The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware advertiser., 1826-12-14

them the road to true and permanent happiness,
present and future; and to point ont to them
how TO avoid misery both in the world which now
is, and in that which is to come lfthls be your
object (and am sure you will not deny that 1t isl
then it perfectly comedies with the dehnitioh
have just given.
The inseparable connection between virtue
and wisdom and happiness, though 1t has scarce
~ ever been distinctly and unequiyocaly admit
ted has seldom been denied. "Wisdom's ways
are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are
peace"
81 do not deny" you tell me, "that virtue
makes us happy and vice makes us mlse'able'
but do say that the manner in whch you nave
stated the matter such, that the door Is at once
opened to every species of excess.
The verv reverse, my friend. Should you be
afraid that a man would take a penny to-day,
knowing that BY so doing he would lose gum
ca Tomorrow 1t might certainly happen 10 one
who was unacquainted with the value OF moneys
but scarcely any other sane person wo"iu DC
weak enough to make such an obvious sacrhce
of future good to present pleasure NOW IL So
happens that excess of whatever kind 1t may be,
uniformly produces, in the long run, much more
pain than pleasure. But untortunateiy' men
have not been educated to know the true value
of the currency of pa and pleasures and they
are deceived and ruined in consequence OF their
irno ance. To-day they take penny OF ths 10
them unknown currency; tomorrow their gum
ea is lost yet habit and fashion blind ther eyes
to their true condition, so that they cheat tnem-
selves mi,eraby again and again, almost without
suspcctng it. lfa suspicion of the truth does
enter their mind, it is generally too weak to pre-
vail against the established power OF habit.
Now, nv friend. let me ask you, If YOU, 1t man
kind at large, have followed a rational course IN
. pt,I ts r.
tue. What measures were taken Stakes and
gibbets were raised, and dungeons and ias were
built for those unfortunate wrctches who had tall
ed to discover lhe road TO happiness. What
motives were employed The hope ot infinite
happiness hereafter, on the one hand: the fear oi
eternal punishment on the other. J, this ration
all Is it consistent Does it display and acqna'n'
ancc with mans nature and his feelings and his
elcsires' You cannot SAY it does. The only nat
,lral and efiectual check was at hand: teach man
whittier the paths OF vice lead, and once tho
roughly convinced that yor speak truth, ie rn''-
nat follow them: for we know that he cannot de-
sire misery.
But no: this simple this certain check was
overlooked, and inch trusted to the broken reed
Of threats and punishments.
He who first imagined and introduced these att
fetal pains and restraints was in fact tho doubtless
unwttingly and unntcntlonally, the Gaze ot the
perpetuaton and increase oithc evils Il though,
to remedy. He saw indeed that mankind were sI'
criticing their real happiness; but he oIell3oScd,
unaccountably, the fact that they could not DO SC
on purpose. lie forgot that he did not desire to
accomplish any thing else than to inuucc man
| kind to foiiow happiness rQtdtr tun nHstrY' h,
forgot that but for mAa's bhinlneas retonnei
would have nothing to do but 70 ley things taxi
their own course, md that Ike desire N hGUpjaea'
! uouM instantly njorm tie pnd. Therefore h>
could not see that the natural, and stratiofNart
course he had to pursue, Was TO remove effect
,aly this bnduesst and to open mans eyes t'
the real value of the great currency ofhappness
And not seeing this what does he do'--llc at
iempts to force man, blind as he is, 20 do til.
winch force miy cauW hare prerentcd nm fran
doiag If he had butseen his way before him. VIVA
were the natural and necessary consequences a
such conduct Man became susp cous: he in
agincd, naturally enough, that this rctoincr wish
ed him to sacrifice his happiness; for he coulo
not believe that force would be employed for !.
ny other purpose: nay, lie was told Of eternal rc
wards and punishmcnts 10 induce hun to max
the sacrifice; whereas there Was TO sacrl!lce t
make, except sacrifice OF misery. In fine
hckless human nature WAS so puzzled by this Al
ttcal methol OF attempting to force IL to d
w'iat moderately rational education must lav
an and agreeable, that we lost all correct or prac
teal ideas Of right and wrong; and notwlt
standing the nevcr-ceasing influence Of the dc
sire OF happiness, we acted such q strangcl
inconsistent part that passing observer NIGH
have doubted whether we were search of lap
piness at all. For he would see us making TIL
most extravagant bargains, receiving Il pittaHc
of pleasure to-day to be paid for by the toricrur
of large amount OF enjoyment few day
hence, or wantony sqlEtnlcring our portion {
that happiness he Was told We ,alacd 80 hghlN
Yet vast ever thought necessary to make ldu
to prevent men from ,niuring themselves by e>
changing pennies for buli.eas' Children have II
doubt done so, thinking, naturally enough, tia
, the larger piece was therefore the more vallabi,
But what rational parent docs not see how easil
such folly can be prevented, without even 4.
idea of future rewards ana I,Inishmcn,s, hy sin
i pin convincing the child that he can purehas
more than one hundred times as mtsch with til
: one coin as with the other,
: Now We see every day that mankind arc rcall
i little children, as regards a correct estimate
: the different kinds ofhappncss. Each owe Sc
y up an imaginary currency for himself often O
A less rational GROUNDS than the cmld's, Who clio,
the penny for its size. Eiicctual means arc u,
O adopted to convince them Of their mistake, /
teaching them practically, the true value Of ii
If genuine currency OF Happiness; and while the:
l. natural and evidently efficient means are ncglec
e ed, all attempts to supply their place by ar
= cal cxcitements create only irritation and conf
h sion Of all correct ideas, and produce only c,
of continually