THE PROBLEM OF HAPPINESS 



the goal of greatest average freedom from pain of mind 

 and body; of greatest average preponderance of the 

 sense of well being; and therefore of greatest capacity 

 for usefulness in adding to the welfare of humanity. 



Four great parallel highways lead toward this all- 

 encompassing goal the highway of the physical senses, 

 the highway of the intellect, the highway of social in- 

 tercourse, and the highway of moral aspirations. The 

 man has attained most happiness who has travelled as 

 far as his hereditary limitations will permit on each of 

 these paths. 



Considered in this light it is evident that the pur- 

 suit of happiness differs as widely as may be from the 

 mere effort to secure sensual pleasure. Such an effort, 

 considered as a sole aim in life, would be grasping 

 after Dead Sea fruit that must surely turn to ashes. 

 Nay worse, the goddess of pleasure, thus courted, has 

 a face as baleful as a Gorgon's, turning the very soul 

 of her wooer to stone. 



The pursuit of happiness, then, is not an endeavor 

 that may be left to unguided instinct. Indeed, no- 

 where else in the entire field of human action which 

 after all scarcely exceeds the bounds of the present 

 subject could there be greater need of counsel, bet- 

 ter opportunity for advice, fairer field for the applica- 

 tion of that organized knowledge which we term science. 

 Yet in our modern world the subject is treated with 

 singular reticence. We are still not quite emerged from 

 the cloud of that medieval philosophy which deplored 

 worldly pleasure as positively reprehensible, focusing 

 all its aspirations on the hoped-for pleasures of a 



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