesickness and desertion 
scarcely failed to ensue from hearing   
it4 ,the wild and plaintive air reminded
 them of #8,sweet home1' their          
mountains1 their simple pleasures1 and  
the range and lowing of their kine4 ,the
 beautiful ,scotch airs derive their    
charm from their association with       
mountain scenery1 and the peculiar      
history and manners of a highly         
sensitive1 intelligent and national     
people4 ,the same may be said of the    
unrivalled ,erin go ,bragh1 in relation 
to the ,irish2 in a word of the national
 music of every people4 ,associate any  
idea with sentiment and the heart1 and  
it becomes touching1 and sublime1 and   

capable of stirring the deepest         
fountains of feeling1 according to the  
remembrance with which it is allied4    
,note #dj1 page #acf4  ,i have heard    
persons1 endowed with keen feelings1    
repiningly contrast the miseries which  
they endured from an excess of irritable
 and unregulated sensibility1 with the  
apparently joyous apathy of fat and     
fortunate burghers1 who seem to find no 
sorrows and no troubles in life1 and who
 hear with incredulity and1 in fact1    
with an entire want of comprehension1   
about sufferings resulting from         
witnessing misery1 which we have no     
means of relieving1 and the sorrows1    
from innumerable sources1 to which those
 of a keenly sensitive nature are       
subject4 ,i have never seen these       
contrasts of character in this light4 ,i
 unhesitatingly believe that a righteous
 ,providence has exactly and admirably  
adjusted the weights in either scale4   
,the great mass1 who are not disturbed  
with excess of feeling1 are1 from the   

same temperament1 interdicted from a    
whole universe of enjoyments1 into which
 those1 who possess sensibility1 and    
regulate it aright1 have free access4   
,note #da1 page #acg4  ,man seems to    
contain1 according as he is contemplated
 in different lights1 inexplicable      
contradictions of character2 and to be  
at one time all tenderness of heart2 and
 at another an odious compound of       
insensibility and cruelty2 according to 
the circumstances with which he is      
surrounded1 and the positions in which  
he is placed4 ,who could believe1 that  
it was the same being1 that now         
dissolves into tears at the rehearsal of
 a tragedy1 on reading a romance or     
witnessing a spectacle of misery1 and   
now hurries from these emotions to see a
 bull-fight2 and in passing to the show1
 encourages two bullies in the street to
 form a ring1 to bruise each other6 ,who
 would believe1 that it has always been 
considered an attribute in the more     
susceptible sex1 to regard duellists    

with a partial eye2 to give a secret    
place in their kind feelings to those   
who are reckless of their own and       
another's blood2 and more than all to   
look propitiously on soldiers           
encrimsoned with the fresh stains of the
 battle field8 ,nay1 more1 who reads    
without astonishment1 and almost without
 unbelief1 that a whole people1 in the  
days of the pagan ,roman emperors1 days 
of the utmost luxury of taste and       
refinement1 days1 in which1 in all      
probability1 traits of kindness1        
generosity and magnanimity were no more 
uncommon than now1 the ladies of the    
greatest and most splendid city in the  
world thronged with an irrepressible    
curiosity1 and an intense desire1 to see
 naked gladiators lacerate1 and stab    
each other1 and old and feeble men torn 
in pieces by lions and wild beasts1 when
 merely a movement of a finger would    
save them6  ,the ministers of the       
gospel1 who attribute the abhorrence1   
which the same spectacles would excite  

in the population of a ,christian city1 
to the humanizing influences of our     
faith1 forget that such a city has seen1
 times without number1 its inhabitants  
pouring forth from its gates1 to witness
 miserable victims burnt to death at an 
auto da f1 and shouting with joy at the 
spectacle4  ,protestant ministers exult1
 in contrasting the influences of the   
reformed faith with results like these2 
and yet witness their congregations     
thronging in crowds to see a wretched   
criminal swinging in the agonies of     
strangulation4 ,the same people thrill  
with horror1 as they hear1 around their 
evening fire1 how those whom they call  
savages1 dance1 and yell round the      
stake1 at which a captive enemy is      
burning4 ,to the red man it seems the   
extreme of cold-blooded ferocity1 to    
execute a criminal with a halter1 by the
 hands of a person who bears no ill will
 to the victim4  ,far be it from me to  
question one of the sublime trophies of 
the gospel1 or to doubt its refining and

 humanizing influences4 ,but the whole  
aspect of history and society compels me
 to believe1 that fashion and prevalent 
opinions exert an influence1 that will  
bring men to tolerate almost anything4  
,i much fear1 that the spectacles of the
 ,roman ,amphitheatre might be revived1 
if a certain number of any community    
would pertinaciously conspire1 to write 
in favor of them1 and countenance them  
by their presence4   ,note #db1 page    
#acg4  ,to present1 in contrast1 the    
favorable side of human                 
contradictions3--,i have seen a man     
plunge into the water1 and put his own  
life at fearful jeopardy1 to rescue a   
stranger from drowning4 ,i have         
witnessed instances of disinterested and
 heroic sacrifice1 which present men in 
the aspect of angels1 in every walk of  
life4 ,such sublime samples of the      
capability of our nature are the        
appropriate theme of oratory1 painting  
and song2 and cannot be too much        
blazoned4 ,pity it is that history did  

not select more instances1 and dwell    
upon them with more partial eulogy1     
instead of amplifying the revolting     
details of war4  ,two instances of      
affecting manifestation of tenderness   
are deeply impressed upon my memory1    
simply because they were elicited by    
common cases of suffering2 and had in   
them nothing of romance1 or of uncommon 
tendency to excite the feelings4  ,i was
 passing in the streets of one of our   
northern cities4 ,on the marble door    
steps of a sumptuous mansion sat a      
ragged boy1 with a look at once dogged  
and subdued1 manifesting long           
acquaintance with sorrow and want4 ,near
 him sat an aged woman1 apparently his  
mother1 decrepit1 worn and squalid1 with
 her face turned from me4 ,the boy was  
devouring with voracious greediness a   
piece of dried herring4 ,fair and richly
 dressed children were passing to their 
morning school4 ,most of them jeered    
him1 in passing1 calling on him to get  
down from the steps1 and asking him if  

he was very hungry8 #8,yes1 and you     
would be hungry1 and sad too1 if you was
 poor and a stranger1 and had to take   
care of an old mother1 and had walked as
 far as ,i have4' ,one of the boys      
lingered behind1 as if ashamed of his   
feelings4 ,i noticed his broad1 high    
forehead1 and eye speaking a soul       
within4 ,his eyes filled with tears1 as 
he handed the boy money4 ,my own eyes   
moistened1 as ,i witnessed the angelic  
expression of this noble boy1 who ,i    
dare affirm1 had not the spirit to do   
such things by halves4  ,the other was  
in another extremity of our country1    
where money and cotton1 sugar and       
slaves1 balls and theatres are the      
all-absorbing objects of interest4 ,a   
large group of gaily dressed gentlemen  
and ladies were promenading1 in company 
with an heiress and her intended        
husband1 who were shortly to be married1
 and they were merely discussing the    
preparations4 ,a poor1 pale boy1        
apparently a stranger1 came up to them1 

with his written petition for charity2  
and with the low and subdued tone of    
voice appropriate to shame1 bashfulness 
and misery1 began to tell his little    
story4 ,the splendid laughers walked on 
with an incurious carelessness4 ,one of 
the group lingered behind4 ,he was      
struggling with the difficulties of     
obtaining a profession1 and aiding in   
the support of a distant family4 ,but1  
he bestowed on the boy one of his few   
remaining dollars4 ,when ,i see such    
instances of native tenderness of heart1
 ,i thank ,god that men are not totally 
depraved4   ,note #dc1 page #ach4       
,every one who has had extensive        
acquaintances1 and been exposed to      
frequent requests for letters of        
recommendation1 and to procure the      
intervention and aid of opulent friends1
 must feel the importance and justice of
 these remarks4 ,we ought not to refuse 
such letters from indolence1            
selfishness1 or the commonly alleged    
fear of troubling our friends4 ,but     

then1 the case must be such1 as will    
bear us out1 in being measured and      
scrupulous1 in regard to the existence1 
the actual truth and justice1 of what we
 advance2 otherwise our inter-position  
will soon be rendered cheap and         
inefficient2 and will react1 in creating
 want of respect for the writer1 instead
 of good feeling toward the person      
recommended4 ,such1 in a great measure1 
is the result1 in the current value of  
these letters1 as they are emitted1     
according to the common forms of        
society4   ,note #dd1 page #aci4  ,a    
most affecting proof1 that the human    
heart is not intrinsically bad1 and that
 the obduracy and cold-blooded          
selfishness of the world is             
adventitious1 and the result of our     
modes and our training1 is1 that the    
sisters of charity1 the truly beneficent
 everywhere1 create a deep sensation of 
respect in beholders4 ,efficient charity
 is almost the only thing1 that no one  
feels disposed to question1 or slander4 

,a corpse was borne slowly by me1 to the
 place of its long sleep4 ,an immense   
procession followed with sorrow and     
respect impressed upon their            
countenances4 ,i asked1 whom they were  
burying4 #8,a single woman without      
wealth or connexions4--,but her life has
 been marked by beneficence4' ,if that  
sex1 which so instinctively desire to   
appear to advantage1 knew1 in what light
 a lady1 distinguished by fortune and   
cultivation appears while traversing the
 dirty and dark lanes of a city1 to seek
 out1 and relieve cases of misery1 they 
would practise charity1 were it from no 
higher motive1 than to create a         
sensation1 and appear lovely4 ,every one
 knows the example of the sublime1      
quoted by ,longinus from ,moses4 ,a     
passage in the ,gospel seems to me still
 more sublime4 ,he went about doing     
good4 ,all other homage1 than that which
 the heart pays to beneficence1 is      
adventitious4 ,this is real4   ,note    
#de1 page #ada4  ,of all the pleasures  

of our earthly sojourn1 after those of a
 good conscience1 the most varied1 and  
yet equable1 healthful and permanent are
 those of reading4 #8,i have never1'    
says a respectable writer1 #8passed a   
comfortable day without books since ,i  
was capable of reading4' ,it is         
certainly pleasant1 to be able to       
converse with the wise and instructed of
 all countries and all times without    
formality1 without embarrassment1 and   
just as long as we choose2 and then     
dismiss one of them without any apology1
 and sit down with another4 ,we travel  
without expense with them4 ,we inhabit  
the tropics1 or the polar circle1 the   
table summits of mountains1 or the wide 
plains1 at our choice4 ,we journey by   
land or by sea4 ,we select congenial    
minds1 and make them converse with us   
about our congenial pursuits4 ,we throw 
away no voice4 ,we never dialogue in    
wrath2 and intelligence converses with  
intelligence1 divested of terrene       
grossness and passion4 ,when detained on

 long journeys1 in some remote interior 
tavern1 by a storm1 or inability to find
 a conveyance1 how keenly1 while reading
 almanacks of the past years1 and old   
fragments of books1 found on the dusty  
shelf of the ordinary1 have ,i felt the 
value of books1 as a perfect cure for   
the impatience of such a position4 ,in  
this state of privation and intellectual
 fasting1 we master dull and tiresome   
books1 which1 under other circumstances1
 we should not have dreamed of reading4 
,then the mind is taught to pay the     
proper homage to these intellectual     
resources4  ,the pleasures of winter    
reading1 in the sacred privacy of the   
parlor1 are thus finely described by    
,thomson1 the painter of nature4        
#8,there studious let me sit1       ,and
 hold high converse with the mighty     
dead2       ,sages of ancient time1 as  
gods revered1       ,as gods beneficent1
 who bless'd mankind       ,with arts1  
with arms1 and humanized a world4       
,roused at th' inspiring thought1 ,i    

throw aside       ,the long-lived       
volume2 and1 deep-musing1 hail          
,the sacred shades1 that slowly-rising  
pass       ,before my wondering eyes4   
,first ,socrates1       ,who1 firmly    
good in a corrupted state1              
,against the rage of tyrants single     
stood1       ,invincible6 calm ,reason's
 holy law1       ,that voice of ,god    
within th' attentive mind1              
,obeying1 fearless1 or in life or death3
       ,great moral teacher6 ,wisest of 
mankind6       ,solon the next1 who     
built his commonweal       ,on equity's 
wide base2 by tender laws       ,a      
lively people curbing1 yet undamped     
,preserving still that quick peculiar   
fire1       ,whence in the laurel'd     
field of finer arts1       ,and of bold 
freedom1 they unequall'd shone1         
,the pride of smiling ,greece and human 
kind4       ,lycurgus then1 who bow'd   
beneath the force       ,of strictest   
discipline1 severely wise1       ,all   
human passions4 ,following him1 ,i see1 

,as at ,thermopyl he glorious fell1     
,the firm devoted chief1,c who proved by
 deeds       ,the hardest lesson which  
the other taught4       ,then ,aristides
 lifts his honest front2       ,spotless
 of heart1 to whom th' unflattering     
voice       ,of freedom gave the noblest
 name of ,just2       ,in pure majestic 
poverty revered2       ,who1 e'en his   
glory to his country's weal             
,submitting1 swell'd a haughty rival's,d
 fame4       ,rear'd by his care1 of    
softer ray appears       ,cimon         
sweet-soul'd2 whose genius1 rising      
strong1       ,shook off the load of    
young debauch2 abroad       ,the scourge
 of ,persian pride1 at home the friend  
,of every worth and every splendid art2 
,modest and simple1 in the pomp of      
wealth4       ,then the last worthies of
 declining ,greece1       ,late call'd  
to glory1 in unequal times              
,pensive appear4 ,the fair ,corinthian  
boast1       ,timoleon1 happy temper6   
mild and firm1       ,who wept the      

brother while the tyrant bled4          
,and1 equal to the best1 the ,theban    
,pair1,e       ,whose virtues1 in heroic
 concord join'd1       ,their country   
raised to freedom1 empire1 fame4        
,he too1 with whom ,athenian honor sunk1
       ,and left a mass of sordid lees  
behind1       ,phocion the ,good2 in    
public life severe1       ,to virtue    
still inexorably firm2       ,but when1 
beneath his low illustrious roof1       
,sweet peace and happy wisdom smooth'd  
his brow1       ,not friendship softer  
was1 nor love more kind4       ,and he1 
the last of old ,lycurgus' sons1        
,the generous victim to that vain       
attempt1       ,to save a rotten state1 
,agis1 who saw       ,e'en ,sparta's    
self to servile avarice sunk4       ,the
 two ,achaian heroes close the train3   
,aratus1 who a while relumed the soul   
,of fondly lingering liberty in ,greece2
       ,and he1 her darling as her      
latest hope1       ,the gallant         
,philopmen2 who to arms       ,turn'd   

the luxurious pomp he could not cure2   
,or toiling on his farm1 a simple swain2
       ,or1 bold and skilful1 thundering
 in the field4         #8,of rougher    
front1 a mighty people comes6       ,a  
race of heroes6 in those virtuous times 
,which knew no stain1 save that with    
partial flame       ,their dearest      
country they too fondly loved3          
,her better ,founder first1 the light of
 ,rome1       ,numa1 who soften'd her   
rapacious sons2       ,servius the king1
 who laid the solid base       ,on which
 o'er earth the vast republic spread4   
,then the great consuls venerable rise4 
,the public ,father,f who the private   
quell'd1       ,as on the dread tribunal
 sternly sat4       ,he whom his        
thankless country could not lose1       
,camillus1 only vengeful to her foes4   
,fabricius1 scorner of all-conquering   
gold2       ,and ,cincinnatus1 awful    
from the plough4       ,thy willing     
victim1,g ,carthage1 bursting loose     
,from all that pleading ,nature could   

oppose1       ,from a whole city's      
tears1 by rigid faith       ,imperious  
call'd1 and honor's dire command4       
,scipio1 the gentle chief1 humanely     
brave1       ,who soon the race of      
spotless glory ran1       ,and1 warm in 
youth1 to the poetic shade       ,with  
,friendship and ,philosophy retired4    
,tully1 whose powerful eloquence a while
       ,restrain'd the rapid fate of    
rushing ,rome4       ,unconquer'd ,cato1
 virtuous in extreme2       ,and thou1  
unhappy ,brutus1 kind of heart1         
,whose steady arm1 by awful virtue      
urged1       ,lifted the ,roman steel   
against thy friend4       ,thousands    
besides the tribute of a verse          
,demand2 but who can count the stars of 
heaven8       ,who sing their influence 
on this lower world8         #8,behold1 
who yonder comes6 in sober state1       
,fair1 mild1 and strong1 as is a vernal 
sun2       ',tis ,phbus' self1 or else  
the ,mantuan swain6       ,great ,homer 
too appears1 of daring wing1            

