The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-12-30
.Life's Two Greatest Blessings.
(By Rev. Thomas B. Gregory.

(By Rev. Thomas B. Gregory.
A communication received at this
Office, says an exchange, asks for on
answer to the following question
"What, in your opinion, is the
greatest, wisest, and, in the end, most
profitable thing for one to strive after
in this world? To put it plainly:
What is life's greatest blessing? I
wish you 0ould try to answer my
question through your columns, for in
that way you will help not only my
self, kut others who may be thinking
OF the same important subject"
In our opinion there are two "great.
eat blessings of life"-first, healthy
stomach, and second, o clear con-
science.
The man or woman who is fortunate
enough to possess these two things
has health and happiness, and health
and happiness together constitute the
greatest blessings that human being
can know in this world.
Health comes hrst, since whatever
we may be potentially, W c-e primar-
lily animals, and the best definition
ever given of an animal is that it is
IAN organization built up around q
stomach"
If the stomach gets out Of order
everything else gets out Of order; if
the stomach attends to its functions
as Dature intended it should, then ell
is we'll and ske animal is able TO do
its work easily and beautifully, like 9
perfectly adjusted, smooth running
machine.
Various peoples have various Forms
OF salutation. Among some Of the
tribes in "Dsrkest Africa" the FIRST
thing that one tribesman saye to an
other upon meeting him is this
"How is your stomaoh?"
Evidently, in the philosophy Of
those black men the stomach is :hs
most important thing in the world,
the "first principle OF ell things," as
the old Greek Thales would put it.
And the black men are about right.
If we could get the dyspeptics togeth-
or from the four quarters Of the earth
they would vote to man that the
follows in darkest Afr: "a" are abso-
lutely correct.
A good stomach means good health,
and good health means strong, glad,
victorious life. To have good stom
ach is to be we'll; and to be we'll is to
be good natured, oontented. full Of
enjoyment, keenly alive to the beauty
of the world, open eyed to everything
that is calculated TO make one happy.
Of course, it does not follow that
the happiness that comes from good
digestion is the highest kind Of happi-
mega b. &C means Is ii 5uoh. Tue
happiness that is purely health -happi.
ness is animal-the happiness that
belongs to the healthy dog, or OF, or
horse-that and no more.
But we human beings, while prima-
rily animal. are potentially much more
than that. Like the dog, OK, horse,
We are built up around the stomach,
and, to the extent Of our animality,
must depend upon that organ as abso.
lutely % must the other animals; but
because we are related to wider en-.
viroument than they, we demand and
must have wider satisfaction.
For the purely animal existence i. is
enough to have the healthy stomach;
but for the human existence it lie
necessary to have the healthy s.om-
aoh, plus something else.
And .ha. something else is clear
conscieuce-a conscience that yen csa
go to bed with aud sleep soundly Ill
night-a conscience that will enable
you to look into the eyes Of a pure
lsszzzza