Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1882-06-01

I
sanction and hallow human pleasure gov
erned only by the natural laws of the soul.
/ And is not the capacity for pleasure as
worthy and holy as any other capacity of the
soul. does II not deserve the sanction and
encouragement of the church as much as
| any other quality of human nature Does
( the love of pleasure seem more sinful in
/ that 1t is exposed to the danger of excess.
/ tends To selfish absorption and shallowness
| of thought Tell me of one natural lncli-
nation of human nature which is not ex-
| posed 10 the evil of excess, which can not
/ tend TO selfish absorption and shalluwness
I Of thought and then. aud not till then. shall
admit that the tendency TO pleasure is more
| evil II. its nature than other tendencies Of
/ the soul have seen talsehoOd and hVpoc-
| rIsy had under the mask Of grave dcmcanor
\ more destructive To the best life Of the soul
! than all the excuses Of which pleasure has
{ been guilty | have seen meannc.s and
hatred and unkindncss concealed under the
/ disguise Of grave and ausierc manners far
more pcrniCious % the moral and spiritual
I lite than the evils 10 which man j. exposed
/ by his love of enjoyment. have seen
I evils existing along with purItan,cal habits
I and strict avoidance Of the pleasures Of .lfc
which have thought must H. Tar mury dis
plrasing ~ The sight ~ al infinite God than
al possible evils incident % human enjoy
mruL
- 10 no, see Why the love u pleasure
mss nos become as true and diguifrd part
7 n human Ike a. any other u lfc'. aeti,t-
tie. I 90 hot sec VI, religion ma, not
} rrrognlsc the tendency 10 emo, mcut a. true
and legitimate. mts not defend and cncour-
asy the .o,r n pleasure by showing % o. b.
a natural and prnFcr part uf lie, may nat
diguift and hallo~ q by j, sanction and
protection.
+ II I am strongly opposed 20 N. arbitrary
efforts of religion i1 regulate pleasures. lt -
because have discovered that pleasures
F., have such a mighty intrinsic poser ~ rrgu-
la'.ng thcm.,i,c. Il an inclined 20 az. j.
ish al unnatural and artificial restraints on
enjoyment. . 0. because ! ana 80 lcyp., lm-
pressed u.th the magnitude and .1ysrriSnf,
N thr restraints wh.ga nature herself has
Z placed On rrJ0ymrnt Il ! ,c1ru the govern
mrul % church 20 th- rrA.rs - pleasure. q,
d. hccagsc ! have such absolute faith ~ the
poser - God tn govern hIt. A. well A. all
Other realms ~ human life Nav lu not
kuo~ hui shat the stern cnuntcuanrc which
religion has turned on pleasure 10 the pas,
j. clIrh, responsible FOR man, u.udns,, 10
thr truth that nature. laW, and God rule 5u
the region ~ man, pleasures a, well a. Ia
all other activities. A. ans rate. whA,c,cr
j. rtspous,A.c for u. there does exist 10 the
mind. of many dan feeling that morality.
Religion and The -p.r.tga! life constitute ,Hs
department oi life. pleasure and enjoyment
constitute quite another and distinct depart
mcut VAGUE sense that vhru uur has
turned from the more s,ung. concerns uf
iIi, to the realm 5f pleasure he ha, len the
laSs % God behind him that here there
can be ndAlc,d Ia With .mpunity a Icrn~c
and excess which would b. most disastrous
e.srw here, that here there can b. ,lIsh,ed
with safety the eternal laws uf truth and
right, the sighting uf whIch el,cN here uu.I
hunc weakness and ruin that here can b..
dispensed with without los, those precious
c.cWcu;s Of kiud,!ur,,, punt, and Trfiu,.-
men, which ln other departments Of life are
held 10 be absolutely essential and binding
There j. dim feeling among some tna,
pleasure ., the one thing ID life ~hich can hc
had simply inr the asking, that Il Is, good
not hampcrcd by those natural law, ANA
conditions which hamper the attainment OF
their objects. But alas that when men
have started out Wlth the resolution ID have
good tame IN llic they have sooner or later
discovered that complex and wonderful ma
tugt Of human .Iir which make, that coveted
good time an unrra. and ever VANISHING
quality. Alas that when they have said
'l.e, u, eat, drink aud be- muTr, a." the, may
have found It possible aisays 20 eat and
drink, but have found u impossible AWAY,
To he merry, need no, dw,li on the .ne,-
iiaJl, toll. hardship and SORROW of life a.
a
know the power OF care, responsibility and
vearl,ome labor 10 deaLen the spirits again,,
all genuine pleasure all know the force OF
sorrJw and pain 10 dull the soul against
life, enio,mrnts. II may BE- that sometimes
toll and care have more than their rightfui
power IN banishing pleasure. II may be- that
pam and sorrow sometimes become morbid
and unhealthy IN their opposition to JOS and
gadncss, but in every life the field oi pleas
ure must be narrowed and restricted BY their
inevitable presence.
And not less real and potent than care
and sorrow, though perhaps less apparent
are the restrictions and limitations % en-
loyment consisting IN the unavoidable facts
Of duty and morality. Sooner or later men
discover that in the matter Of pleasure It is
impossible to cheat or drfraud nature and
they can receive only % much enjoyment a.
,hey shall pay for BY actual conformity and
obedience to the laws of the soul Would
men seek the light of pleasure with the CON
scluusness OF work, Of care and duty neg
lected 80 surely shall they discover that to
them thus conscious, pleasure Shall withhold
her light. Would they seek pleasures JOY
through passion and lnordInate desire The
; 3 and -. ali
them that not thus can pleasures benefits be
obtained. Would they strive for pleasure
favor by coarseness, seli,hness and impur-
!, ty? The unavoidable lowering and mar
rowing Of feeling shall teach them that pleas
ure does not give herself to such seeking
This is not question merely of sinful pleas
ure and It's punishment, but a question O
T less pleasure and more pleasure. The law i,
not simply that sinful pleasure brings pain
/ but that so far as evil enters in il ceases to
be pleasure, and the endeayor misses it, aim
So much obedience, so much more pleasure
SO much disobedience, so much less pleas
ure. SO much purity and refinement, SC
much more enjoyment; so much lmpurity
and coarseness 50 much less enjoyment. So
though the presence Of God NAV not be
consciously recognized in YOUR pleasure, He
yet rules supreme there elsewhere in that
, He has made pleasure conditional on a cleaI
| conscience and sense of duty performed
Though you may have no direct, conscious
! thought of His sovereignty, yet that sover-
egnty rules with absolute sway over youl
t enjoyment in that your enjoyment is abso-
; lutely dependent on a pure heart and re.
fined taste. Though your conscious thought
! knows nothing but the pleasurable absorp.
ton of the moment, yet for the real worth
and JOY of that pleasurable absorption there
must enter in that which is too large anC
significant to be compassed by any conseiou,
thought, the great principles OF truthfulness
A kindly feeling and loftiness of purpose.
1 With this consciousness of the higher
$ sovereignty of nature, of moral law, Of Goo
1 in the realm Of pleasure far be it from mt
t to attempt to dictate what forms Of pleasure
should be INDUCED in, what kinds of amuse-
ments are legitimate. | have perfect trus
! and faith in that higher ruling. have per
feet confidence that human nature in tbs
j end will recognize and yield to it: anC
4 hence any attempt of mine arbitrarily tc
! dictate in a region where natural law is Sc
D powerful and all-suffcient would be vair
e and superfuous, yet may interpret for yor
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