Daily Kennebec journal., 1881-12-05
Worry.

The cause, or condition, which most COM
monty exposes the reserve of mental energy
to loss and injury is worry. The tone and
strength of mind are seriously impaired by its
wearing infueace, and, If it continue long
enough. they will be destroyed. 1t sets the
organism of thought and feeling vibrating
with emotions which are not consonant with
the natural liberation of energy in work. The
whole machinery is thrown out of gear, and
exercise. which would otherwise be pleasure
BILE and innocuous, becomes painful and even
destructive, 1t is easy to see how this must
be- The longest note in music. the most
steady and persistent ray of light-to use an
old fashioned expression-the tonic muscular
contraction, are all, we know, produced by q
rapid succession of minute motive impulses
OF acts. like the explosion and discharge Of
electricity from alternately connected and
separated points in q circuit; in fact, a series
of vibrations. Mental energy, doubtless, takes
the same form Of development. If a disturb
ing element is introduced bv the obtrusion Of
some independent source Of anxiety, or IL out
of the business in hand the mind makes 4
discord, confusion ensues, and for the time
being harmonious action ceases. Working
under these conditions in obedience to the
will. the mental organism sustains injury
which must be great, and may be lasting.
The function Of the warning sense is sus-
pended the reserve is no longer a stock in
allegiance, and it ceases to give stability to
the mind; the rhythm Of the mental forces is
interrupted; crash is always impending,
and too often sudden collapse occurs. The
point to be made clear is this overw0rk 10
barely possible, and seldom, If ever happens,
while the mind is acting in the way pre-
scribed by its constitution and the normal
modes of mental exercise. The moment,
however, the natural rhythm Of work Is
broken and discOrd eDsues. the mind Is like
an engine with the safety-valve locked, the
steam-g guage falsifed, the governing ap-
paratus out of gear; breakdown may
occur at any moment The state pictured il
one of worry, and the besctting peril il not
depicted in too lurid colors. The victim Of
worry is ever on the verge Of catastrophe;
if he escape, the marvel is not at his strength
of intellect so much as his good fortune.
Worry is disorder, however induced, and
disorderly work is abhorred by the laws Of
nature, which leave it wholly without rem
edy. The energy employed in industry
carried on under this condition Is lavished
in producing a small result, and speedily
exhausted The reserve comes into play
very early in the task, and the faculty Of
recuperation is speedily arrested. Some
times loss Of appetite announces the
cessation Of nutrition; otherwise the
sense Of hunger present in the sys-
TEN. is for a time preternaturally acute, and
marks the fact that the demand is occasioned
by loss Of power to appropriate, instead Of
any dminution Of supply. The effort to
work becomes daily more laborious, the
task Of fixing the attention grows increasing
ly difficult, thoughts wander, memory fails,
the reasoning power is enfeebled; prejudice
the shade Of defunct emotion or some past
persuasioD-takes the place Of judgment;
physical nerve or brain disturbance may su-
pervene, and the crash will then come sud-
denly, unexpected by onlookers, perhaps un-
expected by the sufferer himself This 10 the
history Of worry" or disorder produced by
mental dsquietude and distraction and occa-
sionally by physical disease.