The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-03-22

kuu ne:
"IAt us talk Of the phoenix, or Of the
island of Atlantis, or Of the man in the
moon; any one OF them is more tangible
than this myth which you call happi-
ness"
! asked good manor at any rate he
was a clergyman, and so l suppose a
good man-what happiness means and
where it is to be found, and he picked up
Q Bible Off his table and read aloud:
"And whatsoever mine eyes desired l
kept not from them, withheld not my
heart from any joy; = and, be-
hold, all was vanity and vexation Of
spirit, and there was no profit under the
sun. Wherefore l praised the
dead which are already dead more than
the living which are yet alive. Yea,
better is he than both they which hath
not yet been, who hath not seen the evil
work that is done under the SUM-
"That is the verdict of Solomon, the
wisest man who ever lived" said my
friend the parson as he laid down the
book, land he seems to think that happi-
lcoo 10
And so the man of the would and the
man of God come to the same conclusion
by different paths and without a thought
in common. Then l asked bright and
most charming woman, one no longer
young but by no means old, one who has
'flain in the lilies and fed on the roses of
life," and yet has known enough of the
other side to give her an ''all round ex-
perience and sympathy.
els there such a thing as happiness in
the worldg" asked l, and she, with q
steady look out of her lovely eyes, re-
piled:
..For you and me, no. We have the
bad habit of thinking, and thought is
fatal to what you call happiness. The
only happy people are they who do not
know that they are happy, and do not
know what happiness means"
'Isn't that rather bull?"
eyes, my dear, and life is bull"
A little disheartened in my quest, l
next applied to person neither cynical,
nor pious, nor bright--a dear, pretty
little butterfly who has danced and Hut
tered over the parterres of fashion for
more years than we talk about.
"Happiness!' chirruped she in reply to
my stereotyped inquiry, "why, of course,
there's any amount of happiness going,
and I'm sure nobody gets bigger share
of it than YOU" etc, etc.
eyes, but you," interrupted l, 'tell
me- now, what is your chief form OF
happiness since you have 50 much?"
"Well, let me see. It's when have a
really good box at the Academy on first
night, and can see that there isn't bet
ter dressed woman in the balcony, and
have lot of nice men crowding to get
a word with me; that's happiness of one
sort. Then, when receive and have Sc
cured some lion that hasn't roared in
anybody else's rooms, and that every
BODY is dying to see, and oh! to have
people besiege you for invitations, and to
appear at u garden party or somewhere
where there's lots of room in gown just
that minute imported and see all the
other women looking you over. Why,
there's no end of happiness to be got out
of life if you only have simple and easily
conteuted tastes like mine"
81 see," replied thoughtfully But
I've done all that, and still l am not
happy"
One day dear old lady, friend of my
mothers, sent for me to pay her little
visit, and as looked at her placid face
and peaceful eyes said to myself:
"There is such thing as happiness,
and she has found it," and asked her if
nv surmise was not correct. She thought
it over for moment, and then with her
own smile said
81 am afraid / never really found it,
my dear, although often thought l had,
but / believe fully that there is such a
thing and am going to find it soon. 1t
lies the other side of the river, however,
so cannot describe it to you"
"And is there no happiness this side of
the river" asked | wistfully.
''Thc happiness of this world is hope.
Man neXer is, but always to be, blessed, ,"
replied my friend, and as | pursued my
lonely drive | thought over that last
word, and found it true one. Every
body who is in possession of some degree
of happiness is looking forward TO a
higher degree. The money maker only
values the profits of today because they
are the basis of larger ones tomorrow
the girl enjoys to-night's dance because
it is the herald of call, of drive, Of a
something more in the future. The art
list or the author loves his work little
for itself, and good deal for the fame
and the social position and the prestige
it will bring to him. The politician says:
6 When / am in congress, or when am
i'm the White House, | shall reap the re-
ward of all this" and probably the pres
ident and his family in the recesses Of
their private chambers murmur: When
we are quietly settled at home again we
shall have time for some real happiness
But it il n well known Guibble OF the
cynic that nobody ever yet attained TO
tomorrow happiness, for tomorrow at
tanned becomes today.
One thing, however, Is certain: the
simpler the conditions, the easier 1t Is To
fulfill them; expect but little, and you
can't be disappointed of great deal. Does
this apply to persons as well as things