T HE PE N
17
Reading — The Road To Happiness
One of the terrible tilings of our
nioflern world is that too many of
our men and women are leadin';;
lonely lives—lives that are dull and
liave no real a]>peasement. True, in
living; in large cities and towns they
are always moving among crowds—
crowds that do not offer that certain
feeling of friendliness. What most
])eo])le need is to brighten their
lives with a thorough understanding
between them and their community.
In large cities, there are thous"
ands of these jieople wlio really do
not feel conuuunity relationship any
uuire.
'J'he modern American families
with their labor-saving devices to
nuxke work easy, their automobiles
to take them through all parts of
the country, and their radios to
bring education and entertainment
into their homes, seem to enjoy a
richer and fuller life than tlieir
grand))arents ever dreamed of. Hut
unfortunately, tl'.ese things cannot
substitute for that lost sense of be*
iiig members of a community. Peo"
pie of toda\’ really do not ])ut
themselves into the activities of
their conuuunity as their grand'par*
cuts did. Thus, they do not get that
real enjovment and significance out
of life which cannot be obtained
otherwise. Consequently, with all
the traveling done, all the other cn'
tcrtainment available these ])eople
find less satisfaction in life. They
kiu)w that there is something miss'
Opinions of
One of the many pre'cminent
qualities Man possesses which be'
speaks his su])criority to the lower
animals is his jiowcr to reason and
ing and they live in hope that some
day, by means of money they will
be able to find it.
Fortunately, the most sensible of
these ))eople Who have been cut off
from the direct sense of couununity
life are readers.
The j)rinted page is the source of
this certain ha])])iness which so
many of them are looking for. New
books magazines, histories and var"
ions jieriodicals bring to them a
knowledge, not only of local prob"
lems, but those of other communi
ties as well, which provide hajjpi'
ness for some and promote conr
munity pride in others. Therefore,
they become widely informed, de*
veloping that sense of collective in
terest rather than individuality,
through the habits of reading the
best books and current materials.
What can one enjoy more than
gleaning the i>ages of a j)eriodical
and learning therefrom nuich that
is to be known about conditions and
affairs of his fellowman? Is this not
a moment of joy and ha])j)iness?
Hence, in order for people to be
able to appreciate tlie goodness that
life has in store for them, they
should read and read; for reading
not only gives one a knowledge of
conununity affairs and conditions,
b’lt also offers much joy and happi
ness which present day American
families find very rare in this ultra
modern society.
—Edith M. Matthcxcs
A Freshman
contemplate upon a specific action
before taking it. He seldom takes
an im])ortant ste]) in his life before
giving it careful consideration and