The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-16

happiness it is going to produce hereafter. As
Pope says:
Hope springs eternal in the human breast,
Man never Is. but always to be, best
The great French orator. Bossuet. compares
the happy moments Of life to nails driven horc
and there In n blank wall. Spread out over the
wall they make great show but gathered to-
Rether they scarce MI the hand. Each one
must decide how far this IL true OF himself hut
1.-THE continual complaints which We hear are
we'll founded tho pcssimist ia not without
reason in coptending that the misery OF exist
enco ovcrbaanccs tho happiness it AFFORDS.
Admitting that there como to us from time to
timo Joys 10 pure and dcep that no faint OF evil
can be- attributed 10 them, are they not lew ana
far between. and brief in their duratonf
Whereas, is not life on the whole. with most OF
u.s. ono prolonged strugEls against hunger.
thirst cold disease. disappointment and sor-
row. These are questions which we seldom
ask ourselves but on their answer depends the
Judgment we must form Of the real value VI life. |
How much the hope OF happiness in the future |
has to do with our estimate Of tho desirability
Of prolonged cxistcnce Is proved 10y the discon- |
tent and the desir for bcttering ones condition
! which are the spring Of the larger portion Of
| human activity II We were really happy we
should not be 40 eager ms most OF US arc To nnd
now forms OF happiness. Our very search Tor
!
| saiisfactorinrss of that which we have. SO, too.
| the efforts OF r,formers aud phianthropists.
| which we havn cited ~ evidence OF their latin
in the possibility Of improving the present con
dnion OF things also bear witness to their con
viction that such improvement IL nccdod. One
contends that religion IL the panacea. another
nren.hes social reform while third class see IN
scientific enlightenment an efficient remedy Tor
the ills Of life; but each. it IL noteworthy, con
codes that rs vet. tho desired result mas not ooeh
I attained This expectation OF an effect in tho
future from causes which not only have not yet
produced it, but hnvc rather produced ono con
81 trary TO IT, il a singular Inconsistency. We
, count upon the suns rising tomorrow ana me
5 next day and the day after. because II rose To-
; day and Yesterday aud all tho days preceding.
$ ~ fnr back IA the memory uf man extends. In
e the same way we trust to the consistency OF tho
q ! attraction OF gravtatiOn. OF tho chemical aud
l physical qualities OF matter. and IN the ondur-
- nnce OF this great globe itself What always
. has been. We argue. always will be. and we act
10 accordingly. We should treat as IL mailman
i any one who should seriously adopt tho oppo-
h site conclusion. That the sun should ceHse 10
X rise and set the waters TO how and the winds To
= blow. fro to burn. ice 10 be cold. sugar 10 DC
- sweet and in short that the whole universe
Il should be- other than what 1t now is. strikes us
+. as an absurlity and yet We listen eonplacentl'
Il toprophecies OF the coming extinction OF sunrr
4. ing and Of the advent Of a golden age in whicf
n every human being shall be perfectly happy
i Religion. so far, has failed to accomplish thu
II achievement: science has failed. benevolenc
"a has failed s,atssmanship has failed but We &
p on looking, for one OF the other sooner or late
m to succeed
10 1t IL true. that some apparent advance Ia
y. been made toward the end 40 earnestly desired
l. 1t is commonly said that up TO the present m
K ment the world has improved, and. II this be &C
l. IL Is good ground for expecting further I'm
II. provemcnt in the future. But is II sof W
IN have railroads and steamships and telegraph
il and all sorts OF wonderful machinery that on
OF predecessors did not know OF; we have NOR
=. luNurlrs of life and we have not SO much OF tn
~ same kind Of sickness and suffering which fol
IN ! merly prevailed. Whether. however. tho sui
nj Of human MISERY'S Gny less than it ever was.
~ the sum OF human happiness greater. is NJ
rs easy OF demonstration. Certainly In Wow
alt tho destitution AMI almost starvation OF III
n working classes throughout Europe ana IN
~ country the rnvaccS OF pe~tilence. the wars an
in political CONNEXIONS prevailing. and the Eei
u eral uncasiness Of mons minds. It Is hard
NJ saw that tho human race is any nearer perie
NJ happiness now than It was ten, twenty. or thir
H. centuries aA,o. Bssid :. We know that thei
nj have been -toppAses OF human progress IN u
past AMI rcturns toward barbarian; aud v
raj cannot bs sure that these will not again oneu
,b- Another period Ike that ~ tho DARK ages mi
,l- oyer,nke IA. and "Ninsuish our civilization
Ter those ascs cN.uguishel tho civilization
In home. What cnlnmities may b. in store Tor u
NO individually. no ono pr"tcnls % iorrs"e m
* our social AMI political future is equally
nj known.
nj But. cvea admitting an unchecked contn
We ance %, tho worlds prosre-5 toward porIo'tio
We is that perfection i'm its nature, u!timat"
ch. nttainable? Are not the weaknesses and lin
a. tati1ns Of the human mind itself -uilifir
81 reason for abandoning the hope Of our even'u
is deliy,ran,a from importation. and. cons
m qurntiy. from sursringf whether we regaI
- with the religious sin rs tho parent Of @
IN woes. or whether with the man If science.
70 ascribe them 10 ignorance. are We not equn
50. forced to ACKNOWLEDGE that they are INSOFAR
rst. hly eutwlned with our existence? Perfect frt
,rs dom from sin is asserted to be possible by oi
lily a frw fanatics and perfe,, knowledge OF I
inn laws % nature and perfect skill in coniorml
me- 70 them involves yasincss Of Intellect
our power which the most enthusiastic 5
on enlist will not assert 10 DO within our rea
OF | Tho greatest saint that ever lived has neN
liv- claimed for himself absolute sinlcssness, a
-si. the wisest men have always been tho m
uer rcaly 70 confess the scantness Of their know
,rs- ol.;s. The more VIC know Of ourselves tho me-
.cm clearly we see and depore ouf shOrteomin
op- aud the moro we know OF nature the more
s.th stand appalled, at the innny OF her seerC
by Yet. according to tho teachings Of religion.
ann cannot look for pure happiness until we hi
'nci conquered every impulse 10 sin, and Hccoril
that 10 those Of science. we must be- acquainted "
on all the forces Of matter before we can avoid
lists. suffering into which ignorance Of those for
md now leads US.
ibl, The state Of the case Is therefore this $
SELF fsring ia tho lot OF every ono OF us AMI more
m Joss embuers our existence As ye'. neitl
'ssi- prevention nor cure has been found fort AS
and fathers bJro sorrow and bereavement and D
in Of all kinds so DO we. and So will in all iiN'
tal. hood. our children and our children's chiu
ton to our remotest posterity. In spite Of this
good ding to life and frautcnllY resist the agenl
ere which threaten " depriy, Us Of it, We sw
tho like penduums between forces which ali
uately attract and repel US, and our VIII
ring career is made up Of transitions from pleas
HOO. ID main and from pain 10 pleasure. Why