,parent of song6 and1 equal by his side1
       ,the ,british ,muse2 join'd hand 
in hand they walk1       ,darkling1 full
 up the middle steep to fame1       ,nor
 absent are those shades1 whose skilful 
touch       ,pathetic drew th'          
impassion'd heart1 and charm'd          
,transported ,athens with the moral     
scene2       ,nor those who1 tuneful1   
waked th' enchanted lyre4               
#8,first of your kind6 society divine6  
,still visit thus my nights1 for you    
reserved1       ,and mount my soaring   
soul to thoughts like yours4            
,silence1 thou lonely power6 the door be
 thine2       ,see on the hallow'd hour 
that none intrude1       ,save a few    
chosen friends1 who sometimes deign     
,to bless my humble roof1 with sense    
refined1       ,learning digested well1 
exalted faith1       ,unstudied wit1 and
 humor ever gay4       ,or from the     
,muses' hill will ,pope descend1        
,to raise the sacred hour1 to bid it    
smile1       ,and with the social spirit

 warm the heart8       ,for though not  
sweeter his own ,homer sings1       ,yet
 is his life the more endearing song4'  
,note #df1 page #adb4  ,whoever has     
attempted to concentrate his thoughts in
 fixed contemplation upon the origin of 
the human race1 the object of our       
present existence1 and our prospects    
beyond it1 upon the character and plan  
of the divinity1 and the mode of his    
being1 must have felt a painful         
vagueness1 a dizzying sense of the      
weakness of our powers1 very naturally  
preparing us for superstitious and      
terrific views of the first cause4 ,but 
when1 in the clear light of reason1 ,i  
look upon his creation1 on his          
star-spangled firmament1 and the glory  
of his works1 ,i should as soon doubt my
 own existence1 as the perfect wisdom   
and goodness of the author of my being4 
,all religion1 which does not strengthen
 our confidence in this1 must be a      
dreary illusion4 ,horrible dreams1      
dating their origin from the            

associations of childhood1 and the rant 
of wild and visionary ministers1 may    
sometimes interpose1 in the uncertain   
moments between sleeping and waking1 as 
among the gloomy presentiments and      
partial delirium of ill health4 ,but    
every rational mind must finally settle 
to repose in that glorious persuasion1  
which instantly irradiates the moral    
universe with perennial sunshine4 #8,the
 ,lord reigneth2 let the earth rejoice4'
 ,in this or any other world1 in our    
present or any other forms of conscious 
being1 we may advance upon the          
unexplored scenes with a full confidence
 that we can never travel beyond the    
beneficence and equity of the infinite  
mind4  ,one of the standing themes of   
,christian pulpits is the puerile and   
absurd views1 which the common creed of 
the ,greeks and ,romans presented of the
 rabble divinities of their ,pantheon2  
deities1 who fought1 intrigued1 made    
love1 and intoxicated themselves2       
deities1 who had great power in a       

valley1 and none on the adjoining hills2
 deities1 who were conquered1 and       
transferred with their territory1 and   
became in consequence subservient to    
their conquerors4 ,i have heard         
discussions of this kind in the         
discourse of the sabbath morning3 and1  
in that of the evening1 views of        
,christian theology1 scarcely less      
narrow and unworthy of the ,supreme     
,being4 ,i am compelled to believe1 from
 reading and observation1 that the mass 
of the people1 in all churches1 have had
 no other conception of the divinity1   
than that of a being molded much like   
themselves4 ,we cannot avoid            
discovering1 that their ideas of a ,god 
are gross1 material1 local1 partial2    
that they behold him1 as the ,god of    
their place1 party and passions4        
,converse with the fiercer sects1 and   
you perceive1 that their views          
immediately become vague1 as soon as    
they contemplate the ,almighty occupied 
with concerns beyond their sect4 ,it    

seems beyond their thoughts1 to realize1
 that their denomination bears to the   
species little more than the proportion 
of a drop to the ocean3 and that the    
,supreme ,being cannot be rationally    
supposed more concerned about them1 than
 any other equal number of his children4
  ,nothing can be more philosophical1 or
 consoling1 than the ,scripture views of
 what has been called a particular      
providence4 ,but1 as we hear it         
generally expounded from the press1 the 
pulpit1 and in common conversation1 it  
offers views of the divine ,being and   
government1 scarcely less weak1         
monstrous and unworthy1 than those      
entertained by the ancient pagans4 ,what
 a conception1 to suppose that a perfect
 law1 as wise and equitable in its      
general operation1 as infinite wisdom   
and goodness could ordain1 could be     
continually infringed1 to meet countless
 millions of opposing prayers and       
interests6 ,what a view of ,god1 to     
imagine1 that earnest and concurrent    

prayers can at any time divert him from 
his purpose1 and change his plans6 ,what
 palpable misinterpretation of the      
,scriptures1 to suppose1 that they give 
any countenance to such debasing        
conceptions of ,god6 ,hear rigid        
sectarians converse1 and you discover1  
that they think little of the divine    
providence1 which has no reference to   
their individual interests and concerns4
 ,from the tone of their conversations1 
it is but too manifest1 that they have  
an interior confidence1 that they can   
obtain of the divine power1 almost what 
they will4  ,the testimony of church    
history and the experience of time      
testify1 that the million1 under all    
degrees of light1 shrink from the       
difficult and philosophical idea of the 
real ,jehovah of the ,bible2 and form1  
instead1 the easy and natural image of a
 limited1 partial1 changeable ,god1 whom
 importunity can easily induce to swerve
 from his purpose2 and who is1 in many  
respects1 such a being as themselves4   

,it is the embodied conception of their 
own narrow views1 assigned to a local   
habitation4 ,to him the countless       
millions of other lands1 and other forms
 of worship1 are not1 like them1 as     
children4 ,unable to rise to the        
,supreme ,being1 they have brought ,him 
down to them4  ,a few minds1 from age to
 age1 elevated by endowment and         
circumstances far above their           
cotemporaries1 have not only embraced1  
in common with others1 the easy and     
simple sentiments of ,him1 which the    
heart entertains1 but have raised their 
contemplations so high1 as to behold    
,him in the light of truth--have seen   
,him1 in some sense1 as ,he is--have    
been filled with awe and confidence1 in 
the view of his immutability1 and with  
filial and cheerful resignation1 in     
seeing in the universe1 its order1      
mutations and variety1 in the mixed     
condition of man1 in a word1 in every   
feature of the natural and moral        
creation1 as in a mirror1 a perfect     

transcript of the divine perfections--a 
pattern of an archetype without a shade 
of defect4 ,instead of bringing the     
,divine ,being down to them1 they have  
raised themselves up to ,him4 ,the veil1
 that screens his glory from the feeble 
vision of the multitude1 has been       
removed4 ,being assured1 that ,he has   
made of one blood all nations1 that     
dwell on the earth1 they have seen it to
 be impossible1 that ,he should look    
upon one portion of his children with   
more favor than on another4 ,they have  
seen1 in the superior light and         
advantages of one part of the species   
over another1 not the indication1 of    
what is technically called special      
favor1 but the natural result of the    
operation of his universal laws4 ,they  
have seen1 that if the inhabitants of   
one region are enabled to rise higher in
 the intellectual scale1 and pay him a  
more spiritual and worthy homage--the   
simple inhabitants of distant1 barbarous
 isles have an organization admitting   

them to be as happy as their natures    
will admit1 and as full of enjoyment as 
their measure can contain4 ,if they are 
unable to offer an intellectual worship1
 the service of their minds1 their      
hearts are formed for fervent admiration
 and worship of the thunderer--the      
being1 who raises fruits and flowers1   
and hangs out his bow on their clouds4  
,they see1 in all this1 that ,god1 also1
 hath set one thing over against        
another4   ,note #dg1 page #add4  ,the  
wisdom of allowing any place to the     
imagination1 among the faculties to be  
nurtured1 ,i have often heard called in 
question4 ,the extremes of opinion      
frequently meet in the same point4 ,the 
most earnest declaimers against the     
indulgence of the imagination are       
commonly found among the class of strict
 religionists4 ,it is1 at the same time1
 a strong and prominent trait in the    
system of ,mr ,owen #8the philosopher of
 circumstances1' and his followers1 that
 we ought to eradicate this faculty1 if 

possible1 or at least suppress its      
exercise2 and reduce all mental         
operations to the cultivation of the    
reasoning powers4 ,for me1 ,i hold1 that
 we are as much indebted to the author  
of our being for granting us this       
faculty1 as any other4 ,i see nothing   
wrong1 or unphilosophical in cultivating
 it to the utmost extent2 provided our  
imaginings would be innocent1 if we     
could render them realities2 unless it  
can be shown1 that the indulgence of    
this faculty enervates the mind1 and    
unfits it for encountering the stern    
duties and trials of life4 ,so far from 
believing this to be the natural        
tendency of its allowed exercise1 my    
experience has led me to suppose1 that  
persons1 strongly endowed with this     
faculty1 are most likely to show energy 
for the discharge of common duties2 and 
constancy and cheerfulness in           
encountering trials4 ,are the southern  
people of ,europe1 for example1 less    
firm in conflicting with danger and     

sorrow1 or more feeble and remiss in the
 discharge of duties1 than the northern 
nations1 admitted to be far less        
imaginative8 ,within the range of my    
experience1 ,i find those possessed of  
the most vivid imagination1 the most    
prompt to duty1 and the most cheerful in
 sorrow4 ,the moody advocates of pure   
and exclusive reason lay feeling1 one of
 the strongest impulses to duty1 out of 
the question2 and would extinguish one  
of the surest supports in sorrow1 the   
power of creating a bright internal     
world for ourselves1 when the external  
world is involved in unavoidable gloom4 
,they who decry the indulgence of the   
imagination1 must1 of course1 object to 
the endowment of poets and painters2 and
 equally to the pleasure derived from   
reading poetry1 and contemplating       
paintings4 ,the whole empire of these   
kindred studies is that of the          
imagination4 ,let us try the alleged    
puerility of indulging this faculty4 ,no
 one will deny1 that it is the highest  

wisdom to seek to be as happy1 as we    
innocently may4 ,when a mental faculty  
is employed in creating within us a     
celestial world1 peopled with nobler    
beings1 acting from higher motives1 and 
showing a happier existence2 and in     
substituting the beautiful possible for 
the tame real2 if we find innocent      
happiness in this celestial             
castle-building1 are we not employing   
reason1 only in a different direction   
from the common8 ,when any one can prove
 to me1 that it is puerile1 to make     
ourselves happy1 and from sources always
 within our own control1 then ,i will   
admit1 that ideal pleasures are unworthy
 of a reasonable being4 ,prove only1    
that the indulgence of the faculty      
enervates the mind1 and indisposes it   
for duty and constancy in suffering1 and
 ,i will grant at once1 that it should  
be stifled1 or its action restricted or 
suppressed4 ,so far from believing this 
to be the fact1 ,i would counsel him1   
whom ,i most love1 to seek in her whom  

he would select for his wife1 a cheerful
 and active imagination4 ,it is an      
egregious mistake1 that mathematicians  
and practical men have generally been   
found destitute of a good development of
 this faculty4 ,contrary to the vulgar  
and hackneyed theme of pulpit           
declamation1 ,i have found on           
examination1 that some of the most      
energetically charitable women1 ,i have 
ever known1 were veteran novel readers2 
as have also been some of the most      
profound lawyers that have ever adorned 
the judgment seat in our country4       
,note #dh1 page #ade4  ,it is not       
exactly true1 that this faculty can be  
subjected to the complete control of the
 will4 ,i know of no point in           
metaphysics1 connected1 also1 with an   
important question in rhetoric1 upon    
which less light has been thrown1 than  
the question1 how far1 and in what way  
the imagination can be cultivated3 and  
by what methods brought under the       
control of the will4 ,a system of useful

 and practical rules for this result is1
 as far as my reading extends1 a        
desideratum4 ,dr ,johnson1 it is well   
known1 believed1 that a man's muse was  
sua dextra1 his own will1 industry and  
habits1 and that by a vigorous effort   
over himself1 he could write1 for       
example1 at any time4 ,this may be true 
in efforts1 in which imagination is not 
required2 but1 where the vivid exercise 
of this faculty is requisite to         
excellence1 it is not true4 ,let the    
most amply endowed poet suffer under    
mental depression1 dyspepsia1 a         
concurrence of small misfortunes and    
petty vexations4 ,let him write in a    
smoky apartment1 and look abroad upon a 
leaden sky1 marked with the dulness of  
winter1 without its storms and congenial
 horrors4 ,he may repair to his rules4  
,he may apply the whip and spur1 and    
invoke the nimble fancies from the vasty
 deep1 and the muses from their hill1   
but they will not answer1 nor come at   
his bidding4  ,the imagination may be   

cultivated to a certain extent2 and     
brought by rules and intense            
concentration of mind1 in a certain     
degree1 under the control of the will4  
,those1 who would nurture it1 ought     
intensely to study those rules4 ,but1   
after all1 to be able to exercise it in 
high measures of vivacity1 is an        
endowment1 in the bestowment of which   
nature has been more capricious than in 
almost any other4 ,even when possessed  
in copious measures1 its province lies  
so intermediate between corporeal and   
mental influence1 between the prevalent 
temperament of the period of its action1
 and the concurrence of external        
circumstances beyond our control1 that  
we can easily see1 why the wise         
ancients1 who thought more justly upon  
these subjects1 and more profoundly than
 the moderns seem to be willing to      
apprehend1 attributed the successful    
efforts of the muses to a superior and  
celestial influence4 ,he1 who pushes the
 theory of our control over this faculty

 beyond truth1 adopts an error1 nearly  
if not quite as dangerous1 as he1 who   
holds1 that we have no control over it  
at all4  ,a thousand external           
circumstances1 which it would require a 
volume to enumerate1 must concur with a 
certain easy and strong excitability in 
the physical and mental frame2 and that 
excitability called into action by the  
right sort of stimulants1 to impart     
happy and vigorous action to the        
imagination4 ,milton affirmed1 that his 
muse was most propitious in the spring4 
,as far as ,i can judge1 the season of  
reproduction1 and the awakening of the  
slumbering powers of nature1 in the     
aroma and brilliancy of vegetation and  
flowers1 acts too voluptuously on the   
senses1 to give the highest and best    
direction to the imagination4 ,the      
,indian summer days of autumn1 with the 
associated repose of nature1 the broad  
and crimson disk of the sun enthroned in
 the dome of a misty sky1 the clouds    
sleeping in the firmament1 the gorgeous 

