The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-08

From the cradle to the grave the intending search of poor humanity is for happiness. Few find it. but we all go on searching for 1t, look ing, looking, looking for the joy in life, the peace, the rest, the con- tentment that we never discover
 What Is the mystery of this good that so eludes us? Whence comes this blessing that money cannot buy, nor power nor place give us, yet without which our triumphs are dust and ashes in our teeth, and our riches worthless scraps of paper and bits of metal?
 Once I had a talk on this sub ject with a famous actress who had retired from the stage at the very zenith of her professional career, and I said to her:
 You are the happiest woman l know. What is the secret of happi- ness?
 "The secret of happiness" she re- piled, Consists in finding out what you want, and then having the cour- age to take it."
 Most people" she went on, have no idea of what they really desire in life. They are full of vague, lovely dreams, but they have no es- pecial yearning for some particular thing. They are like children in a toy store, who clutch first at one gilded and painted plaything, and then drop it for another with bright CT and more alluring colors, and throw that away for something else until, at last, they come empty handed out of the shop.
 You see this illustrated in the restless people who have thousand fads. They are dance mad one year and culture-mad the next. They are crazy about automobiling one season and live on the golf links the next. They are perpetually chang ing their residence; taking up causes and dropping them; they fit from profession to profession, and even swap old husbands and wives for new.
 Such people are never satisfied, never happy, because they dc not know what they want. They have no idea of the shape and form of the thing they seek, and they would pass it by if they stumbl d ever it.
 The first secret of happiness IS to find out what you want-to look into your soul and discover the thing that you need above all else. The next secret of happiness is to have the courage to take what you want This is not easy to do. It Is so much simpler to follow the line of least TeSlSldnCe ana to uO lHe tHtH5 lHdl other people want you to do; the thing that 1t is customary to do, ;nd that you are in the habit of doing ln- stead of breaking away and Goir E the thing that you want to do your self
 50 many people miss happiness because they do not have the coUr- age to marry the men and women they really love and desire, but who are outside of their little narrow so- clal pale. So many men are miser- able in cities who would be happy in the country. if they only were brave enough to break away from their desks.
 50 many men are wretched fail ures because they are trying to do them to do, who would be success full and happy if they were only do | ing the kind of work they love to do.e There are so many poor preach CTS who would be good bricklayers There are so many starving lawyers who would be boss carpenters. If people only had the nerve to mount their hobbies they would ride away to fortune as well as happiness.
 T have been happy because I knew what l wanted and l had the cour- age to take it. I wanted the quiet life, and so left the stage at the very height of my career, and I have had the courage not only to resist all the money temptations that have been offered me to go back to it, but also to turn my back on the tempta- tions of society, and to live the sim pie life, with my own family and friends about me. In a little village I knew what I wanted of life and