The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-12-03
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 influence, and, if it continue
long enough, they will be destroyed. 1t sets
the organism of thought and feeling vibrat-
ing with emotions which are not consonant
with the neutral liberation of energy in
work The whole machinery is thrown out
of gear, and exercise, which would other
wise be pleasurable and innocuous, becomes
painful and even destructive 1t is easytO
see how this must be- The longest note in
music, the most steady and persistent ray
of light-to use an old-fashioned express
sion-the tonic muscular contraction, are
all, we know, produced by rapid succession
of minute motive impulses or acts, like the
explosion and discharge of electricity from
alternately connected and separated points
in circuit; in fact, a series Of vibrations.
Mental energy doubtless takes the same form
of development If a disturbing element is
introduced by the obtrusion of some indie
pendent source of anxiety, or if out of the
business in hand the mind makes 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 suspended;
the reserve is no longer stock in abeyance,
and it ceases to give stability to the mind !;
the rhythm of the mental force is Interrupt
ted crash is always impending, and too
often sudden collapse occurs The point
to be made clear is this: Overwork is barely
possible, and seldom, if ever, happens, while
the mind is acting in the way prescribed by
its constitution and in the normal modes of
mental exercise The moment, however, the
natural rhythm of work is broken and dis
cord ensues, the mind is like an engine with
the safety valve locked&the steam guage
falsifed, the governing apparatus out of
gear; break down may occur at any in
stant. The state pictured is one of worry,
and the besetting peril is not depicted in TOO
! lurid colors The victim of worry is ever
on the verge of a catastrophe if he escape,
the marvel is not at his strength of intel
| lect 50 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 remedy. The
energy employed in industry carried on un-
der this condition is lavished in producing
small result, and speedily exhausted.
The reserve comes into play very ear ly in
the task, and the faculty Of recuperation
is speedily arrested. Sometimes loss of ap-
petite announces the cessation of nutrition !;
otherwise the sense of hunger, present in
the system, is for time preternaturally
acute, and marks the fact that the demand
is occasioned by loss of power to appropri-
ate, instead of any diminuition of supply.
The effort to work becomes daily more la
borious, the task of fixing the attention
grows increasingly difficult, thoughts wan
der, memory fails, the reasoning power Is
enfeebled; prejudice shade of defunct
emotion or some past persuasion-takes the
place of judgment; physical nerve Or brain
disturbance may supervene, and the crash
will then come suddenly, unexpectedly by
onlookers, perhaps unperceived by the sut-
ferer himself This is the history of
worry" or disorder produced by mental
disquietude and distraction, occasionally by
physical disease. The Nineteenth Century.