The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1867-05-23
For the Lancaster Gazette.
Rational Use Of Life---NO. 2.

ourhome and friends round US.
For the Lancaster Gazette.
Rational Use Of Life---NO. 2.
Opinions or theories don't affect
me, or modify my views, unless
they are drawn from premises that
l can understand. This is the use
Think l have the right to make of
reason. But l should abuse my.
self greatly, i'll should refuse TO
} ield assent to the opinions Of 9TH
ers, purely through obstinate per-
sonal pride Of my own conceived
correctness. From my conceptions
OF the uses of life, Others may dis.
sent. If shown that / an wrong,
| will gladly, proud y come to the
superior light. Let everything not
mathematically seettled be brought
to the test of reason aud common
sense; we shall all be gamers there
by. II, in the mutual conference
we lose some old cherished notion,
all the better, perhaps.
say, then, that in the absence
OF physical pain, We may be happy
all through life: and Isay that the
means of being so are under our
own individual control. I know
that the way of life, from the era
die 10 the grave, is beset, or seems
to be, with hosts of foes to our men,
tai and social peace the most of
which are imaginary, purely SO.
Perhaps we shall be able to see
that wrong methods of education,
misconceived and misdirected usa.
ges and institutions, have set up
tho bugbcars. We must allow
ourselves to understand how this
is. No matter; we have no bust.
ness to worry ourselves over things
we are not responsible for. We must
fall back upon ourselves. We do
fall back upon ourselves. at last, in
all cases. The world only helps
US when we are helping ourselves
or perhaps it is better to say that
the world helps US when we arc
doing more for it than it is doing
for us: this, l think, in justice to
ourselves, we should all bear in
mind. 1t is o fact to take reck-
oning from.
don't mean to say that there
arc no real difficulties 10 be met
and overcome. Life is, after all. q
conflict. But then it is as we
make it. 1 shall insist that every
man is the arbiter of his own. for.
tune. l don't say that men can
control their circumstances; what !
say, is, that they can disregard
them. Every man is supreme
sovereign within himself. Every
man has an interior conscious mon
itor that continually tells him
what is right and what is wrong.
The fundamental principles ofright
and wrong are not the creations Of
education.
To do all that is right, and moth
ing that iS wrong, all thro life, is
to be innocent and pure. To be in
nocent and pnre is to be happy. 1t
will not be an excuse to plead that
one has not been able, under the
/ pressure OF conditions, to do what
Ire would have done. such an ex-
cuse will not be received by socio-
ty, by the Greater Judge of all,
nor at the tribunal of ones own
conscience.
To sustain the points here briefly
suggested, will command our at
tention IN few subsequent papers
We must look everything in the
face, without an unworthy ambi-
ton to secure the popular approx
al, or q morbid fear lest we incur
censure. To uncover the pitfalls
that await the steps ofthe thought
less. or the timid, may require ut
to arraign many popular customs
and usages of society, as we'll as i'll
fancies and follies. I suppose .hc
present status of society will allow
us to strike blow at crying evils
promising only on our part, not u
recognize religious or political dis
ferences of opinion / wish I knew
that every body Mould read my
sketches. l hope many will, fo'
should no good for the present b.
done, / promise to take care that nj
harm shall.
We 90 forward then with thi
understanding that all are integra
parts ofthe commonwealth; and !
! each one does his part well, th'
!, aggregate will DO all goodness ant
happiness. Our motto.is that eacl