Connecticut western news., 1873-01-10
Chats with Grumblers.

Many years ago, in company with our wife, says bio Lewis, we made sum- mer drive through the Canadas. Iu giving that attention to our horses which is the habit of prudent travellers, we visited the stable morning and evening. We think it was the first night after we crossed over at Niagara that we said to the hostler:
 "Suppose some one were to leave you hundred thousand dollars, what would you do?"
 "Well, boss, there is one thing l can tell you: you would never catch me work in any more"
 Holding, as we always had, that work is the warp and wool of human life and happiness, the hostler's remark struck us as curious; and recalling it on the fol- lowing evening, we asked the next host- Ter what he would do if he had hundred thousand.
 "I'd travel all over creation, but as for work, Pdnever do another chore as long as lived"
 We talked it overwhile riding thenext day, and concluded we should ask every hostler during the trip and make record of the answers:
 The same question was put to thirty four hostlers, and all gave essentially the same answer, though @ few said,
 "Of course I should want something to do when I felt like 1t, but then wouldn't work regular"
 We were member of Q school-board some years afterward, and asked one of the lady teachers what she wouM do if she had hundred thousand dollars, and her reply was:
 "I would go to Europe and live in Paris"
 i"What would you do that forP" we asked.
 "Why, should go for the same req son that ether folks go---to see the sights"
 We asked the same question of four teen female teachers and six male teach CTS, and they all gave about the same answer, though few of them suggested 0 division with the poor. One young lady said she would give thirtythousand apiece to her three brothers, and then go abroad with tke remaining ten thou sand
 Without exception, they spoke of travel, and most of them of life in Europe. Not one of them spoke in fla vor of work, but most of them spoke of escape from work.
 As regular work is the great staple of happiness, as work is the regular bread and meat of body and mind, while recre- l ation is but the sweatmeats, all this con- demnation seems strange hallucina- tion. And as work is absolutely neoes- sary, it is the greatest misfortune that there should exist a prejudice against it. A little philosophy, & broader intel ligence, is sure to cure it. A little ex- perience at nothing to do has generally cured even ignorant people of such fol ly. Let man "loaf" for month, and if he is we'll, he is glad enough to go back to his work. And there are 0 good many of us who can look deep enough to see that work is the best of good things, and to love it for its own sake and for the good it does us.
 Work, like food, is @ necessity of our life A disgust for either indicates dis ease, or some unnatural condition. When we find disgust of food, we learn generally that it comes of excess. In the case of disgust for work, we think it generally comes from the same source.
 It is often said that man is naturally lazy. Let every one speak for himsef. We know the statement is not true of ourself. We love work. Wehke days recreation occasionally, but the hours begin to hang heavy in the latter part of the day.