San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-09-11
SOME MUSINGS.
To the LIGHT:

10 the LIGHT:
Every human being is ardently desir-
Gus of happiness, and is engaged in the
pursuit of happiness in accordance with
his, or her, idea of what constitutes hap
pinesS.
The world has, for ages, been divided
between those who esteem cOntempa-
tive life, most conducive to happiness.
and the dispute is just as far from being
settled, as it was twenty centuries ago.
Then comes the contention between viz
tue and pleasure, and here, too, the dis
pute is still undecided, and is likely to re-
main undecided. Virtue has become an
other name for chronic sourneSs of as
pect-cyniciSm of feeling and of speech,
and general gloom and peSsiSmism. This
is total perversion OF the meaning
of virtue and a surrender of the
proud and enviabe vantage ground,
which rightfully belongs to virtue. Vir-
tue has nothing sour, cynical, misan-
thropic or pessimIstic, in its composition.
Why should 1t have these unamiable and
ungracious qualities about il? Truth,
sincerity, kindness and honesty consti-
tute the life and soul of virtue and there
"is no law against these qualities, or
traits" Why should truth. sincerity,
kindness and honesty be sour. morOse,
cynical and pessimlstic? Why should
they clothe themselves iD ashes and sack
cloth? The liar highly respects the man,
who is devOtee at the shrine OF truth;
the insincere; the tyrant and the OPP
preSSOr would gladly pass for kind fell
low, with a rough bark on, and the dis
honest covet nothing so much as to be
rated as honest. Vice pays homage
to virtue by Stimulating virtue and by
speaking the dialect of virtue, in and out
of season, with a degree of oStentation
and effusiveneSs that arOuSes doubts Of
its sincerity.
Rightly considered, there is no antag-
onlSm between virtue or morality and
pleasure. There is pleasure in any kind
Of excess, and virtue is an enemy to eX-
cess only, and not to moderation and tenn
perance. God intended man to be happy
in this world, and to euable him to be
happy He surrounded him with all things
conducive to happiness. The worl Id is
radiant with sunshine, if we would not
bar it out from shining into our hearts.
Temperance and moderation are promo.
tive of health and long life. Industry en-
ableS us to gather together all that is
essential TO the support OF life. Bnt the
man of 1894 is an artificial being. He
is a bundle of artificial wants. and
these artificial wants have caused man to
contract habits, which may truly be call
ed artificial, to contra distinguish them
from natural habits. Nine men out Of
ten are enSlaved by tobacco, aIChOhOl or
beer, and imagine they could not live
without them. Hundreds live on NOR
phine, or cocaine, and do their best to
hide the fact from the world. Nine
women out of ten are utterly enSaved by
fashion, and had as lief be dead as 10 be
out Of the fashion. A modern woman is
fine specimen of artficiality. Her smile
is artificial; her complexion is the result
of cosmetics, and her shape is owing to
corSets and tight Iacing. A host OF
women are secretly addicted to the use of
morphine, wine and even whisky, and it
is all right, so long as they can conceal
the ugly degrading habit from the world.
Stimulation and discrimination are artiti-
cial. Nature never teaches us to feign
and Discrimination is the meat and bread
Of ultra fashionable society, which is
artificiality run mad.
We are strangers to the feeling of
contentment, and live feverSh and dis
cOntented lives. We are always in a hur-
~ and too busy to enjoy ourselves.
What plPaseS us today, pals on our
taste tomorrow. We are wound up too
tight to admit of our being contented
and happy. Every man and woman has
some MOrdecai sitting in the gate and
banis hing happiness from them. Envy is
a great enemy TO happiness. and but few
of us are free from this malignant pas
sion. If the world goes on, as it has dur
ing the past hundred years, artiiciality
will eXpGl every bit of nature out of men
and women and children will be gotten
and born with artificial wants and hab-
its.
| have no doubt, that half the labOrerS
in the union, possess better aDDetiteS-
enjoy their food with greater ZeSt-Sleep
more SOundly, and are ii ore contcnted
and happy than any of the miIiOnaireS OF
New York and i OStOn.