The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-27

y
hand. III the respected frame OF secular
customs solid co,,ntrymen sang their
/ songs Of The country, danced the country
4, dances, in their PEASANTS attire. drank
| their native drinks. and seemed to COM.
/ pletcly enjoy themselves They amused
themselves like the blacksmith at his
4 forge, as the cascade falls, as tho colts
bound In the meadow. 1t Is contagious,
/ and wins your heart. III spite of oneself
one says: 'Bravo! children; that is
| !t,st right we would ask to be Of the
| party. & G
on the ether hand soc villagers dis
| s,,iscd in "citizens'; peasants rendered
1 ugly by tho di essnakers. and as prin.
(. cipal ornament Of the festival q gather
ing OF drgeneratcs. who baw concert hall
/ songs; and, sometimes, holding the place
: Of honor, a few strollng actors of the tenth
| class come for the occasion, to smooth
OFF the rongher points of these rllrals,
and to permit them to taste OF refined
pleasures For drinks. liquors based on
| alcohol made from potatoes. or absnthe.
] in all of It, OF gay abandon, perhaps
and vlilgarity, but not that abandonment
which brings innocent pleasure.
| This question of pleasure is a capital
one. The most scdatc persons neglect
IT. in general as atfutillty, the utittari-
ans rs n, costly snpcrtluity. Those whom
we designate men Of pleasure lay waste
so delicate Il domain, like wild hogs
! In a garden They do not seem to un-
dcrstand In the least degree the immense
human interest which is attached to JOY.
1T is II sacred flame which must be nour-
| ished. and which throws n dazzling light
over life He who determines to en-
terrain it nccomplishes q work as profit
able to humanity as he who builds
bridges, pierces tunnels, or cultivate. the
ground. To conduct oneself in such a
way that one maintains in himself, in
| the midst Of his labors and the troubles
! of life, the faculty of being happy and
that he may, like sort OF sulutaly con-
tagion, propagate happiness among his
fellow beings, is to do a work Of solidarity
In the noblest Specification of the term
TO give little pleasure, to- smooth the
careworn brow, throw a little light on
dark paths. what divine reality IN the
plan OF this poor humanity. But. it Is
only by a great simplicity Of heart that
one can succeed in filling It. q
we arc not simple enough to be happy
and to make others So We lack kind
ness and self-forgetfuncss. We spread
Joy as we spread consolation, by such
processes as give but negative results
10 console someone what do we do? We
insist upon denying his sufferings to
dispute them, and in persuadng him
that he is mistaken in believing himself
unfortunate At bottom, our language
translated in truthful words. would be
reduced to this: 2si
You suffer, friend? That is strange;
you must be mistaken, foryI do not feel
anything .3 IN Vi Ej5
The only human means Of solace to q
suffering being Is to partale OF 1t In
ones heart What must an unhappy
man feel consoled after this fashion.
TO divert our fneighbor, and cause him
to pass an agreeable moment, we take
1t to ourselves iii the same way. We
invite him to admire our wit. to laugh
sit at our table, and everywhere glorify
our desire to show off. Sometimes also
we. with protecting liberality offer him
the aims OF an amusement OF our own
choosing. AT least let us not invite him
to amuse himself with u.s. as we invite
ono to n game of cards, with the inward
Intention OF exploiting 1t to our own /
profit
Do you think that tho greatest pleas
.nrc for others is to admire us. TO recog
nIIe our superiority, or to serve US as
an instrument? Is there In this world
an annoyance comparable to that of feel
ing that we have been exploited, pro-
tected or enrolled In a claque? To give
pleasure to others, and to have it oneself.
we must begin by setting aside the l
which Is SO hateful and to hold 1t en-
chained during all these diversions.
There Is no greater kill-joy than that
BE good fellows, amiablc, benevolent, hide
our medals, our decorations, our titles,
and put ourselves ri the disposal Of
others with all our hearts
Let lis live sometimes to make others
smile, even If for but an hour, forgetting
all things else. Tho sacrifice Is but
apparent; for no ono amuscs himself
better than those who know how to
give themselves simply to procure little
happiness and forgettulncss for those
around them.
When shall we be simple enough men
not TO cause to DC put forward to the
first ranks In our reunions, all those
things that rasp on our nerves in every
day life? Can VIC not forget for one
hour our prctcnsions, our divisions, our
Considerations, our persons; In short, to
become .ehildrcn again. and laugh again
with that hearty laughter which does
SO much 4gqd and makes men better?
! feel oiged here to make n remark Of
n particular kind, and to offer to my
well -intcntioned readers the occasions to
harness. themselves TO q magnificent
work, My object Is TO recommend to
their attention several catcgorles OF
people too much neglected from the poinh
Of view Of pleasure
Wd think that II broom can only sweep.
a watering pot water the plants, a coffee
mill grind the coffee, and in the same
way we think a nurse is made only to
care for the nilng, IL professor to in
struct, a priest to preach, bury. confess:
"a sentinel To mount guard And they
decide that these. being delivered to the
most serious occupations, arc vowed TO
their functions as Is the OK TO his labor,
Diversions arc incompatible With this
+. Kind of activity. Pushing this man.
ner OF seeing further forward they
believe themselves authorized to think
that the inhrm, afflicted, ruined persons
conquered bylife and all those who have
a heavy burden to bear,l are in the
shadow, Ike the northern slopes Of Tie
mountains, and that Ii Is necessary
that IT should DO so. From this they
conclude generally enough, that these Sc
date men need no pleasure and that it