American Agriculturist, July 5, 1924 
5 
What Is Happiness? 
Can You Give a Better Definition in Fifteen Words? 
<6 
T 
By MRS. EMILY GOODRICH 
him. “I’ll put these all back, grandfither, but 
I’m playin’ I’m goin’ to build a wheel-barrow, an’ 
me manual-training teacher says the first thing is 
to selict me material, now this would do fer the 
handles, an’ this fer the sides an’ ends of the box, ’ 
—an’ the first thing I knew I’d dropped me hoe 
an’ wint for a hammer an’ nails, an’ a wheel I had 
in the tool-house, an’ I spint the forenoon hoein’ 
an’ makin’ suggistions—an’ the finest wheel¬ 
barrow he wint home with. Wull now—do ye see 
it:—two b’ys from the same home—in the same 
gardin—one can make his own happiness and the 
ither can’t! 
“ 6 Thin how to forgit yer own unhappiness—ye 
[HERE are two ways of getting a thing 
done: do it yourself, or get some one who 
can,” said Jake Armstrong, machinery 
salesman. 
“Now I do one thing; I sell machinery, but I 
work for a man, a queer old duffer, who calls 
himself a philosopher. He expects many things 
from the same man. 
“Maybe you’ll understand what he is like, 
when I tell you the motto that hangs over his 
desk, ‘While You Grow a Business Grow a Soul.’ 
Um, grow a business is alright, but that grow a 
soul gets us into all kinds of trouble. 
“What do you think he said to us at the end of 
a salesman’s meeting? ‘A hundred dollars’ bonus 
to the man that sells the most machinery in a 
time, and another hundred for the best ^_ 
fifteen-word definition of happiness!’ - — 
‘•‘Gosh! Of all the fool notions. 
Well, I had been married six months 
—and—well—I voted for Roosevelt— 
if you know what that means—and I 
needed the money. 
“Anyway I went out hammering 
my brain on this happiness game, 
and for two days I sold—nothing— 
and then I quit. ‘To thunder with 
happiness,’ said I. ‘I sell ma¬ 
chinery.’ ” 
“Coming back I stopped at Sioux 
City, and went out to see an old 
Irishman; a gardener; a fine character 
and a thinker. To my world I am 
Jake Armstrong, but to Mr. Kenally 
I’m‘Me b’y.’ 
“His wife was away and we went 
into the garden to smoke our pipes. 
‘Uncle Mike,’ I said, ‘what’s happi¬ 
ness?’ 
“‘An’ what do you say it is, me 
b’y?’ — 
‘“It’s too darned many things,’ I 
answered thinking of those two first 
days out. 
“‘What for ninstance?’ 
‘“Oh, health and wealth, freedom 
from worry, and the right kind of w’ork. 
“‘Me b’y, me b’y, ’tis noon of 
them things.’ 
“Then I got a hunch that I had 
found what I wanted, so I stirred him 
up with a stick as you might say. 
‘Look here. Uncle Mike, I travel the 
earth, you understand. Last week 
I saw old Liberty ablaze in New York 
Harbor, and a month from now I’ll be = a— 
dropping into’Frisco. And you,you , . ,. , „ , . , 
work in your garden. In twenty-five years you renumber me sister—she s thet high-ialutin an 
have not been outside the county. What do she came into me gardin all dressed for the city 
you know about happiness?’ . an’ I’d been thet infant on the plantm I d paid 
“‘I know all about it—um—happiness is the attmtion to noothm , an she was thet disgusted 
ability of your mind to find its own happiness, with the sight of me, an’ she called me a dirr-ty 
and to know how to firgit your own unhappiness, ould Irishman—an’ ragged—an if our mither was 
A few of us is born with the abilitee, and few of us alive she d been ashamed of me entoirely, an mt 
fio-ure out the proocess, and thet’s all the happy a grain of the smse of dacmcy did I have to lit 
when I had kissed her she called me a dear ould 
Irishman. An’ we spint the rist of the day like 
a couple of lovers. 
“‘Wull thin—makin’ yer own happiness — fer- 
gittin’ yer own unhappiness. Thet’s the whole of 
life, Jakie, whither ye travil the earth, or work in 
a gardin.’ 
“Well, I went home and told wife about it, 
“now put it into fifteen words.” ‘Happiness,’ 
said she counting on her fingers, ‘the power of the 
soul to create its own joy and heal its own 
misery!’ 
“Well, the old man shook hands with me — 
actually—when he gave me the two hundred. 
‘Jake,’ he said, ‘you’re a good salesman, and 
you are getting to be a philosopher!’ 
“Ye-e-es?” says I, real modest. 
The Eternal Quest 
TF it were possible for me to have a wish come true for all of my 
■*" farmer friends, I know without hesitation what it would be. 
I would ask that all of you be successful in your quest for happi¬ 
ness. When those wise forefathers of ours founded this great 
nation and wrote down on the nation’s birthday in the Declara¬ 
tion of Independence those principles on which the nation was to 
be established, they said that the three fundamentals were life, 
liberty, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. 
Few of us often stop to think about it, but it is true nevertheless 
that directly or indirectly all of our work, all of our play and all 
of our actions are directed toward the single purpose of trying 
to be happy. Sometimes I think what a tragedy it is that so 
few of us come to learn the real ways of happiness and apparently 
obtain so little. 
