She talks
not of useless austerities and rigours, suffering and self-denial.
She declares that her sole purpose is to make her votaries, and all
mankind, during every period of their existence, if possible,
cheerful and happy; nor does she ever willingly part with any
pleasure but in hopes of ample compensation in some other period of
their lives. The sole trouble which she demands is that of just
calculation, and a steady preference of the greater happiness. And
if any austere pretenders approach her, enemies to joy and
pleasure, she either rejects them as hypocrites and deceivers, or
if she admit them in her train, they are ranked, however, among the
least favoured of her votaries.
"And, indeed, to drop all figurative expression, what hopes can we
ever have of engaging mankind to a practice which we confess full
of austerity and rigour? Or what theory of morals can ever serve
any useful purpose, unless it can show, by a particular detail,
that all the duties which it recommends are also the true interest
of each individual? The peculiar advantage of the foregoing system
seem to be, that it furnishes proper mediums for that
purpose."--(IV. p. 360.)
In this paean to virtue, there is more of the dance measure than will
sound appropriate in the ears of most of the pilgrims who toil
painfully, not without many a stumble and many a bruise, along the rough
and steep roads which lead to the higher life.
Pages:
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243