第九弹   爱美爱美

The love of beauty is an essential part of all healthy human nature. It is a moral
quality. The absence of it is not an assured ground of condemnation ,but the
presence of it is an in-variable sign of goodness of heart . In proportion to the
degree in which it is felt will probably be the in which nobleness and beauty of
character will be attained.

Natural beauty is an all-pervading presence. The universe is its temple. It unfolds
into the numberless flowers of spring. It waves in the branches of trees and the
green blades of grass. It haunts the depths of the earth and the sea. It gleams
from the hues of the shell and the precious stone. And not only these minute
objects but the oceans, the mountains, the clouds, the stars, the rising and the
setting sun-all overflow with beauty. This beauty is so precious, and so congenial
to our tenderest and noblest feelings, that it is painful to think of the multitude
of people living in the midst of it and yet remaining almost blind to it.

All persons should seek to become acquainted with the beauty in nature. There
is not a worm we tread upon, nor a leaf that dances merrily as it falls before the
autumn winds, but calls for our study and admiration. The power to appreciate
beauty not merely increases our sources of happiness—it enlarges our moral
nature, too. Beauty calms our restlessness and dispels our cares. Go into the
fields or the woods, spend a summer day by the sea or the mountains, and
all your little perplexities and anxieties will vanish, Listen to sweet music, and
your foolish fears and petty jealousies will pass away. The beauty of the world
helps us to seek and find the beauty of goodness.