The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-22 00:00:00

OVERWORK AND UNDERWORK.

*4lllO inllsortant subject of " Overwork " and Over Study,
tf well as the evils of Underwork, received careful consid9nra
at the hands of Dr. Samuel NVilks, F.R.S., in his dra
Irina lecture, under the auspices of the :National gHealth-
cety, at the residence of Mr. C. Matthews, 23, Hertford-
atreet, Slayfaiet London. •
The lecturer commenced by
.remarking that the
tinestiOns of overwork over study, and underwork
tZlicl not be settled by any fixed rule, and the only
tr In which they could be considered-would be in
raitt!aysiological aspect—by comparing the body to a
Ine, and estimating its capabilities, or regarding
orcekind of chemical laboratory in which various
Dra 'were ehgaged in the supply of food to
t:cat-14th° furnace, always remembering, however,
to
animal body, unlike the mechanical one,
waelll-21_°t 'be wholly con tinuods in its action, as rest
Rest "eeessary to the production of animal power.
cla,; ,all_,d work were as natural as light and darkness,
night, and whea the physician was asked
ce,times if a man could work the twenty-four hours
IPuYskal labour, the answer would be that, given a
oe nPer time for food and sleep, a man could work all
tt rest of the twenty-four hours. But "proper food"
Proper rest" were „necessary in all classes of
4.11-4.•,--,a fact not recognized by people of supposed in-
C, "Igence, as he had had to prove to an enthusiastic
ung Curate that h 3 would be able to do better work
hi',ProPer attention to his physical wants—that this
.74ention to the body was a religious duty, in order
enable a man to work to the full extent of his
vusters,
With regard to the People who suffer from "nerve
°f
eeprewo fly,
Dr. Wilks held that the mode of life
tei those who thus suffered sufficiently accounted for
h
r condition—that they had pursued a course of
g which had made its effects felt in pressing
Zeotal toil of one kind upon the brain over lengthened
Cri,°(-18. The question was asked if by a person
v'ng physical exercise, good food, ,and rest, the
veß lei the intervening hours could be healthfully
ePent in mental labour. This was a question which
;_ould not be answered by rule. The points would
l'ave to be consislered as to the amount of physical
elrercise to be taken and the kind and the character
the mental labour. There were some kinds of
r7ntal. labour which were mere relaxations against
f, 247 e, and remarkable examples had been presented
fk‘° toe vigour derived from varied exercises in mental
ve
111' alternated with physical exercises; but where
reental labour had been attempted without the phy-
-I:eiadl th
rs
e persons had been broken down. Some peons,
ing to the idea that "use is second nature," had
17(1)1"..,act customed themselves to physical exercise in :the
f of their mental labour ; but there was a necessity
4,c? this physical labour, and the body required it.
e. necessity first was shown by the studious man
titZillg' his room, as the animals paced their cages in
Zoo ;" by the errand boys in the streets putting
,Pwil their goods to fight other boys, or in their
th°evbering " posts—all these were actions showing that
If ,:xly needed exercise. Then came the question,
Inao has good food, rest, and exercise, can he
'3Pend n the rest of the hours in mental labour? The
onlleaw leer was., certainly he can; but it must not !Ile
f of mental labour or one kind of pursuit,
sepal. °lle Pursuit would abnormally exercise one
all faeultal orked :of the mind and cause it to be over-
and loss of other
a man would have strong opinions broeu.t thing of which he knew nothing-he
olgn languages ing—he hated
, and knew nothing of them; he
liketßci theatres, and never had been to one; dis-
oltati'uarwin's views, but would say "Never read a
the thed°f,barwin's in my life and never will." On
abo,,°4l—r "and, political history was filled with facts
Lord atn
-- th many viao leldrmen wi
werk.
ideas and examples of the good
,&g , Palmerston 'Lord Brougham,
tent staet --PeciallY dwelt upon the case of an emi-
highest iesillan who, at seventy years of age, held the
a theol P ace in politics, could turn with freshness to
tions ggical controversy could discuss learned ques-
, _ . with the utmost vigour, and was own to love
:olly sical exercises. known The right hon gentleman referred
raelivriknown to spend his waking hours in the highest
?
work, varied by physical labour, was stated
to
the B°lnidlY, and presented a living example of
ue to be attached to varied mental work, this
bt!*!ect mental work also being added to by physical
~a The ee lecturer, speaking upon the subject of
4 eBstiese in some brain workers, stated that %14
arose from a too continuous toil in one
vi 88 of brain work. In all such cases he ad.
thsed changes of mental work, giving cases to show
0,"„t the sleeplessness was induced by the brain being
tii'r'eharged- with the " worry " of one mode of
ght which had filled the irian's mind morning,
-'ll, and night.
•
the' .Wilkes insisted upon the necessity of work for
and body, and in the cases of young men
titgeci that they should have at least two occupa-
A°4, even if the seconchhould only be a "hobby."
.•7:6,.t0 Women, he insisted that the ladies in towns
'altered from lack of proper occupation, and the
:-'!.xle.sees supposed to be induced by overwork were in
4(eality the result of want of means of using the mental
PhYsical energies possessed. The women in the
h
oWer orders used their superfluous energies in wordy rfare---in a general "mutual Undervaluation," and
le bygone times ladies used to throw off theirs in
eYsteria. He did not advise ladies to follow men's
131°,sfeessions ; but he advised a healthful use by women
eir mental and physical powers.
13 , With regard to the late discussion in The Times as
the " overwork" in girls' day and Board schools,
Wilks said that, all other proper conditions
Ln-"'3erved, he could not admit that the few hours'
ental work which the girls had could do harm; the
,rol would arise if the girls had to go home to a
11Y room to "mind the baby," were badly supplied
.4 th food, or slept in a bad atmosphere. It was. un-
io these cases to blame the school and the lessons;
of th%vases of the so-called " over-work " were outside
0 school or the lessons.

