The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-13
T'SMANSDUT%YT OBEHAPPY
TINE WAY TO GET HAPPINESs rs TO
TAKE II

nf the COInnIeNlOu N0lu AuhtcN hIlIs
",rh. main business OF life. tho chief end and
aim Of existence. is 10 be happy" remarked the
nhilosophic young man, and then he smiled as
iipleased with himself.
mot 40, at all" answered his companion. q
Girl who wants to be thought cynical. Hap
riness was not intended for the inhabitants OF
!. material world. Happiness il offered as q re-
ward TO those who are good here. to those who
do their duty. Poor thlnRsi It's q fine thing
that the duty-doers are going to get their re-
vard somewhere. 1t certainly never comes to
,hsm here. It's always q case OF tho good little
HOY and the bad little boy. That bad little boy.
,on remember, tied the tin can to the blind
mans dog and then ran away, and the good
little boy stepped up to unite It Just as the blind
man brought his stick around. whack."
What's all very WE'LL" answered the philo-
,ophic Young man. land very true. but good
little boys get wbacked because they mistake
their duties. Lots Of people meddle with other
folks business. and ease their consciences by
,avinV: L felt that IL was m duty to do So
But what 1 started out to say TO you Is this:
To be happy is tho first duty OF man. There
,hould have been eleven Commandments I'm
,tead Of ten. and the first should have been:
Thou must be happy"
And you pretend to be q philosopher" said
the girl, with a cold. calculating. cheerloss sort
OIL, a smile. Il didn't know philosophers ever
believed that happiness existed. much less that
they advocated search for 1t as q duty"
1t was the mans turn to smile and he did.
Then he explained ever so gently:
"A philosopher. dear girl. Is supposed to
possess practical wisdom. calmness Of temper
and Judgment. equanlmity. fortitude and
stoicism enough to meet misfortune Lserenely.
This does not mean that he does not believe in
the doctrine OF happiness. The greatest phi
~losophers in history have believed in happiness
and in the duty Of being happy. But It's only
now that everybody is coming to realize that
human beings are created to be happy. There
was a time when our great-grandparents
believed that happiness was one Of the
arts Of the devil. with which he lured
souls into his keeping forever; they believed
that the only road to q life OF happiness here
after was through o life Of asceticism here.
In short, they looked on happiness merely as Q
reward and not as a condition easily attainable
by every living creature. great or small, rich or
poor. black or white"
We'll. / think most people expect happiness
rather than enjoy it." interrupted the girl. II
know most women do. The average woman
spends her time in getting ready to be happy"
There now. I didn't think I could make you
admit it so readily" exclaimed the philosopher.
trlumphantly. That's Just what I said at the
outset. Most people die before they've lived.
but all that IL changing. The tendency to pro-
mote happiness is the test applied to almost
everything nowadays. 1t is certainly applied
to political legislation, to the Church. to the
school. to the nursery and to the home. and
that is as it should be. 1t has come to be q rec
ognized fact in modern civilization that happi-
ness, that pleasure is necessity Of life."
But II q person Is born unhappy. or has I'M
happiness thrust upon him. what is that per-
son to do?" asked the girl. in q protesting
voice. Twas born with a morbid. melancholy
disposition, and / simply cannot be happy. So
I've ceased to try. Others have their cheerful
maisfortune. Now. Mr.. Philosopher. viii You
tell me " what such creatures IS. are TO Do /" nonuv
IL Pas pPitf &c 81 Is ss a ipIInre in l Msen TO 9 &c BsFssS SPp i is a ct
who come ont on top in the long run, Nature
and human nature detest abnormal things, and
4Ts w heard Pf L said r that Ste nothins n @a2es sap 4si2Rls;
like happiness, and observation has taught me
that this his T. true. Happiness Is v things.e
ir example: Are You willing to admit hat you
not cultivate the good habit OF being happy? I'll
man who fancies herself unhappy IS only an
ishes unhappiness. In other words. she hugs
troubles, as provincial people put 1t. She luxu-
IL, .s's %g !a ssi slSSe S 9f thinss.y Il r. sh le s iSGgif Fns SR
how disagreeable this made her in the sight OF
I sitsr S H. Sn %iS g! Elh soon %s Shae ob}e sss i %faoftIt fs M Ell;
stssr WY: to- q y t stS q % We mem asa don don't tuz ma axe
be h saa ES%qi p assRS tstil tSs ae h9 sW RSsSpls w s9a
real article or essence. or whatever it is. called
take il" advised the young philosopher.
iiSis lie / well Only iSI take s L. 81 6fft cour Me ~ Settin l9
but 4 one gets what one really. wants, why t i;
Worth It. The beauty about this thing called
SSs &C. elusive. which B ths L PPspD sdsFs n Sslis stsSrr e
or sacrifice to possess it. And it's a downright
SiSr to say that happiness is elusive, It's Peo-
Dlness. not happiness from them. II Tnhapp.i-
SSs sS were made q criminal offence we'd soon
your eyes at such q statement. / expected You
e Ss, but unhappiness Is positively sinful. Human
SSsspp1 9s sEsn n tRe % Snse r tS se t sb 90 aS SsISf b s16s
forgive the latter state
xzsgstige Of !cynicism left even In her manner.
10 i1 %s are bet imRarting some astonishing truths
6sSspPy. and then Tell me how those to Whom
Ard A. Ae'O Svho Seh. ICpOboCbS u Kill.
Ahq 90 hurry up she added impatiently.
The way to live without getting ready to
i've 10 10 live" answered the bachelor. We
p0or mortals are SO foolish to wait for an ac-
fSSmIIiation Of material things before taking
oqt Staying and saving and stintinR, saying:
AiteE get 80 much m enjoy life.' The thing
10 40 Is 70 enjoy life day by day, moment by mos
nshE and we can ydot this by not worrying.
hSJIhing can either be helped or Il cannot be
Sc SSlP ib \; 1 moi, forget it.pat A out Of your mind
~ 9otain happiness, is by opening the
= jour huily aadirtsRda ahAesnRa. after q l,ahat
svsrythlng and everybody that. lives. BhoW
SvTGtnhs'oeration for and interest in every being
JnMxh W4om You come. in contact from day TO
SSy, anc your spirits will be exalted, your mind
b6s annie, and your heart full Of joyousness, and
md,bI VIII be your reward. Melancholy.
NY, ana you'll admit that they only think OF
i ntn else they could never have come
~ ~ possession OF such a state. There's no
. wan I9r happiness where self is centred. The
mi Is, pc happy is to drive out everything else
d dup icy happiness 10. To do that Is the distinct
oe complete"
Are you thinking about taLin0 or,Iers ~