Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-08-09

I e-i! Sit@te4 uebgess sfc incurred from tle sp-
plicstion Of that system in Que socisl and bu.i.
ness relations When life !, d,a,-ogei by /. train
OF cars the reiuit is usually rrttriel 1 ae-'eci
Of the precautions essential 10 the ss.c'y Of the
travelling public, sad although tie suthor u the
injury msy escape punifbmeat, the system they
represent il condemned. But accidents not less
deplorable are constantly occurring from a ne
/ Gle-t OF physical sud mental laws, which, in
,tead Of Icing charged to human sgcucy, are a.
t.5uted to some mysterious ditpeasstion ofProy-
iicnce, in Difference perhsps, to the old proverb,
Sc Man proposes, but God dispo,es
/ Il is time that We should dissbuse our min Is
Of these popular fallscier and refrain from cloak
/ ing human infrmi ies i, superhuman gsrb
The Iooaer we realize Ia the Acknowledged
evils OF cur feveriih life a, due TO cur own IL
n1rance and folly, the essieT it will be to rem
ely them. Undoubtedly those evils have grown
upon us through ignorance not merely Of the
nnal resuiis OF over-excijeuent Of the mental
organs but sls5 Of ignorance Of the symp,ons
which attend such misuse Nature always shovg
the waning ticnfl Of danger, but rsn does not
Always understand its meaning till il il too late 10
save BIN from disaster The brakes are mt
down Ehen The train hss psssel beyond the con
troi Of the engineer Il must be borne in mind
that tie principal cause OF our III health ia due
20 mental excitement and over-work C,imNtic
pecuisrities snd want Of proper phvsica!
habits sgsrayste &u evil which is peculiarly
dangerous because insiiuous in its spuroaehey
aud deceptive Ia it, m,uifestAtors.
There iz a curious difference in the effect Of
Of y
the miappr5heution Of intellectual workers a.
TO the nature of their troubles The nsn who
cses his muscles is warned by physical fatigue
sh 20 ceAse from labor his sensation that
iniuces and perhaps compels him TO take rest,
is rightly referred by him 10 the musc'er which.
as eminent Psychologists aseer;, are probably
c.ogsel BY deposits formed during sctiye exer-
cse But the trsn-Worker doee not become
rsc,ou- from sry feeling which he can refer 10
that organ Of having over-exertel H. In fsct,
il often msuifess IT such times IN exAltAtion
ari activity which deceive the individual into /.
belief tlst tlis stimulus is teueiiciGi and ltis
cnlJ when disease has made IN Slxrming pro
crets thst be realizes that what be mstook for
hea.thfui were really morbid manifestations
The wssefGiaefs which keeps msnv = busy
spccuA.o-, whether ia stocks. produce or rhi,c-
f9phy, latent upon his Work-1ay thought A.
night, = one Of the ca lest indications os the
unnatural excitement OF the thinking orgsus.
Int ottenumes physiosl fatigue, resulting FROM
prolonged labor 81 the desk is the only thirc
that makes him iesst from IT,
At such time5 habit frequently becomes -
strong thst even the wsrnings OF medical sl7i.
sc.t are power.eis 20 influence the sufferer, and
susgers which are often msie 70 ezpaftulations
Of this kint illustrate 10 inezorab,e sway. As
for hillDZ me not work. ." said Walter Scott.
faiy, % his nhysiciAn- in his sri ness &c Mol
= might As vel put the kettle m ths fire. and
then sty, " N-w. don't boil" !; isa.l tde more
iml grtE1-, therefore, 20 cantro, this tendency
before It becomes uumaueccsb,e, tal 90 -us-l
s-sinEi tte growth OF those unhealthy conli-
q ~ which are often symtcmztic # mcut,I a.
eel as bodily dgeRse l1ioei tie warriu-of
The approach O.. disorders os the hrsia il lften
conveyed ty extraordinary sentences Of the
saLser. Unler such circumstances re-sons are .
ansb.s Sd tesr cln7crati0u a. distance q
va.s1 t-ey would ordinarily ne unable o. list.u-
gIish voices. Perverted sensitilties are often
rreacl'tory ct paralysis aniGpo1,ezy Forbes
'-r.oF illustrates this by the case q = gentle .
uau who, sometime before a fatal spai,ec;ic at- .
ts-s, WAS troubled w.ta gritty feeling 10 bic
Hsuis, which he complained 0t 15r- repeated Il .
SCENE - il the skin we're covered with minute .
