The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-05-15
Pleasure and Goodness.
Sermon by Prof. Swing.l

Could the verdict of all experience be
found as to whence comes the most goou,
that verdict would be cheerfulness and char
acter The ancient maxim, "A sound mind
in sound body" may have implied this
habltual cheerfulness as natural result OF
sound body, and may have implied good
character as the natural result of a sound
mind, for a mind that could be guilty of ex-
cesses or sin would show little claim to
soundness.
1t would be a truism to affirm in a world
where all seek pleasure that to make the
most of life is 10 be happy, for how to be
happy Is the enigma placed before us; but it
certainly is no truism to say that happy
disposition or a reasonableness regarding
pleasure is one of the best ways by which to
find the most importln this existence. There
can be foolish chase after enjoyment, and
there can be very wise one, and hence what
may be affirmed is that a wise pursuit of
happiness and then the perfect devotion TO
character are two forms of action which will
make these years yield the most possible of
good. There have been those who have felt
that cheerfulness and laughter were SIN, or
at least an infirmity. To these, earth has
been great failure. They have dragged out
life, and have maze of ii simple existence,
rather than the soiourn on earth of a divine
soul. These have all mOurned their way
along, declaring at each step the wretched-
ness OF man and the vanity oil all earthly
works ana hopes. And at the antipodes OF
these there rises up another class more
numerous, but not more wise, who have
fully resolved to have what, in the poetry of
their language, they call "a good time"
They declare that they will find what
pleasure there is in food and drink and
games and vice and luxury. Could the
world now give its candid opinion as to the
success of these two multitudes it would
declare, without reserve, that neither the
ascetlcs of the former school nor the epicure-
ans of the latter have found the
most worth that is possible to the
three-score years of man. The avowed
pleasure seekers and the avowed pleasure
haters are alike enemies of Gods laws for
the human heart is made for JOY just as
much as for virtue; and the class which
seeks virtue at the expense Of all pleasure as
truly violates the divine economy as dc those
who seek pleasure at the expense OF honor.
Not as greatly but as truly, breakers OF Cod
law. Nothing seems more evident than that
man is placed in career which possesses
two watchwords of paramount significance,
and that these are happiness and character.
To be good is only one half of mans mission,
the other half being summed up in he
phrase, to be happy. 1t is not probable that
these are exact geometrical hemispberes,
for the continent called charac-
ter is in all probability the larger, but
in the moral globe there is no exact geogra-
ply or mathematics, but only spiritual
and hence indefinite measurement. III
character be the greatest end OF life, it is
also the easiest found, for man has power to
be cheerful and smiling. We can control
our conduct, but not the events OF time.
Disease in self or family win come, death