162 THE ASH-TREE. 



the true idea being rather that of long tresses, 

 gracefully let down awhile, and calculated to remind 

 us, not of mourning and the disconsolate, but rather 

 of such incidents as when the Lady Godiva 



" Let fall the rippled ringlets to her knee." 



Quite enough of calamity and sadness is inevitable 

 to this temporal world to render it unnecessary for 

 man to encourage thoughts and to impose names 

 that shall make it seem more plentiful. The true 

 idea of wisdom and of religion alike, is cheerfulness ; 

 and our pride and pleasure should be, not only to 

 cultivate unbroken gratitude to God for the multi- 

 tudinous small mercies which we daily enjoy, and to 

 cherish thankful sensations and ideas, but at the 

 same time to endeavour to reflect those thoughts 

 and feelings upon the face of nature, seeking and 

 striving to behold gladness in all things, and to 

 gather, in turn, from the pictures set forth in nature, 

 new incitements to the pursuit of what is " lovely 

 and of good report," new impulses to be energetic 

 in right doing, new reason to forsake selfishness as 

 being a thing utterly unprofitable. It is just these 

 results upon our hearts which constitute the true 

 utility and the magnificence of the purpose of 

 the world around us. If we ask what is the 

 use of an immense proportion of the world's con- 

 tents, meaning by "use," serviceableness for food, 

 or for drink, or for clothing, there will come 