THE PERILS OF THE SEA.
lyith referenee to the loss of the Atalanta The Times of
Y published the following letter:—
ir,'-The reports of the captains of ships recently
stZ'vecl'all tencleto confirm the previous accounts of a
;A ill,' of unufmal 'violence having prevailed in the
Jamie from February 11 or 12 to 18, and about
at.
NV t°
long 30 to 40 W., 400 to 800 miles
the.l\ At LN • of the Aires and in the probable track of
-alantalrom Bermuda.
few cases : .
Nlaiesty's ship Salamis reports that the
been vaer was at Flores in a disabled state, having
19 11 on her beam ends in lat. 43 N., long. 39 W., for
u>.u°,.l'B, in a gale, on February 12. Second mate
erkelulled, first mate broken legs, and two men
tinlY hurt.
,u,-, - fon) Lloyd's reports :—Wimmera, from New
rleans, encoure
nted a hurricane of unusual violence
?tt February 13, everything movable washed from
a
her deck and cutwater alarted. On February 14 lost
Paßeraari overboard, in lat.. 42, long. 32. On the 15th,
ed a vessel's top and lower masts painted white,
413ParenttY from a vessel of about 1,200 tons.
Wra, from Deinerara, January 20. : .Experienced el February 17, a terrific gale from W.N.W., with
elans hurricane force, ship hove to in a tre-
elltious Of
sea_; at 11.30 p.m. shipped a heavy sea,
L,44ing overboard a man from the wheel, smashing
eosttli, and doing considerable damage. The decks
ligrinally full up to the rails.
,j_Talzerlane, from New York, experienced a succes-
ar of heavy gales from February 10; on the 17th,
tie:LOY Bea carried away head, bulwarks, cleared the
0,;-`,14f rnovables, and washed three men overboard.
ivititlll,F, 19th, fell in with the Alpha, of Christiapsund,
(IA ,I°B3 of rigging, rudder broken, and mainmast
11111,„`Pia57) and part cargo thrown overboard during a
il, j'e4ne on
,the 12th. Took off crew next day, hit.
orkz 2A. • -a, Iti
Atirca --i
a c, rl, from Pensacola, passed in lat. 43, long. 33,
t, 'Y of wreckage painted white inside and black
re4eonsisting of bulwark's, stanchions, c., appa-
Wate7* of /3. large vessel, and but a short time. in the
b.
124'°11,4t..41beb
a°,, k, from San Francisco, encountered Feb.
tu -1;-' 4. 44, .long. 23, a hurricane, was thrown
f oh,l .nektri end, and everything movable washed
uer decks -' had to cut way the sails from the
.a,rd , c a . .
lor-F1,8,,,5tet., from St. John's was fallen in with lat. 46,
res:7l.u°,•Yraterlogged and a complete wreck, crew at
‘4,lll,eads without food or water, by the Hipparchus,
13
hade" 'lletted the master and eleven men; two men
1 e
,1°.8.(14tr NU-
-1C). been ivdthed overboard, and two others
-From exposure; ship full of water since
rila 11..
t
, A. la, • .
. le 'Ai abandoned and only mizen mast stand-
11k5h..,-,, ~..,angerous. wreck to ships bound eastward, was
I, , f ebruary 26, lat. 45, long. 30. . • A ~goesoN
14t, (it 'r,onl New Orleans, encountered February 12,
late' "mg. 36, a terrific gale, and lost the second
Or, overboard ; cargo shifted, and general damage.
wtte;ebruary, 14, sighted ship Mistress of the Seas,
64.0 .B,gnal of distress ; lay by her, and as she was in a
TOlng. condition, the crew desirecrto be taken off.
iluilllrierraan was also lying by, and both skips
beat,ge4El ill reaQuing the crew by aid of their life-
-4

