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LETTER XX.

HAPPINESS.

It was a pleasant theory of an ancient musician, that the "soul was but a harmony." However erroneous the philosophy may be, it furnishes a profitable hint. The habit of eliciting from the discord of opposing circumstances a song of praise, is of inestimable value. It was said of Klopstock, the German poet, that his "mind maintained a perpetual spring, a neverfailing succession of beauty and of fragrance; if the rose wounded him, he gathered the lily; if the lily died on his bosom, he cherished the myrtle." Such affinity had this temperament with buoyancy of spirits, and a perpetual flow of the freshness of life, that even when the snows of four-score years had settled upon his brow, he was designated by the epithet of the "youth forever."

This harmony of our nature with the tasks that are appointed it, is not only peculiarly graceful in woman, but in a measure necessary to the complete fulfilment of her destiny. In

her capacity of wife and mother, she is the keeper of the happiness of others. Can she be worthy of such high trust, unless she is able to be the keeper of her own? She is expected to be a comforter. But how can this be, unless the materials of her own character are well-balanced and combined? She is expected to add brightness to the fire-side. Can she do this, unless the principle of light is inherent? She is expected to be as a sun-beam on the cloud, the bow of promise amid the storms of life. Therefore, the foundation of her own happiness must be above the region of darkness and tempest.

The desire of happiness is implanted in all created beings. Its capacities are capable of cultivation and extension, beyond what at first view would be imagined. The means by which it is attained and imparted, should be studied as a science, especially by that sex whose ministry is among those affections which make or mar the music of the soul.

A mind ever open to the accession of knowledge, may be numbered among the elements of happiness. The free action of intellect, as well as the due exercise of the muscular powers, promotes the health and harmony of the system.

The cultivation of friendship, and of the social affections, should be assiduously regarded. If, according to the definition of an ancient philoso

pher, "happiness be the sharing of pleasure and pain with another," it is less important to try to escape the evils of this life of trial, than to learn the art of dividing them.

A habit of looking on the bright side of character, and of finding excuses for error, is conducive to happiness. It is a modification of benevolence, which every day gives opportunity to exercise. It is of the same kindred with that spirit of piety which expatiates on the blessings of providence, and delights to select themes of discourse from those mercies which are "new every morning, and fresh every moment."

Enlarged views of mankind lead to forbearance. The mind that comes in contact with few objects, gradually learns to view them through a contracted medium, to magnify their relative importance, and to fasten upon their leading points with avidity, or acrimony. Thus, the arrival of a stranger in a small village, is an object of eager attention. His appearance is described, his business canvassed. In a metropolis, the throng pass on their several ways unheeded. In secluded neighbourhoods, the movements of every individual are discussed, his motives conjectured, his mistakes "set in a note-book." But the mind, accustomed to a wider range, perceives imperfection to be the lot of all, and expecting in the purest ore, some alloy, learns not bitterly to

condemn infirmities of which it is itself a partaker.

Instruct the young, under your care, not to adopt the erroneous opinion of some novices, that unless they censure the faults of others, they may be supposed unable to detect them. Tenderness of heart, is no proof of blindness of mind, any more than liberality of opinion implies deficiency of intellect. It will often be found a more acute exercise of discernment, to discover the excellences than the foibles of those who surround them. Teach them, therefore, as a means of happiness, not severely to condemn the faults they perceive; to seek rather for opportunities to admire, or to excuse, than to blame; and often to turn the meek glance inward upon their own hearts.

From the same desire, to promote their own happiness, teach them patience. Childhood has need of it. The quiet, waiting spirit, is usually uncongenial to its vivacity. In its happiest state, it has trials, which, though to us, may seem scarcely to deserve the name, yet are sufficiently great, in proportion to the strength given to sustain them. The texture of the temper is often severely tested among companions, and at school. Arm your children against these exigences, that they need not add to unavoidable evils, the revolting of an unruled spirit. If they sometimes encounter blame, when their intentions are cor

rect, teach them, that this is not in reality so hard to bear, as at first it appears. For those who have the support of an approving conscience, can enter into that pavilion, and be comforted amid the "strife of tongues." If they are blamed for their faults, they surely ought not to complain, since this is but the award of justice.

Teach them, by your own example, how to endure trials with patience; how to forget them in the contemplation of higher things; how to repay them with christian kindness. The great Boerhaave, who notwithstanding his goodness had many enemies, said, "I will never repeat their calumnies. They are sparks, which, if you do not blow them, will go out of themselves." Early fortify your pupils against those causes that are prone to disturb their serenity, and require of them as a part of their daily duty, to form the habit of being happy.

The most disinterested have the best materials for happiness. They are seen forgetting their own sorrows, that they may console those of others. May it not, therefore, be assumed that the subjugation of self is happiness?

The lineaments of cheerfulness are important. A smiling brow, and a pleasant-toned voice, are adjuncts of happiness. A wife is not always aware how much her husband may be thus cheered, when he returns harrassed by the per

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