308 Public Establishment for 



from a state of affluence to the necessity of laying 

 down his carriage, leaving the town, and retiring into the 

 country upon a few hundreds a year, than by the total 

 ruin of the industrious tradesman over the way, who is 

 dragged to prison, and his numerous family of young 

 and helpless children left to starve. 



But however selfish pity may be, benevole7ice c^xidJvsA^ 

 spiings from a more noble origin. It is a good-na- 

 tured, generous sentiment, which does not require being 

 put to the torture in order to be stimulated to action. 

 And it is this sentiment, not pity, or compassion, 

 which I would wish to excite. 



Pity is always attended with pain ; and, if our suffer- 

 ings at being witnesses of the distresses of others some- 

 times force us to relieve them, we can neither have 

 much merit nor any lasting satisfaction from such 

 involuntary acts of charity ; but the enjoyments which 

 result from acts of genuine benevolence are as lasting 

 as they are exquisitely delightful ; and the more they 

 are analyzed and contemplated, the more they contrib- 

 ute to that inward peace of mind and self-approbation, 

 which alone constitute real happiness. This is the 

 " soul's calm sunshine and the heart-felt joy," which is 

 virtue's prize. 



To induce mankind to engage in any enterprise, it is 

 necessary, first, to show that success will be attended 

 with real advantage ; and, secondly, that it may be ob- 

 tained without much difficulty. The rewards attendant 

 upon acts of benevolence have so often been described 

 and celebrated, in every country and in every language, 

 that it would be presumption in me to suppose I could 

 add any thing new upon a subject already discussed by 

 the greatest masters of rhetoric, and embellished with all 



