Editorial September 9, 1944 Issue

What Have You?

Paul Stark Seeley

In Webster's Dictionary the verb "to have" is defined as meaning "to possess," "to own." If we were to substitute these or similar meanings of this verb in some of the statements where "have" is commonly used, they would sound like this: "I possess a cold." "I own a headache." "I have title to a bad disposition, some beliefs in heredity, an assortment of fears, some resentments, and a few pet indulgences."

But you and I can really have only what God gives us. The sooner we consistently realize this the happier and healthier we shall be. It is surely logical to believe that since there is but one cause, and this one intelligent and good, man, the effect of this cause, can actually have only what his intelligent cause causes him to have. There is no way to evade or escape the correctness of this reasoning.

But why do mortals spend a large part of their time publicizing their belief that they have, own, possess, and hold title to a variety of troubles more varied than the collection of things I recently saw in a New England store called "The Pack Rat Antique Shop"? Mortals have been educated to claim as their own, as their personal—though not usually desired—possessions, the many ills, problems, and conditions which the one devil, or evil, argues are the lot of its representative, mortal man.

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