coloring of the forests1 the flashing   
fall of the first leaves1 and the not   
unpleasing sadness of the images1 called
 up by the imperceptible decay of       
nature1 and the stealthy approach of    
winter1 seem to me most favorable to    
heavenly musing4 ,a cloudless morning1 a
 beautiful sun1 the glittering          
brightness of the dew drops1 the        
renovated freshness of nature1 morning  
sounds1 the mists rolling away from the 
path of the sun1 a bland southwest      
breeze1 good health1 self-satisfaction1 
the recent reception of good news1 and  
the right train of circumstances all    
concur to put this faculty into its     
happiest action4  ,every one is         
acquainted with the unsparing ridicule  
bestowed on ,bayes1 in ,buckingham's    
,rehearsal1 for announcing1 that he     
always took physic1 before he wrote4    
,yet the dull coxcomb had reason and    
truth on his side4 ,mental action is    
more dependent upon corporeal1 and the  
ethereal powers upon the right          

disposition of that organized clod1 the 
body1 than most are willing to          
acknowledge4 ,who has not felt1 when    
first going abroad from severe sickness1
 the new aspects of nature1 a fullness  
of heart1 and the crowding of           
innumerable images upon the thoughts1   
which have no place in the mind1 after a
 turtle feast or a full dinner8 ,when   
the digestive powers are oppressed with 
morbid accumulation1 the wheels of      
mental movement1 as every one knows1    
move heavily4 ,students1 orators1       
painters1 poets1 imaginative men must   
live as near famine as may be1 and the  
most useful stimulants are coffee and   
tea4 ,every one has read1 that ,byron's 
inspiration was gin4 ,it may be1 that   
the detestible combination of           
terebinthine and alcoholic excitement   
may have aroused from the mouldy and    
terrene dormitories of his brain the    
images of ,don ,juan1 and the obscene1  
irreligious1 anti-social1 and fierce    
thoughts1 that abound in his works4 ,but

 ,i would hardly believe1 on his own    
assertion1 that he wrote the ,prisoners 
of ,children under such an influence4   
,the muse of alcohol is accursed2 and   
her influence is too corroding1 dreggy1 
and adverse to life1 to originate ideas 
worthy of being handed down in immortal 
verse4 ,if these baleful aids were      
resorted to at all1 ,i should consider  
opium a thousand times preferable to    
alcohol4  ,i know1 from my own          
experience1 that this reality of actual 
and present existence may be imparted to
 the creations of the imagination1 by   
long habits of subjecting it to the     
control of the will4 ,the enjoyment1    
resulting from reality1 may be more     
intense1 but it is1 also1 more          
tumultuous and feverish4 ,i know of no  
happiness1 more pure1 prolonged and     
tranquil1 more like what we may imagine 
to be the bliss of higher intelligences1
 than to be able to create this sunshine
 of the soul1 this fair and celestial   
world within ourselves1 and make        

ourselves free denizens of the country4 
,from these fairy mansions labor1 care  
and want are excluded4 ,the obstacles   
and impediments of time1 distance1 and  
disease1 both of body and mind1 are     
excluded4 ,the inhabitants1 walking in  
the light of truth and the radiance of  
immortal beauty1 from sin and death     
forever free1 unite the wisdom of angels
 to the simplicity and affectionate     
confidence of children4   ,note #ej1    
page #adf4  ,no people1 in my           
estimation1 are farther from true       
wisdom1 than they1 who denounce these   
pleasures of the imagination1 as the    
puerile follies of weak minds4 ,they who
 are most prompt to bring the charge1   
are generally destitute of the faculty1 
and its kindred endowments themselves2  
and seem to desire that other minds     
should be reduced to their own scale of 
sterility4 ,puerile1 to avail ourselves 
of the power of rendering ourselves     
innocently happy6 ,to me the puerility  
belongs to those who mostly abstain from

 contemplating the few gleams of        
sunshine1 that we can behold between the
 cradle and the grave4 #8,but these joys
 are unreal6' ,what is there in the vain
 show of life1 that is not so8 ,see the 
greedy scramble of ambition1 after      
honor1 wealth and distinction1 the      
painted baubles of insects1 who hold all
 by the frail tenure of life6 ,life     
itself1 what is it1 but a dream1        
sometimes illumined by the rainbows of  
imagination and hope8   ,note #ea1 page 
#adi4  ,a being endowed with such       
intense emotions1 as man2 and so placed1
 as to have them so strongly called     
forth by the relations he contracts3 so 
much in the dark in regard to his       
origin1 his end and everything about    
him1 conscious1 that he must shortly    
leave home1 all that he loves1 the view 
of the earth and the sky1 and that body1
 which long habit has taught him to     
consider as himself1 to molder back to  
the soil1 should naturally be expected  
to have this tendency to melancholy4    

,beautifully said the fabulist1 #8that  
he who formed us1 moistened the clay of 
our structure not with water but tears4'
 ,the natural expression of the human   
countenance in sleep is shaded with a   
slight veil of melancholy4 ,it has been 
observed1 that the national music of all
 people1 and1 more especially1 of the   
uncivilized tribes1 is on a key of      
melancholy4 ,most of the voices of the  
animal tribes are of this cast4 ,the    
strain of the nightingale is the deepest
 expression of this sentiment4 ,religion
 should be the grand re-agent1 in       
bringing light and cheerfulness to a    
universe of sadness and death1 by       
presenting new views of that universe1  
its author1 his beneficence1 and the    
ultimate hope of the soul4        #8,see
 truth1 love and mercy in triumph       
descending1        ,and nature all      
glowing in ,eden's first bloom2         
,on the cold cheek of death smiles and  
roses are blending4        ,and beauty  
immortal awakes from the tomb4'   ,note 

#eb1 page #adi4  ,with the honorable    
exception of some towns and districts in
 our country1 the epitaphs and          
monumental inscriptions are utterly     
beneath criticism4 ,the greater portion 
are from ,watts1 and the other minor    
poets1 too often little more than       
extravagant1 coarse1 miserable conceits4
 ,here and there1 a beautiful quotation 
from the ,bible1 such as #8,blessed are 
the dead1 who die in the ,lord2' #8,man 
cometh forth1 like a flower1 and is cut 
down1' only serve to render the         
worthlessness of the remainder more     
conspicuous by contrast4 ,what adds to  
the unpleasant effect is1 that no       
inconsiderable portion of them are      
absolutely misspelt1 to say nothing of  
the punctuation4 ,strange1 that         
survivors should incur the expense of a 
slab1 and permit a stone-cutter to      
select1 spell1 and point the            
inscriptions4 ,it is to be hoped1 that  
some competent writer will1 ere long1   
take in hand this matter1 so vital to   

the literary reputation of our country1 
and introduce a thorough and general    
reform1 by wiping away this national    
stain1 and introducing that beautiful   
and sublime simplicity1 which ought     
always to characterize monumental       
inscriptions4  ,akin to the bad taste of
 this sort1 is the slovenly manner in   
which our church-yards are kept1 in     
whole sections of the country4 ,who has 
not felt pain1 at seeing many and even  
most of these places sacred to memory1  
in the western county especially1       
uninclosed1 trampled upon by cattle1 and
 the narrow heap of turf disturbed by   
swine8  ,of writers1 whose works have   
been immortalized by the muse of        
melancholy1 ,i am acquainted1 in the    
,french language1 with ,chateaubriand1  
who has produced occasional passages of 
this class not to be surpassed2 and     
,lamartine1 whose poetry breathes a rich
 and deep strain of melancholy4 ,young's
 ,night ,thoughts1 ,blair's ,grave1 and 
,porteus #8on ,death1' are celebrated   

,english specimens of this class of     
poetry4 ,in our country the ,thanatopsis
 of ,bryant ranks quite as high as      
either of the former writers in this    
walk4 ,some of the lines are of         
exquisite beauty1 as paintings of the   
trophies of the tomb4 ,another age will 
do justice to many of the thoughts in   
the ,sorotaphion of a young poet1 who   
has written on the remote shores of ,red
 ,river4  ,the first lines of the       
inscription on the famous ,roman statue 
of ,sleep are the sublimest             
concentration of melancholy thought3    
#8,it is better to sleep1 than wake2 and
 best of all to be in marble4'  ,the    
same may be said of that of the orphan  
nun1 who died in the prime of youth and 
beauty3 #8,i was alone among the living4
 ,i am alone here4'  ,but it is in the  
book of ,job1 that poetic images1 upon  
which has been thrown the shade of a    
sublime melancholy1 are set forth1 with 
a power and pathos that leave little    
more1 to succeeding writers in that     

walk1 than to study1 combine1 and       
reproduce their features4 ,how perfectly
 has this author given utterance to the 
groans of one in utter despondency and  
bereavement6 ,here the heart speaks its 
own language1 with a simplicity and     
truth to make its way to every other    
heart4 ,these features fix the date of  
this poem at a period antecedent to the 
settled art of writing1 and plagiarizing
 the shadow of a shade1 more            
conclusively than volumes of criticism4 
,he copied not2 but drank at the        
fountain2 feeling deeply1 and expressing
 what he felt4   ,note #ec1 page #aej4  
,when in my travels ,i pass through a   
town1 or village1 which ,i have not     
seen1 if ,i have sufficient leisure1 the
 first place which ,i visit1 is         
uniformly the church-yard4 ,the feeling 
that ,i am a stranger1 that ,i know not 
the scenery1 and that it knows not me1  
naturally induces a sort of pensive     
meditation1 which disposes me for that  
sojourn4 ,i form certain estimates of   

the taste and moral feeling of the      
people1 from the forms and devices of   
the slabs and monuments2 and the order  
in which the consecrated ground is      
inclosed1 and kept4 ,the inscriptions   
are ordinarily1 in too bad a taste to   
claim much interest1 though there are   
few church-yards1 that cannot show some 
monuments1 which1 by their eccentric    
variation from the rest1 mark character4
 ,all this is a matter of trifling      
interest1 compared with the throng of   
remembrances and anticipations1 that    
naturally crowd upon the spirit of a    
stranger in such a place4 ,youth with   
its rainbows1 and its loves2 mature age 
with its ambitious projects2 old age in 
the midst of children1 death in the     
natal spot1 or the house of the         
stranger2 eternity with its dim and     
illimitable mysteriousness2 these       
shadowy images1 with their associated   
thoughts1 pass through the mind1 and    
return1 like the guests at an inn4      
,while ,i look up towards the rolling   

clouds1 and the sun walking his         
unvarying path along the firmament1 how 
natural the reflection1 that they will  
present the same aspect1 and suggest the
 same reflections1 that the trees will  
stand forth in their foliage and the    
hills in their verdure1 to him who comes
 after me1 when ,i shall have taken my  
place with the unconscious sleepers     
about me6 ,i never fail to recollect the
 charming reflections in a number of the
 ,spectator1 that treats upon a visit to
 ,westminster ,abbey1 the most          
impressive writing of the kind1 as it   
seems to me1 in our language4  ,here is 
the place to reflect upon the folly1 if 
not the guilt1 of human hatred and      
revenge1 ambition and avarice1 and the  
million puerile projects and cares1 that
 are incessantly over-clouding the      
sunshine of existence4 ,what an eloquent
 lesson do these voiceless preachers    
read1 upon the wisdom of most of those  
thoughts and solicitudes1 that disturb  
our course through life6  ,the heart    

cannot but be made better by occasional 
communion with these tenants of the     
narrow house1 where--        #8,each    
waits the other's license to disturb    
,the deep1 unbroken silence4'   ,note   
#ec;a1 page #aeb4  ,it is questionable1 
how far they could lay claim to be the  
real friends of humanity1 who would     
reason away this last1 best solace of   
human wretchedness1 even were it proved 
an illusion4 ,but man is just as        
certainly and necessarily a religious   
being1 as he is a being constituted with
 appetites and passions4 ,grant1 that   
there are people1 who seem wholly       
destitute of the religious sentiment4   
,such are the real ,atheists from       
internal conviction2 for observe1 there 
are many1 who assume to be such1 to pass
 for free and independent thinkers1 and 
who are most likely1 in their dying     
moments1 to require absolution and      
extreme unction4 ,but if there are men  
thus monstrously constituted1 so are    
there individuals apparently as         

destitute of the common appetites and   
passions4 ,we take no account of such   
exceptions1 in indicating a general     
rule2 and say1 that man is constituted a
 religious being1 and possessed of      
certain appetites and passions2 although
 there may be selected a few            
individuals1 who seem entirely without  
either4  ,religion is the key stone of  
the arch of the moral universe4 ,it is  
the fountain of endearing friendship2   
and on it are founded those sublime     
relations1 which exist between the      
visible and the invisible world2 those1 
who still sojourn here1 and those who   
have become citizens of the country     
beyond us4 ,it is the poesy of          
existence1 the basis of all high thought
 and virtuous feeling2 of charities and 
morals2 and the very tie of social      
existence4 ,let no person claim to be   
good1 while laying an unhallowed hand   
upon this ark of the covenant of the    
,eternal with the children of sorrow and
 death4   ,note #ed1 page #aed4         

,treatises upon the evidences of        
religion may be useful for theological  
students2 and ,i have heard people      
affirm1 that they have been rescued by  
such works from the gloom of unbelief4  
,but1 believing1 as ,i do1 that we were 
constituted religious animals1 if such a
 term may be admitted1 and that the     
religious sentiment is a part of our    
organization1 ,i have quite as much     
confidence in the arguments of the      
heart1 as of the head4 ,i undertake not 
to pronounce1 whether ,m4 de            
,chateaubriand were a good christian1 or
 not4 ,but ,i affirm1 that ,i have      
nowhere seen my own views of the        
process1 by which the original endowment
 of the religious sentiment is called   
into action1 so eloquently described1 as
 in the following extract from that     
writer4  #8,my mother1 after being      
thrown1 at the age of seventy-two years1
 into a dungeon1 where she saw a part of
 her children perish1 expired at last   
upon a couch of straw1 to which her     

miseries had consigned her4 ,the        
remembrance of my errors infused great  
bitterness into her last days4 ,in death
 she charged one of my sisters to recall
 me to that religion1 in which ,i had   
been reared4 ,my sister transmitted me  
the last wish of my mother4 ,when this  
letter reached me beyond the seas1 my   
sister herself was no more4 ,she had    
died from the consequences of her       
imprisonment4 ,these two voices1        
proceeding from the tomb1 this death1   
which served as the interpreter of the  
dead1 deeply struck me4 ,i did not      
yield1 ,i admit1 to great supernatural  
lights4 ,my conviction proceeded from   
the heart4 ,i wept1 and ,i believed4'   
,note #ee1 page #aeg4  ,the belief      
naturally originated by the sentiment of
 religion1 or what may be called the    
faith of the heart1 is presented in the 
last fruitless attempt of the old man1  
to cheer the despair of ,paul in the    
exquisite tale of ,paul and ,virginia4  
#8,and why deplore the fate of          

