Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1903-11-07
A SCHOOL OF HAPPINESS.
Advice to Founder OF Unique Insti-
tuition I'm London-Spiritual Life
Cannot BE Ignored.


DIR. Paul Valentin is about to establish
school of happiness in the great city
OF London. The school includes a course
OF lectures, and of course it must have
It's organ, so there will be publication
called The Normal Life" The school
should certainly have a large number Of
students, for it must be confessed that
the seekers after happiness form the
largest army in this unhappy world.
And the difficulty is that most of these
seekers seem to feel that the possession
OF one thing or another is all that is
needed to complete happiness. If there
is one who can teach an unwilling world
that possession is not happiness, that
being is greater than having, he will
do the world great and lasting service.
This was just what Jesus tried to do.
and has been seeking to do through all
these years, says the Baptist Union.
both by the teaching of His faithful
servants, and yet more by the wonder
full Word which He left behind-the
record Of His own sayings. 1t was He
who said that a mans life did not con-
sist in the things which he possessed
But not even His own followers all be-
lieve that; indeed, il one were to know
the truth, it would have to be admitted
that the large part Of His own people
do not readily accept this part of His
doctrine. For saints and sinners are on
the make" everywhere; seeking to
get" more than they are seeking to be,
or seeking 10 do. The whole cry of the
Gospel was to an age that was wearied
in the search for the golden fleece, the
possession of which was supposed to
complete the circle of happiness in the
world. They had not found it, they
never would find it-and in despair they
were committing suicide, by order of the
sages and philosophers!
1t was Jesus who cried to men, saying:
''1f any man thirst, let him come to Me
and drink" And he said to them that
IL they came and drank they should have
no other thirst, wandering desires would
cease, and the complete satisfaction of
the happy life would be theirs. But they
needed Him not then, and they will not
heed Him now. If the founder of this
new school of happiness wishes a sub
ject for his first lecture, or for the open
ing address of the institution, he can
find 1t in no better place than that por-
ton of the Sermon on the Mount which
urges men to seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness-whic is
the outer gateway to happiness, the
only door, It Is a cheering sign to read
the following from a secular paper, the
writer OF which evidently realizes some
things in his own life which he is not
unwilling to express in the columns Of
a paper like "Harper's Weekly" That
an intelligent, civilized man should find
a permanent measure of positive happi-
ness without some basis of religion to
support him does not accord with expec-
tation. If the London professor tries to
conduct a school of happiness without
including certain kind Of religious in
struction, his work will necessarily be
superficial, and fail of the best results.
He may teach manners. He may teach
the greedy the folly of over-eating, and
the bibulous the folly of over-drinking.
He may teach husbands to be civil to
their wives, and vice versa. He may lay
stress on the Importance of keeping ex-
penditures we'll within incomes, on the
need of work for the idle, and OF altru-
Ism for the selfish. All that is impor-
tant, and may be helpful. But the spirits
of thinking people have got to be salts
fed in some way If they are to be happy.
Nature gives us cravings-hunger ana
thirst to insure due care for the body,
mental aspirations to insure activity OF
the mind, spiritual aspirations to insure
something else. If the mind rusts We
grow dull, and can't have much fun.
Neither can we be happy if the cravings
OF the spirit find no response"
| The truth is that happiness is never
found in the seeking. 1t is an inner pos
session-we carry it with us, or we never
| get It, And it is likewise true that it is
not 2 possession which comes through
earthly channels; it is the spiritual life
that only can measure happiness, and
that spiritual life can be touched by
none other than the Infnite-God Him
self There is no need for a school of
happiness other than the one great
school founded by Jesus Christ, who in
| vited all tired and worn souls to come to
Him, and to learn of Him.