Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1848-05-25
miscellaneous.
WORK AND HAPPINESS.
BY THOMAS CARLYLE.

All work, even cotton-spinning, is noble );
work is alone noble be that here said and as
serted once more And in like manner, too
all dignity is painful: life of ease is not for
man, nor for any god. Does not the
whole wretchedness, the whole atheism, as
call it, of mans ways in these generations, shad-
ow itself for in that unspeakable Life philos-
ophy of his: The pretension to be what he
calls "happy" Every pitiful whipster that
walks within skin, has had his head filled with
the notion that he is, shall be, or by all human
or divine laws, ought to be "happy.' He wish
es, the pitifulest whipster's, are to be fulfilled
for him: his days are to flow on in ever gentle
current of enjoyment, impossible even for the
gods. The prophets preach TO us, Thou shalt
be happy; thou shalt love pleasant things, and
find them. The people clamor, Why have we
not found pleasant things'
"Happy," my brother First of all, what
difference is it, whether thou art happy or not ?
To-day becomes Yesterday so fast, all To-mor-
rows becomes Yesterdays; and then there is no
question whatever of the happiness but quite
another question. Nay, thou hast such a sacred
pity left at least for myself thy very pains once
gone over into Yesterdays, become joys to thee
Besides, thou knowest not what heavenly bles-
sedness and indispensable sanatiye virtue was in
them thou shalt only know if after many days,
sat once in our company with patient fallen
sick by gourmandizing, whom he had just too
briefly in their patient's judgment, been exami-
ming. The foolish patient still at intervals con-
tinued to break in our discourse, which rather
promised to take philosophical turn "But
have lost my appetite" said he, objuratvely,
with tone of irritated pathos II have no ap-
petite l can't eat" ''My dear fellow" an
swered the doctor, in mildest tone, sit isn't of
the slightest consequence and continued his
philosophical discoursings with US.
The only happiness brave man ever troub-
led himself with asking much about was, happi-
ness to get his work done. Not 81 can't eat ="
but ri can't work % that was the burden Of all
wise complaining among men. 1t is, after all,
the one unhappiness of man, That he cannot
work that he cannot get his destiny as man,
fulfilled. Behold the day is passing swiftly Ser !;
and the night cometh wherein no man can work.
The night once come our happiness, or unhap-
piness-it is all abolished, vanished, clean gone !;
thing that has been mot of the slightest"
whether we were happy as eupeptic Curtis, as
the latest pig OF Epicures, or unhappy as job
with potsherds. But our work-behold
that is not abolished; that has not vanished ::
our work, behold it remains, or the want OF it
remains for endless Times and Eternties re-
mains and that is now the sole question with us,
for evermorel Brief brawling Day, with its
noisy phantoms, its poor paper-crowns, tinse-
gilt, is gone and divine, everlasting Night,
with her star-diadems, with her silence and her
veracites, is come What hast thou done, and
how Happiness, unhappiness all that was
but the wages thou hadst thou has spent all
that in sustaining myself hitherward; not coin
of it remains with thee it is all spent-eaten.
And now thy work Where is thy work -
Swift out with it. Let us see thy work
OF truth, if man were not poor hungry
bastard, and even much of bockhead witha
he would cease criticsing his vituals to such an
extent, and criticise himself rather, what he
does with his vituals