True Happiness.
Victoria Billingsley Pratt
The great desire of every person should be to shape his or her life in a way to obtain happiness, which cannot be obtained without labor, for there are many difficulties to overcome and many duties to perform. In order to obtain this blessing we must have respect for ourselves and those around us; have control over our temper and cultivate a kind and forgiving disposition, ever seeking to promote the happiness of those with whom we associate, that our lives may be made up of usefulness. Every one should strive to make others happier and better than they are. To do this we should be cheerful and polite, regarding the feelings of others, and having the pure love of God in our hearts, and always remember that we have the making of our own lives. We may have good and pure thoughts, or we may indulge in impure thoughts and habits; our associates may be good and noble or they may be the opposite. We are left to choose, and will be held accountable for our choice. A good character should be sought after by everyone. We should be economical, industrious, strictly temperate, moral, respecters of the Sabbath, and always striving to obtain wisdom and knowledge. Thus the confidence of others may be obtained, and the good and wise will be pleased to associate with us.
Industry leads to success and happiness. The young man who is industrious, moral, virtuous, and who has a spotless reputation is of great importance to people of every class and in all circumstances. We read, and very true it is, “The mind unemployed is the mind unenjoyed.” To a young lady a good name is a priceless jewel. It means everything for her, and will give her value and importance in the estimation of others which nothing else can impart. In the possession of a spotless character she may reasonably hope for peace and happiness, but without it she is nothing. Let us cherish the pure love of God in our hearts and always remember that we all are very far from that standard of perfection we hope to attain to, and be lenient with each other’s faults, and accept the good we hear from whatsoever source it comes, if we do not like all their ways; and remember that the truest happiness is found in making others happy.
E. V. Pratt,
Colonia Juarez.
[The Young Woman’s Journal, Mar. 1893, vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 284–85]