The Detroit times., 1911-01-30

The answer to no question more pro-
foundly aftects mans whole NE thah
the answer he gives TO the query
WHAT for? What Is my purpose In llV-
ing, just what am 1 trying 10 do me
otner tremendously important dues
lions concerning God and llnmortalitS.
whence aid we come from and whither
are We going. must yield in magnitude
TO this question of-fundamental alnh
We must come to some kind or con
clusion as 10 just what IL Is we are
striving TO accomplish.
IL we ask the ordinary man IN the
street" say the typical business MAJ MAJ
what ne is living Tor, he Will propdoly
tell US that he wants 70 nave noheS
and is working TO get IL, that wealth
IL his aim But when we press MN 4
little more closely and ask ham MhS
IL Is he wishes TO be rich, ne replies;
"Oh, because then i can nave what
want" Delving still more deeply, we
inquire why IL Is he desires these
things, these material objects ana
these pleasures which money viii buy,
and the answer comes, on, ! wan.
these things because then snail pe
happy" Happiness. then, appears 10
he the fundamental aim.
But let us inquire of another type OF
man say a politician. what II - ne
striving for. and we soon discoveT
that he wishes 10 rule, to control other
men. In other words he wants pow,
Why? Because OF the satisfaction ~
gives him His aim then, Is at bottom
the same az the man who Is trying SO
hard TO amass fortune they p"tl
wish TO oe happy
the type of man who may care htue
| for money and not much Tor power ~
who loves 10 be in the public eye. lie
tells US that his ambition Is To MAKE q
name for himself But, why does ne
| pursue fame? Look beneath the sur
| face and we find that he wishes IL pc
cause he imagines ~ VIII make NE M,
more pleasant Ia the last analysis,
his answer comedies with the others
| Now, OF course, there are other oD-
| lects OF human pursuit besides wealth
fame and power. but in the majority OIL
| cases and | speak advisedly, the 90
| jects sought for are desired because II
Is felt that their possession VIII bTihs
pleasure, happiness, satisfaction, cali ~
7 whst you Will, to the seeker lhulVlI
ual happiness is the goal towards
| which nearly all are striving.
But there is another type or man
who will reply. In answer TO our ques
| ton. that he IL living TO DO all the
good he can; that is, he is living ior
others Now let us GO back or TN
answer with the question. Why 10
good TO others ana gre s ih man W. wlii
| can be happy, that IL the only thinR
that gives ME satisfaction" And this
old hedonistic theory seems TO be gam
| ing in popularity. Increasingly do we
hear the expressions: Live for other.
and YOU will be happy" ITO do good
is the only way To be happy. Ihose
who hold this belief make. the doini
| OF good merely a means OF obtalhlnS
hardness realizing that this method
| ia the best This doctrine we may caIl
The doctrine of enlightened seli-intcr-
est But. fundamentally, Is the am.
| amy different than that OF the average
person OF whom We nave spoken
Wealth fame, power and the otheI
/ things are no longer sought Tor, Dut
why not? Because IL is felt that there
is a better way OF attaining the real
| object OF living, happiness Ihcre IL
then no difference in aim, merely dlt-
ference in method. In the means oil
securing the object OF ones quest
"a. please Others, So Please Ourselves
| some OF our social workers are do
| ing good TO the unfortunate, not pc
cause OF real love and sympathy Iol
hose less favored, but because they
| themselves feel better for having done
| N Take for instance case when
| happened during the past honday sea-
son a family asked that couple on
and dine with them on Christmas day
The children were brought part OF the
| way by a lady who had them IN charge
and then. because of the cold, she
| d.,',ned IN best not to go further and 80
| fock them back. The family who de-
sired TO do for these children Were
rather piqued, because their nature to
1 anuear spoiled the good time thal mac
| ha.n anticipated by their would-be
| hsnefactors The fundamental purpose
| then. az helping these chlldren, was u
| ,,iva Measure to the RINers IdtneI tHui
| 20 the receivers. and this seems TO ltc
| hark OF much or our altruisIn OF today
! or take another case. IL ~ SAID thai
one day as Lincoln and friend We're
4 ,.alkIna along the road, they head
! rig soueal Lincoln looked back and
ravy a little pig so deep In the mud that
| M conld not extricate itself Now LIN
| roln was Ia his sunday best. and TO gc'
J tho MIC out OF difficulty meant the soil
} tnv Of his clothes, but he went TO the
rsscue Ills friend asked him why n,
| bad soiled his clothes for the sake "
( : nc Well" Lincoln said. III hadn'i
/ don't "A / would have heard that pis
/ so,teal all day. In other words. me
10 vas rescued. not for the sake Of
| he piv: but for the sake CT abraham
| lincoln. Thus. many who are laboring
| 90 40 rood are doing so not with the
| VII being of others Fundamentally al
heart hut for this inner satisfaction
! ,.hich a. gives them. or because this
| method Is the best method Of attain
Inc individual happiness Frankly
I s(a,ad this IL refined sclflshness, nut Is
| Enhances nevertheless.
| ar course those who avoW this con-
| ranIton OF life's aim tell us that a man
| "a fool 10 act contrary TO what gives
| MIN satisfaction. that the only consi3-
ration for him should be to get the
most complete satisfaction But view
| n i'm any light YOU VIII, the emphasis
f. plaaed upon the individual IL IL MY