The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-09-24
THREE RULES FOR HAPPINESS.
Do Something ter Someone Every Day
10 the Week.
How THE CHILDREN WERE MauE HAPPY
youths Comparion.)

| former president Of Wellesley Col
'ege. was ready to help all who came
within her influence. She loved
aeople Of all sorts. One hot summer
me went every week to talk to the
'enenent-house children in the vaca-
iion schools of Boston. Professor
Palmer, in his biography of his wife,
Gives her own story OF the longing
Of these girls foc happiness.
One July morning ! took an early
tra;n. 1t was day that gave prom
Use OF being very hot. even in the
country. and what would it be in the
city? When | reached my destina-
ion found a great many girls ir
the room, but more babies thar
girls, it seemed.
Now" said, what shall l talk
to you about this morning. g;rls?'
Talk about life," said one girl
Imagine!
y am afraid that is too big sub
ject for such short time" said.
Then up spoke small, pale faced,
haavy-eyed child with fat baby OF
her knee:
Tell us how to be happy"
The tears rushed to my eyes and a
lump came into my throat. Happy
IN such surroundings az those in
which, no doubt, she lived; perhaps
dirty and foul-smeiling! Happy,
with burdens too heavy to be borne,
All this flashed through my mind
While the rest took up the word anc
e:hoed, Yes, tell Us now to be hac-
p5."
| Well" l said, Il will give you
tiree rules for being happy; but
mind, you must all promise to keep
them for a week, and not skip a
single day, for they won't work if
you skip a single day"
So they all faithfully promised
that they would not skip single
lay.
The first rule is that you will
commit something to memory every
day, something good. It needn't be
much, three CT four words will Go.
just a pretty bit Of a poem, or a
Bible verse. Do you undcrstan3?'
was so afraid they wouldn't. bu:
one little girl with flashing black
eyes jumped up from the corner Of
the room and cried:
Il know! You want us to learn
something we'd be glad to remember
it We went blind"
That's it exactly" l said.
The second rule is: Look for
something pretty every day, aud
lon't skip day OF it won't work. a
.eaf, flower, a cloud-you can a.!
find something.
My third rule is: Do something
FOR somebody every day"
"Oh, that's easy!" they said, al
though thought that would be TIE
hardest thing of all.
"Oh, that's easy!' Didn't they
have to tend babies and run errands
every day, and wasn't that doing
something for somebody? Yes, |
answered them, it was.
At the end Of the week, the day
being hotter than the last,if possible,
| was vending my way along very
narrow street, when suddenly was
| literally grabbed by the arm, ami a
Little voice said:
i done it.''
"Did-what?" l exclaimed, look
;op down and seeing at my side d
tiny girl with the usual fat baby as
ieep in her arms.
What you told ME to. and !never
skipped q day, neither" replied the
! child il, hurt tone.
! Oh" l said, now l know what
you mean"
"Wgll," she said, Il never skippea
day. bat it was awful hard. 1t
was al! eight when could 60 to the
Dark. but one day it rained and rain
ed and the baby hal cold. aad !
lust couldn't go out. ani thought
sare was going to skip. and Was
standing at the window, most crying
and l here her face lit W
with a radiant smile,-"l saw spar
row taking bath in the gutter ina,
goes round the top of the house, aao
he had on a black necktie, and ne
was hadsome."
It was the first time l had heard
an English sparrow called handsome
but I tell you it wasn't laughaoie
Bit; TO, not bit.