East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-12-27
MUSCULAR LABOR.


speed, stops included, being seven and
a half miles per hour. A wagon
horse travels 20 miles per day and
works eight hours, These rates were
found 10 be the most economical. An
engineer, few years ago, tried the
effect Of increasing the work Of horses
TO about 10000 to $4,000 lbs. lifting
foot per minute; the result was
that in less than three months out of
80 horses 81 died. Watt finding that
the best horses work six hours per
day, could lift 33, 900 lbs. one foot per
minute, adopted that as the horse
power; but the general practice is to
work eight hours and lift $4,000 lbs.
one foot per minute; and this is all
that ordinary horses can do without
wearing out so fast as to make an in
crease of work more costly than this
rate.
The rate at which men can work
has not been so carefully astertained ;
but we have had sensational reports
that in Cuba slaves and coolies have
worn out in seven years. 1t would be
servicej to science and humanity if
the medical officers of armies and ma
vies would keep careful records of the
men under their charge, and report to
the Smithsonian Institute; and if
railway companies and industrial es-
adjustments would employ physicians
to watch over the health Of their peo-
pie and attend gratis, and employ
their leisure in keeping such records ;
it might help build up reliable hy-
gienic science, on which an improved
practice might be founded.
The introduction of machines to
relieve men from the expenditure OF
muscular power has already done
much to increase the duration of their
powers. A man at planning machine
is man of leisure compared with the
man who Clipped and fled to produce
plane surfaces within forty years OIL
less. The small steam hammers now
coming into use give immense relief
to the muscles of forge men and
there is a rapid increase of machines
to substitute the power of steam fol
that of muscle.
The fatigue and exhaustion of pow
er, and the wear that tends to shorten
life, are now very much less than they
were when we first saw machine shops
Then the men had to work like horses
now they do little more than superin-
tend the working machine Tools
Then they were moro worn in two
hours than they now are in ten hours
upon the main operations of finishing
Thus there is a constant diminution
Of hard labor. But still we have
much more to do in this way. Men
at the vice have often hard work
with the chisel and file, which ought
to be done by shaping tools, and
probably will be. Forge-men still
work hard. In fact, some men in O
machine establishment really do three
or four times as much hard work a;
others. A man at lathe or planer
on light work, can endure II hours
work per day with less effect on his
constitution than 6 hours at forge
would have.
There is no good reason why men
should not use seats more than they
do when attending machine tools
Projectors would do well to provide
good seats to be used freely when
there is no necessity to stand.
a horse that is run too fast, or toe
much loaded, is soon worn out and
dies; three years is the average in
stage service; but ono that is mode.
rately worked will last ten years SC
if man works with all his energy
many hours per day, he will soor
wear out. Iaboring men in England
acording to statistics, do not attain
nearly to the age of professional mer
and men Of leisure. But if too much
work shortens life, too little or insult
fcient exercise is generally supposed
TO have the like effect What we dc
not yet know is the approximate
amount of llbor which is best ft,
health and longevity. Perhaps i
might be six hours for the man who
does very hard work, and twelve fol
one who does light work.
But the question is not an abstrac
one, applicable to men who can worl
little or much, as they choose; it is {
practical question to men who have tC
earn their living and in the solution
of it we have to consider whether it i.
best to labor moderately, and live in
an unhealthy tenement house, or ttC
labor up to the maximum power con
sistent with health, and earn enough
TO live in healthy house and region
and buy good food, clothing and Other
means of health. Probably mar
with three or four dollars additiona
wnges, earned by working more hours
and spent in additional means o
health, will preserve his own health
and that of his family, and live longe
and have more enjoyment than b,
could have had with less work. Thi
we must consider. We have con
slant complaint from the newspaper
which echo the voice of the people
so far as we know-that the sanitar-
condition of cities and towns is so ba,
that vast amount of time is lost il
sickness and the deaths in some 10
calities is more than double what it i
III others. Now it will cost extr
work to make this condition better
and we have to consider whether L
lessen the hours of work, and be SLOW
in improving the cleanliness an,
healthiness of the places we live in, o
to keep up or increase the hours O
work, so that we may earn means t
avoid the causes of sickness and pre-
d. mature death. And this is the onl
way as men can get only what the
earn no contrivance viii long enabl
any class IN pet hiph xvao,ea for l;ttl