Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-07

NY window.seat is deep. and over
against the wall on the south end Of it,
at the proper height, my slippers are
tackled up. had juet thrown myself.
pipe in mouth, into the window seat
and ensconced my feet in the slippers,
when the professor came in.
"Your pipe is hanging yonder.n - /
said. "Here is the tobacco match I
Yes: take that strong chair. Il like
the professor. He and LAWYER g. alwaye
suggest the French lady who said Il
don't know how it ia, sister, but / meet
with nobody but myself who is inyari.
ably in the right.') As you were saying,
Professor"
"As 1 was saying, Theophrastus, the
ultimate postulate should be formulated
in terms of the known and be demon
strable from correlated phenomena. 1t
should be predicable OF humanity"
"Why, OF course, professor. I dare
say nobody would recognize postulate
on sight that was not furnished forth in
the habiliments dwell, you know what
/ mean-that was not, in fact, compre-
hensible."
EXACTLY. Theophrastus. You are OBJ
tuse and flippant, but you sometimes
stumble onto my meaning. will give
you the lines and boundaries within
which solution of the great problem
must be worked out. We are rational
ists, rather than transcendentalists
hence, all our inquiries must be upon
lines comprehensible to the finite mind.
Then:
First-The ultimate object of human
pursuit must be comprehensible.
Second-It must have the character
OF universality. 1t must be such an OBJ.
ject as will address itself, and be applic-
able to every human being endowed
with mind.
Third-It must be practicable. FEAST
BILE, able to be compassed. No sane
man will engage in an enterprise which
he recognizes in the beginning gives no
promise of success.
Fourth-It must be high and worthy
object. The moral nature implanted in
man which "makes for righteousness
will not concede that we were created,
and live and move and have our being,
for base uses.
L give you, Theophrastus, the four
leaved shamrock. I Igive you the tails
man--the touchstone. Subject happi.
ness to the test. Is it comprehensive ?
Yes; we all know what happiness
means. 1t is continual succession of
pleasing emotions and sensations. Does
it appeal universally to mankind? Yes !;
the old and the young, the rich and the
poor, the vice and the foolish, all want
a measure Of it. Nay, their thirst for it
is Unsuitable. Is is practicable Not go.
The moment we begin to live, that
moment we begin to die. All pleasures
decrease by repetition of their enjoy
ment. Childhood has it's infantile
troubles and ignorant terrors. Youth
has lite yearnings, it's unrest and its dis
couragements. Manhood has it's disil-
lusionments. And age? All.
Whatever poet, orator or sage
May say 1t, old age is still old age.
1t Is the waning, not the crescent moon;
The dusk of evening, not the blaze of noon
Not FIRE, the blazing and consuming element,
81 take it that a wise man who had
balanced we'll the joys and sorrows Incl
dent to life in this world would hardly
consider it a gift worth the acceptance"
''If you knew how bad 1 feel, pro-
tessor," said 1, "you would not talk
that way. Happiness is obviously
knocked out in the third round. Will
you kindly tell me what the ultimate
object of human pursuit is, or should
be ?"
Certainly, Theophrastus; that is
very easy. 1t is"