Robert Merry's Museum, Volumes V-VI (1843) — John Shaqi
Robert Merry's Museum, Volumes V-VI (1843)Various
General
Robert Merry's Museum, Volumes V-VI (1843)
Various
Children's literature -- Periodicals
Ronald was as fond of amusement as Horace, but the mode he adopted
for the gratification of his wishes was quite different. In the first
place, he made out a scheme of his travels; he procured maps, read
books, and, after mature deliberation, adopted a certain route, as most
likely to afford him pleasure as well as instruction. In the formation
of this plan he spent several weeks, and in this occupation he found
quite as much satisfaction as he afterwards did in travelling. Thus
he obtained one great advantage over his idle and luxurious friend,
who foolishly thought that the essence of enjoyment lay in freedom
from thought, restraint, and toil. Even before they set out on their
journey, Ronald had actually found nearly as much pleasure as Horace
received in the whole course of his expedition.
Well; the two young men started together, and as we are speaking of
ancient days, when there were no coaches, canals, or railroads, we must
tell you that both set out on foot. They had not proceeded far before
they separated; Horace taking one road and Ronald another.
After the lapse of three years they both returned; but what a
difference between them! Horace was sour and dissatisfied; he had seen
a good deal of the world, but as he had travelled with no other design
than to gratify himself from hour to hour, he had soon exhausted the
cup of pleasure, and found nothing at the bottom but the bitter dregs
of discontent. He pursued pleasure, till at last he found the pursuit
to be distasteful and revolting. He grew tired, even of amusement. He
indulged his tastes, humors, and passions, until indulgence itself was
disgusting. When he returned to his friends, he had laid up nothing in
his memory, by the relation of which he could amuse them; he had kept
no record of things he had seen; he brought back no store of pleasing
and useful recollections for himself, or others. Such was the result of
three years’ travel for pleasure.
It was quite otherwise with Ronald. Adhering to his plans, he visited a
great variety of places, and each day he recorded in his journal what
he had seen. Whenever he met with an interesting object, he stopped to
contemplate it; if it was some aged relic, famous in history, he took
pains to investigate its story, and to write it down. If it was an
object of interest to the eye, he made a sketch of it in the book which
he kept for the purpose.
In this way, Ronald accomplished three good objects. In the first
place, by taking in pleasure in a moderate way, and mixed with a little
toil and industry, he prevented that cloying surfeit, which at last
sickened and disgusted Horace. Horace took pleasure at wholesale, as a
boy eats honey by the spoonful, and soon got sick of it. Ronald took
his honey, on a slice of bread, and while he enjoyed it heartily, his
appetite continued as good as before.
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