Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1828-05-14
MEDIOCRITY.

1t has been well remarked by the
scntcntious Seneca, that a man may
rest as warmly and be sheltered as
well unGer thatched, as under gild-
cd roof; and it is maxim, also, Of
CIcobulos Of Lindos, one of the seven
sagcs of Greece, that state of medi-
ocrity is the best condition Of life.
Without having recourse to the au-
thority Of ancicn. writer's, every man
is aware that but little is necessary for
the purposes Of happiness, and that
an accumulation Of riches is usually
accompanied by an augmentation of
care.' Yet Of all the wishes that agi-
tate the human heart, there is none
more generally indulgcd than the de-
sire of wealth !; and ofthc evils which
it dcprecates none is avoided with
greater cagerncss, or endured with
less fortitude, than poverty. That
the latter state is to be stunned, on ac-
count Of the complicated sorrows and
calarnitcs inseparably connected
is removed beyond pfHe iHe reach SH: "e or" ~"o
cessity, who has all the demands Of
of reason gratifcd, cannot be consid-
cred poor; and experience has clearly
shown that every step beyond this, is
Il removal from happiness.
1t will generally be found by those
who examine into the validity Of the
complaints men utter against poverty
that the evil is seated in their minds,
not in their condition +; and that an in
crease of fortune would not lessen, but
augment their infelicity. To attempt
to shun by a moderate acquisition Of
wealth, the thousand vexatious and
annoyances that infest state Of utter
poverty, is reasonable and correct; but
to spend life in the accumulation Of
golden heaps, which not even the fic-
tltlous wants Of fashion and folly can
dlsslpatc, is a perversion of time that
demands the apprehension of philoso-
ply. The seaman who prepares for
the vicissitudes of the ocean by
supplying his bark with the sails and
rigging which, in the event Of storm,
he will require, acts wisely; but he
who should crowd his vessel with
stores that no exigencc could make
necessary, and load it with provisions
more than he could hope to consume,
would be but defeating the object of
his voyage, by retarding his progress
with unnecessary membranes.
The attainment of wealth, like in.
toxicating draughts, creates a fever of
the mind, thirst of soul, more and
more Unsuitable with each successive
acquisition. 70 him who is toiling
up the ascent of riches, a new pros.
pcct is opened from every elevation; !;
"Alps on Alps arise," each more al
Turing than the last, and each seeming
10 be the termination of the journey.
But there is no termination the mind
refuses to be satisfied; and when all is
attained that it can accomplish, like
Alexander, it sighs for more worlds to
conquer. Look" says an ancient
Latin writer, "into the lives of Cyrus
and Cambyses and the whole Persian
line, and you will not find one man of
them all who died contentcd with what
he had acquired.'-Thc same writer
remarks in anotherplacc that the hap.
piness of man is not to be estimated
by the dust Of his retinuc on the high.
way; for that the despised footman
oftentlmes enjoys more true felicity,
than the prince in his chariot.
1t does not require much depth of
observation to learn from the counte-
nanccs Of men, to what class belongs
the most enjoyment; and he who forms
his opinion from this standard, will
have no difficulty in adopting the
maxim of Cleobulus, that mcdiocrity is
best. The brow of riches is darkcned
by care or pallid with riot, and the
countenance of poverty is sallow with