Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-16
LIFE AS A BUSINESS
PROPOSITION.
By DIR. FRANK CRANE.
Copyright. 1861

Life has been called all sorts of
things. Life is a dream, a gambling
game, an opportunity from which to
get all the fun and the least pain
possible. a probation preparatory to
the next life, a vale of tears, and SO
on
Suppose we consider life as a BUSH
ness proposition. Look at it from a
common-sense viewpoint.
Very well. First, what can we get
out Of it? Only wages. There are no
endowed and privileged ones, all are
day laborers; for every one, when the
works over, must leave all he has
gained and go back to that nothing
ness from which he came. as stark
naked and poor as when he arrived.
All the Millionaire gets out of life is
exactly what the bricklayer gets. his
board and clothes and amusements.
What is the wage of life? Lifes pay
is happiness. On life's book happiness
is credit and unhappness debit.
It's happiness we all strive for, of
one kind or another, whether beer
and cakes or turtled feasts, overalls or
dress suits, pinochle on a cracker box
or stock gambling on the market, so
cial distinction, wealth display, politi-
cal success, intellectual achievement
It's all happiness, according to taste
How is happiness to be secured, how
can one be sure to get his pay? By
finding out what he really wants This
is not so easy. Most people work a
lot for what they think other people
think they want.
How can one find that out? BY ex-
pertinent. trying out various activi-
ties until he finds the one in which he
can most enthusiastically express him
| self.
Also by ascertaining those forms of
| pleasure that are frauds and bring on
misery. The conclusive argument
against drunkenness. RIGHTEOUSNESS
and the like is that they are swindlers,
gold bricks; they promise joy and pay
suffering.
How should one get his pay? Every
day. Not at the end of the task I'm
less every day brings it's satisfaction
you are cheating yourself
How can one tell what sort of things
pay and what sort do not pay? By the
collective experience of mankind, and
| by accepting the guidance or reliable
teachers
What does the cumulative experience
of mankind show? That only those
acts which are fundamentally Just
| fair, honest and kind are those that
| Invariably pay.
| What's the good of morality? Morals
rest not upon authority but are the
| massed wisdom of the world. The per-
son who is not moral is q fool, which is
worse than being sinner. He is a
lamb, a sucker, a greenhorn, fully as
much as a country jake who thinks he
can beat the Wall street experts. I'm
morality means docking the happi-
! ness pay envelope every day.
OF what practical value are the
higher sentiments? If you are help
| full. unself1sh, courteous, patient, rev.
/ brent. loyal. just and benevolent, you
get a large bonus daily in your hap
piness pay.
| Abe not crafty, selfish. unclean,
! cruel and constituencies people happy?
| Get right well acquainted with them
and see. They are the bunko steerers.
the confidence men, the criminal cheats
of life. Their books are false. Their
happiness profits are worthless paper.
Why work? If it's happiness that is
our wage, why not eat, drink and be
merry; why not loaf and play? Be
cause human beings are so constituted
| that they secure the maximum salts
factory self-expression only by doing
some part of the worlds work.
Why study to improve the mind Or
, to develop ones spiritual capacities -?
Why not go in for all the fun we can
get each day? Because by increasing
our mental and spiritual powers we
get the more permanent, the higher
and rarer forms of happiness; we get
gold and not copper.
What we call goodness more than
pays every day; it leaves something
over. a deposit in the happiness bank.
| which becomes reserve fun from
which we draw dividends. The good
are the happiness capitalists. The bad
are the happiness spendthrifts.
Why not approach this matter of
good and bad, conscience or self-in-
diligence. as a business proposition?