,virginia8 ,virginia still exists4      
,there is1 be assured1 a region1 in     
which virtue receives its reward4       
,virginia now is happy4 ,oh6 if from the
 abode of angels1 she could tell you1 as
 she did1 when she bade you farewell1   
8,o ,paul1 life is but a trial4 ,i was  
faithful to the laws of nature1 love and
 virtue4 ,heaven found ,i had fulfilled 
my duties1 and snatched me forever from 
all the miseries1 ,i might have endured 
myself2 and all1 ,i might have felt for 
the miseries of others4 ,i am placed    
above the reach of all human evils1 and 
you pity me6 ,i am become pure and      
unchangeable1 as a particle of light1   
and you would recall me to the darkness 
of human life4 ,o ,paul6 ,o my beloved  
friend6 ,recollect those days of        
happiness1 when in the morning we felt  
the delightful sensations excited by the
 unfolding beauties of nature2 when we  
gazed upon the sun1 gilding the peaks of
 those rocks2 and then spreading his    
rays over the bosom of the forests4 ,how

 exquisite were our emotions1 while we  
enjoyed the glowing colors of the       
opening day1 the odors of our shrubs1   
the concerts of our birds6 ,now at the  
source of beauty1 from which flows all  
that is delightful on earth1 my soul    
intuitively sees1 tastes1 hears1        
touches1 what before she could only be  
made sensible of through the medium of  
our weak organs4 ,oh6 what language can 
describe1 those shores of eternal bliss1
 which ,i inhabit forever6 ,all1 that   
infinite power and celestial bounty can 
confer1 that harmony1 which results from
 friendship with numberless beings1     
exulting in the same felicity1 we enjoy 
in unmixed perfection4 ,support1 then1  
the trial which is allotted you1 that   
you may heighten the happiness of your  
,virginia1 by love1 which will know no  
termination1 by hymeneals1 which will be
 immortal4 ,there ,i will calm your     
regrets2 ,i will wipe away your tears4  
,raise your thoughts towards infinite   
duration1 and bear the evils of a       

moment40'   ,note #ef1 page #afj4       
,phrenologists affirm1 that along the   
centre of the crown is situated the     
organ of veneration1 or religious       
sentiment2 that1 where it is large1 the 
subject is strongly endowed with        
religious feeling1 and the contrary1    
when it is otherwise2 that1 with some   
few monstrous exceptions1 all possess   
this organ in a larger or smaller       
degree2 and that1 as the sentiment      
springing from the action of this organ 
is directed towards proper or improper  
objects1 enlightened by reason1 rendered
 gloomy by fear1 or superstitious by    
credulity1 is the religious character of
 the person4 ,neither my subject1 nor my
 inclination calls upon me to agitate a 
system1 which has generally been met    
only with unsparing ridicule1 instead of
 manly argument4 ,with its doctrines or 
merits ,i intermeddle not in this place4
 ,but1 as far as the system declares1   
that those people1 whom we call pious1  
whose tone of mind seems to dispose them

 to strong religious feeling1 are so    
inclined from organization1 rather than 
volition1 or argument1 ,i most          
confidently believe4 ,morals1 whatever  
is taught by the science of ethics1     
dogmas1 ceremonies1 commonly phrased    
religion1 make1 in my mind1 no part of  
it4 ,i consider religion to be simply   
love1 originating from instinctive      
impulses of veneration in the mind1 for 
whatever is powerful1 beneficent1 and   
worthy of love4 ,its native tendency is 
to expend its affection1 first upon the 
unknown and incomprehensible power1 from
 whom we derived our being1 whom the    
heart1 without argument1 intuitively    
perceives to be good4 ,its next and     
associated tendency is philanthropy1 or 
the love of what bears the impress and  
image of ,god4 ,if we possess not this  
original organization1 no argument will 
ever persuade us to be religious4 ,if we
 have it1 we may be liberal1 or bigoted1
 ,christians or ,mahometans1 earnest or 
cold1 according to our proportion of    

endowment1 our training and             
circumstances4 ,we may even adopt the   
flippant arguments of the unbelieving1  
and enlist ourselves under their banner4
 ,but the original principle is still   
within us1 uneradicated1 and            
uneradicable2 and ready1 if             
circumstances should favor the change1  
to present us in the form of devotees1  
or1 as the phrase is1 converted4 ,the   
whole wisdom and excellence of religious
 training consist in enlightening this  
noble sentiment1 and giving it a right  
direction4 ,i am the rather confirmed in
 these views1 by having remarked1 that  
the chief1 palpable and tangible        
influences of religion1 which ,i have   
witnessed in all the sects1 that ,i have
 had occasion to observe1 have seemed to
 me to result from the affectionate     
spirit of their worship1 creating in    
them strong dispositions to love one    
another4  ,open the gospels and the     
epistles1 and what is the first         
impression from perusing these unique   

and original writings1 so wholly unlike 
any other recorded compositions1 and    
bearing upon a theme of such astonishing
 import8 ,the simplicity and fervor1    
with which the spirit of love is        
impressed upon the pages4 ,the strong   
and before unwitnessed manifestation of 
this spirit was the striking aspect1    
which the first ,christians presented to
 pagan beholders4 #8,see6' said they1   
#8how these ,christians love one        
another4' ,every time1 ,i peruse the    
writings of the ,new ,testament1 this   
peculiar badge of discipleship seems    
more visibly impressed upon them4 ,in   
what other institution1 but that of     
,christianity1 was it ever practicable  
to possess all things in common8 ,where 
has been the community1 in which no one 
felt want1 when a disciple had wherewith
 to satisfy it8 ,in what other          
chronicles do we meet with such         
affecting and sublime examples of       
devotion to each other1 and a constancy 
of affection1 which showed itself proof 

against all other human passions1       
selfishness1 hope1 fear1 earthly love1  
and the terror of death8 ,what          
tenderness and singleness of heart in   
their affection for each other6 ,how    
beautifully they demonstrate1 that the  
sentiment1 which actuated them1 had     
gained a complete triumph over all      
considerations1 arising from objects    
below the sun8 ,he on whose bosom the   
loved disciple leaned must certainly be 
admitted to know the peculiar and       
distinguishing feature of his religion4 
,this feature stands forth embodied in  
all his teachings4 ,philanthropy is the 
predominant trait in the life of him1   
who went about doing good4 ,consider the
 basis of religion to be a sentiment    
implanted in our constitution1 and this 
result would naturally be expected to   
flow from its development4  ,true       
religion1 consisting in an enlightened  
and affectionate direction of the heart 
towards the divinity1 and manifesting   
itself in love to the human family1 and 

in consequent obedience to the universal
 and unchangeable laws of the ,creator1 
can only be expected to result from the 
highest discipline of the mind1 and the 
ultimate exercise of the purest reason4 
,but the sentiment1 from which this     
religion springs1 in some form or other1
 as naturally impels the heart towards  
,god1 and its faith and aspirations     
towards immortality1 as fishes desire to
 find their home in the water1 or birds 
in the air2 and as everything1 that has 
life1 obeys the peculiar instincts and  
impulses impressed by the divine hand4  
,why else1 should every people under    
heaven1 in all time1 have been found    
with a religion in some form1 and hopes 
and fears beyond the grave8 ,consider   
religion in this light1 and its hopes   
are as sure1 as those objects1 towards  
which the instincts of all other animals
 prompt them4  ,do ,i undervalue morals1
 since ,i do not deem them a part1 of   
what should be properly called religion8
 ,i trust1 ,i cannot be so mistaken4    

,ethics may be taught1 as a science1    
and1 however important1 seems to me no  
more a part of religion1 than           
mathematics or natural philosophy4 ,love
 will create morals2 and its perfection 
the perfection of morals1 that we       
ascribe to angels4 ,all that has been   
urged from the pulpit1 in regard to     
faith and works1 as cause and effect1   
may1 with still more justice1 be applied
 to love and duty4 ,love is the faith of
 the heart1 and its original impress1   
when rightly trained in the science of  
ethics1 and enlightened by pure and     
simple reason1 produces its results in  
the best exemplification of the         
christian character4   ,note #eg1 page  
#afe4  ,that person has no right to     
complain of the shortness of life1 who  
lies in bed1 either sleeping1 or dozing1
 until nine2 and thus voluntarily       
consigns to unconsciousness a twelfth   
part of his existence4 ,as little reason
 has he for indulging a querulous spirit
 on this score1 if he spends without    

object a considerable portion of his    
time with people1 about whom he knows   
nothing1 except that they are incapable 
of furnishing a moment's pleasure1 or   
instruction to any one4 ,if each one    
noted down at night the incidents of the
 day1 that had occupied his time1 and   
how much of it he had appropriated to   
each1 ,i fear all that portion1 that we 
call people of leisure would be able to 
show but a lean schedule either of      
utility or enjoyment1 as the result4    
,complaints of the brevity of life are  
equally interdicted to all those1 who do
 not wisely improve every hour of the   
brief and uncertain present4 ,he1 who   
regretted his stinted fortune1 would    
find1 and deserve little sympathy1 if1  
in the very moments of complaining1 he  
was seen inconsiderately squandering    
from that limited fund4 ,to form a      
resolution to mark every moment of life1
 that we might1 with a succession of    
pleasant ideas1 would probably triple   
the duration of most human lives4 ,to   

sleep no more than nature requires1 to  
rise early1 to discipline ourselves to  
preserve an elastic and active spirit   
and a vigorous will1 are parts of this  
resolution4 ,it is a much greater part1 
than is commonly apprehended1 to waste  
as little time as possible on those1 who
 are incapable of understanding us1 and 
whom we are as little capable of        
understanding4 ,reciprocal good feeling 
is much more likely to be created1 and  
sustained by those who are determined to
 avoid this course1 than those who1 from
 mere unmeaning civility and common     
etiquette1 bring their incompatibilities
 together1 to make common stock of a    
mutual weariness with each other1 which 
soon ripens into concealed1 if not      
expressed ill feeling4  ,they1 who are  
accustomed to think in this direction1  
will easily fill out the fine outline of
 the author's views touching the right  
mode to arrest the flight of time4 ,to  
add to this sketch would require an     
extent of detail1 for which ,i have here

 no place4 ,the general principle of    
this process seems to consist in meeting
 pain and adversity with a spirit so    
philosophic and firm that they will     
recoil from it2 and to dwell upon every 
innocent enjoyment1 as though it were   
our first1 and would be our last2 to    
prolong it by investing it with all     
possible moral relations2 and to        
discipline the mind never to become     
hackneyed1 sated1 wearied1 and callous  
to the sense of objects in which man is 
bound to feel an interest1 alike by his 
duty and his nature4  ,never was a more 
stupid maxim1 than that common one1 that
 nil admirari is the proper motto of a  
philosopher4 ,to preserve a freshness1 a
 juvenile sensibility of the heart for  
the admiration of whatever is new1      
beautiful and striking1 for all the     
pleasures of taste and the              
understanding1 seems to me the true     
secret of the highest wisdom4 ,who can  
fail to be inspired with disgust at     
witnessing the common spectacle of      

cognoscenti1 men of virtu1 travelled    
fools1 who have been everywhere1 and    
seen everything2 and by the contemptuous
 sneer1 with which they effect to see1  
hear1 feel and speak of all1 that passes
 under their present observation1       
instruct you1 that they are too wise1   
and of a taste too refined1 to be       
pleased with what satisfies untravelled 
people4 ,for my part1 when ,i hear them 
boast of the music1 paintings and       
architecture of continental ,europe1 and
 ,england1 as though all the sources of 
beauty were there1 ,i can only say1 that
 nature is always at hand1 to mock at   
all the puny efforts of art2 that she   
delights to mould living faces and forms
 in remote country cottages1 that no    
beau idal can reach2 that the songs of  
the birds1 that return from other climes
 to their forsaken groves with the first
 sunny days of spring constitute a music
 richer to the heart1 than the most     
fashionable opera2 and that a pure      
spring landscape is a pictured thousand 

times more splendid1 than any that ever 
adorned the walls of the ,louvre4 ,he1  
who preserves1 to his utmost age1 his   
youthful sensibility of heart1 and who  
is willing to be pleased with whatever  
will impart innocent pleasure1 will find
 innumerable and never failing occasions
 to give his heart up to the full       
impulses of joy4  #8,i pity1' says      
,sterne1 #8the man1 who can travel from 
,dan to ,beersheba1 and cry 'tis all    
barren2 and yet so it is2 and so is all 
the world1 to him who will not cultivate
 the fruits it offers4 ,i declare said  
,i1 clapping my hands cheerly together1 
that were ,i in a desert1 ,i would find 
in it the wherewith to call forth my    
affections4 ,if ,i could not do better1 
,i would fasten them on some sweet      
myrtle1 or seek some melancholy cypress1
 to connect myself to4 ,i would court   
its shade1 and greet it kindly for its  
protection2 ,i would cut my name upon   
it1 and swear1 it was the loveliest tree
 in the desert4 ,if its leaves withered1

 ,i would teach myself to mourn2 and    
when they rejoiced1 ,i would rejoice    
with them4'   ,note #eh1 page #aff4  ,i 
consider it no unimportant part of the  
process of prolonging our earthly       
sojourn1 to lay in1 if ,i may so speak1 
as great a stock as possible1 of        
pleasant remembrances4 ,i appeal to the 
experience of every one1 if the sudden  
recollection of a foolish thing that we 
have said1 or done1 returning upon us   
after a lapse of years1 has not brought 
back with the convulsive shudder of     
shame1 a long train of associated       
remembrances1 which have carried us back
 whole days upon the scene8 ,how long   
seem the periods1 in which these        
incidents occurred6 ,pleasant           
recollections are no less efficient1 in 
prolonging the periods1 in which they   
occurred1 adding their duration to the  
sum of the fugitive existence that is   
stealing from us4  ,for myself ,i can   
confidently affirm1 that ,i have long   
since learned to find my purest and most

 abiding satisfactions in the memory of 
the past4 ,i repeat all its happier     
passages and incidents4 ,i recall the   
bright days1 verdant landscapes1 loved  
persons1 and joyous sensations from     
their shadowy mansions4 ,i renew my     
youthful sports2 and watch for the trout
 along the flush spring brooks4 ,i seat 
myself again on the sunny banks of the  
pleasant spots of my career4 ,i would be
 glad to convey some idea of the vivid  
pleasure1 ,i experience after a lapse of
 forty winters1 from the deeply         
impressed remembrance of one beautiful  
spring morning1 after a long and severe 
winter1 when ,i was still a school-boy4 
,the vast masses of snow were beginning 
to melt4 ,the birds of prey1 shut up in 
their retreats during the bitter winter1
 sailed forth in the mild clear blue4   
,the blue bird whistled2 and my heart   
expanded with joy and delight unknown1  
in the same degree1 before or since4    
,the place where these thoughts1        
comprising my youthful anticipations1   

hopes and visions occurred1 will never  
be obliterated from my mind1 while      
memory holds her seat4 ,i have a        
thousand such treasured recollections1  
with which ,i can at any time1 and to a 
certain extent1 cheer pain1 sorrow and  
decay4 ,these are enjoyments stored     
beyond the reach of fortune1 which we   
can prolong1 and renew at pleasure4  ,is
 there not practical wisdom1 in         
commencing every day with the steady    
effort1 to make as much of it1 as if it 
were to be our whole existence4 ,if we  
have duties to perform1 in themselves   
severe and laborious1 we may inquire1 if
 there be not some way1 by which to     
invest them with pleasant associations8 
,a man may find amusement in his free   
thoughts1 while following his plough    
upon the hill side2 in digging up the   
words for a dictionary1 or in copying   
out a brief4 ,he may train himself1 by  
an inefficient and shrinking spirit1 to 
recoil from these tasks1 as             
insupportable burdens4 ,how many men    

find their pleasure1 in what would be   
the positive horror and torment of the  
indolent6 ,how weak the spirit1 and how 
silly the vanity which we display1 in   
ever renewing narrations of our little  
personal troubles1 pains and            
misfortunes6 ,if we would have the      
discretion to measure the sympathy1     
which we may expect from others1 in such
 discourses1 by that1 which we are      
conscious of feeling for theirs of the  
same character1 it would go far to teach
 us the folly of that querulous spirit1 
which doles forth the story of          
sufferings and sorrows1 as though the   
narrator were the only sufferer1 and    
were entitled to a monopoly of all the  
passing pity4   ,note #ei1 page #afi4   
,this compendium of the moral           
acquirements1 entering into the         
character of an accomplished            
philosopher1 ,i consider one of the     
happiest1 which any book of morals can  
show4 ,here is an ample volume of       
ethics1 on a page4 ,how differently     

would a modern auto-biographer have     
announced the same facts6 ,in what      
rounded periods and circuitous          
expressions would he have striven to    
convey the same ideas1 to impress the   
reader1 that his modesty forbade the    
frank personality of the ,roman         
philosopher4 ,the whole spirit of this  
admirable summary would have evaporated 
in barren generalities4 ,what we admire 
in the ancients is their noble          
simplicity and directness1 which        
disdains the vanity of circumlocution1  
that wishes to hide itself under the    
semblance of modesty4  ,it seems to me1 
that it would not be amiss for the      
clergy of the day to seek the models of 
their homilies and sermons in such a    
manner of declaring moral truth4        
,abstract ethical declamation1 and all  
the scholastic acquirements and the lim 
labor are but poor substitutes for that 
searching directness1 which1 avoiding   
abstractions and generalities1 appeals  
at once to the personal consciousness4  

