Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-05-22
Saint Nafq S Beacon.
Secret of Happiness.

SCthOO oA htApphhCSos
Josiah Lynn, once the partner of
Jay Gould and the richest and most
influential resident of his county, is
now an inmate of the Karsville, IN.
]. Almshouse. He is 70 years old,
blind and penniless, yet he is hap
Ply. This is how he explains it
"You look at me sitting here in the
poorhouse, an old, blind, friendless
man, with apparently nothing to live
for, and you wonder that / should
smile, that | should be able to look
'a in the face at all. Well, that is
because you are young. When you
grow older your griefs will not be so
poignant. You will become more
philosophical, and if you live right
and have sound, sane judgment,
when you come to die you will look
back and say, How foolish | was to
allow anything to make me unhap-
Ply.
For, after all, there is nothing in
this world that can happen to us
which really ought to cause us mo-
ment's unhappiness, Take myself,
for instance. / have been wealthy
man in my day-a wealthy man,
with plenty of friends and a wife
whom loved devotedly. They have
all passed wife, friends and
fortune-and | am left to end my
days in the poorhouse. Could l.
have foreseen such an end when |
was an ambitious young man, or even
so recently as twenty years ago, |
should have gone mad, ] suppose.
But instead OF that | find myself
not discontinued, not unhappy-cer-
tainly very much happier than many
so-called fortunate people.
"If am not unhappy, simply be-
cause | have learned to look at things
philosophically, and all my life /
have not attempted to hunt for hap
piness outside of my own mind and
heart.
$50 much is written and preached
on this subject of happiness, so much
nonsense, that people have grown
tired of the word. 1t has become
mockery, and the man who declares
himself happy is usually considered
either an egotist or fool.
''The mistake, to my mind, lies in
the misconception of the meaning of
the word. To most people happi-
ness means no more than the attain
ment of something beyond their
reach. II does not mean tranquil
ty OF heart and mind-things within
the reach of every thoughtful man
or woman. Happiness is something
which only can be found in one S
self, There is no need seeking it
elsewhere; the quest will be fruit
less. .
Right living and a well-stored
mind are the essential factors to hap
piness.
II always made il rule of my
life TO try to read at least 10minutes
every day from some good book, the
Bible or Shakespeare, or some OF the
good old authors. | read one time
the saying of some great man. |
don't remember who the man was,
but | never forgot the remark. This
man said he had never suffered a
grief, q sorrow or a loss that one
hours reading from good book did
not make it easier to bear. Nobody
ever said anything truer than that,
and it's pity more people couldn't
be persuaded to profit by the advice.
One of the surrest foundations tc
happiness is the cultivation OF taste
for the best literature.
II do not think it possible for the
real lover of books to ever be hope
lessly miserable The greatest re
greet / have now-in fact, my only
regrets that / am no longer able
to read. | have not read wore
for something like Is years, and ]
miss my books, as | do my ole
friends. Sometimes caller drops
in and reads to me, but it doesn'
give me the same satisfaction tina
reading myself did. But then | sup
pose / ought to be thankful that
have ears to hear, If not eyes t.
see. :"