AMI irritating particles lf dust or s4ul. and he .
wss frequently observed 90 st-emvt 90 remove
the Imaginary annoyance by washing s feel
Ing Of intense collness in the arms followed by .
nuunccsr. Tucceeied this viti.tel state Of Ten
sal1n. Pirs ys.E hO often been preceded By si-
Iilsr perverted .entihil ties, leading i.f ycticls
% -uTpose tLAt their feet were i-riuiei ty dirt
or $40 e. or thar everything they touched va
covered WIKI grease or other offensive substances
iuleei fgcl uauifestA,i0ns often occur monihs
before the attacks Of cerebral disorder which
they herald. $ g5t sre the in1i,sti1us which
sometimes nyey 90 the skilled observer the
v.ruil-s slca The brain gives q rs abnormal
con !itirrs & ArhrIve,Iei ear s1l hrit'ling hair
are sufficient evidences 20 the exper ia uenis
iiseSse u the existence of chronic dement's.
minute distortion Of the c0uutenance, occssonei
by the slight elevation Of one eyebrow. OF the
i-sWir., sslie u the mouth. are symu'0mEiic of +.
rsrtiaI rsrs'g-s, which indicates approaching
rp1I .,ty ar fofteuing Of the brain The irtaF-
position " words 10 conversation is another sgu
af tse zane conditions. IS are also the pheu1me-
"a q double vision. These i.ius.rsa1ls are E
few su.7E many T-o0fs Of the INN svfsuce OF Al
tending Go the warnings which The brain gives Of
ito saocrusl teuiencies for If tle brakes src
srplel in time the train OF disorder may be
checked before aez.rL and lie sic sacrifcei
The iacresse .t nervous diseases Of late years
ia ttis country has naturally attracted the At
teuuon ai mcii-a. men. who trsce 10 10 the eser
ilcre-i.rs cIciteuelts "a cur busy life Il is =
curious illustration Of The effect Of modern CIV
I.izatien i1 cyer-siimgistirg the menisl powers
that every fuccessive ettilste Of this kind a.
We learn on the authority Of lr. Hsy. hss sh7rn
o larger proportion Of the Insane thtn Eny pre-
y.ous re. luis j. not aans'u-el when We con
siier ihsr every Glrsuce IN civilization implies
additional cerebral elect, sni thst as the pro
portion % those who zee their brains vigorously
is increased, the proportion Of ;kose Who over
tssk their brairs Is also increased The higher
aims Of the workers Of today measure the sever
Try Of The tension Of the intellectual powers as
with taat Of people whose brains were
only e-Ioyei IN siiing their hsnis to procure
the simple nece'.ar,es Of life L is noticeable
also taat the brs.1. like the other organs. is en-
feebiei by tie luxuries and trials 0f civilization.
70 Inst /; is the less Sbie TO stsnd the Unnatursl
pressure which is pat upon 1t by the Increasing
wants AMI ex1itemen-s OF our teyersh exist
ence
To these c-ufeF. which are common TO all civ
ilIzei countries, Americans aid others thSt in
tensify their evil influences Il IS admitted by
eminent authorities on the subject, that c,imstc
snd other agencies mske intellectual work of-Nll
kinds harder 10 perform here than in Europe
Thi5 ia the experience Of Europeans who have
come here TO live, snj also Of Americans who
have resided abroad Cerebral exhaustion, iuca-
pacita;ing the mental organi and breaking down
the bodily health, is far more common among
oar s1raFs than those Of the Oll World. AZ
physical work is also more exhsustiug here than
in Europe, the business mnu who uniergoes
considerable bodily exsrton s exposed to evils
v hch press upon him with peculiar force, for
combined over work of body and mind is the
most dangerous kind of excess. The slterna-
tiOl Of physicsl and mental labor 10, as Weir
Mitchell hss pointed out, beat fitted to insure
lifetime Of wholesome and vigorous intellectual
ezer,iou Th0se persons, therefore, whose only
exercise is in bushes, hours, when the snxieties
and excitement OF their pursuits sre tupsraiiei
to the fatigue Of locomotiou, peculiarly liable
to break down premsturely.
1t is not the use hut the sbuse of the phytcsl
and mental powers thSt produces the evils under
which our society is suffering. Nervous disor-
ders seldom slllict persons who obey the ave Of
health, sni they are then usually the legacy Of
some projenit9r who has taxed hiI descendants
for bis own folly With regularity in eating
and plenty Of exercise, the brain will bear
surprising amount Of work without injury
Bl. when 10 this abundant work is added the
strain Of great worry or anxiety, accompanied
by constant physical fatigue, We have a compli-
cation Of trials which ruined so msny Of our bu-
sues. men in body and mind. Experience
proves tha: tine most numerous instances Of ner-
vous exhaustion occur among manufacturers
and those railway officials whose responsibilities
sre naturally the grestett Lawyers and clergy
men and doctors suffer less 10 this way than mer-
chants aud brokers, bacause their 6nxieties are
not 60 great and their burthens are Sssume1
gradually, while young butinets meu, launching
into great operations, perhSps on borrowed capt
tai, are borne down by premature care sa1 2nx-
iety.
EveryEbeTe, however, the increase Of ner-
vous disorders shows the fearful strain which
lie in the crowded portions of this country
makes upon the vital powers. The statistics Of
Chicago, the typical American city for business
energy. show thst her unexamplsi growth has
been accompanied BY fearful increase in the
relative number of ner Gus diseases, the deaths
= :. 90. =