There is much talk today about the correct philosophy of life - getting oneself in harmony with the world about one. A change of attitude, a mental adjustment, they say, is needed to keep us in tune. What is it we want out of life now that we are in it? There is really only one answer to this question. No matter how varied and numerous are our desires, the ultimate, or final, end is happiness. Some say that we can never grasp it completely on this planet, but all agree that we can most certainly generate, produce, and transmit high voltages of it and in so doing permeate ourselves with it. They tell us that the spider spins his intricate web with joy in anticipation of the delicious morsel which will be caught in the filmy thread. We, also, can spin our message webs of yarns which will give happiness to all who are ensnared. It would be fun to charm them by our contagious spirit and see them soon happily absorbed in the cheery things of life. Even if none ever came by to be caught in our webs of thought, we would have a feeling of satisfaction that we were doing our bit.

If you have something to say and feel that it pleases you and might interest others, do say it! If it seems really good and amuses you even to think about it, you had better jot it down, for you will want to preserve it and think about it again in a future and more solitary moment. Can you imagine what would have become of Shakespeare's works if they could not have been recorded but had to be recalled by bards and minstrels these many years? A great many of Shakespeare's beautiful and unique passages would surely have been lost or ruined, if they had come to us by recital only.

Some Interesting Things To Do

1. Send a scout out for a book of Emily Dickinson's poems. Find a few to read to the class.

2. Bring to class pictures of Egyptian, Hebrew, and other early forms of writing for your bulletin board.

3. Work out a secret message for a classmate. Write it in a rebus. Of course you'll get an answer!

4. The story of the development of the alphabet is a very fascinating one. This chapter has just sketched it for you. If you are interested, find books that give a more detailed account and discuss your discoveries in class.

Helpful References

Capen, L. I., Across the Ages. Clodd, E., The Story of the Alphabet. Cobb, S., Discovering the Genius within You.

Colver, A. R., If You Should Want to Write.

Hartman, G., The World We Live in, and How It Came to Be.

Write for the Fun of It!