The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1860-09-12
Work and Recreation.

aiioWS ltSell SO lew mondays ana recreatlonS
as we do. Our English progenitors are not
thought TO be very far advanced in what the
French call the saUoir virus, or the art of
living happily; but eyen the English, hard
selves more play :hanswe do, they acquire
and keep bluff, hearty physique, by much
open air exercise, 10 which we, as nation,
are strangers Our national habit is spare
and lank; our faces are sallow, or pale !;
our chests are TOO narrow, and our stomachs
are too prone TO dyspepsia.
Habits imprint themselves upon the ma
tnres of men after few generations almost
ineffaceably. Modes of life are sure TO af-
feet the constitution of the livers Too
much nonotony in occupation repeats it's
elf in the character, and too constant labor
extracts the spring and elastic energy which
make labor most effective. The man who
plays a little now and then, works a great
deal better for it afterwards.
Work is noble and elevating, and all idle.
ness is detestable. But recreation is not
idleness; 1t is rather a higher kind of
work. 1t is exhilerating TO the spirits,
and serves as oil 10 the machinery, making
everything move more smoothly and swiftly
diminishing friction, and lessenirg the wear
and tear OF the vital powers.
The best recreations are doubtless the
social ones. 1t is fault, both in English
and American life, that there is SO little
pepiaIify and epoptapaops off hapd Sooial 4
intercourse. We learned from our progen-
itors TO be stiff and unbending; rarely 10
speak, unless spoken to, and to consider TOO
much familiarity on the part of any body
an objectionable sin. Some writer has
whimsically declared that if an Englishman
were 10 see mans house on fire, he would
| not venture TO tell him of it, unless he had
! previously been introduced This criticism
indicates facl, though ii overstaies it. See
how much pleasanter is the French bonhom-
ME and the German heartiness and sim
| plicty The chief end of life with those
nations, is 10 make life cheerful and happy
/ Many of the Anglo-Saxon race seem to live
| as if the chief end were 10 make things as
gloomy and uncomfortable as possible.
| In crowd of Germans or French, exclu
siveness is laid aside, and good manners
! consist, not in the preservation of punctilio,
but in the natural play of feelings- Polite
ness is not system of rules, but the free
acting-out of generous impulses. Among
cultivated people, reins and padocks are
not necessary. They can be trusted, who
live from a law of their own nature, and
conventionalities are chiefly of use TO schoo
the boorish and savage, SO as 10 make them
| presentable.
The worst thing fashion does for Us, is tc
keep Us apart. If we could come together
we could not fail 10 learn more good man.
ners than we get out OF all this exclusive
ness.
Social pleasures are not necessarily ex
pensive ones. Hospitality need cost nj
more than we make it. A little pleasure
when shared, goes great way. If we come
together to enjoy ourselves and each other
and not the eating and drinking, we shall
speedily find that hiarity does not demanc
a long purse. No people enjoy social pleas
ures more than the Germans-yet none
spend so little upon them. If our hearts are
well provided, we need not busy ourselve.
to pamper our bodies, and if our minds are
well furnished, we shall not need TO aston
ish our neighbors with the gold and mahog
any of our parors.
Recreation is an art 10 be cultivated. with
mosiof us. 1t comes naturally 10 some
races. Our American absorption in bust
Eess, and all-devouring pursuit of the mair
chance, keeps US in great, strangers TO it
value. Ii we would set ourselves TO learn
ing how, we should soon find that recreation
takes less time and less money, than We
had imagined.
French traveller has remarked, that il
the United States, there is less misery, dnt
less happiness, than in any other part OF tht
world. We suspect there is some truth il
the paradox. Brother Jonathan thinks il
very serious thing TO be merry. To be al
ways grinding in his ideal of practical life
though he does not permit himself to enter
tain visions of good time coming, wheI
he shall recreate and rest. But as this goo'
tine is postponed TO the further side OF wha
is called ga fonune," it commonly reCede
before him as he advances in his career
like mirage in the desert-tantalizing, bu
unattained. 1t is not possible that il woul
be wiser TO take his comfort as he goe
along, lest he should somehow fail TO get
at the end of the journey?
LARGE MosauITo Es.-ln speaking of mos
quitoes of large size, seen by one of tn
party in Southern lake, Lemon, (who wa
a sea faring man many years,) remarked ::
"Well, there, Surinam is The darnde;
place for mosquitoes ever seed. Last tim
} went for load of merlasses, my cousi
driY me ahnuf in q nlantafion and lmnn