When I became editor of AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, I estab¬ 
lished the goal or ideal of bringing a little more happiness into 
farm homes. I like to feel that in every issue of the paper there is 
a smile or two for everyone, and maybe a hearty laugh for some, 
for in humor there is always a touch of happiness. I like to feel, 
too, that in every issue there is at least something that will in¬ 
spire our people to a hope for better things or to action that will 
conquer their troubles and lead to pleasanter times. I like to 
feel that we are keeping the old AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST in 
the front line for such things as good schools for our kiddies, the 
preservation of our country church, proper medical attendance 
for our sick, and less oppressive taxes for us all, for these things 
all make for happiness. 
But after all, the most powerful influence for happiness lies 
within our own hearts. If the seeds of happiness do not lie 
within us, no amount of pleasant external conditions will be of 
any use. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow could shine 
without avail in our front yards. If you do not believe this, read 
the little story on this page—one of the finest we have seen in a 
long, long time.—E. R. Eastman. 
The Citizen’s Creed 
T HE College of William and Mary 
has evolved a citizenship creed 
which might well be adopted in every 
State in the Union. During the 
month which commemorates our 
birth as a nation, this document is 
commended to all citizens, whatever 
the party or private creeds, for care¬ 
ful study and self-examination. 
My Duties as a Citizen 
1. To acquaint myself with those fun¬ 
damental principles embodied in our 
constitution and laws which experience 
has shown are essential to the preserva¬ 
tion of our liberties and the promotion of 
good government, and to defend those 
principles against all attacks. 
2. To inform myself on all public issues, 
and on the character, record and plat¬ 
form of all candidates for office, and to 
exert actively my influence in favor of 
men and measures in which I believe. 
3. To vote in every election, primary 
and general, never using my vote for 
personal or private ends, but only for the 
public good, placing the welfare of my 
country above that of my party if the 
interests of the two should ever conflict. 
4. To connect myself with the political 
party which most nearly represents my 
views on public questions, and to exert 
my influence within the party to bring 
about the nomination of good men for 
office and the endorsement of measures 
for the public weal. 
5. To have the courage to perform my 
duties as a citizen regardless of its effect 
upon me financially or socially, remember¬ 
ing that a cowardly citizen is as useless to 
his country in time of peace as a cow- 
meself go thet way- 
better !! W nil—she 
ardly soldier is in time of war. 
6. To stand for honest election laws impartially 
administered. 
7. To obey all laws whether I deem them wise or not, 
and to uphold the officers in the enforcement of the law. 
8. To make full and honest return of all my property 
and income for taxation. 
9. To be ever ready to serve my country in war and 
in peace, especially in such inconspicuous capacities 
-whin I had money to buy as juror and election official. 
lift 
thet hot under the 10. To acquaint myself with the functions of the 
people there are in the wurld, me b’y. 
‘“I’ll till ye what I mean. Look at me gardin— ^ p ter ‘; t 'wire^llmew itll’dhoed^upTvery one various departments of my government and to spread 
’tis nit very big—an tis all growing somethin collar thet before I knew ^it 1 d hoedup ivery ^ knowledge of them among my feUow citizens in 
thet cannit be walked on, except this clover patch, of me young cabbages thet I had tmded from see enjoy to the fullest extent the 
an’ thet corner over there where I work up my like babies—an thin I put me hoe straight m the ~ ‘ ' ' 
. tool-house for fear I d kill somebody! 
“‘Thin I took me pipe an’ set me down on the 
binch here an’ began thinkin’. Was it true what 
she said—an’ I knew thet it was. It was time.me 
ould overalls was in the fire—I’d more in the 
wood with the tool-house beside it. 
‘“Into me gardin comes Terry, me son Pat’s 
b’y—to make me a visit—and what does he do? 
In two minutes he looks over the whole gardin, 
then he comes an’ asks me to make him a wagon 
order that they may enjoy to the fullest extent the 
advantages offered by the government, and may more 
fully recognize the government as means of service to 
the people. 
11. To encourage good men to enter public service 
and remain therein by commending the faithful per¬ 
formance of their duties and by refraining from criticism 
then he comes an asks me to make tnm a wagon ouiu oveians wets L c , „ . . . ■ , • » . i ‘■i i 
•in' I can’t I’m thet busy—then he wants to play closet—so I made up me mmd to simply forgit it except such as is founded on a knowledge of fact 
an leant! miner ousy meu wet t F r _ Wn a 12. To seek to promote good feeling betwe 
in the tool-house—an’ he can’t—so he looks over —an it came to me—I d not been yaking a 
into the next yard, sees a coaster, an’ wished he swate word to Maggie for days I d been the^ 
had it. He pulls the cat’s tail, peels an orange thet takin’ up with plantm so I wint to find her an 
his grandmither gave all over the walk—welL-’tis ye should have seen her—aw—I know ye young 
a sigh of relafe I’m havin’, when he is gone, fellers—the tales ye told me of yer new wife, the 
j a bi e . last time ye were here, she must have come 14 To mform m y Se ii with respect to tne prooiems 
“ ‘Wull thin_comes Tim—his own brither, straight from hiven—but whin ye are seventy an w hich confront my country in its foreign relations, and 
•iboot a vearvounoer He looks the gardin all over over—’tis a wonderful thing if yer wife looks as to sup port policies which safeguard its legitimate in- 
like Ter rv thin he o’oes to the wood-pile, an starts swate as when ye first found her. Wull, there terests abroad and which recognize the responsibilities of 
Lufidin’^an’ w! a£ ? by an’ by I gets hoein’ anear was Maggie with her hands full of violets, an’ the United States as a member of international society. 
12. To seek to promote good feeling between all 
groups of my fellow citizens and to resist as inimical to 
public welfare all partisan effort to excite race, re¬ 
ligious, class and sectional prejudice. 
13. Not to think alone of what my country can do 
for me but more about what I can do for it. 
14. To inform myself with respect to the problems 
