Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-09-30
PURSUING HAPPINESS.


men have an equal right to life. lib
erty and the pursuit Of happiness. II
is well that we keep these ideals con-
stantly in front OF us, for they are
the foundation stones OF democratic
government and the hope OF the hu-
man race for emancipation from the
thralldom OF class tyranny. Yet, upon
close analysis. they require a great
deal of explanation TO make them
conform to the actual truth. They are
useful, not as abstract statements Of
an ideal condition which we hope to
attain, but as high mark to which
we may progress as the years and the
generations pass by. favorite phrase
Of the yaledictor.an is "Ad astra per
aspera." 1t Is proper we should aspire
ever expect to get there. but because
unless We aim high the results are
bound TO be low. 1t is better to aim
too high and not quite reach the goal
than to aim so low that when we have
reached our object we have nothing
to be proud Of Or. as one philosopher
puts ii. 1t is better to have tried and
failed than never to have tried at all
We may never achieve an equal
chance to life, liberty and the pursuit
OF happiness in this or many coming
generations, but we will certainly be
better and nobler people because
Of our efforts to reach that stage.
But, as one pessimist observes.
ness is an inalienable right Of every
human being. the right to pursue
something is not of much practical
value unless there IS some chance Of
catching up with ii. Even the man
10 solitary confinement in a dark dun
geon may be said to have the right to
pursue happiness. but his resources
are so limited that happiness has little
difficulty in eluding him. This is a
perfectly natural view, for happiness
after all is relative term. There is
nothing absolute about 1t. No one has
ever achieved positive happiness, ex-
cept it be u transitory qualification at
some event, and, as there is no rose
without its thorn, every earthly JOY is
empaneled in a dark border of sorrow
and disappointment Relatively, then,
happiness is making the best of the
opportunities which you have. Abso-
lutte equality of opportunity is as far
from human attainment as the fabled
pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
We may enjoy the pursuit of it, bat
1t is always just little farther on and
we never reach ii. Absolute equality
of opportunity Is the dream of the
Iutopian, but it is a dream whose real
ization is foreign to nature and to the
capabilities Of the human mind.
Practically, then, happiness is not a
material condition, but state OF
mind. The Christian Scientists argue
that bodily perfection is within the
reach Of every man, and the lack of II
/ is due to his own ignorance or care
| lessness. But 1t cannot be disputed
that happiness, at least, is a gift that
is not denied to the humblest and most
afflicted of beings, provided that be-
! ing acquires the proper state Of mind
for its fructification.
| 1t is beside the question to cite the
great amount of sorrow and suffering
in this world as a denial of the pos
sibility of happiness to the majority
of its inhabitants. People have ex-
tracted wonderful degree of happi-
ness from the most unpromising and
even antagonistic surroundings. Hap
piness is not dependent upon pros
perity or favorable circumstances but
upon a mental attitude. The chief
helps to attaining that condition are
the consciousness Of rectitude toward
our fellow-men and the realization of
that JOY that comes from duty well
done. We cannot be happy with load
of remorse weighing us down, nor
with the consciousness that we are
shirking our plain duty. The best way,
then, to realize happiness as far as
that blessing is humanity attainable, is
TO do all in our power to make others
happy, just as many people have
found the best way to an education
/ is in the teaching OF others. Let us
scatter sunshine along our pathway as
we journey thru life, and we will be
astonished at the joy that will be re-
Elected into our own consciousness.
some members OF congress do not