The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-03-22
Is ANYBODY HAPPY!
ARE MARRIED PERSONS HAPPIER
THAN SINGLE ONES'
Man Never Is, but Always to Bc, BiessedE"
The Happiness Of Youth Ii the Scorn OF
Maturity-"The Wise Mans" Happiness.
1t Cannot BE Made Certain.


1t Cannot he Made Certain.
Copyright 1901
A little while ago was asked to write
q brief paper answering the question,
What was the happiest moment of your
life?
Ireplied to that, and truly, the happi-
est moment of my own life was the one
in which could lay before those whom
they concerned the proofs that had full
filed the great task of my life, had paid
the last penny of Frank Leslie's indebt-
edness, and cleared the memory of that
noble man from the stigma of debt which
clouded his last moments.
But, after all, was that moment OF
happiness? A moment of satisfaction, a
moment of triumph, moment of hon.
orable pride-yes, it was all of this; but
the bitterness of the strife through
which that peace was conquered, the
lonely WEAKNESS of labors beyond my
strength, the yearning for the word Of
loving thanks l could never hear-all
these came in, and SO embittered the
sweetness of that thought, so dimmed
the glory of that sunshine, that after all
l cannot call it moment Of happiness.
But if il was not, do not know that
ever felt happiness, and in looking around
among my friends and acquaintance
am inclined to wonder if anybody really
is or can be truly happy.
do not mean just amused or free
from care; children are that, but / donot
call them happy, for they cannot know
how fortunate they are, and happiness
must involve mental contrast with
some other condition in which we might
have been involved; my happiness in
paying those debts was the outcome of
the misery of not being able to pay them;
the happiness of the travellers return
home is the contrast with the separa ton
and homelessness of his travels.
We have all heard Of the Indian whom
the missionary found pounding his own
finger with brick. The good man
thought it was penance and was ap-
plauding the piety of his neophyte, who,
however, interrupted him to explain,
with solemn grin that "Much poundee,
much achee; feel muchee good when
leave of"
Perhaps, then, happiness for lis who
know our world is only the absence of
pain or trouble, and as the child does
not know about pain and trouble, it can
not really know happiness.
But older children, babes between Is
and 25, what of them? Girls do not
know much of the sorrow or care of ex-
istence if they have father to provide
the means of life, and mother to ward
off worries and responsibilities, and
young men with somebody to make a
place for them in the world, and to boil
ster them up in it, have as little real
knowledge of the rough side of life as
they have of rheumatism.
But are these girls and boys truly
happy? No, for they are, both consciously
and unconsciously, in transition and
therefore in an unsatisfied condition;
the girl is looking forward more or less
frankly to the day when some Mr. Right
shall come along and invite her to be-
come the queen consort of little king
dom of their own, shall introduce her
into some ideal condition of life wherein
she shall find happiness; and however
fortunate her girlhood she seldom looks
upon it as more than vestbule and
waiting room through which one passes
TO life.
AS for the young man, he does not
know or care anything about happiness.
If you spoke to him of the subject, he
would probably reply that he didn't Ego
in for sentiment" that he supposed he
did as well as other fellows, or that there
wasn't much the matter with the world
so far as he was concerned.
Or, if he is the bldSe and cynical style
of young man, he will reply with some
Byron-and- water speech about the world
being beastly hole, in which happiness
is only possible to fools and puppies,
causing one to close ones lips very firmly
lest they should unclose in an obvious
and unseemly retort.
A little later on, there is condition
which l suppose comes as near true hap
piness as anything this world affords; it
is the early married life of two persons
really in love, and really adapted by age,
education, tastes and temper for com
partnership with each other. To such a
couple, with money enough between
them to free them from the soriid cares
and anxieties of life, there may come
few weeks-nay, let us be liberal and say
a few months-of almost perfect hapm
ness; but oh, my heart! how sure it is
to change as time goes on! The honey
moon itself wanes steadily from the hour
of its perfection, and though other moons
may come, and be very bright and very
beautiful, that especial moon comes no
more.
And, in later life, how few people, if
you ask them what has been the hAppiest
hour of their existence, would place it in
the present epoch of life. AS rule they
go back to childhood's ignorant careless
ness, or to youths calcium lighted and
impossible dreams of future that never
came.
One man of my acquaintance, when
asked the above question, replied:
1.-THE happiest moments of my exist
ence are when, after really good dinner
with good wines, Il seat myself in my study