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chief pursuit man’s HAPPINESS A Jew through his prayers is made more conscious of his deeper needs; of the more profound long ings of his heart. But if all of one’s wishes were to be epitomized in one over all prayer, I believe it would be covered’by the term — happiness. Whatever man does, whatever he plans, all his thoughts are aim ed at one paramount goal — happi ness. However, only certain of his acts produce the desired end. It seems then that if we are to find happiness we must study carefully those acts that lead to the highest form of satisfaction or produce the fullest measure of happiness. What sort of acts shall one perform that will nourish him most, will make him strongest, and most completely a man? To know this, is to know the secret to happiness. In observing life carefully, we note wherein its fulness consists. Life is rhythmical like everything in nature. It consists in income and outgo, in inspiration and ex piration. It is never getting only, but also in expression. There must always be a free circulation of the life currents inward and outward or the life stagnates and perishes. by RABBI SAMUEL UMEN It is important, for example, that J one fills every air cell of his lungs with oxygen. How is it done? First, he exhales every atom of air in his lungs and thus he takes in air. This is the law of the body and this law also applies to human relationship If we wish to get, it is vital to re member that we must first give in order to get. Satisfaction is more in the outgo than in the income, in doing than in getting, in expression of life power than in value received. Gratifying as it is to receive in formation and knowledge, it is higher joy to teach than it is to be taught. It is an enjoyment to see pictures, but even indifferent painters get a greater enjoyment in painting for themselves than in seeing other men’s paintings. It is a pleasure to hear music; it is a greater pleasure to be able to pour out one’s whole soul in music. It is a crude form of pleasure to fight and get justice; it is greater pleasure and far more gratifying to do justice. To see a man at the height of his righteous activity is as if one saw the gleam of a divine life pour ing through the personality of the man, as the electrical force pours over a live wire. It seems that the most exalted and real form of activity is that of good will. In its highest terms of light and heart, it is called love. Whoever attempts to get love, fails breaking the universal law of the circulation of life. It is just the op posite with the giving or express ing of good will. Whoever lets his life go out into friendly thoughts, words and deeds, does not merely get love in return; he does better, he finds constant life and satisfac tion in the outflow of good will. It is the nature of life that it must be expressed and kept in circulation. The highest happiness thus con sists in the expression of the high est form of life, namely good will. The emphasis and essence of happiness consists in going out of the self. When is man happiest? In the hours of his highest good will. A man’s true happiness is not somewhere else or at some distant time, it is here in so far as he has caught the secret of the life of good will. On the basis of what was said about individual happiness, let us see if it does not also apply to so ciety at large. What course is there for society to follow that happiness may be at tained? The road to happiness for The Southern Israelite 16