THE

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

A BOOK OF

STUDIES AND STROWINGS

BY

DANIEL G. BRINTON, A.M., M.D., LL.D.

AUTHOR OF “RACES AND PEOPLES,” “THE MYTHS OF THE NEW WORLD,”“ESSAYS OF AN AMERICANIST,” ETC., ETC.

PHILADELPHIA
DAVID MCKAY, PUBLISHER
No. 23 South Ninth Street
1893

Copyright, 1892, by D. G. Brinton.

TO THE

HON. GEORGE PIERCE ANDREWS,

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK,

This Book is Inscribed,

IN MEMORY OF A FRIENDSHIP WHICH HAS CONTINUED
UNINTERRUPTED SINCE OUR EARLIEST
COLLEGE DAYS.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,—that all men arecreated equal; that they are endowed by their Creator withcertain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, andTHE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.”—The Declaration of Independenceof the United States of America.

CONTENTS.

PART I.
Happiness as the Aim of Life.

I. Is a Guide to Happiness Possible? And if Possible, isit Desirable?

Objections to the Pursuit of Happiness as a Low and Selfish Aim.—​Answeredby the Fact that we Cannot do Otherwise than Pursue it.—​Enjoymentis not a Sin, but a Duty.—​No One Can Impart Happinesswho does not Possess it Himself.—​It is Desirable, therefore, thatMen be Taught How to become Happy.—​Nor is this a Commendationof Selfishness,

pp. 9-14

II. The Definition of Happiness.

Happiness is not Pleasure, but is Built Upon it.—​Explanation of Pleasureand Pain in Sensation.—​Happiness Dependent on the Will andSelf-consciousness.—​Difference Between Self-feeling and Self-seeking.—​Happinessis the Increasing Consciousness of Self.—​It maybe Derived from Other than Pleasurable Feelings.—​The Yearningfor Joy is a Cry of Nature.—​It is the Secret of Evolution,

pp. ...