The New York herald., 1873-10-20
Walking.

AAOkc uIc luhAiy AcA IL thio Siey oi4t
throughout the land who, tired and over
worked from q business too sedentary and
exacting, either feel no benefit from the brief
apology for vacation they took in the sum-
mer, or who have had no vacation at all
None know better than these that their heads
and bodies will do more and better work in
eleven months if they can rest them tho
twelfth than they will in the whole twelve. with
no rest at all; but circumstances have seemed to
conspire to keep them forever at their tread
mills We would call the attention of all SO
situated to the fact that an excellent remedy
yet remains-one very easy to be had-by
which they may, even before the new year,
get themselves into excellent condition.
We mean simply walking OF all the
months in the twelve, October and
November are the best fitted for this
exercise. The roads are for most of
the time in good order, the weather is bracing
and invigorating, and the scenery in the
country beautiful and variegated even as at
no other season. A man could walk six miles
any day last week, for instance, with scarcely
more effort and more fatigue than three
would have brought in the summer. Let
every one who when evening comes finds
himself fatigued and exhausted, either break
away from his work an hour and half or two
hours before supper time, and spend it in
vigorous walking wherever he likes, or, if he
cannot do that, let him eat heartily at supper
and take the same walk afterwards. For the
first two or three days he may only seem to
tire more and to get but little benefit; but
If he will stick to it only day or two
longer it will soon become less difficult, and
the pleasant feeling of increasing strength
which it brings will make him loath to stop
what is plainly bringing him much good.
Indeed he will soon find that food he hardly
cared for at all before goes uncommonly well
now; that he goes to sleep Immediately on re-
tiring, and, sleeping throughout the night,
awakens thoroughly refreshed and ready for
the new days work; that, somehow, it is easy
to be agreeable and CHEEKY; in short, that his
whole system is quite toned up and strength
ened. If nothing better than brick pavements
can be had let him take brick pavements; but
if he can reach the country road then all the
better. The mere walk to and from work will
not do for mans mind during such exercise
is too likely to be on his work; but after it is
over let him start away at such pace that
his legs will take the extra blood from his
brain and make it so difficult to think pro-
tractedly that at last his brain will get little
of the rest it SO much needs, while anything
like nervousness and fever must shortly give
way to healthy calm and quiet.
And if besides this daily constitutional he
can capture an occasional Saturday, or, better
yet, Friday too, and stretch his legs over
twenty-five, thirty or forty miles he will find
Sunday such day Of rest as he had not
before known and himself wondrously fresh
and vigorous on Monday morning That
Americans need not be less rugged and sturdy
than Englishmen each can bring instances
from his own circle of acquaintance to
prove; and if the life of these
favored ones is looked into it will
usually be found that sensible and syste-
matte effort has had much to do with this
valuable vigor. "The first wealth is health"
says Emerson, and here, by the great majority
of the overworked, it is to be had for the try
ing. All will recall how Dickens would have
his six to ten miles daily, and see from this
that the remark of the writer already quoted,
that ''for performance Of great work it
requires extraordinary health" holds good
more broadly then he had thought. Every
man under hundred should have q pair of
capital walking shoes, broad, stout and COM
Portable, and should use them until once he
finds what true friends they are, and when
he has once found that there is nothing more
to fear, they will not stand all the day idle.
All, both rich and poor, can afford our remedy,
and if they fail to use it and benefit by it they
need blame no one but themselves.