The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-05-06
Leisure Hours,

Leisure Hours.
THEEE are few things in which, as
nation, we are more deficient than in the
matter of leisure 1t does not enter our
plans of life; we make little or no pro-
vision for it; we take il, if at all, by
snatches, as boys have stolen fruit, and
often feel a somewhat similar guilt in
enjoying it. From infancy up the same
hauence surrounds us. Parents who
give the most serious thought and atten-
ton to their children's education, care
fully selecting their teachers and schools,
and aiding them with faithful home in
struction, are frequently quite ignorant
of the character of the companions or
books or diversions which occupy their
leisure hours. The young, setting out in
life, often arrange with method and sys-
TEN their life work, giving to its consid-
Grafton their wiscst judgment and most
earnest thought, and yet form no plans
for the hours when they shall throw of
care and lay aside work.
In mature life men ana women engage
IN the strife and turmoil of business
and the unfagging industry of labor
with zeal and assiduity truly laudable,
but scarcely spare a thought, much less
any serious or systematic attention, upon
the time when nature compels them to
lay aside work and recruit their
tired energies. Even as the time
approaches when old age lifts the
heavy burden of labor from the weary
frame, there is hardly any provision
made for the occupation of the time thus
set at liberty, and too often the aged
parent, after long and tiresome life,
sinks into an enforced and unhappy idle
ness, thus incurring some degree of con-
tempt from the young and strong, be
cause he has never had any systematic
resources for leisure hours.
The fact is that, while we justly re-
spect labor, we most uniustly despise
leisure. In our haste to appreciate the
value of time anG award its jus honors,
we forget that there is time when men
and women must relax, must throw of
the weight of care and work, aad that
time is as truly deserving of careful plan
and arrangement as any other-nay,
even more valuable In some important
respects than the hours of active excr-
ton For most work has, of necessity,
something of compulsion in it, and even
the most deliberate self-compulsion, hon
estly and earnestly practiced from the
best motives, while it gives IA firm basis
| to character, cannot round it Off and
bring it into beautiful proportions.
This can only be the work of complete
| liberty and must depend greatly upon
| the existence of leisure and the use made
of it. The over-busy man who thrusts
this truth out of sight and reserves no
| time for domestic enjoyment, or social
converse, or personal enjoyment, cuts of
his real progress, hinders his develop
ment, narrows down his mind to a single
line of thought, and thus renders himself
Just so much less effective as a power in
society and 50 much less capable of hap
piness as an individual. He imprisons
himself within a small and confined range
of thought and action, shutting out a
thousand good influences which might
brighten his life and cause 1t to reflect
radiance upon others.
The worst result, however, that issues
from this habit of ignoring or neglecting
leisure hours is the evil that insidiously
creeps into them. III proportion 10 our
Ass;-->s..- f ~is@ ,,"f.'c 1f "s'si hiils! s1 No
the care we shall take of it. The pre-
cious gems that are so rare are seldom
mislaid, wasted or injured. So, because
the importance of work is appreciated,
and its value acknowledged, we select it
with our best judgment, we systematic
and arrange its hours, we devote TO it
our most earnest energies And because
leisure time is undervalued and its sig-
nificance not understood we suffer il to
run to waste, we lose it without regret,
or, what is still worse, we suffer it to be
come appropriated by the lower and
bascr parts of our nature.
For this reason il is that leisure hours
are hours of temptation-hours when
vice and evil of every kind come in their
most alluring forms to fill up the vacan-
cy. If these seasons had been recog-
| nized, and filled with wholesome, natural
enjoyment and refreshments, how much
of the sickening and vicious corruption
that now goes under the false name of
pleasure might have been prevented.
This thought may be worthy the attention
of those who are so jealous III their efforts
to suppress vice.
There can be no doubt that the Con-
| tinental people owe much of their tem-
perance and morality to the numerous
| gardens, concerts and other innocent
diversions which are freely open to them,
and which encourage whole families to
unite in seasons of rest and enjoyment.
| Whatever can foster the habit of family
| happiness and fill the hours of leisure
with rational pleasure will deal heavier
blow upon vice of every kind than the
scverest legislation can possibly lnlllct.
Used rightly, 0a leisure hours would
be not only the happiest, but the most
valuable we have. They should be made
the instruments of quickening faculties
that have lain dormant, OF cultivating
the taste, of elevating the imag nation,
| of developing the social instincts, OF
nurturing friendships, of drawing closer
the domestic ties. If they are thus used
| we cannot fail 10 become broader better
balanced, more efficient, happier men
and women.
But to accomplish this we must no
longer undervalue these hours, or sulicr
ourselves TO drift through them without
pilot or helm. We must give to them,
as we now do TO the hours of toll, the
benefit of our most careful thought, our
| wisest Judgment and our best-laid plans.
We must draw our children gently from
foolish and hurtful qualifications TO
| those which arc innocent and eleyatlng.
| We must help and comfort our erring
brothers and sisters by substituting
healthful and pure enjoyments for nox-
ious stimulants and debasing inddlgences.
We must so regulate our own leisure as
to purify, strengthen and elevate our
! character, and to bring it into full and
rounded proportions that labor alone can
never produce. The leisure hours VIII
be among the greatest blessings OF hui
mainly. and their influence will give a
double efficiency to the hours Of toll
Neao York Mercantile journal.
MAJ. WOOD, of Lexington, seems 10