Arizona republican., 1921-10-04
Real Joys of Life Pointed Out
 by Bishop J. w. Atwoodin Sermon

Taking as his text, '.Rejoice in the Lord always, and again 1 say re- joice'' (Phillippians, 10:4). Bishop J. W. Atwood gave the following ser mon at Trinity Cathedral last Sun day on s.The Joy of Life:
 I want to speak to you today con- corning the enjoyment of life. l am more and more impressed. the older grow. with the fact that ap-' parently there are very few happy people in the world, even among Christians who ought to be happy and to enjoy to the full the richness and blessings of human life. I do not see how others who are not good and who have no religious faith, can find any real satisfaction or joy in living, but I am speaking thls morning mainly trust to those who.- in spite Of weakness and imperfec- ton, yet, are struggling to do their duty in the world and who are sus- tained and supported by the know ledge of loving Father who has made them. and by the promise of a richer and fuller life to come. Ii has been said of the English people that they are prone to melancholy and that they take even their plea- sures sadly, and the same fact ap- plies to our own countrymen. Any one who has seen anything of French or HIalian or even German life in the past, knows how much more of spon- taniety and. apparent joy in living is to be found among them.
 We certainly do not care for the 1ightness and superficiality of the Latin races, and if the cause of this failure to enjoy the good things of this world is due to the seriousness and sense of duty and responsibility of the Anglo Saxon race, we would not care to exchange it for any hap piness that might come as the result responsibilities and our dutIss. but I % not see why the one should inter fere with the other.
 Anyone who has been a student of life in New England and has noticed this prevailing unhappiness in all social circles in which he may have mingled, among the rich no less than the poor, among idlers and loafers, no less than among the hard work CTS Of the world. among the learned as well. as the ignorant, will be told that it Is due to the New England or Puritan conscience which has trans- mt ed to the descendants of the early settlers oe this land this morbid way of looking at life O. this failure to enjoy the pleasures of life, but through the length and breadth oi the land this tendency ia Just as marked and perhaps sometimes ever more deeply developed.
 would ask the question of yor who are here this morning, how many of you could honestly confess t11a' your life Is a happy one. How true are the words of that brilliant cs- }zf T<x<, 1x X. us realize the wonderful privilege oi living, or the blessings we inherit the glories and the beauties of tht universe, which our own if we choose to have it so; the extent to which VI can make ourselves what we wish te be, or the power we possess of se- curing peace, of triumphfng over pair and sorrow.
 And just as true are the words O great moral teacher and philoso pher who lived more than 1900 year. ago, Epictetus has said somewhere; If man is unhappy, this must bt Eis own fault, for God made all mer to be happy" do not mean to say that happiness should be the object of our life. If we made 1t so, w should probably only succeed 1T making ourselves miserable, as w, should deserve to be, but if we be lieve 1t is our duty to make other happy, why should we have a cer tain suspicion which seems to b lurking in the minds Of some people that it is wrong to be happy our selves.
 To quote once more from the Eng fish writer to whom have just re ferredZH we do our best, if we d not magnify trifling troubles. if W resolutely look, do not say at tn brightnfide of things, but at thing as they really are: if we avail our selves Of the manifold blessing which surround us, we cannot br feel that life is indeed a eloriou inheritance. With most Of us it not so much great sorrows or dis eases or deat11 but rather the dail dyings which cloud over the sunshin of life. Many of the troubles of lii are insignificant in themselves an