,i allow1 that ,i should love to hear   
such sermons1 as that of ,dr ,primrose  
to his fellow prisoners1 in the ,vicar  
of ,wakefield4 ,there is no eloquence1  
there can be none1 except in simple and 
direct appeals to thought and           
conscience4   ,note #fj1 page #aga4     
,various writers of splendid genius have
 tasked their imagination1 to present us
 with the results of endowing a person  
with immortality on earth4 ,such a      
character has been delineated with great
 power by ,godwin1 in his ,st ,leon2 and
 by ,croly in the story of ,salathiel1  
or the ,wandering ,jew4 ,it is an       
instructive labor1 to record the        
wanderings1 changes1 weariness1         
abandonment1 and final despair of a     
wretch cursed with immortality2 and by  
the circumstance rendered a monster1 out
 of relation with human beings2 and cut 
off from all real sympathy with his     
mortal kind4 ,it is questionable1       
whether these writers1 or any others who
 have drawn similar pictures1 have      

formed adequate conceptions1 of what    
would be the actual result of an earthly
 immortality4 ,the view of the author   
before me seems just4 ,i can easily     
imagine the immortal delivered from     
earthly sorrows4 ,but1 when ,i          
contemplate him divested of the hopes1  
fears1 affections and sympathies1 which 
trace their origin to our common mortal 
nature1 ,i cannot imagine the           
affections1 that are to replace these4  
,i can conceive none other1 than a      
being1 who would become drowsy at sixty1
 and sleepy at a hundred4 ,all beyond   
presents to me a lethargy of almost     
unconscious existence1 from which my    
fancy can devise no effort of sufficient
 energy to arouse him4 ,in fact1 it is  
sufficient1 that nature has awarded1 in 
her universal decree1 that man should   
not be out of analogy and relation with 
the rest of nature2 to convince us1 that
 the decision involves our best         
interest4 ,the more our views of nature 
enlarge1 the more we become conscious1  

that she has arranged all her laws with 
such perfect wisdom1 that if we could   
reverse any of them1 we should do it at 
the expense of our own happiness4  ,of  
all pictures of men1 rendered immortal  
upon earth1 the most forcible1 brief and
 revolting1 is that of ,swift4 #8,after 
this preface1 he gave me a particular   
account of the ,struldbrugs among them4 
,he said1 they commonly acted like      
mortals1 till about thirty years old2   
after which they grew melancholy and    
dejected1 increasing in both till they  
came to fourscore4 ,this he learned from
 their own confession2 for otherwise1   
there not being more than two or three  
of that species born in an age1 they    
were too few to form a general          
observation by4 ,when they come to      
fourscore years1 which is reckoned the  
extremity of living in this country1    
they had not only all the follies and   
infirmities of other men1 but many more1
 which arose from the dreadful prospect 
of never dying4 ,they were not only     

opinionative1 covetous1 peevish1 morose1
 vain1 talkative1 but incapable of      
friendship1 and dead to all natural     
affection1 which never descended below  
their grandchildren4 ,envy and their    
impotent desires are their prevailing   
passions4 ,but those objects1 against   
which their envy seems particularly     
directed1 are the vices of the younger  
sort1 and the death of the old4 ,by     
reflecting on the former1 they find     
themselves cut off from all possibility 
of pleasure2 and whenever they see a    
funeral1 they lament1 and repine1 that  
others have gone to a harbor of rest1 at
 which they can never hope to arrive4   
,they have no remembrance of anything1  
but what they learned1 and observed in  
their youth and middle age1 and even    
that is very imperfect2 and for the     
truth or particulars of any fact1 it is 
safer to depend on common tradition1    
than their best recollection4 ,the least
 miserable among them1 are those1 who   
turn to dotage1 and entirely lose their 

memories4 ,these meet with more pity and
 assistance1 because they want many bad 
qualities1 which abound in others4      
#8,if a ,struldbrug happen to marry one 
of his kind1 the marriage is dissolved  
of course1 by the courtesy of the       
kingdom1 as soon as the younger of the  
two comes to be fourscore2 for the law  
thinks it a reasonable indulgence1 that 
those1 who are condemned1 without any   
fault of their own1 to a perpetual      
continuance in the world1 should not    
have their misery doubled by the load of
 a wife4 ,as soon as they have completed
 the term of eighty years1 they are     
considered dead in law4 ,at ninety they 
lose their teeth and hair1 and have no  
distinction of taste1 but eat and drink 
whatever they can get1 without relish or
 appetite4 ,the diseases they were      
subject to1 still continue without      
increasing1 or diminishing4 ,in talking1
 they forget the common appellations of 
things1 and the names of persons1 even  
of those1 who are their nearest friends 

and relations4 ,for the same reason1    
they can never amuse themselves with    
reading1 because their memory will not  
serve to carry them from the beginning  
of a sentence to the end2 and by this   
defect they are deprived of the only    
entertainment whereof they might be     
capable4  #8,they were the most         
mortifying sight ,i ever beheld1 and the
 women more horrible than the men4      
,besides the usual deformities in       
extreme old age1 they acquired an       
additional ghastliness1 in proportion to
 their number of years1 which is not to 
be described2 and among half a dozen1 ,i
 soon distinguished who was the oldest1 
although there was not above a century  
or two between them4  #8,the reader will
 easily believe1 from what ,i have heard
 and seen1 that my keen appetite for    
perpetuity and life was much abated4 ,i 
grew heartily ashamed of the pleasing   
visions ,i had formed1 and thought no   
tyrant could invent a death into which  
,i would not run with pleasure1 from    

such a life4 ,the king heard all that   
had passed between me and my friends    
upon this occasion1 and rallied me very 
pleasantly1 wishing ,i could send a     
couple of ,struldbrugs to my own        
country1 to arm our people against the  
fear of death4'   ,note #fa1 page #aga4 
,fear1 absolutely useless1 gratuitous   
fear1 probably constitutes much the     
largest proportion of the whole mass of 
human misery2 and of this proportion the
 fear of death is the principal part4   
,there are but very few people who1 in  
examining the feeling of revulsion and  
horror1 most constantly present to their
 minds1 will not find it to be the dread
 of death4 ,the whole observation1 which
 ,i have made upon human nature1 has    
only enlightened me the more as to the  
universality and extent of the influence
 of this evil4 ,i see it infusing       
bitterness into the bosoms of the young1
 before they are as yet capable of      
reflection2 and ceasing not to inspire  
its terrors into the heart1 which has   

experienced the sorrows of fourscore    
winters4 ,i see little difference in the
 alarm with which it darkens the mind of
 the heir1 elate with youthful hope1 and
 the galley slave--those apparently the 
most happy1 and the tenants of          
penitentiaries and lazar-houses4 ,all   
cling alike convulsively to life1 and   
shudder at the thought of death4  ,part1
 and perhaps the greater part1 of this  
fear is a sad heritage1 which has been  
transmitted down to us1 an accumulating 
fund of sorrow1 for a hundred           
generations4 ,i have stated my          
conviction in another place1 that our   
education1 religious ceremonies1        
domestic manners1 in short1 all the     
influences of the present institutions  
of society tend to increase this evil4  
,i am well aware1 at the same time1 that
 the number of those1 who will admit it 
to be an evil1 is but small4 ,most view 
it as it has been considered in all     
,christian countries1 from time         
immemorial1 as an instrument in the hand

 of ,god and his servants1 to awe1 and  
restrain the mind1 recall it from       
illusions and vanities1 and reduce it to
 the seriousness and obedience of       
religion4 ,the broad declamation of the 
pulpit for effect1 revolting            
representations of hell-torment and the 
vindictive justice of ,god1 have passed 
with a readier tolerance1 under a kind  
of tacit allowance1 that if the means   
were unworthy1 the proposed end was such
 as would sanctify them4 ,it is almost  
unnecessary to remark1 that all my hope 
of producing any useful impression is   
with the small1 but growing number1 7in 
the next age1 ,i trust1 it will be a    
majority7 who hold this whole doctrine  
in utter unbelief2 who have no faith in 
amendment and conversion1 that grows out
 of the base and servile principle of   
fear2 and least of all the fear of      
death2 who believe that a great reform1 
a thorough amelioration of our species1 
will never be effected1 until it is made
 a radical principle of our whole       

discipline1 and all our social          
institutions1 to bring this servile     
passion completely under the control of 
our reason4 ,with these1 it is a deep   
and fixed conviction1 that every thing  
base1 degrading and destructive of      
intellect and improvement1 readily      
associates with fear2 and that the basis
 of true religion1 generous conception1 
high thoughts and really noble          
character1 is firmly laid in a young    
mind1 when trained to become as         
destitute of fear1 as if it were        
conscious of being a sinless angel1     
above the reach of pain or death4  ,it  
would be to no purpose for me to pause  
in this place1 to obviate the strictures
 of those who will denounce this        
doctrine1 by quoting from the scriptures
 the frequent inculcations of the fear  
of the ,lord1 and the ,apostle's        
declaration1 that by the terrors of the 
,lord we persuade men4 ,the true and    
religious fear1 inculcated in the       
scriptures1 not only has no relation to 

the passion ,i am discussing1 but cannot
 exist1 any more than the other         
requisite traits of religious character1
 in a bosom swayed by the grovelling and
 selfish passion of servile fear4  ,that
 nature has implanted in our bosoms an  
instinctive dread of death1 ,i readily  
admit4 ,but fear1 as a factitious and   
unnatural addition to the true instincts
 of human nature1 has been so           
accumulated by rolling down through a   
hundred generations1 that we are in no  
condition to know the degree1 in which  
nature intended we should possess it4   
,we have innumerable base propensities1 
which we charge upon nature1 that are1  
in fact1 no more1 than the guilty       
heritage1 bequeathed us by our          
ancestors4 ,nature could have implanted 
no higher degree of instinctive dread of
 death1 than just what was requisite1 to
 preserve the race from prodigal waste1 
or rash exposure of a gift1 which1 once 
lost1 is irretrievable4 ,if nature has  
inwrought in any constitution one       

particle of fear1 beyond what was       
required for this result1 she has1 as in
 all other excessive endowments1 granted
 reason and judgment1 to regulate1 and  
reduce it to its due subordination4     
,will not religion achieve the great    
triumph of casting out the base         
principle of fear8 ,i would be the last 
to deny1 or undervalue the trophies of  
true religion4 ,i have no doubt that    
religion has1 in innumerable instances1 
extracted the pain and poison from the  
sting of death4 ,more than this1 it     
would unquestionably produce this       
triumph in every case1 if every         
individual were completely under the    
influence of the true principle4 ,it    
would attain this end by processes and  
discipline exactly concurrent1 if not   
similar1 with those ,i am about to      
propose4 ,but it is a lamentable fact1  
that very few are under the influence of
 true religion4 ,of those1 whom charity 
deems most sincerely pious1 under all   
professions and forms1 the far greater  

number exhibit1 on the bed of dangerous 
sickness1 the same fear of death with   
the rest4 ,we consider this a generally 
conceded fact2 for1 among all but the   
most extravagant sects1 death-bed       
terror1 or triumph has ceased to be     
considered a test of the personal       
religion of the deceased4 ,even in the  
cases of enthusiastic triumph in the    
last moments1 which we have all         
witnessed1 and which are justly so      
soothing to the survivors1 it would     
often be difficult to determine the     
respective influence of laudanum1 and   
partial insanity doing its last work    
upon the nervous system4  ,be this as it
 may1 the triumph over the fear of      
death1 which ,i would inculcate1 should 
not be tested by the equivocal          
deportment of the patient1 in the near  
view of death2 but by his own joyous    
consciousness of deliverance from this  
tormenting thraldom and bondage1 during 
his whole life4 ,let fear and horror    
crowd what bitterness they may into the 

last few hours1 it can bear but little  
proportion to the long agony of a whole 
life1 passed in bondage through fear of 
death4 ,to produce the desired triumph1 
the highest training of philosophy      
should concur with the paternal spirit  
and the immortal hopes of the gospel2   
and a calm1 reasoning1 unboasting       
fearlessness of death should enable us  
to taste all the little of pure and     
innocent joy1 that may be found between 
the cradle and the grave--as unmolested1
 as unsprinkled with this fear1 as if   
the destroyer were not among the works  
of ,god4  ,how may this result be       
obtained8 ,how may a generation be so   
trained as to lose not a particle of    
enjoyment1 nor be influenced to one     
unworthy act1 by the fear of death8 ,to 
answer these questions1 in the requisite
 detail of illustration1 would require  
volumes4 ,it might1 perhaps1 best be    
done by selecting a single child as an  
example2 and by developing1 at every    
advancing step1 the process of his      

training2 pointing out every instance1  
in which it would be necessary to       
withdraw him from the influence of the  
present systems of discipline2 in which1
 in a word1 his whole education should  
be conducted with a preponderant        
purpose1 among other desirable results1 
to render him perfectly fearless of     
death4 ,it is hoped that some one of    
those1 who believe this a chief         
desideratum in the reformation and      
improvement of the present system of    
education1 will take this great point in
 hand2 and in this way indicate to the  
age the modes of discipline1 through    
which this result may be expected4 ,it  
is obvious1 that a much severer         
discipline would be required for the    
first generation so trained1 than for   
the second2 who1 with less transmitted  
cowardice than their parents1 would     
perpetuate a constantly improving moral 
constitution to the generations to come4
 ,my present plan admits only a brief   
summary of motives and arguments1       

