BEING HAPPY

Evening Star, Issue 19197, 13 March 1926, Page 20

BEING HAPPY

MORNING SMILE IN THE LOOKING GLASS. There is uo more common feature of present-day life (writes Ur Deardon, in ‘ The Science of Happiness’) than that which is called “the hump,” and a man may possess all the treasures of the universe and yet not escapo_ this really monstrous affliction. _ Its distinguishing feature, in fact, is that you can assign no cause for it. Dr Do ardon deals at length with this affliction, and asserts that if you adopt

a cheerful and confident bearing and carriage you will find yourself, tor no apparent reason, cheerful and confident in your mind. He advocates a “ morning beam ” —. on rising from your bed “ go to your looking glass and force yourself to greet with a beaming smile that curiously complex fellow who is yourself. . . . It is perfectly true that you cannot bo happy to order, but you can pretend to be happy at any rate. . . . You may say . . . that no good is likely to come from such ridiculous behaviour on your part, but very much the same might bo said of kissing.’' Dr Deardou gives this hint to wives; There are few things more pleasant to the normal male than an atmosphere of complete independence; an opportunity to be “himself,” such as it is, without regard to tho opinions or desires of any other creature. This is the secret of the mysterious hire his chib holds for him, for there his egotism can run riot and no one will complain! In all its splendor there is no one to placate or entice; and it is not for nothing that ho resents so bitterly the intrusion of ladies into the sanctity of its gloom. See to it, then (he writes), if you are a woman, that your husband keeps his man friends, for they are tho surest amulet for your own dominion.