Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1870-04-29


all the happiness they can be made to
yield.
All this, however has been said over
and over again many times, and the prac-
teal question is, admitting that we ought
to be happy now and neither regret the
past nor dwell upon the future, how shall
we do it? How shall we prevent our
thoughts from wandering from the cir
cumstances in which we actually fnd
ourselves, TO the memory of former Joys
and the bright prospects with which hope
deludes the Imagination
The diSmissing from the mind of all
anticipation OF happiness To come is q
comparatively easy task. No mortal can
(oresce the future, and it requires but u
slight effort of the will 10 refrain from
meditating upon it. The uncertainty of
human foresight has been so often dem.
onstrated that very slight exercise of
reason will suffice 10 convince us that we
can be sure ofnothing happening. rs we
expect it to happen and still less can we
be sure that ii it should dn 50, we shall
bc affected by il rs We think we shall.
DiSapoin,mcuts in both these respects are
frequently enough experienced by rs AL!
to thoroughly teach us this lesson, if VIC
but choose 10 learn it,
~-- Meeting the trials of the present /, the
great difficulty to he overcome, and of
that difficulty the chief element j, The well
known tendency ot the mind To cNa9gcr-
ate the evils with which i! is brought in
Ia immediate contact, and 10 cxtcnuate
those which are remote. We forget the
disagre"ablo details OF things which took
place in the past, and remember only the
agreeable ones The way to countcract
this tendency is 10 consider that just Il.
our present happiness i allowed W tn
many ingredients of sorrow, 50 must that
OF the past have been, and not suffer our
memory To cheat us by false testimony.
For example, the adult. worn with the
tolls and troubles OF life, thinks with re.
grct OF hiS bpyhpoi, when he had no
cares and anXictics, when his digestion
was good his body vigorous. and MI his
bodily senses were kccnly alive to pleas.
ure But, while he is thus indulging in
retrospect, lc, him insist On having The
whole truth told. Let him ask himself
the question whether, a' a boy, he did not
have his petty annoyanccs and vcXations,
and was not ~ much if not more anxious
10 bc man IA escape them, as he is now
de,rou, ot bong boy again to escape
those he now has In tact, thi, sort of
scrutiny OF 'childhood's happy hours has
been frequently made of late. and the re-
sult his been pretty general giving N
OF the hc,.onS once current on the subject.
J, is admitted that at least some childish
experiences are not altogether sunny, and
the opinion will soon be established that
childhood, aS season of happiness, i,
inferior to adult age. We have only TO
apply the same reasoning to every period
OF the past in contrast with the prcscnt,to
find that our conception Of the supcliori-
ty Of the former is based upon an impcr.
feet and deceptive picture Of it. When
All the circumstances are brought into
view, we shall find that we are as free
from trouble, now rs He ever we're.
More than this, dspassionutc reflections
will show Us that We have positive sourc-
es of pleasure now, which we had not
formerly. The human mind is growing
and expanding continually. Our cduca-
ton is always going forward, and always
making us acquainted with new wonders
and delights in the world around us. EX-
pericnce, too, develops in us richer and
deeper capacities for JOY Our very af
tiictionS unSc,. our hearts fountains OF
sympathy and emotion that We previous
" knew nothing of. The consequences
are, that each dtY Of It's existence the
soul gains innumrrible additional senses
of delight, until, Us compared with its
condition at the beginning Of its career,
it is like an organ Of mauy stops compar-
ed with single pipe. Let any person Of
mature age ask himself whether he is not
at this moment conscious OF Il capabiIity
OF appIeciating the beauties oi nature,
art, literature, and sciences, the happi.
ness of home and family and society, and
the contemplation Of spiritual things
he did not possess, say ten years ago,and
he will be forced to confess that he is.
Mat he has gained in these respects
within ten years he must have gained not
all at once, but from year to year, from
day to day. and from moment to moment
and, as a consequence, he must each mo-
ment be capable OF more happiness than
he was the moment before.
The practical result of arriving at this
in regard to the happiness OF
the present, is reaction which, paradox
ical rs it may seem, brighlens our future.
For if VIC once make up our minds that
our capacity for happiness is increasing,
and that each day as il comes is the hap |
piest OF our lives, we have sure ground |
for expecting that the process will con-
tinuc, and that we need fear no diminu-
ton of our joys, On this We can rest our
hopes of happiness in heaven, with much
more confidence than OF the ordinary