Evenings at home; or, the juvenile budget opened: Consisting of a variety of miscellaneous pieces, ... [pt.6]
Aikin, John, 1747-1822., Barbauld, Mrs. (Anna Letitia), 1743-1825.

WISE MEN.

YOU may remember, Arthur, (said Mr. C. to his son) that some time ago, I endeavoured to give you a notion what a great man was. Suppose we now talk a little about wise men?

Page  49 With all my heart, Sir (replied Arthur).

Mr. C.

A wise man, then, is he who pursues the best ends by the properest means. But as this definition may be rather too abstract to give you a clear com|prehension of the thing, I shall open it to you by examples. What do you think is the best end a man can pursue in life?

A.

I suppose, to make himself happy.

Mr. C.

True. And as we are so constituted that we cannot be happy ourselves without making others happy, the best end of living is to produce as much general happiness as lies in our power.

A.

But that is goodness, is it not?

Mr. C.

It is; and therefore wisdom includes goodness. The wise man always intends what is good, and em|ploys skill or judgment in attaining it. If he were to pursue the best things Page  50 weakly, he could not be wise; any more than if he were to pursue bad or indifferent things judiciously. One of the wisest men I know is our neigh|bour, Mr. Freeland.

A.

What, the Justice?

Mr. C.

Yes. Few men have succeed|ed more perfectly in securing their own happiness, and promoting that of those around them. Born to a competent estate, he early settled upon it, and began to improve it. He reduced all his expences within his income, and indulged no tastes that could lead him into excesses of any kind. At the same time, he did not refuse any proper and innocent pleasures that came in his way; and his house has al|ways been distinguished for decent cheerfulness and hospitality. He ap|plied himself with diligence to mend|ing the morals and improving the condition of his dependents. He stu|died attentively the laws of his coun|try, Page  51 and qualified himself for adminis|tering justice with skill and fidelity. No one sooner discovers where the right lies, or takes surer means to enforce it. He is the person to whom the neighbours of all degrees apply for counsel in their difficulties. His conduct is always consistent and uni|form—never violent, never rash, ne|ver in extremes, but always deliberat|ing before he acts, and then acting with firmness and vigour. The peace and good order of the whole neigh|bourhood materially depend upon him; and upon every emergency his opinion is the first thing enquired after. He enjoys the respect of the rich, the confidence of the poor, and the good will of both.

A.

But I have heard some people reckon old Harpy as wise a man as he.

Mr. C.

It is a great abuse of words to call Harpy a wise man. He is of Page  52 another species—a cunning man—who is to a wise man, what an ape is to a human creature—a bad and contempti|ble resemblance.

A.

He is very clever, though; is he not?

Mr. C.

Harpy has a good natural understanding, a clear head, and a cool temper; but his only end in life has been to raise a fortune by base and dishonest means. Being tho|roughly acquainted with all the tricks and artifices of the law, he employed his knowledge to take undue advan|tages of all who entrusted him with the management of their affairs; and un|der colour of assisting them, he con|trived to get possession of all their property. Thus he has become ex|tremely rich, lives in a great house with a number of servants, is even visited by persons of rank, yet is uni|versally detested and despised, and has not a friend in the world. He is con|scious Page  53 of this, and is wretched. Sus|picion and remorse continually prey upon his mind. Of all whom he has cheated, he has deceived himself the most; and has proved himself as much a fool in the end he has pursued, as a knave in the means.

A.

Are not men of great learning and knowledge, wise men?

Mr. C.

They are so, if that know|ledge and learning are employed to make them happier and more useful. But it too often happens that their speculations are of a kind neither be|neficial to themselves nor to others; and they often neglect to regulate their tempers while they improve their un|standings. Some men of great learn|ing have been the most arrogant and quarrelsome of mortals, and as foolish and absurd in their conduct, as the most untaught of their species.

A.

But is not a philosopher and a wise man the same thing?

Page  54
Mr. C.

A philosopher is properly a lover of wisdom; and if he searches after it with a right disposition, he will probably find it oftener than other men. But he must practise as well as know, in order to be truly wise.

A.

I have read of the seven wise men of Greece. What were they?

Mr. C.

They were men distinguish|ed for their knowledge and talents, and some of them for their virtue too. But a wiser than them all was Socrates, whose chief praise it was that he turned philosophy from vain and fruitless dis|putation, to the regulation of life and manners, and that he was himself a great example of the wisdom he taught.

A.

Have we had any person lately very remarkable for wisdom?

Mr. C.

In my opinion, few wiser men have ever existed than the late Dr. Franklin, the American. From Page  55 the low station of a journey man printer, to the elevated one of ambassador ple|nipotentiary from his country to the court of France, he always distin|guished himself by sagacity in disco|very, and good sense in practising, what was most beneficial to himself and others. He was a great natural philo|sopher, and made some very brilliant discoveries, but it was ever his favou|rite purpose to turn every thing to use, and to extract some practical ad|vantage from his speculations. He thoroughly understood common life, and all that conduces to its comfort; and he has left behind him treasures of domestic wisdom, superior, perhaps, to any of the boasted maxims of anti|quity. He never let slip any oppor|tunity of improving his knowledge whether of great things or of small; and was equally ready to converse with a day-labourer and a prime-minister upon topics from which he might de|rive Page  56 instruction. He rose to wealth, but obtained by honourable means. He prolonged his life by temperance to a great age, and enjoyed it to the last. Few men knew more than he, and none employed knowledge to bet|ter purposes.

A.

A man, then, I suppose cannot be wise without knowing a great deal.

Mr. C.

If he knows every thing be|longing to his station, it is wisdom enough; and a peasant may be as truly wise in his place as a statesman or legis|lator. You remember that fable of Gay in which a shepherd gives lessons of wisdom to a philosopher.

A.

O yes—it begins

Remote from cities liv'd a swain.

Mr. C.

True. He is represented as drawing all his maxims of conduct from observation of brute animals. And they, indeed, have universally that character Page  57 of wisdom, of pursuing the ends best suited to them by the properest means. But this is owing to the impulse of unerring instinct. Man has reason for his guide, and his wisdom can only be the consequence of the right use of his reason. This will lead him to virtue. Thus the fable we have been mentioning rightly concludes with

Thy same is just, the sage replies,
Thy virtue proves thee truly wise.