The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-02-16


as would once have been the case, because he is
in pecuuiary difficulties or that he breads some
threatening exposure. 1t Is because-and here
is the modern peculiarly OF the ,5g ,t5hlng-tne man
is 80 desperately perplexed, his ideas are so in.
volved and knotted and tangled together, that
he cen bear it no longer, and so he cuts the knot
and gets away.
of the same sort will have O different effect.
No, need Tor them to accelerate the end with
their own violent hands. 1t comes to them of
itself "So-and-so is in very bad way"
his friends cay. "He complains very much; his
work is intolerabe to hun; he is evidently in
capable Of enjoyment of any kind, social or
otherwise; his spirits are wTetched; what can
be the matter with him 2" The matter is, that
he is dying. He is dying slowly, by inches.
Dying because he has tried to keep up with the
pace at which his competitors run, aud he has
not been able. It is the strain, the anxiety,
the excitement that kills, even more than the
me1e labor. The fate OF this man and OF the
other is told in a word; but what words can
describe the agony that each OF them hae en-
eS d3LeG @ in the years. and ana months months and nd days
What sort OF time was that, when the suffer
ing wretch first Oegan to feel the approach OF
what was to follow? A general loss of percep-
ton, perhaps, would be one OF his first symp-
toms, the images of things not biting SO dis
.tinctly on his faculties as betore his ideas less
clear less numerous, his sensibilities less acute,
And this combined incongruously enough with
an excessive irrtabity and intolerance of eXter-
nal sources OF annoyance, so that little daily
troubles which in healthy condition would not
have distressed him, become now terrible sources
of discomfort, while small responsibi weigh
upon HIM lntolerably, with bugbear terror in
their aspect which their intrinsic Importance in
no way justides. And then his memory begins
to play him tricks. He is unable 10 keep his en-
gdgements in mind; he carries "a letter in his
pocket which should have been in the post three
days age; he has some circumstance to relate, or
some story to tell, and is brought up suddenly
by finding that some important incident con-
nected with the statement some name, some
date, some number, is gone.
This mans condition Is IN all respects incon-
gruous. He is restless, though tired; and though
he yearns for quiet, he is yet wnen he obtains 1t,
unable to lace Its concomitant dulness. Heaven
help such one He is sad case, but by no
means an uncommon one. And it is not mere
work that has reduced this man TO so desperate
condition. Nine times out of ten it will be
found that he has been engaged in some branch
OF labor which had made great demands upon
his readiness. He is pledged to do certain
thing in certain time. To be ready with
certain results by particular hour. He is
man engaged in scientific pursuits, and every
day his meteorological predictions must be
ready. Or maybe he has to provide amusement
for the public, and must be funny every week
to order. This is the kind of work that kills.
Or, If it does not kill q man at once, it knocks
him up, reduces him into what is called "a low
bad state'-a state which consigns him to the
hands Of the physician-an invalided state, to
last, more or less, always. Then is he bidden-
though there are mouths to be filled which can
only be filled by his professional exertions-to
leave of. He must abandon work for time;
and though this may mean abandoning income
too he is strictly forbidden to be anxious, or to
have anything on his mind"
But supposing an invalid to be able to discon-
tinue his work for time; supposing that he
seeks relaxation by travelling, and i'll some sort
finds il how often it happens that the improve
ment which takes place in his condition turns
out to be temporary! While he makes holiday,
| while he runs away from his cares and RESPONSE
hn hoff htttxu hor frN
| these, as he must do, sooner or later, does he
not often find that the old symptoms gradually
reappear, and do not mis- friends hear, after q
| while, that 'So-and-so is in a bad way again 2"
Nor do the better classes, as they are called,
| stand alone in feeling the strain which is en-
| countered by those who take part in such forms
| of labor as may be called specialties of the
day. MY respected father remembers perhaps,
! the case OF certain slgnal-man at one of our
most freQuented functions whose duties were
| SO manifold and bewildering, and involved such
| intricate calculations of time and place-a half
| second wrong here, or half inch wrong there,
| being sure to bring about the most dreadful
| consequences-that the man at last fell into a
morbid condition about his work, and, being
strained and bewildered to degree far beyond
his powers of endurance, remarked at last with
| terrible calmness, to one of his comrades "He
knew the day would come when he must make
mistake, and that when that Cay came he
| should most surely be killedW This is quite q
modern instance, and is no doubt fresh In your
| memory, as is also the end of the poor wretch,
who did at last make mistake, and eoas at last
killed.
Does not every one know of similar instances
But what does all this come to Are we tc
give up the GLORIOUS gains" OF modern times
Are we to cut down our telegraph-posts and col
away the magic wires? Are we to pull up the
rails upon the iron road and make turnpike
OF it again? Shall we send our merchandise by
the road-wagon and the barge, and our letters by
the old mail-coach? Such questions are ridicu
lous. There is no going back in this world; nc
standing still even, with impunity.
The TACT is that these painful results of moderl
practices are in some sort inevitable. II
every age the weak have gone to the wall
Once, in the old time long past. the physically
| weak suffered. Might was right then, and brut
force carried the day. The strongest men IL
body were capable of dealing with the in
stitutions OF those days, just as the stronges
men in mind can grapple with the institution
| of these days. Force of body then, force O
mind and character now Swift gaze, stron!
arm, nimble feet in the one age. Quick perceI
ton, firm nerve, versatile brain in the other age
There are men whose minds are exactly fitted b.
nature to carry away the prizes OF these times
as there were men with bodies which enable
| them to win those of a less refined period. III
vigorous aggressive man of the feudal time mad
his way and gained his object with spear an
battle-axe. The same thing happens now, onl
we 60 TO work with weapons drawn from a les
material armory.
What is to become, then, of those who canno
be reckoned among the strongest OF tn
strong? Are they 10 strain and tear their facu
ties to shreds, until such sad results are brough
about as we have glanced at above? Or al
| they to drop, shoudered out OF the contei
! altogether? They are to do neither the on
J thing nor the other. They should remain an
! | try to do what they can, but by no means whi
they can't. How many achievements may no
4 be crammed into the space of q single da
| What journeyings, what multiplicity OF inccl
gruous business transactions, what oIeaktas
in one part Of the world, what suppers in a
| other / remember to have heard IL said,