commonly adduced1 as calculated to      
diminish1 regulate1 and subdue the fear 
of death4 ,it is evident1 that these    
motives and arguments are predicated    
upon present opinions1 and such as may  
be supposed capable of acting upon the  
existing generation1 enduring the       
hereditary and inculcated bondage of    
this passion4  #a4 ,the terrific and    
undefinable images of horror1 that      
imagination affixes to the term death1  
are founded in an entire misconception4 
,the word is the sign of no positive    
idea whatever4 ,it conjures up a shadowy
 horror to the mind1 finely delineated1 
as a poetic personage1 by ,milton2 and  
implies some agony that is supposed to  
lie between the limits of existence and 
non-existence1 or existence in another  
form4 ,this is simple illusion4 ,so long
 as we feel1 death is not--and when we  
cease to feel1 or commence feeling in a 
changed form1 death has been3--fuit     
mors4 ,so that the term imports a mere  
phantom of the imagination4 ,in the     

words of ,droz1 #8it is not yet2 or it  
is past4' ,if one can arrest the punctum
 stans1 and the actual sensation1 where 
waking consciousness terminates1 and    
sleep commences1 he can tell us1 what   
death is4 ,every one is conscious of    
having passed through this change2 but  
no one can give any account1 what were  
his sensations in the dividing moment of
 interval between wakefulness and sleep4
  #b4 ,imagination is allowed to settle 
all the circumstances1 and form all the 
associations belonging to the supposed  
agony of this event4 ,it is one of the  
few important incidents in life1 upon   
which reason is never allowed to fix a  
calm and severe scrutiny4 ,it has been  
seen in a light1 too sacred and         
terrible1 to permit such a lustration4  
#8,it is dreadful1' says common         
apprehension1 #8for it is the breaking  
up the long and tender partnership1 and 
producing a separation between the body 
and the soul--dreadful1 because it is   
the wages of sin1 and is appointed to be

 a perpetual memorial of the righteous  
displeasure of ,god in view of sin2'    
#8dreadful1' say others1 who most       
unphilosophically believe that man was  
not originally intended to be mortal1   
#8because a violence upon nature2       
dreadful1 because a departure of the    
spirit from the regions of the living1  
and the light of the sun1 into an       
unknown and eternal condition4 ,suns    
will revolve1 moons wax and wane1 years1
 revolutions1 ages1 counted by all the  
particles of mist in the sea1 will      
elapse1 but the place1 whence the spirit
 is gone1 will never know it more4'     
#8,it is terrible1' says common         
apprehension1 #8for it is often preceded
 and accompanied by spasm1 and          
convulsive struggle4' ,the psalmody1    
which we sing in church1 speaks of the  
ghastly paleness1 the chill sweat1 and  
the mortal coldness1 circumstances all1 
which1 seen in other associations1 would
 assume no aspect of peculiar terror4   
,then1 too1 the attendants in the sick  

room with a look of horror inspect the  
extremities of the patient1 and petrify 
bystanders with the terrible words1 #8he
 is struck with death1' as though the   
grisly phantom king of the poet's song  
had invisibly glided in1 and1 with his  
icy sceptre1 given his victim the blow  
of mortal destiny4 ,who knows not that1 
though there are usually mortal         
symptoms1 which enable an experienced   
eye to foresee approaching dissolution1 
the term death-struck imports nothing   
but the weakest vulgar prejudice1 a     
prejudice under the influence of which  
millions have been suffered to expire1  
that might have been roused6            
,innumerable persons1 pronounced to be  
in that situation1 have actually        
recovered2 and no moment1 in the        
ordinary forms of disease1 can with any 
certainty be pronounced beyond hope and 
the chances of aid1 but that which      
succeeds the last sigh4 ,thus every     
thought of the living1 and every aspect 
of the dying1 by a wayward ingenuity1   

heightens the imagined horror of the    
event4  ,then there are conversations   
and hymns and funeral odes and ,night   
,thoughts1 which speak of the coldness1 
silence and eternal desolation of the   
grave2 as though the unconscious sleeper
 felt the chill of the superincumbent   
clay1 the darkness of his narrow house  
or this terrible isolation from the     
living4 ,the pale and peaceful corpse is
 contemplated with a look of horror4    
,two1 of stout heart and tried          
friendship1 abide near the kneaded clod1
 until the living are relieved from     
their ghostly terrors1 by its deposition
 out of their sight in the narrow house4
 ,the family1 the children1 the friends 
alike showing the creeping horror1 glide
 quick and silently on tiptoe through   
the apartment1 where the sleeper lies4  
,the first nightfall after the disease  
is one of peculiar and unmitigated      
horror4 ,the family1 however disinclined
 to union before1 this evening unite1   
with that impress on their countenances1

 which words reach not4 ,now return to  
their thoughts the nursery tales1 the   
thrilling narratives of haunted houses  
and wandering ghosts2 and if the        
minister comes among them1 it is        
probably to evoke before their          
imaginations condemned spirits doomed to
 eternal sufferings1 quenchless flames1 
groans without respite1 and all the     
ineffable and eternal torments1 that the
 clerical vocabulary of centuries has   
accumulated4  ,need we wonder1 that in a
 christian country1 and among families  
of the best training1 such impressions  
have become so universal1 that they1 who
 would be reputed brave1 blazon their   
courage1 by affirming their readiness to
 sleep in a cemetery1 or the funeral    
vault of a church6 ,it requires no      
extraordinary effort1 and nothing more  
than the simple triumph of reason among 
the faculties1 to enable any man1 to    
sleep alone in a charnel house with as  
little dread1 as in the apartment of an 
inn1 so that the places were alike in   

comfort and salubrity4 ,it does not     
require us to be wise1 or courageous2   
but simply not cowards and fools1 to    
feel as little horror in the view of    
corpses1 as statues of plaster or       
marble4 ,one of the most terrible ideas 
of death1 after all1 is1 that we shall  
thus1 immediately upon our decease1     
inflict this shrinking revulsion of     
terror upon all1 who look at our        
remains4  ,the view1 which reason takes 
of the sick and dying bed is1 that1 in  
the far greater number of mortal cases1 
the transition from life to death is as 
imperceptible1 as the progress of the   
sun and the seasons4 ,one faculty dies  
after another4 ,the victim has received 
the three warnings unconsciously4       
,ordinarily1 a person may be said to    
have paid a third part of his tribute of
 mortality at forty-five2 half at       
fifty-five2 and the whole at three score
 and ten4  ,when acute and severe       
sickness assails the patient1 he has    
passed through what may be called the   

agony of death at a very early period of
 his disease4 ,his chief suffering is   
past1 as soon the irritability and the  
vigorous powers of life have been broken
 down4 ,when the disorder assumes the   
typhoid and insensible form1 the dull   
sleep1 that precedes the final rest of  
the tomb1 is already creeping upon him2 
and severe suffering is precluded4 ,if  
there are convulsions after this1 as    
often happens1 they are seldom more than
 spasmodic movements1 impressed by the  
nervous action upon the tendons1 more   
terrible to the beholder1 than the      
sufferer2 differing little from those   
starts and struggles1 with which many   
persons in high health commence sleeping
 and waking4 ,he who has experienced the
 sensation of fainting1 and1 still more1
 of an epileptic fit1 has suffered1 ,i  
am ready to believe1 all that there is  
in dying4  #c4 ,reason1 calmly surveying
 the case of the dying person himself1  
sees many alleviations1 of which        
imagination1 sketching under the        

influence of the dread of death1 takes  
no account4 ,he finds himself1 in this  
new predicament1 the absorbing object of
 all interests and all solicitude and   
affection4 ,it is not in human nature1  
that this should not call up complacent 
emotions and slumbering affections from 
their secret cells4 ,the subsequent     
progress towards the last moment brings 
an imperceptibly increasing             
insensibility1 manifested by drowsiness 
and sleep4 ,of those1 who preserve the  
exercise of their faculties entire to   
the last1 many instances are recorded of
 persons1 who had shown the most unmanly
 dread of death in their health1 that   
have met dissolution with the calmness  
of perfect self-possession4 ,of the     
rest1 the greater number die with little
 more apparent pain and struggle1 than  
accompany the act of sleeping4 ,the     
greater freshness1 vigor and nervous    
irritability of young people and        
children cause that most of the         
exceptions are of this description4 ,in 

a great number of cases1 which ,i have  
witnessed1 ,i have paused in doubt1     
whether the person had yielded his last 
sigh1 or not1 after he had actually     
deceased4 ,to soften the last           
infliction1 nature almost invariably    
veils it under a low delirium1 or       
absolute unconsciousness4  #d4 ,it is   
impossible to imagine a more obvious and
 unquestionable principle of philosophy1
 than that every reasoning faculty of   
our nature must declare to us1 loudly   
and unequivocally1 and with an influence
 as strong as reason can command1 that  
it is wisdom1 nay1 the dictate of the   
least portion of common sense1 to dread1
 to resist1 to repine1 to groan1 as     
little as possible1 in view of an       
endurance absolutely inevitable4 ,if it 
be hard to sustain when met with a      
fearless1 resigned and unmurmuring      
spirit1 it must certainly be still      
harder1 when we are obliged to bend our 
necks to it with the excruciating       
addition of shrinking fear1 dreadful    

anticipation and ineffectual struggles  
to evade it1 and with murmurs and       
groans1 at finding the inutility of     
these efforts4 ,innumerable examples    
prove to us1 that nature has kindly     
endowed us with reason and mental vigor 
to such an extent1 that1 under the      
influence of right motive and training1 
no possible form of suffering can be    
presented1 over which this power may not
 manifest1 and has not manifested a     
complete triumph4  ,of these innumerable
 examples1 it is only necessary to cite 
those of the martyrs1 of all forms of   
religion4 ,these prove farther1 that    
this undaunted self-possession1 in every
 conceivable shape and degree of agony1 
was not the result of a rare and        
peculiar temperament1 a want of         
sensibility1 or the possession of       
uncommon physical courage2 that it was  
not because there was no perception of  
danger1 or susceptibility of pain2 this 
magnanimity1 this impassibility to fear 
and pain and death has been exhibited in

 nearly equal degrees by people of every
 age1 each sex and all conditions4 ,let 
the proper motive be supplied1 let the  
martyr have had the common influence of 
the training of his faith1 and the      
consequence failed not4 ,all the shades 
and varieties of natural and mental     
difference of character were noted in   
the deportment of the sufferers4 ,but   
they were alike in the stern proof of a 
courage1 which defied death4 ,the fact  
is proved by them1 as strongly as moral 
fact can be proved1 that the mind of    
every individual might find in itself   
native self-possession and vigor1 to    
enable it to display an entire          
ascendency over fear1 pain and death4   
,nor does this fact rest solely for     
support on the history of martyrs1 or   
sufferers at an ,auto da f1 or by       
torture in any of its forms4 ,we could  
find examples of it in every department 
of history1 and every view of human     
character4 ,the red men of our          
wilderness1 as we have elsewhere seen1  

are still more astonishing illustrations
 of this fact--,i say astonishing1      
because the timid and effeminate white  
man shivers1 and scarcely credits his   
senses1 as he sees the young ,indian    
warrior smoking his pipe1 singing his   
songs1 boasting of his victories and    
uttering his menaces1 when enveloped in 
a slow fire1 apparently as unmoved1 as  
reckless and unconscious of pain1 as if 
sitting at his ease in his own cabin4   
,all1 that has been found necessary1 by 
this strange people1 to procure this    
heroism1 is1 that the children1 from    
boyhood1 should be constantly under a   
discipline1 every part and every step of
 which tends directly to shame and      
contempt at the least manifestation of  
cowardice1 in view of any danger1 or of 
a shrinking consciousness of pain in the
 endurance of any suffering4 ,the males1
 so trained1 never fail to evidence the 
fruit of their discipline4 ,sentenced to
 death1 they almost invariably scorn to 
fly from their sentence1 when escape is 

in their power4 ,if in debt1 they desire
 a reprieve1 that they may hunt1 until  
their debts are paid4 ,they then        
voluntarily return1 and surrender       
themselves to the executioner4 ,nothing 
is more common than for a friend to     
propose to suffer for his friend1 a     
parent for a child1 or a child for a    
parent4 ,when the sufferer receives the 
blow1 there is an unblenching look1     
which manifests the presence of the same
 spirit1 that smokes with apparent      
unconcern amidst the crackling flames4  
,a proof1 that this is the fruit of     
training1 and not of native             
insensibility1 as others have thought1  
and as ,i formerly thought myself1 is   
that this contempt of pain and death is 
considered a desirable trait only in the
 males4 ,to fly1 like a woman1 like her 
to laugh1 and weep1 and groan1 are      
expressions of contempt1 which they     
apply to their enemies with ineffable   
scorn4 ,the females1 almost excluded    
from witnessing the process of ,spartan 

discipline1 by which the males acquire  
their mental hardihood1 partake not of  
the fruits of it1 and with some few     
exceptions1 are shrinking and timid1    
like the children of civilization4  ,i  
know1 that there will not be wanting    
those1 who will condemn alike the       
training and the heroism1 as harsh1     
savage1 unfeeling1 stoical and unworthy 
to be admitted1 as an adjunct to        
civilization4 ,but no one will offer to 
deny1 that the primitive ,christian1 put
 in conflict with a hungry lion1 that   
,rogers at the ,smithfield stake1 that  
the young captive warrior1 exulting1 and
 chanting his songs while enduring the  
bitterest agonies that man can inflict1 
in the serene and sublime triumph of    
mind over matter1 and spirit over the   
body1 is the most imposing spectacle we 
can witness1 the clearest proof we can  
contemplate1 that we have that within us
 which is not all of clay1 nor all      
mortal2 or doubt1 that these persons    
endure infinitely less physical pain1 in

 consequence of their heroic            
self-possession1 than they would have   
suffered1 had they met their torture in 
paroxysms of terror1 shrinking and      
self-abandonment4  ,however we may      
reason1 however we may decry these      
views1 as savage1 impracticable1        
unnatural and undesirable1 the fact is1 
that we all feel alike upon this        
subject4 ,the thousands in a ,roman     
amphitheatre only evinced a trait1 that 
belongs to our common nature1 when they 
instantly1 and without consulting each  
other1 gave the signal to save that     
gladiator1 who most clearly manifested  
cool self-possession and contempt of    
death4 ,after witnessing the execution  
of a criminal1 who shows courage1 the   
spectators go away describing1 with     
animated gesture1 and in terms of       
admiration1 the fearlessness of the     
fellow the moment before his death4 ,we 
all speak with unmingled satisfaction of
 the circumstance1 in the death of our  
friends1 that they departed in the      

conscious dignity of self-possession and
 hope4 ,all readers are moved with one  
sensation1 as they read the record of   
the noble trait in the character of     
,csar1 gracefully folding himself in his
 mantle1 after he had received so many  
mortal thrusts4 ,few of us hear unmoved 
of the old ,english patriot1 who        
requested the executioner to support him
 up the steps to the scaffold1 adding   
that he would shift for himself to get  
down2 or of the other1 who cried1 as he 
stooped his head to the block1 dulce et 
decorum est pro patria mori6 ,if ,i     
recollect1 it is ,silliman1 who gives   
the affecting notice of the last hours  
of the duke of ,richmond1 the late      
governor general of ,canada4 ,invested  
with all conceivable circumstances to   
render life desirable1 he was bitten by 
a favorite dog in a rabid state2 and    
died1 in the most excruciating tortures1
 of the terrible hydrophobia4 ,when the 
horrible paroxysm was felt by him to be 
approaching1 he was accustomed to nerve 

