Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-06
A Successful Vacation.

THE success of a holiday is largely
matter of temperament. Some people
can be happy anywhere, others nowhere
The trials and tribulation of holiday max
ing are serious to those who get one long
holiday in the year 1t is important that
they get some good out of their brlef
>oell of leisure. A good mary Of them do
manage to enjoy themselves pretty well;
especially those who have simple tastes.
Pleasing Ourselves.
But there is growing class nowadays
who desire something unusual ana 10
them holiday making is a problem wh-ch
it is by no means easy to solve. AS
matter of fact, there is no general soiu-
ton. Each would-be holiday maker Is
separate problem, and in the final resort
he must be his own guide. philosopher
and friend. Ore might advise MN 10 90
what he wants to do at hohoay t.ir eo.
and that would be very good advice. ior
there is no more certain way or giving
happiness to others than by being happy
yourself. But how many people In inns
world actually know what they want 10
do? Most of us have devoted SO much
of our time to doing what others expect
us to do that we have lost the art Oh
realizing what we want to do ourselves.
But, after all. the choice is not very
great If every one did what he wanted
to do we would all act very much anke.
Mark Twain once said that there was
Only one better way of spending a holl-
day than lying under a tree with book.
and that was to lie under tree Witnout
a book. There is more than little truth
ic that thought, and a sure test OF hav-
Ing enioyed a holiday is that you have
not read the books you took away with
you. You only read books on a holiday
when it rains or when you are bored
with the life about you. This does not
mean that really book:sh holiday is not
possible and permissible for the right
sort of person.
When Unexpected.
But the best Of all holidays is the holi-
day that comes unawares. The time OF
the year matters very little, the place not
at ALL Persons may have something to do
with 1t. but then, they may not. You do
not know precisely how it comes about
you do not even know that it has come
about until after 1t Is all over. II may
be that you have gone somewhere on cusi-
ness. missed the train back. and found
yourself wandering idly amid green fields
or in a sleepy town with inviting places.
1t may be that you have suddenly for no
obvious reason thrown down the toois OF
commerce and fed to some remote place
that, for no obvious reason again. took
your fancy. You may have spent half the
time in q railway train, or you may not
have gone more than ten miles from
home. But 1t has been different, the
days, hour by hour. have been memorable,
like the truant hours of schoolboy.
Something distinguishes such days from
all other days; everything about them has
some wonderful vitality, some Few sig
nifcance; you would like to live them
over again and you promise to try, but
all attempts at repetition are vain. Yet
you do experience similar days at other
times and under other condit.onsi they
come to all of us. but never for the seek
ing They are days of mystery, days full
of joy-they are. in short the Only real
holidays.