The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1888-08-03
ARE WE A HAPPY PEOPLE?

ton came up as TO Wnetner people
were happier in Europe or America.
The greater freedom for thought,
action and ambition enjoyed under
the stars and stripes would seem to
guarantee a greater contentment.
The very air in some countries of Eu
rope seems laden with sense of the
oppression of the masses. There it
would be idle to ask, "How shall a
man escape from his masters?" He
cannot escape from them. If his
great grandfather was serf, bonds
man or blacksmith he must remain
one also. The political horizon is a
blank wall. Whereas. in America, no
matter who mans father was, he
may seek new field, if need be, and
build up an honored name for him
self, become in every sense the factor
of his own fortune. These facts are
patent to all, and the natural infer
ence from them would be how much
happier we should be who enjoy these
privileges. Now we ask ourselves,
Are we happy people, and, If not,
what is the cause and where is the
remedy? But first we must be clear
as to what we mean by happy. Web
ster defines happy as enjoying any
good other than through the animal
instincts" The greatest combination
of good is in peace and contentment.
Accepting, then, as the meaning OF
happy to be enjoying Of good, we
must acknowledge that We enjoy a
greater amount of good materially
than any other nation. The land we
inherit offers every variety of good
soil and climate. The institutions we
are born to present the greatest fields
and opportunities to enterprise and
energy. Man is with us free to be-
come what he chooses to be.
Yet, with all these good things, we
cannot deny that the very faces of
our people present an air of restless
ness and anxiety that gives anything
but the idea of contentment. We
seem, as a race, to be living in and
for the future rather than the pres
ent. 1t is hardly possible to talk
with the wisest among us five minutes
on personal matters before he betrays
his anxieties and shows that his en-
joyments are mostly prospective.
Yet he very well knows that the pres
ent is all he is sure OF. We are very
bright, active, intelligent people, with
the grandest gifts of nature always
within our reach and enjoyment, yet
we get actually less real pleasure out
of life than the. down-trodden nations
of Europe. Can this be from the ad-
verseness of human destiny that "man |
never is but always to be blest," or is
it because we are coming to live un-
der a false philosophy. that which |
teaches that "to be rich is to be |
happy?" Money or what creates the
appearance Of its possession seems to
be the aim of almost every one. Peo-
pie are waiting to get rich to enjoy
life, to be pleasant to their friends
and families, and to do good. A story
is told of a young German who left
his pleasant home to come to America
and advance the family fortunes.
After several years of successful bust
ness during which he had sent gener-
GUS remittances to the old folks, he
returned home in the hope of induc-
ing his parents to share his good for
tune with him in America. When he
broached the subject of their leaving
the fatherland and their humble cot
tage to live in style in their sons fine
house in America they refused to
make the change, saying they were
too old to begin a new life. "Carl,
DEAR" said the mother, "twelve years
ago you left us a gay, hearty, happy
youth. 1t is true you have often sent
US money, but as 1 look on my Carl
to-day it seems that every dollar he
had earned had left a furrow or taken
away smile. The money has come,
but where is my joyous Carl?" We
might each of us learn similar prac-
teal lesson iu observing our acquaint-
ances who have grown rich. The
money has come to them, but are they
happier than when we knew them
poor and struggling? The pleasure
of material things is in the anticipa-
ton. I'VE might as well take things
easy and try to be happy" remarked
a simple natured friend, "for all We
get out of life anyway is our victuals
and clothes, unless We may enjoy our
selves" The gist of great philoso-
ply lies just in this: "Take things
easy and try to be happy" If We
bring good appetite and digestion
to the meal we feel just as comforta-