The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-03-18

dCteflZeQ LOru DrOuSndll. w neh
could he written his papers for the
Useful knowledge Society, or studied
and written chapters ON Paleys Nat
ural Theology? The sparks from
such mems anvils are equal to the
chief products of ordinary craftsmen.
But even these men would probably
have been eclipsed by the activity of
the Spanish poet, Lope de Vega. 1t
was calculated that twenty-one million
three hundred thousand of his lines
were actually printed, and no less
than eighteen hundred plays of his
composition acted upon the stage.
"Were we to give credit to such ac-
counts says Lord Holland, allowing
him to begin his compositions at the
age of thirteen, we must believe that
on an average he wrote more than nine
hundred lines day; a fertility of i'm
agination and a celebrity of pen which,
when we consider the occupations of
his life as soldier, a secretary, mas
ter of family, and a priest, his ac7,
quirements in Latin, Italian, and
Portuguese, and his reputation for
erudition, became not only improba-
BILE, but absolutely, and one may say
physically, impossible"
With such cases before us, we come
more readily to understand the para
dox that the busiest men are those
who have most time, or at least most
capacity, for extra work. TIE medl-
cal profession is full of instances. 1t
is remarkable that the late Sir James
Simpson, for instance, in the midst OF
al. unprecedented professional prac-
tice should have been a keen antiquary,
and should have found time to write
so many antiquarian memoirs. 1t is
said of the late DR.. Abercrombie, that
his works on the intellectual and
Moral Powers of Man" were composed
in his carriage, as he was driving to
see his patients. The instances of
medical men in the height of practice
writing papers for the medical jour
nails, or preparing professional works
for the press, are very numerous. The
faculties Of such men are so ready that
in their moments of leisure they can
do more than many another man who
has no stated work at all. Even ordi-
nary men understand quite well how
irksome a very small bit of work, like
the writing of letters, is in holiday
time, when one is idle in the country;
whereas in the height of ones activity,
dozen letters could be dashed off in
an hour, and not even counted in the
hard work of the day. An able man,
in the full swing Of his manifold
work, is like machine that by belts
and wheels can do all kinds Of by-iobs,
besides what engages the chief share
Of its activity.
Nor is such life necessarily so OPP
pressive as is often thought. Our
Maker has so ordered it, that one of
our chief pleasures is derived from
work successfully done. Labor ipse
voluptas There is always gratifca-
ton in something accom- mplished,
something done" Lope de Vega,
writing his play in single day, as he
often did, had no doubt sufficient en-
ioyment in it to compensate him for
all the confinement and toll. Rapid
workers have not time to get Disguised
with their work, as those are apt to
do who brood over it. Disgust is
usually the product of leisure and re-
. fection, and comes at a second stage
lie the work be somewhat varied, the
pleasure in connection with its COM
pletion is varied too Hence, perhaps
is the reason why the total and sudden
. giving up of work is often attended
with evil results. The transition from
a life full Of activity and rich in the
enjoyment of successful labor to life
of absolute idleness with no such vivid
enjoyment, has often proved fatal
There is too little activity in the new
life, and too little Of the pleasure OF
activity Idleness, without the ex-
citement and pleasure of work, be-
comes depressing. The vital forces
droop and decay. On the other hand
to the busy worker, rest and recrea-
ton have double relish. No holiday
is so refreshing as that in which he
runs away from his labors, and enjoys
himself in quite a different scene
Swiss mountains and Swiss air have
, then double charm. The interval is
too short to produce the ennui that
attends permanent separation from
active pursits. Few things live in the
memory more wildly than the first
month in Switzerland in the heart OF
too busy life.
Too much to do, besides it's direct
: effect on the busy worker exposes him
| to certain Inconvenience apt to escape
the notice of others. One of these is
{ the effect produced on his memory
} One who leads a rushing life, who has
: to hurry from one thing to another
and from one person to another with,
J out a moments interval, connot have
: vivid remembrance of many things
| that happen in his experience He is
necessarily liable to forget, I in way
that another cannot understand
: Many busy physician has found
5 himself at times in serious trouble
! from this cause. He has made 6
; promise to a patient, but before the
! promise had hardened in his memory
some exciting case has hurried him
: away, obliterated the impression, and
/ the promise has been forgotten. Au-
thors' memories have been known
, from similar cause to play them
, strange tricks. We know an author
; who was engaged in writing a book
amid many other absorbing occupa-
tions. For some weeks the book had
to be laid aside. When leisure came,
: he resumed it, as he thought, at the
point where he had broken it off, and
: got through considerable chapter
when, to his mingled amazement and
amusement, he found in his drawer
another manuscript, almost precisely
similar, the existence of which he had
quite forgotten. So strange and in
credible are these tricks Of memory
~