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Show How PeoplKan Be Happy! . Interesting Story Told by Lady who An-j swered Question of a Little Girl. With the glorious beuuly of life, nature's gorgcousness and everlasting charm, freedom's delights and possibilities pos-sibilities It would seem that none should over have need to search for happiness, yet In the midst of life there Is death, In midst of plenty thero is huuger, friendship Is repaid with faithlessness, Innocence Is outraged out-raged and killed, homes arc despoiled, crlmo and sorrow abound, and even children whoso lives should be tilled with only that which Is cheerful, cheer-ful, bright, and blessed have so lltflc of the good things that happiness can como to them only by diligent search. Think of a little girl scarcely older i " than a llsp asklnK a PUD,lc speaker to 'to tell her and u great number of little girls about her ' 'how to be happy." Doesn't it seem that there must be something sadly wrong with social conditions that makes possible such an answer from a chl'.dY Hut the reply to this question is whit The Kbi'Uuucam desires to bring particularly par-ticularly to the attention of its readers, for among older people there Is a search for happiness, also, and the answer to the child may serve as an answer for older searchers. A True Story. The following Is a true story from the Woman's Journal, of Boston. which says: Allco Freeman Palmer, during a hot summer, used to come up to Iloston from the seashore once a week, to talk to the slum children at the Vacation School. She told this story of her experience ex-perience on one of these occasion; . I found a great many girls in tho room, but more babies than irirls. it seemed. Each girl was holding one, and there were a few to spare. "Now," I said, "what shall I talk to you about this morning, girls?" This was not a well-dressed asscrrbly of young ladies, who, no doubt, Mould ,y-, have sat with stolid countenances, and (Yj. ct Jaws or conscious giggles. Not so n. '""wlth theso children of the slums. L What they were offered In good faith V' they received In good faith. r "Talk about life," said one girl. Imagine! Life! That tremendous subject! "I am afraid that is too big a subject sub-ject for so short a time," I said. Then upspoko a small, pale-faced, heavy-eyed heavy-eyed child, with a great fat baby on her knee: "Tell us how to be happy!" Tells how to be Happy. The tears rushed to may eyes and a lump came In my throat. Happy in such surroundings as no doubt she lived Inl Perhaps dirty and foul-smelling. foul-smelling. Happy, with burdens too heavy to be borne, seemingly! A I this Hashed through my mind while the rest took up the word, and echoed, "yes. tell us how to be happy?" "Well," I said, "I will give you my thrco rules for being happy, but mind you, you must all promise to follow them for one week aim not skip a single day, for they won't work If you skip one slgle day." So they all promised pro-mised faithfully that they wouldn't skip one single day. Learn Something Good. "The first rule Is that you will commit com-mit something to memory every day, something good. It needn't bo much, thrco or four words will do, Just a pretty bit of a poem or a lllblc verse. T ' 7 fMo you understand?" I was so afraid ' 'f ' Ttiey wouldn't, but one little girl with Hashing black eyes Jumped up from the corner of tho room and cried: "I know; you want us to learn Borne-thintr Borne-thintr wnM hn uinri nnnuch to remem ber If we went blind!" "That Is It exactly!" I said. Something Some-thing you would like to remember if you 'went blind;" and they all promised promis-ed they would not skip a single day. See Something Better. "The second rule Is: "Look for something pretty every day; and don't skip a day, or it won't work. A leaf, a flower, a cloud you can all find something. Isn't there a park-some-whore near here that you can all walk to? (Yes, thero was one.) And stop long enough before tho pretty thing that you have spied, to say, "Isn't It beautiful!" Drink In every detail and seo tho loveliness of It. Can you do it?" They promised, to n girl. Do Something Good. "My third rule ls-now mind, don't skip a day do something for some- body every single day." ,, "Oh, that's easy!" thoy said. And h icV thought It would bo tho hardest d yfc rule of all. Just think, that is what '" those children said-"Oh, that's easy!" Didn't they havo to tend babies and run errands every day, and wasn't that doing something for somebody? Yes, I assured them It was. W ell, at tho end of a week, the day being hotter than the last, If possible, 1 was wending my way along a very narrow street when suddenly 1 was literally grabbed by the arm, and a little voice said: "I done it!" "Did what?" I exclaimed, looking down and seeing at my side a tiny girl with the proverbial baby asleep In her arms. "What you told us to, and 1 never skipped a day, neither," replied the child In a rather hurt tone. "Oh!" I said, "now I know what you mean Put down the baby, and let's talk about It." So down on the sidewalk she deposited the sleeping infant, and she and I stood over It and talked. A Pathetic Story. "Well," she said. "I never skipped a day, but it was awful hard. It was all right when I could go to the park, but one day It rained and rained, and the baby had a cold, and 1 Just couldn't go out without leaving baby, so 1 thought sure I was going to skip, and I was standing at the window 'most cryin," and 1 saw" here her little face brightened up with a radiant radi-ant smile "1 saw a sparrow taking a bath In the gutter that goes around the top of the house, and he had on a black neck-tie and he was so handsome. hand-some. It was the tirst time I had over heard an English sparrow called beautiful, beau-tiful, but I tell you It was not laughable laugh-able a bit no not a bit. "Then there was another day," she went on, "and 1 thought I should havo to skip It sure. There wasn't another thing to look at In the house. The baby was sick, and I couldn't go out, and 1 was feeling terrible, when" here the most radiant look came to her face "I saw the baby's hair!" "Saw the baby's hair?" 1 echoed. "Yes, a little bit of sun came In at the window and I saw his hair, and I'll never be lonesome any more." And catching up the baby from tho sidewalk she said, "See"and 1 looked. You havo heard artists raving over Titian hair. Well, as tho sun played I on this baby's hah theie wero the browns, the reds, the golds which make up tho Titian hair. Yes, It was truly beautiful. "Now shall we go on?" 1 asked, taking the heavy baby from her. The room was lltcially packed this time, ten times as many girls, and as many babies as jour mind will conceive of. I had not much more man got in at tho door when a pretty little Jewish Jew-ish girl with Hashing black eyes leaped to her feet, and, striking an attitude In the 'middle of tho lloor, shouted: "Give mo liberty or give me death!" This evidently was the thing she would like to remember If she went blind. 1 wish )OU could have listend, with me to the experiences of those little ones. Laughter aid tears were so closely commingled that I don't know which had the mastery. |