Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-19

look over VIII tucH tue-teocOHS 1or@In5-
m orrow; too sleepy to take a friendly
chat with the wife Of his bosom, -who,
shut up ail-day az home, Is. snxiUus to
know what is going on in the city-or
read To her the contents of Che morning
paper or some good book while she piles
the busy needle or darns the winters
socks To bed he goes to drown in the
forgetfulness of sleep the WEAKNESS of
the day. Thus for few years the ma
chine is run until a break occurs and it
is thrown aside to give place to another
Just like it and run on the same princi-
pies.
But while such is the wearisome life
of our mechanics and day laborers, even
more is exacted from clerks and en-
ployees in our Wholesale and retail bust
ness houses. No allotted hours are set
apart for them. From early morn to an
exceedingly late hour at night, they are
expected to be found at their posts So
long as a customer is to be served or q
piece of goods to be put up, there is no
relaxation for clerk Twelve and
even fourteen hours must be stand upon
his weary feet. He can call no particu-
lar hour his own, unless it be on the
| Sabbath, and even that exhausted ma
ture demands to restore her squandered
vitality He has no evenings to spend
at home with his mother and sister, or
among young acquaintanees. He has
no time for books of any description
save the Journal and Ledger of his en-
ployer. AT the late night hours, when
the last customer is in bed and the las:
piece of goods in its place, he may &c
forth, but it is only to End every house
closed save the liquor saloons, the gam
bling dens, or the yet worse habitation
"whose paths lead to hell" Trained
thus, he acquires habits that he cannot
shake off in after years When he comes
to own an establishment of his own, his
employees are expected to walk. in his
footsteps, to tramp in the same tread
| mill in which be was trained, and grow
up in the same way. zalti ait 80
Under such circumstances it is moi
strange that our business men have lit.
tie taste for the fner amenities of life
and that, generally speaking, their ideas
of happiness have no wider scope than
garish display that will excite the ad.
miEdsiou ouu SutJ Oi AIi WHO Wftn6bs IL
Can not this thing be remedied2 II
can, and already the business men in
some of our Sister cities have made q
move in the right direction, by closing
their doors promptly at 8 o'cloek, r. M.
apd permitting their employees to have
the entire evening to themselves. We
wish our Evansville merchants would
follow the good example. If all will
agree to it, not a customer win be lost,
no money will be sacrificed. On the
contrary, the increased affability and
cheerfulness of the clerk will almost in.
evitably swell the sales and add to the
profits. They viii become better clerks,
because they will have had opportunity
to store their minds with useful informe-
ton concerning business, as well as with
the gems of song and story that will
make them attractive to those who buy.
Give the. mechanic and laborer an
hour or two more of leisure, and the
clerk an opportunity for self improve
ment, and our Reading Room will not
languish for subscribers and patrons;
new lights viii glow in home circles;
the churches will resound with the pray.
ers of the virtuous, and the whole land
will ring with the songs of the happy,
for labor itself will become pleasure.