Of all weary, flat, dull and unprofitable ways of spending life!
(J.C. Ryle, "HAPPINESS" 1878)
It is an utter mistake to suppose that PLEASURE-SEEKING and AMUSEMENTS alone can give happiness. Of all roads that men can take in order to be happy, this is the one that is most completely wrong! Of all weary, flat, dull and unprofitable ways of spending life — this exceeds all! To think of a sinful, dying creature, with an immortal soul, expecting happiness . . .
in feasting and reveling,
in dancing and singing,
in dressing and visiting,
in ball-going and card-playing,
in races and fairs,
in hunting and shooting,
in crowds, in laughter, in noise, in music, in wine!
Surely it is a sight that is enough to make the devil laugh and the angels weep!Even a child will not play with its toys all day long! But when grown up men and women think to find happiness in a constant round of amusement — they sink far below a child!