THE AUTHOR TO THE READER. 
xii 
upon acts or habits that are within our control ; 
when it is remembered too how easily we accustom 
ourselves to jog on in a round of monotonous exist- 
ence when perhaps a slight, a very slight, attention 
to the details of enjoyment would furnish us with 
constant sources of pleasure, it will be allowed that 
a most important object will be secured if it be 
found possible successfully to urge, that such atten- 
tion should be given to the subject of which this 
volume treats. 
More than a year ago the author conceived the 
idea of this book, and fixed upon its present title. 
He subsequently contributed three papers, which 
embodied the plan of the proposed book, to the 
pages of a well-known magazine. These papers 
are now reproduced in a somewhat altered form, 
in the Introduction and in Chapters I., II., VI., and 
VII. of Part I. of this volume. 
The author feels that in this address to the 
reader he has already trenched upon matters which 
have been dealt with in another part of the volume ; 
but he is anxious in this place to put forth a good 
plea for the object which he desires to effect ; for 
