New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-12-26
oTFRWORK AND UYDER-REST

There il nothing better understood than that
an oyertasked brain will speedily lose ITS
power it, indeed, it be not driven to fatal
congestion. We no longer Ell through igno-
rance A clergyman, for instance, knows per
fectly well il he devotes his nights to writing
sermons. instead of sleeping, that very soon he
will be forced to ask his congregation for per
mission TO 20 to Europe Still he keeps up his
unreasonable work, and makes 1t matter OF
conscience TO commit long and deliberate
suicide IL il asserted, upon tho strength OF
post-mortem examination, that the late much
lamentcd Gov. Andrew public man, whose
life was of the greatest importance to tho whole
country, was really killed by hard work. IL Is
painful to speak with anything Ike ccnsure OF
a career so self-dcyotcd, especially when we
consider that Gov. Andrew knew perfectly well
the terrible risk which he was running. When
he gave himself TO the cause Of the Republic,
he Just as literally took his life In his hand as
if he had volunteered to lead n forlOm hope
upon tho field of battle Was this sacrifice
necessary Was it wise or prudenti Here was
O man of extraordinary capacity for public ai-
fairs here was a life of uncommon value TO
the community here was that rarity in history
an able man with an educated conscience; here
was one who might make mistakes, and who
did make Them but who was utterly incapable
of any act of deliberate sclishness, and just in
the maturity Of his powers, just when he had
trained himself to fill higher posts in the pub
lie service, lac is suddenly called away. AT
"this exigent moment to borrow the Ian
guage of Burke, "the loss of finished man is
"not easily supplied"
Whoovor uudnrfalop Ia la fIto vtott- Of GVo
days in one, will be sure either to Kill himself
or to do his work badly. In either case nothing
is gained by excessive and unseasonably pro-
longed application; yet this is a truth univers-
ally acknowledged and just as universally dis
regarded by Istudents and public men. The
President of College makes fine speech TO
the Freshmen; he tells them that they must
properly regard the laws of health that night
study is worse than no study at all that dys-
pepsia is the banc Of our colleges and it turns
out upon inquiry that this excellent President
is in the habit Of reading Hebrew for half the
night. and is himself wretched victim of
chronic indigestion, has something the matter
with his head, is growing deaf, or growing
blind, smokes more tobacco than is good for
him, and will certainly be obliged TO 90 to
Italy by advice of the family doctor, unless
Divine Providence works special miracle
which it is not at all likely to do 1t turns
out that all the Faculty are in an equally un-
satisfactory condition. The Professor of Greek
has rush of blood TO the head. The Professor
Of Rhetoric has a most melancholy liver. The
Professor of Mathematics has something the
matter with his throat. Even the tutors are
dreadfully ont of sorts; and nobody is quite
well except the steward and the bod-malIers.
1t is taken for granted that intellectual labor
must have malign influence upon the
students physiology. The worst of the whole
matter is that graduates carry away with them
from college the notion that nothing can be
accomplished in this world without dangerous
Over-exertion. The clergyman accepts i'll
health as his normal professional condition
The lawyer fancies that lie must kill himself
as Mr.. Choate did, and as more than one bril-
liant practitioner in our own courts
has done. Even physicians, if they are
also students, disregard all their own
maxims, and betake themselves in time to
their own medicines. Just 80 it is with mer-
chants-it is the pace that kills. Now il is true
that every human life is exposed TO an un-
timely termination by accident OF by disease;
but most men have chance of living to three
score and ten, and as a general rule it requires
about 20 years TO accomplish much--to make
fortune, 70 write good book, to perfect Q dis