208 THE GOSPEL, AND THE SOCIAL CEEED OF SCIENCE. 



having, a possession, a satisfied content, and sometimes 

 a perfected felicity. The artist's consciousness of a 

 beautiful sunset, of a smiling summer sea with light 

 summer clouds above it, of the strange and sublime vision 

 of Nature from an Alpine summit, these are not wants, 

 but satisfactions, the opposite of wants. The glad con- 

 templation of the beauty visible over the face of Nature, 

 and of a subtler fugitive beauty caught by the artist 

 amongst the complex conditions of human life ; the 

 tranquil joys of the intellect face to face with or only in 

 pursuit of truth ; the pleasure in the society of superior 

 minds ; the different pleasure from the presence of those 

 we love; all these are instances of satisfied, not dis- 

 satisfied consciousness ; their true meaning is not a 

 privation but a possession, not pain but pleasure, and 

 sometimes without any alloy. Nor is it true that it 

 belongs only to youth to enjoy life. There are appro- 

 priate satisfactions for our maturer years, even for age ; 

 though it must be allowed that the ratio between our 

 joys and griefs becomes, on the whole, a diminishing one 

 with years. Still, there are compensations. Neither 

 our pains nor our pleasures are so keenly felt. We 

 reach a state of tranquil equilibrium in maturer years, 

 in which an intelligent comprehension of life becomes 

 possible. There lies an elevated table-land in the 

 middle of life, before we begin to descend the downward 

 slope, from which we command a wider intellectual 

 horizon. At this period the perception of truth is 

 clearer and stronger, while it is reinforced by the expe- 

 rience of life ; the perception and relish of beauty in Art 

 or Nature, high and satisfying pleasures, long remain 

 iindiminished ; and the desire to serve our species, if we 

 have ever had any such desire, becomes greater. So that 

 even after the joys and raptures of youth have all gone 



