The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-08-14
NIGHT WORK md LONG
HOURS.

There are thousand different ways
of being incorporate besides eating
and drinking too much, and each
one of them leads 10 eventual pain,
and shortens life. One may be in
temperate, and sadly SO, in his
pleasures, innocent enough though
they may be; Incorporate In bis
studies, in his writing or reading or
even talking, to say nothing of ais
passions; or intempei late in the use OF
medicine, which can kill as well as
cure, or even in the use of what TAX
en- iudiciously tends to invigorste the
system snd cheer the mind, such as q
bath, or exercise. AS to the latter,
many q man has killed himself by
trying to ride or walk of some little
illness which it needed but rest
alone to. cure. The well-to-do or
wealthy in the world are most likely
to be Incorporate in the pursuit OF
pleasure; those who have to struggle
for the existence of Themselves and
families, to be Incorporate in their
hours OF labor. And intempersnce
in this respect assureily means a
waste OF health-the only property
that g poor man Possesses. Many
people, indeed-to use a homely say
ing-kill themselves in order to make
a living. Long hours of laoor are
detrimental to the health, even when
the work Is carried on by daylight,
but ten times more hurtful and
deadly in night work. There are
those who must carry on their work
at night and those who need not do
80; in this paper l address myself to
both; the evils that accrue from the
habit are the same in either case.
and if knowledge Ia power, it will do
both classes good to shave them
pointed cut to them. First and fore
mcst, then, long hours of night-work
are luxurious to the health from the
loss OF wholesome sleep which they
entail. Sleep, we all know, is food
to the nerves; in other words, it lie
only during sleep that the nerves can
rest and rejust the balance o! their
functions, disturbed by the wear-and
tear of working hours. If this balance
be Iost-and lost it is In the long run
even by the strongest who sin against
natures law as regards sleep-a very
distressing condition of the whole sys-
tenn is the inevitable result, con-
ditien which may be cured by COM
plete rest and relaxation, and a
return TO more regular and consist ent
habits of life. but which ends only too
often in premature old age snd early
death. Professional men, literary
men, artists and students, are very
frequently the victims of nervous
exhaustion, produced from the evil
habit OF turning night into day. For
maintain that good and heslth-giv-
ing sleep can only be obtained
during the client hours OF the night
Il may be sverred, however, that the
very best SrsinWork can also be
performed at night. l doubt it, for
the body of q healthy man is always
more fresh In the morning, and bis
mind more light and cheerful. lie is
then in the best state 10 do good work
without extra Wear-and-tear OF brain
snd nervous tissue. There is nc
disease so insidious; FOR when fully
developed so difficult TO cure. as that
species of nervous degeneration or
exhaustion produced by night-work
and long hours. It is easy to under
stand how such state OF prosters ton
may be induced. The brain and the
nervous system have been very aptly
compared to q gslvanic battery, in
constant use to provide q supply oil
electric fluid for consumption within
a given time. "As long," says a
recent writer, "as supply and demand
are fairly balanced, the functions
which owe their regular and correct
working to the fluid are carried un
with precision; but when, by 6tful
and excessive demands, carried far
beyond the means of supply, the bal
ance is not only lost, but the machine
itself iu overstrained and injured,
disorder at first and disease afterWard
are the result. This illustrates pretty
clearly the condition of well
balanced brain and nervous system
supplying without An effort all the
nervous force required 10 the oper'
alton OF the mind and body, 90 long
as its work is in proportion to il.
powers; but if embarrassed by excess
i've demands. ieebly and ftfully
endeavoring to carry on those menta
and physical operations over which
it formerly presided without an effort.
The symptoms of nervous prostratiou
are exceedingly painful; We can al
ford to pity even the man o! pleasure
who by his own foolish conduct in
duced them, but much more 90 The
brain worker, who has been barning
the midnight oil in the honest en-
deavor to support himself and prob
ably a wife and family, with respeo-
liability in life. He has made g
mistake for which We can readily
forgive him. In the pleasursble ex'
element of honest toll he has forgot.
ten that the supply of work cannot be
| regulated BY the demand or need fOl