THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS 



from the thought of death as the grim spectre threat- 

 ened themselves or their dear ones with the agony of 

 haunting terror. Philosophy or no philosophy, most 

 men (in Bacon's words) " fear death as children fear to 

 go into the dark." There are but few who in their nor- 

 mal moments can echo sincerely the words of that 

 cynic poet who summed up his indictment of life in the 

 fierce challenge to 



"Count o'er the pleasures thou hast known, 

 Count o'er thy days from sorrow free, 

 And know, whatever thou hast been, 

 Tis something better not to be." 



No, assuredly, in the estimation of most of us, life 

 brings more of pleasure than of pain; and death is a 

 curse and not a blessing. 



What, then, have we to do since our theme is hap- 

 piness with this great universal dispenser of sorrow? 



The answer is found in the pregnant words of Epi- 

 curus, " The care to live well is identical with the care to 

 die well." Paradoxical though it seem, it is for the 

 most part true that if we would die happily we must 

 first have lived happily. For, be it understood, when 

 a life has been rounded out to its full term of years and 

 to the full measure of its possibilities dying becomes 

 more natural, and often even more acceptable, than liv- 

 ing. Death is not then a curse, but a blessing; and 

 it is no misnomer to speak of dying happily. 



But this, be it repeated, only when a life has been 

 rounded to the full term of its years and the full measure 

 of its possibilities; in other words, when the life has 

 been well lived. And to live well, in this sense of the 



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