Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1869-08-25

fll rainbow, according to the position we
may occupy to the cloud. If it be be-
tween us and the sun, it is dark and
threatening but if we be between it and
the sun, then it is spanned by rainbow
4 balloonist tells US that, as he looks at
the clouds above him, they appear ike a
dark, substantial sea- When passing
through them they appear as an almost
/ impalpable mist but when, having as
cended still higher, he locks down upon
them, they now appear to him ike con-
tinent CT purest gold, there being really
no difference in the cloud, but only in his
relation to it. The same that was dark
above him, Is golden beneath him.
al this may represent human life.
Viewed from one position, it is dark like
that storm cloud while viewed from
another, it has its beautiful rainbow.
There are many who so cultivate discour-
agement that they are ike him who should
be constantly striving to keep a cloud
between him and the sun, thus having 1t
always dark to him. These always keep
their difficulties between them and God.
They repel any effort to lead them TO the
rainbow side of the cloud they seem to
/ have a morbid desire to be unhappy. y
healthy religion would. of course, cure ali
this; but then a sound philosophy ought to
90 very far toward curing it without
religion.
There is one aspect in which one may
see himself, which can hardly fail to
silence his murmurings. Much as we may
envy others, there Is no man so miserable
that he would be willing to make a full
exchange even with the man he envled the
most. Who of us would exchange every
thing of what we have and are with any
human being in the world ? Bring it
home to US and see. The poor man would
cheerfullv exchange his miserable hut for
the rich mans palace, and his scanty lot
for the rich mans acres and bank stock.
But this would be only partial exchange.
Would that poor man exchange his ragged
children for the well-dressed children Of
that rich man? Would he exchange his
wife in plain clothing for the rich man 5
wife IN silk? O, no No such exchange
as this could be made. Wife and children
taken into the account, the poorest man
would rather have his own Inheritance,
than that Of the richest man of the land.
And what person would be willing 10
change MS personal identity with any one,
though that one were an angel even2 We
may 20 even further than this. The
mourner may look with envy and murmur-
ing at an unbroken family circle. 1t may
seem hard to the widow that her compan-
ion should be torn from her, leaving her in
indicence. while other wives have the
strong arm and loving heart of a husband
left to them ct where i the widow
truly mourning her departed husband, who
would exchange with any woman the dead
for the living? Or where the mourning
mother who would barter away the little
mound Of earth in the churchyard for any
living child? No. we feel ourselves
richer with our dead, than though We
we're to exchange them for any living
Then. taking everything into the account.
we think ourselves better off than we DO
any other living person. Should not this
thought then Danish murmuring from our
lips That happy state mind, 50 rarely
possessed in which we can say, Is l have
enough" Is the highest attainment of
philosophy. Happiness consists. not in
possessing much, but in being content with
what we possess. He who wants little al
ways has enough Lqa5ies' Repository