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Literary
June 19, 1822
Harpers Ferry Free Press
Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, West Virginia
What is this article about?
An essay reflecting on the myriad ways the world's inhabitants elevate their spirits to combat boredom, from drinking and gambling to politics and adulation, concluding that true happiness lies in regulating passions without excessive stimulants.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
THE WORLD IN A NUTSHELL.
FROM THE LONDON NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR OCTOBER 1821.
Were it possible for the mind to seize at a single view, the occupations of all the inhabitants of the globe, it would be something curious to behold the numbers that, at any given point of time, are busily and solely employed in raising their animal spirits to the agreeable point of elevation, and to compare the various artifices adopted for this purpose. Of the eight hundred millions, the computed number of the whole, we should have so many carousing, so many millions or thousands throwing off drams, so many shipping coffee, so many masticating opium, and other exhilarating extracts, so many dancing, singing, hunting, or gambling, all to keep off the tedium vitae. Some must have mimic scenes of bloodshed on the stage; some must see men killing one another in earnest; for others a mortal cock-fight is a sufficient stimulant. Some keep the vapours at bay by talking politics, others by talking scandal, millions by talking of themselves. Some droop if the world neglects to praise them, and of these, some prefer a full draught of adulation at stated intervals, while others, among whom are authors, actors, crowned heads, and handsome ladies, must be tippling it from morning till night. Some take to the excitement of hot suppers; others to ghost stories; others to authentic accounts of earthquakes, murders, and conflagrations. But it were endless to proceed; money-making, money-spending; fanatical devotion; auto-da-fes; Indian torturing of prisoners; sight-seeing; last new novels; in a word, many of men's occupations and most of their amusements--what are they but the several ways of attaining the same end: and happy they who so regulate their passions, as to require no other stimulant than a few diurnal sneezes to keep their minds in good humour with the world and themselves.
FROM THE LONDON NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR OCTOBER 1821.
Were it possible for the mind to seize at a single view, the occupations of all the inhabitants of the globe, it would be something curious to behold the numbers that, at any given point of time, are busily and solely employed in raising their animal spirits to the agreeable point of elevation, and to compare the various artifices adopted for this purpose. Of the eight hundred millions, the computed number of the whole, we should have so many carousing, so many millions or thousands throwing off drams, so many shipping coffee, so many masticating opium, and other exhilarating extracts, so many dancing, singing, hunting, or gambling, all to keep off the tedium vitae. Some must have mimic scenes of bloodshed on the stage; some must see men killing one another in earnest; for others a mortal cock-fight is a sufficient stimulant. Some keep the vapours at bay by talking politics, others by talking scandal, millions by talking of themselves. Some droop if the world neglects to praise them, and of these, some prefer a full draught of adulation at stated intervals, while others, among whom are authors, actors, crowned heads, and handsome ladies, must be tippling it from morning till night. Some take to the excitement of hot suppers; others to ghost stories; others to authentic accounts of earthquakes, murders, and conflagrations. But it were endless to proceed; money-making, money-spending; fanatical devotion; auto-da-fes; Indian torturing of prisoners; sight-seeing; last new novels; in a word, many of men's occupations and most of their amusements--what are they but the several ways of attaining the same end: and happy they who so regulate their passions, as to require no other stimulant than a few diurnal sneezes to keep their minds in good humour with the world and themselves.
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
Satire
What themes does it cover?
Social Manners
Moral Virtue
Temperance
What keywords are associated?
Human Occupations
Animal Spirits
Tedium Vitae
Social Amusements
Moral Regulation
Literary Details
Title
The World In A Nutshell
Key Lines
Were It Possible For The Mind To Seize At A Single View, The Occupations Of All The Inhabitants Of The Globe, It Would Be Something Curious To Behold The Numbers That, At Any Given Point Of Time, Are Busily And Solely Employed In Raising Their Animal Spirits To The Agreeable Point Of Elevation, And To Compare The Various Artifices Adopted For This Purpose.
All To Keep Off The Tedium Vitae.
And Happy They Who So Regulate Their Passions, As To Require No Other Stimulant Than A Few Diurnal Sneezes To Keep Their Minds In Good Humour With The World And Themselves.