AO+ rzu'ai
‘bruary

Hi, al, steamship, from Liverpool, reports that
Fel 11 she encountered a terrific gale; one man
waslL.., overboard and another injured; a heavy sea
smashed poop, cabins, and deck-fittings.
Sidney Egors, twin Singapore, met a violent gale
February 13 to 18, near lat. 42, long. 30; masts got
adrift, and decks filled, broke cabin; and smashed
everything on deck.
Manitoba, from Boston, passed a quantity of
wreckage February 12, and broke propeller, supposed
to have struck a spar.
Rowlands, from St. Lucia, sugar cargo, during a
hurricane on February 12, was thrown on her beam
ends by a heavy sea, and. crew taken off on the 24th,
lat, 37, long. 37, by the Alsford, the ship being in a
sinking condition; rudder, foremast, bowsprit, and all
boats gone.
The following ships are also still missing :—Winne-
fred, from New Orleans December 30; Devana, from
Bankok, October 1, and St. Helena, January t; Bay
of Biscay, from Rangoon, October 30th, and last seen
in lat. 37 N. long 36 W. on February 7.
We can gather from the above accounts, extracted
from many other reports some idea of the fearful
weather encountered; arid the havoc caused by these
gales, and those who have experienced storms at sea,
and know full well the dire effects of heavy water
'breaking on board a ship, the running into a half-
sunken wreck or iceberg on a stormy night in mid-
Atlantic, can form some conclusion as to the fate of
the Atalanta.
That a ship completely equipped, in charge of the
most experienced officers with all their well-known
readiness, for every emergency, and all the advantages
of good discipline, should disappear without a trace,
may well cause a thrill of intense anxiety throughout
the. land; but there are dangers at sea beyond all
human control, and we may well quote the good old
words still used upon every sea bill of lading (viz.,
"the act of God and the Queen's enemies excepted,")
ito express the exceptional risks which are ever n the
minds of those responsible for safe conduct at sea. As
to the Queen'sienemies, the officers of the Royal Navy
ever have and always will give a good account of them,
but before an act of Providence we must all bow
down. from the highest officers of Her Majesty's Navy
to their more humble brethren of the mercantile
marine, and ought we now to question the zeal and
efficiency of those who prepare our ships with so much
care for the services of the country while mourning
over the sad loss of those gallant men who have
perished in the execution of their duty ?—I am, Sir,
yours most obediently,
ALLEN YouNG,'Master Mariner.
5, St. James's street, London, May 17.