his sinking courage by these words2     
#8,henry1 remember1 that none of your   
ancestors were cowards4' ,i give the    
trait from recollection1 but have heard 
substantially the same account from     
other sources4 ,this is the secret of   
the perverse general admiration of      
warriors1 and heroes1 and great         
generals4 ,it is this principle in its  
blindness1 which finds a niche of favor 
in so many hearts for duellists4 ,in a  
word1 intrepidity1 deny it who may1 is  
the trait which finds more universal    
favor with human nature in general than 
any other4 ,why8 ,because we are weak   
and frail beings1 exposed to innumerable
 pains and dangers2 and the quality we  
most frequently need1 is courage4       
,without it life is a living death1 a   
long agony of fear4 ,with it1 we die but
 once1 enduring at the most but a       
momentary pang1 never anticipated1 never
 embittering a moment in advance with   
imaginary suffering4  ,we have no       
hesitation in affirming1 that it would  

be no more difficult to educate the     
coming generation of civilized people to
 this spirit1 than it is to impart it to
 the whole race of males among the red  
men4 ,however inferior we may count     
these people1 in comparison with        
ourselves in other respects1 they have  
at least one manifest advantage over us2
 they never torment themselves1 because 
they know they must die4  ,but we are   
told that the actual possession of this 
spirit would produce such a recklessness
 of life1 that the great ends of        
,providence would be defeated2 and      
people would expose themselves to death 
with so little concern1 that the race   
would waste away and become extinct4 ,we
 never need combat a theory1 an abstract
 opinion1 when the case can be settled  
by a fact4 ,is it so with the warriors  
of the red men8 ,on the contrary1 can   
another people be found so wary1 so     
adroit to evade1 or resist danger1 so   
fertile in expedients to save life8 ,the
 coward of their number meets the death 

he would fly2 and the intrepid warrior  
puts forth all the resources of his     
instinctive sagacity1 all his keen and  
practised discernment1 to discover the  
best means of evasion4 ,if he must meet 
that death1 which his skill cannot      
evade1 nor his powers resist1 he        
instantly settles down upon the resource
 of his invincible heroism of endurance4
  ,in fact1 one of the direct fruits of 
the intrepidity we would wish to see    
universal1 is1 that it will give its    
possessor all possible chances for      
preserving health and life4 ,it saves   
him from the influence of fear1 a       
passion among the most debilitating1 and
 adverse to life1 of any to which our   
nature is subject4 ,braced by his       
courage1 he passes untouched amidst a   
contagious epidemic1 to which the timid 
and apprehensive nature falls a victim4 
,in danger it gives him coolness and    
self-command1 to discover1 and avail    
himself of all his chances of wise      
resistance1 or probable escape4 ,in     

sickness1 he has all the aids to        
recover1 which nature allows1 in being  
delivered from the most dangerous       
symptom in innumerable maladies1 the    
debilitating persuasion of the patient1 
that he shall not rise from his         
sickness4 ,in a word1 the direct reverse
 of the charge is the fact4 ,the wise   
and enlightened fearlessness1 which ,i  
consider it so important to acquire1 is 
in every way as much the preserver of   
life1 as it is indispensable to         
happiness2 as cowardice proverbially    
runs in the face of the hideous monster 
that it creates4  #e4 ,the fact1 that an
 evil is felt to be alleviated1 which is
 shared in common with all around us1   
has been generally recognised1 though   
this perverted sympathy has been traced 
to the basest selfishness1 by a         
humiliating analysis of our nature1     
which ,i have neither space nor         
inclination to develope4 ,we all know1  
that the same person1 who is most       
beneficent1 most active in his          

benevolence1 and large in his wishes to 
do good1 would shrink from a great      
calamity1 which he saw himself destined 
to encounter1 for the first and the last
 among his whole race4 ,but inform him1 
that by an impartial award he shares it 
in common with all his kind1 and you    
reconcile him at once to his lot4       
,whether the spirit of his resignation  
in this case be pure1 or polluted in its
 origin1 it is not my present purpose to
 inquire4 ,it is sufficient to be       
assured1 that there is such a feeling   
deeply inherent in human nature4 ,the   
suffering patient1 as he lays himself   
down to part from all friends1 to be    
severed from all ties1 to see the green 
earth1 the bright sun1 and the visible  
heavens no more1 and to be conscious1   
that the everlasting circle of ages will
 continue its revolutions without ever  
bringing him back to the forsaken scene1
 cannot repine1 that he has been put    
upon this bitter trial alone4 ,he must  
be deeply conscious1 view it in what    

aspect he may1 that it presents no new  
harshness nor horror to him4 ,of all the
 countless millions1 that have passed   
away1 and been replaced by others1 like 
the vernal leaves1 death has stood      
before every solitary individual of the 
mighty mass1 the same phantom king of   
terrors4 ,each has contemplated the same
 inexorable1 irreversible award1 been   
held in the same suspense of hopes1 and 
fears1 and compelled to endure the same 
struggles4 ,looking upon the immense    
mortal drama of ages1 the actors seem   
slowly and imperceptibly to enter1 and  
depart from the scene4 ,but in the lapse
 of one short age1 the hopes1 fears1    
loves and hatreds of all the countless  
millions have vanished1 to be replaced  
by those of another generation4 ,the    
heart swells at the recollection how    
much each of these mortals must have    
endured1 in this stern and inevitable   
encounter1 as measured by our own       
suffering in the same case4 ,it is only 
necessary for the patient to extend his 

vision a few years in advance of his own
 decease2 and his friends1 his children1
 his visitants1 all that surround him1  
will in their turn recline on the same  
bed4 ,who cannot feel the palpable folly
 of repining at an evil shared with all1
 that have been1 are1 or will be6       
#8,not to thy eternal resting place1    
,shalt thou retire alone3    99    99   
99    99  ,thou shalt lie down          
,with patriarchs of the infant world1   
with kings1       ,the powerful of the  
earth1 the wise1 the good1       ,fair  
forms and hoary seers of ages past1     
,all in one mighty sepulchre4 ,the      
hills1       ,rock-ribbed and ancient as
 the sun2 the vales       ,stretching in
 pensive quietness between2       ,the  
venerable woods1 rivers1 that move      
,in majesty1 and the complaining brooks1
       ,that make the meadows green1    
and1 poured round all1       ,old       
ocean's gray and melancholy waste1      
,are but the solemn decorations all     
,of the great tomb of man4'  #f4        

,philosophers and moralists will readily
 admit1 that the only easy and adequate 
remedy for the fear of death is the hope
 of immortality4 ,on the other hand1    
they1 whose vocation it is to question  
and decry the aids1 which reason and    
philosophy offer in the case1 as sullen1
 cold1 stoical1 will not deny1 that     
#8innumerable' examples have been       
offered in all countries1 and in all    
time1 of men1 who1 in virtue of no      
higher discipline than that of reason   
and philosophy1 have met death with such
 unshrinking and invincible firmness1 as
 could hardly have been rendered more   
illustrious by any additional motives4  
,they have shown1 beyond all question1  
that nature has furnished us with a     
power of resistance1 which1 when rightly
 called forth1 enables us to triumph    
over fear and death4 ,the pagans of     
ancient story1 the unbelieving of       
christian lands1 the red men of our     
forests1 offer us demonstrations to any 
extent4 ,i am aware1 in what places this

 simplest of all truths is weakly       
denied4 ,those1 for whom ,i write1 are  
of the number who exact the truth2 and  
,i have no fear to declare it2 nor would
 ,i contend for a moment with such as   
deny this fact4  ,but ,i am not the less
 sensible1 that the triumph1 in these   
cases1 is bitter and painful4 ,it can   
only be obtained by a violence done to  
instinctive nature1 connected with      
innumerable revulsions and horrors1 and 
to all those ineffable clingings to     
earth1 and shrinkings from the first    
step into the unknown land1 that are    
partly the heritage of nature1 and      
partly the result of the concurrent     
influence of all our institutions4 ,it  
is a violence to all the passions1      
affections1 hopes and fears fostered by 
the earth4 ,but the victory has been    
wrought1 and can be wrought1 even though
 the bosom1 in which it is wrought      
become as of iron4  ,but the same       
triumph is won by the hope of           
immortality1 by a process1 simple1 easy1

 natural1 in entire consonance with the 
most tender affections and lively       
sympathies of flesh and blood4 ,we lie  
down in pain and agony1 with a spirit of
 easy endurance1 if we have a confident 
persuasion that1 during the night1 we   
shall have shaken off the cause of our  
sufferings1 and shall rise to renewed   
health and freshness in the morning4    
,death can bring little terror to him1  
who believes that its darkness will     
instantly be replaced by the light of   
another scene3 and that the separation  
from friends in the visible land1 is    
only rejoining the more numerous group1 
who have already become citizens of the 
invisible country4  ,to what extent am  
,i the subject of this hope myself2 and 
whence do ,i derive my belief8 ,these   
are questions which affection will ask2 
and the answers1 if devoid of interest  
now1 will not be so when the memory of  
things that were shall come over the    
mind of the reader like a cloud1 and    
when read as the thoughts of one1 who1  

during his whole sojourn1 felt and      
reflected intensely upon those subjects2
 and who will then himself have passed  
away to the experience of all that which
 is here matter of discussion4 ,those   
most dear to me will know what relations
 ,i sustained to these subjects1 during 
the best part of my life2 and will not  
be without solicitude to know my final  
thoughts upon them2 thoughts1 purified  
at least from all stain of party        
interest and esprit du corps1 and put   
forth in the simple consciousness of my 
own convictions1 however they may be    
powerless to produce belief in the mind 
of any other4 ,with the fierce war cry  
of sects in religion1 in their          
acrimonious and never ending contests   
about abstract terms without a meaning1 
their combats about the vague and       
technical phrases of formulas of faith1 
,i have long since had nothing to do4   
,for many years they have rung on my ear
 like the distant thunder of clouds that
 have passed by4 ,to the denunciations  

of those1 who assume to hold all truth  
imprisoned in their articles of         
confession1 if ,i might hope the        
distinction of receiving them1 ,i am    
perfectly callous4 ,neither would ,i    
desire to add another book to the       
millions of volumes of polemic theology 
which already exist1 and which have as  
little bearing upon the knowledge1      
virtue and happiness of the age1 as the 
last year's snow4  ,we are1 after all1  
unconsciously influenced1 and that in no
 slight degree1 by authority1 however   
humble may be its claims1 as a test of  
truth4 ,how did such a person believe on
 such a point8 ,many a young aspirant   
suspends his opinion1 until he hears2   
and settles into fixed persuasion       
afterwards4 ,how many are there1 in     
christian lands especially1 who have    
never had a wandering or unbelieving    
doubt of the soul's immortality float   
over their minds8 ,how many1 who have   
had no terrene and gross ideas1         
influenced by seeing the tenement of    

flesh1 by which all that was called the 
mind and the soul stood visible to the  
eye1 and tangible to the thought1       
yielded up to consumption and decay8    
,this is a question which no one can    
answer for another4 ,for myself1 ,i     
believe unhesitatingly1 and with no     
stain of doubt1 that ,i shall1 in some  
way1 exactly provided for by ,him who   
made me1 exist after death1 as simply   
conscious1 that ,i am the same person1  
as ,i am now in the morning1 that ,i    
slept at night4 ,do ,i derive this      
conviction from books and reasonings8 ,i
 am by no means sure that ,i do2 though 
the gospel assuredly speaks directly to 
my heart4 ,i do ready homage to the     
talents and learning of ,clarke1 ,locke1
 ,paley1 ,channing and a cloud of       
reasoning witnesses1 of whom every      
,christian may well be proud2 and1 most 
of all1 to the profound and admirable   
,butler4  ,i hear the author of our     
faith directly declaring a resurrection 
and immortality4 ,a single assertation  

from such a source were enough4 ,but ,i 
find him reasoning1 and insisting less  
upon the fact1 than ,i should have      
expected1 had he intended to implant it 
in the mind1 as it were a truth1 chiefly
 to be apprehended by the understanding4
 ,it seems to me that he so discusses   
it1 as one who was aware that it was    
already inwoven in the sentiments and   
hearts of his hearers1 vague1 dark1     
without moral consequence1 it may be2   
but an existing sentiment1 taken for    
granted1 upon which he might predicate  
his doctrines1 as upon a thousand other 
facts1 which we can clearly perceive1 he
 considers already admitted by his      
hearers4  ,let a man walk in the fields 
on a ,june morning after night showers4 
,let him seat himself for meditation on 
the hill-side1 under the grateful canopy
 of foliage4 ,let him ask himself to    
embody his conceptions of the divinity1 
and to give form and place to the       
,author of the glorious scene           
outstretched before him4 ,he may have   

just risen from reading the admirable   
demonstrations of ,clarke1 and the      
astronomical sermons of ,chalmers4 ,he  
may concentrate his conceptions by a    
fixedness of study1 that may amount to  
pain4 ,he may bewilder his faculties1 in
 attempting to embody something1 that   
his thoughts and reasonings can grasp4  
,i know not what the powers of others   
can achieve in this case4 ,but ,i know1 
by painful experiment1 what mine cannot4
 ,i ask my understanding and reasoning  
powers about this glorious ,being4 ,they
 inform me that it is a subject that    
comes not within their purview4 ,they   
can follow the chain of reasoning1 see  
that every link is complete1 and the    
demonstration irresistible4 ,but when   
they wish to avail themselves of their  
new truth1 they have no distinct idea   
either of premises or conclusion4 ,it   
has evaporated in the analysis4  ,i ask 
my heart1 or the source of my moral     
sentiment1 be it what it may1 the same  
question4 ,the grateful verdure1 the    

matin freshness1 the glad voices1 the   
aroma of flowers1 the earth1 the rolling
 clouds1 the sun1 all the lamps1 that   
will burn in the firmament by night1 my 
own happy consciousness in witnessing   
this impressive scene1 cry out a ,god4  
,to my heart1 it is the first1 the      
simplest1 most obvious thought1         
presenting itself1 it seems to me1 as   
soon as the consciousness of my own     
existence2 certainly susceptible of as  
little doubt4 ,i have no need to define1
 analyze1 embody4 ,the moment ,i attempt
 to do it1 my thoughts are vague and    
unsettled4 ,i yield myself to the       
conviction4 ,my heart swells with       
gratitude1 confidence1 love4 ,so good1  
so beneficent a ,being can do nothing   
but good1 in this or any other world1 to
 him who loves and trusts him1 and      
strives to obey his laws4  ,my most     
treasured hopes of immortality are from 
the same source4 ,will this conscious   
being1 capable of such remote excursions
 into the two eternities between which  

its existence is suspended1 live beyond 
the present life8 ,not a particle of    
matter1 for ought that appears1 can be  
annihilated4 ,will the nobler thoughts1 
the warmer affections perish1 as though 
they had not been8 ,we ask our senses1  
and they can give us no hope4 ,the body 
lives1 and we speak of it as including  
the conscious being4 ,we see it die1    
pass under the empire of corruption1    
molder1 and incorporate with its kindred
 elements4 ,the sensible evidence1 that 
the person exists1 is entirely          
destroyed4 ,the most insatiate appetite 
of our natures1 however1 craves         
continued existence1 and ceases not to  
seek for it4 ,the inquirer after        
immortality cannot but be in earnest in 
this pursuit4 ,the arguments of the     
venerable sages of old are spread before
 him4 ,from the soul's nature1 from the 
unity of consciousness1 the             
incorruptibility of thought1 the        
everlasting progress1 of which our      
faculties are capable1 the strong and   

