Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-06-28
Locke on Human Pleasures.

Thus / think 1T is q mans proper
business to seek happiness and avoid
misery. Happiness consists in what
delights and contents the mind mise
~ in what disturbs, discOmpOses, or
tOrments it. will therefore make it
my business to seek satisfaction and
delight, and avoid uneasiness and dis
quiet to have as much of the one, aud
as little of the other, "a may be. But
here l must nave a care i mistake not,
for if l prefer a short pleasure to las
ting one, it is plain l cross my own
happiness. Let me then see wherein
consists the most lasting pleasures of
this life, and that, as far as can OBJ
serve, is in these things: 1st. Health,
without which no sensual pleasure can
have any relish. I'd. ReputatiOn-fOr
that / find everybody is pleased with.
and the want of it is a constant tor
ment. Sd. Knowledge-fOr the little
knowledge l have / find l would not
sell at any rate nor part with for any
other pleasure. 4th. Doing gOOd-fOr
l find the well-cOOked meat | eat to-
day does now no more delight me, any.
l am diseased after a full meal the
more affect me with any pleasure; but
the good turn did yesterday, a year,
seven years since, continues still to
please and delight me as often as re-
flect on it. 5th. The expectation of
eternal and incOmprehensible happiness
in another world is that also which
carries constant pleasure with it. If
then will faithfully pursue that hap
piness l propose to myself, whatever
pleasure offers itself to me, / must
carefully look that it cross not any of
those five great and constant pleasures
above mentioned. For example, the
fruit see tempts me with the taste of
it that love, but if it endanger my
health, part with constant and last
ing for very short and transient plea
sure, and 80 foOlishly make myself un-
happy, and am not true to my own in
terest. Hunting, plays, and other in
nocent diversions delight me; if l
make use of them to refresh myself
after study and business, they preserve
my health, restore the yigOr of my
mind, and increase my pleasure but if
spend all, or the greatest part of my
time in them, they hinder my improve
ment in knowledge and useful arts,
they blast my credit, and give me up
to the uneasy state of shame, ignO-
rance. and contempt, III which cannot
out De very unhappy. DrlnkInR, SdIn-
ing, and vicious delights will do me
this mischief not only by wasting my
time, but by positive efficacy endan
ger my health. impair my parts. i'm
print ill habits, lessen my esteem,
and leave a constant lasting torment
on my conscience. Therefore all vi
cious and unlawful pleasures l will al
ways avoid, because such a mastery of
my passions will afford me constant
pleasure greater than any such enjoy
ments; and also deliver me from the
certain evil of several kinds, that by
indulging myself in present tempta-
ton shall certainly afterward suffer.
All innocent diversions and delights,
as far as they will contribute to my
health, and consist with my improve
ment, condition, and my other more
solid pleasures of knowledge and re-
putatiOn, will enjoy, but no further,
and this will certainly watch and ex-
anime, that l may not be deceived by
the flattery of a present pleasure to
lose greater.-For BOurne's Life of
John Locke.