The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-04-25
ACTIVITY ANn HAPPINESS.
The Relation which the FOrRl-
err Bears TO the latter.

err Bears TO the latter.
Philadelphia Call.
DR.. Adam Clarke once remarked
that the secret Of happiness is never to
suffer your energies to stagnatc. The
remark was wise. There il far more
happiness in activity than ideness.
The latter leads to the stagnation
of all the qualities of nature. There
is vast amount Of misery in the
world, the result of idleness Per-
haps the most unfortunate necessity
that can befall one, is that of mac
tivity. Few can endure it, without
the depreciation Of every quality in
their nature. Women who idly spend
days and weeks in the quiet of home,
with not enough to do to keep the brain
alive, or the body healthy, are apt to
suffer and grow feeble Indeed, the
great cause of ilI-hcalth among
American women is idIeness. 1t is
our pride that we put away the neces-
sity for our women to work. so far
as slavish, degrading work is con-
cerned, it is well. But enough to do
to keep them healthy is better.
European countries show us the OPP
posite eXtreme--of women tilling
fields and doing hard manual labor.
But physically y they are examples of
sturdy strength. Unfortunately the
intellect is not cultivated, nor is re-
finement advanced. But the hard
life of physical Iaborproves its health
tulness. In our country the ladies,
who are above the necessity of labor,
are awaking to the fact that the
domestic duties are not necessarily |
drudgery. Art enters into the pre-
paration OF food. The cookery schools
in this city and New York are patron,
lied by ladies who move in the best
society. And they are learning that
to deftness in preparing food may be
added art, that is as real an art MS
painting or sculpture. And this eIc-
walton of domestic duties into the
realm of art is means of attracting
ladies to healthfuI activity. An such
a course, if it shall become really
popular, will go far toward rendering
the health and happiness of all com
plete.
1t is qnite noticeable that men who
have pushed through tangled diff
culties and attained success rarely
care to fall back, even in advanced
years, into absolute idleness. They
nay soften down the cares of busi-
less, but will not abandon them en-
ircly. Such men go through the
yradations Of age best A youthful
I'D man is, as rule, an active man.
His very enjoyment is in mental and
physical activity. The live man has
wider reaches of enjoyment than the {
me whose faculties are shut up in
ndolonce. His mind reaches farther {
md is more alert. No doubt the
;eenness of enjoyment is greater now !
han in early times, for the range of I
bserVation is greater. Men now d
lance over the world rs they read II
heir morning paper at the breakfast C
able. In other days the village or q
own covered the range of vision. n
Activity is an expression of health, I
nj this is essential to happiness. e
lleness is not the natural tendency of =
thoroughly healthful organization. Y
he restless activity of child is /
roof of this. Its eager eyes dart and t.
$ restless hand are laid on everything Il
ithin its reach. All this is the re, |
llt Of a healthful vigor that can not 5
'st, and all such activity is only the '
Orrnal expression of the cagerness Of p
lture. And this expression is happi- o
sss. Its repression creates restless, v
neasy feeling, which is natures re- 0
onstrance against wrong, Thus labor &
not bnrthen, rightly engaged in. G
le may make it burthen by being u
5 slaves. But we may compel it TO I
'ntribute to our happiness by throw G
g around il the glory Of healtbfnl G
spiration. The choice is largely le
ith ourselves. There arc those who q
bor because they have learned to s.
We il, and there are others who are
! slaves. We can make choice of
Lher, and as we choose SO shall onr