unquenchable desire of posthumous fame1 
the sacredness of earthly friendships1  
and similar arguments1 they strove to   
establish1 on the basis of reasoning1   
the conviction of immortality4  ,from   
these reasonings he repairs to the      
,scriptures4 ,a strange book1 utterly   
unlike any writings that had appeared   
before1 declares that we shall exist    
forever4 ,the religion which has arisen 
from this book1 in its whole structure  
and dispensation1 is predicated on the  
assumed fact1 that we shall exist       
forever in another life1 happy or       
miserable1 according to our deeds on    
earth4 ,jesus1 the author and finisher  
of this faith1 announces himself the    
resurrection and the life2 with a voice 
of power calls his dead friend from the 
tomb2 declares1 that death has no power 
over himself2 that1 after suffering a   
violent death1 on the third day from    
that event1 he shall arise from the     
dead4 ,he arises1 according to his      
promise2 and1 in the midst of his       

awe-struck friends he visibly ascends to
 his own celestial sphere4 ,millions1 as
 by one impulse1 catch the spirit of    
this wonderful book--love each other    
with anew and single-hearted affection1 
as unlike the spirit of all former ties 
of kindness and love1 as the doctrines  
of this religion are different from     
those of paganism4 ,the new sect look   
with a careless eye upon whatever is    
transitory2 and will submit to          
privation1 derision and torture1 of     
whatever form1 rather than waver1 or    
equivocate1 in declaring themselves     
subjects of this hope of immortality4   
,this ,christian hope1 in every period  
from the time of its author1 has made   
its way to the heart of millions1 who   
have laid themselves down on their last 
bed1 and felt the approach of their last
 sleep1 expecting1 as confidently to    
open their eyes on an eternal morning1  
as the weary laborer1 at his evening    
rest1 trusts that he shall see the      
brightness of the morrow's dawn4  ,i    

recur1 with new and unsated             
satisfaction1 to these arguments for the
 soul's immortality4 ,i love to evoke   
the venerable shades of ,socrates and   
,plato and ,cicero1 and hear them1 each 
in his own way1 persuade himself1 that  
the thoughts and affections1 of which he
 was conscious1 could only belong to an 
immortal spirit4 ,i listen to the       
eloquent and impressive apostrophe of   
,tacitus1 to the conscious spirit of    
him1 whose life he had so charmingly    
delineated1 with feelings which ,i      
cannot well describe4  #8,si quis piorum
 manibus locus2 si1 ut sapientibus      
placet1 non cum corpore extinguontur    
magn anim1 placide quiescas2 nosque1    
domum tuam1 ab infirmo desiderio1 et    
muliebribus lamentis1 ad contemplationem
 virtutum tuarum voces1 quas neque      
lugeri1 neque plangi fas est3           
admiratione te potius temporalibus      
laudibus1 et1 si natura suppeditet1     
similitudine decoremus4',h  ,i repair   
with new confidence and hope to the     

gospel1 and strive to imbibe the        
cheering conviction1 as ,i hear ,paul   
sublimely declare1 that this corruptible
 shall put on incorruption1 and this    
mortal immortality1 and that death shall
 be swallowed up in victory4  ,i have no
 disposition to deny that these         
arguments would be1 in themselves1      
insufficient to turn the balance against
 the evidence of the senses1 and produce
 the conviction of immortality from the 
deductions of simple reason1 if religion
 were an impression to be raised and    
sustained by argument4 ,but1 if we are  
religious1 in some form1 from our very  
constitution1 if immortality be felt as 
a sentiment1 with more or less clearness
 and force1 ,i deem that these arguments
 have their appropriate effect1 in      
giving form and direction to this       
interior sentiment2 that believers have 
been such1 because these doctrines have 
found a concurrent sympathy in their    
spirit1 a suitableness to the wants of  
their heart1 a development of the germ  

of their hopes4 ,it seems to me1 that   
whoever has a heart1 cannot look upon   
the earth and the firmament1 without    
exclaiming #8there is a ,god1' nor      
within himself1 without a conviction1   
that his soul is immortal4  ,i see in   
the enthusiasm1--the embraces1 cries1   
tears1 swoonings and the revolting      
extravagances of various sects under the
 influence of high religious excitement1
 nothing more than the morbid           
development of this latent religious    
sentiment4 ,instead of being1 as        
scoffers affirm1 subjects of a mere     
factitious intoxication1 these people1  
who seem only to demand wings1 to soar  
aloft1 are only manifesting the         
unregulated action of nature working at 
the bottom of their hearts4  ,for myself
 ,i feel that ,i am immortal1 and that  
those fellow sojourners1 to whom ,i have
 been attached by the affection of long 
intimacy1 and the reception of many and 
great kindnesses1 will exist with me    
hereafter4 ,i pretend to conceive       

nothing1 ,i wish to inquire nothing1    
about the mode1 the place and           
circumstances4 ,i should as soon think  
of disturbing myself1 by endeavoring to 
conceive the ideas that might be        
imparted by a sixth sense4 ,it is       
sufficient that my heart declares1 that 
a being who has seen this glorious      
world1 cherished these warm affections1 
entertained these illimitable           
aspirations1 felt these longings after  
immortality1 indulged #8these thoughts1 
that wander through eternity1' cannot   
have been doomed by ,him1 who gave them1
 to have them quenched forever in       
annihilation4 ,even an illusion so      
glorious would be worth purchasing at   
the price of a world4 ,i would affirm1  
even to repetition1 that there is given 
us that high and stern power1 which     
implies a courage superior to any       
conflict1 and which gives the mind a    
complete ascendency over any danger1    
pain or torture1 which belongs to life  
or death4 ,but we would not be so       

extravagant1 as for a moment1 to        
question that death1 as the present     
generation have been trained1 and as we 
are accustomed1 by all we see1 and hear 
to view it1 is a formidable evil1 fitly 
characterized by its dread name1 the    
king of terrors4 ,many a debilitating   
interior misgiving will assail the      
stoutest mind1 in certain moments1 in   
view of it4 ,there are dark intervals by
 night1 in the midnight hours of pain1  
periods between the empire of sleep and 
active reason1 when the terrific and    
formless image rushes in its terror and 
indefiniteness upon the mind4 ,as age   
steals upon us1 and the vivid           
perceptions1 and the bright dreams of   
youth disappear1 many a dark shadow will
 cloud the sunshine of the soul4 ,the   
conflict1 in which all these terrors are
 overcome by unaided nature and reason  
is1 as has been seen1 a cruel one4 ,the 
tender sensibilities1 the keen          
affections1 the dear and delusive hopes 
of our nature must all be crushed1      

before we can be unmoved in the         
endurance of the pain and torture that  
precede1 and the death that follows4    
,it is only to a firm and unhesitating  
faith1 that it becomes as easy and      
natural to die1 as to sleep4 ,glorious  
and blessed hope1 the hope of meeting   
our friends1 in the eternal land of     
those who truly and greatly live        
forever6 ,there we shall renew our      
youth1 and mount as on the wings of     
eagles4        #8,but we shall meet1 but
 we shall meet1        ,where parting   
tears shall cease to flow3        ,and1 
when ,i think thereon1 almost ,i long to
 go6'   ,note #fb1 page #agg4  ,that is 
an unworthy opponent1 who assails what  
assumes to be important truth1 by no    
better argument than ridicule and       
sarcasm4 ,that is a despicable one1     
unworthy of exciting any feelings but   
those of pity and contempt1 who attempts
 to bring to bear upon it the blind and 
fierce prejudices of the multitude4     
,this last is the prevalent mode of     

modern attack4 ,by those1 who deem that 
wisdom will die with them1 and that they
 can learn nothing more1 who dogmatize  
without examining1 and measure the views
 of others by their own preconceived and
 settled opinions1 all the foregoing    
doctrines1 which militate with the      
established prejudices and habits of the
 age1 will be denounced1 ,i am aware1 as
 heretical1 imaginary1 false4  #8,he    
would teach people how to be happy1' say
 they with a sneer1 #8as though they    
were not compelled to pursue happiness  
by a law of their natures4' ,my business
 is not with such opponents1 and ,i     
should consider their opposition an     
honor and a distinction4  ,the fact will
 remain true1 be it welcomed1 be it     
ridiculed1 as it may1 that a few1 in all
 time1 have found the means of being    
more comfortable and happy1 than others 
in the same circumstances4 ,they had a  
method of their own in creating this    
difference4 ,that method might be so    
indicated1 as to be reduced to general1 

and settled rules4 ,this is the amount  
of the foregoing doctrines4 ,the object 
has been to discuss and fix some of     
those rules4 ,no moralist was ever so   
stupid1 as to expect1 that the world    
would not pursue its headlong course1   
inculcate what he might4 ,every one1 who
 understands the analogy of the present 
to the past1 will expect that no form of
 virtuous effort will be screened from  
question and ridicule2 and that no      
purity of purpose will conquer the blind
 and fierce hate of the multitude4  ,but
 there will still be a few quiet1       
reflecting and philosophic people4 ,what
 is better1 the number will be always   
increasing4 ,for such1 are these my     
labors1 and those1 which ,i have adopted
 from another1 chiefly designed4 ,their 
suffrage is an ample reward4 ,their     
plaudit is true fame4 ,if they say1 #8we
 and those about us may be better and   
happier2 let us make the effort to      
become so1' my object is attained4  ,to 
encourage us to shake off the           

superincumbent load of indifference1    
ridicule1 and opposition1 and to make   
efforts to extend virtue and happiness1 
it is a sublime reflection1 that a      
thought may outlive an empire4 ,babylon 
and ,thebes are1 now1 nowhere to be     
found2 but the moral lessons of the     
cotemporary wise and good1 despised and 
disregarded1 perhaps1 in their day1 have
 descended to us and are to be found    
everywhere4 ,as the seminal principles  
of plants1 borne through the wide spaces
 of the air by their downy wings1 find  
at length a congenial spot1 in which to 
settle down1 and vegetate1 these seeds  
of virtue and happiness1 floating down  
the current of time1 are still arrested1
 from age to age1 by some kindred mind1 
in which they germinate1 and produce    
their golden fruit4 ,no intellect can   
conjecture1 in how many instances1 and  
to what degree1 every fit moral precept 
may have come between the reason and    
passions of some one1 balancing between 
the course of happiness and ruin1 and   

may have inclined the scale in his      
favor4 ,the consciousness of even an    
effort to achieve one such triumph is a 
sufficient satisfaction to a virtuous   
mind4   ,,footnotes3  ,a ,e4g4 ,robert  
,owen and others of the atheistical     
school4  ,b ,these ,notes will be found 
at the end of the volume4 ,the small    
numerals1 in the text1 refer to them4   
,c ,leonidas4  ,d ,themistocles4  ,e    
,pelopidas and ,epaminondas4  ,f ,marcus
 ,junius ,brutus4  ,g ,regulus4  ,h     
,tacit4 ,vit4 ,agricol1 ad fin4         
99      99      99      99      99      
99     ,transcriber's note3    ,the     
,,errata 7page vi7 directs that the     
anchors for ,notes #e #bi   #cb and #ea 
be deleted1 since actual ,notes for     
these references   do not exist4        
,however ,note #ea does exist1 it is    
,note #di that   is missing4 ,therefore1
 anchors for #e #bi #cb and #di have    
been deleted in this etext4  ,the       
,,errata change for page #bjj1          
7replace 8,note #e1 page #dd40 with     

8,note #f1 page #de407 has also   been  
made4    ,in addition to these four     
missing references1 several anchors     
had the same number1 but referenced two 
separate ,notes4 ,for clarity   the     
duplicate anchor number has been amended
 with an #8a' suffix4   ,the etext now  
has #ae and #ae;a2 #ba and #ba;a2 #bd   
and #bd;a2   #bg and #bg;a2 #bh and     
#bh;a2 and #ci and #ci;a4    ,there was 
a single anchor #ec1 but two separate   
,notes for this   one anchor4 ,a second 
anchor #ec;a has been added on page     
#aeb1 and   the second ,note heading    
8,note #ec1 page #aej40 has been changed
 to   8,note #ec;a1 page #aeb40         
,obvious punctuation errors have been   
corrected after careful   comparison    
with other occurrences within the text  
and consultation   of external sources4 
,there are numerous typographical errors
 in the original text which   have been 
corrected in the etext4 ,these are noted
 below4    ,except for those specific   
changes also noted below1 all           

misspellings   in the text1 and         
inconsistent or archaic usage1 have been
 retained4     ,typographical errors    
,page #bj3 digust changed into disgust  
,page #bj3 nto changed into into   ,page
 #bc3 consisten twith changed into      
consistent with   ,page #ej3 commencment
 changed into commencement   ,page #ef3 
associa ion changed into association    
,page #ef3 feeleness changed into       
feebleness   ,page #fa3 badethem changed
 into bade them   ,page #if3 amy changed
 into may   ,page #ii3 pu changed into  
put   ,page #aja3 whe changed into when 
,page #aja3 exac changed into exact     
,page #aef3 ,themore changed into ,the  
more   ,page #aeh3 orms changed into    
forms   ,page #afa3 concsious changed   
into conscious   ,page #agb3 done upon  
upon earth changed into done upon earth 
,page #agd3 call us changed into calls  
us   ,page #aig3 corse changed into     
corpse   ,page #aih3 al changed into all
   ,page #bjh3 paticular changed into   
particular   ,page #baa3 controling     

changed into controlling   ,page #bai3  
,hohenloe changed into ,hohenlohe       
,page #bbe3 resolved changed into       
resolve   ,page #bca3 e lfish changed   
into selfish   ,page #bda3 contemptiole 
changed into contemptible   ,page #bej3 
permament changed into permanent   ,page
 #bec3 there changed into their   ,page 
#bee3 aquainted changed into acquainted 
,page #bef3 ,home1 sickness changed into
 ,homesickness   ,page #bfc3 ,serviu    
changed into ,servius   ,page #bfd3 kind
 cf heart1 changed into kind of heart   
,page #bfg3 and and moral creation      
changed into and moral creation   ,page 
#bgc3 some times changed into sometimes 
,page #bgd3 conspicious changed into    
conspicuous   ,page #bif3 corse changed 
into corpse   ,page #bif3 corses changed
 into corpses   ,page #cje3 weekly      
changed into weakly     ,other changes  
,page viii3 l',art d',etre ,heureuse    
changed into l',art d',etre ,heureux    
,page #f3 wholly unnecessary changed    
into wholly necessary   ,page #agf3     

,l',,art ,d',,etre ,,heureuse changed   
into ,l',,art ,d',,etre ,,heureux       
,page #ahe3 conscientious instructer    
changed into conscientious              
instructor   ,page #aic3 l' art d' tre  
heureuse changed into l' art d' tre     
heureux   ,page #aii3 different         
instructers changed into different      
instructors   ,page #bac3 ,bastile after
 changed into ,bastille after   ,page   
#bbj3 ,why drew ,marseilles's changed   
into ,why drew ,marseilles'   ,page     
#bdj3 eclaircissemens changed into      
claircissements   ,page #cjg3 ,a single 
asservation changed into ,a single      
assertation