Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-09-23
Work and SverNGrk.

Work, fairly proportioned to the powers, is
good and healthy Tor the organism: no matter
whether it be brain work or body work The
full exercise of the powers mental and bodily
is desirable. and improves them SO long as the
demand is not excessive. But when tie DOW
ers are called upon too freely. then danger
looms ahead Bodily fatigue IGaElests itself in
laSSItude. in untnesS for eXertiOn. compelling
rest until the sense Of vigOr is once more expe-
rienced. Certainly. SO far so good. But these
sensations are not always attended to. and
too frequently are fought off by determination.
and sometimes by resort to stimu,ants. Baron
Justus Won Liebg wrote 30 years ago about the
workman who resorts to spirits In order to ena
BILE him to complete his task: HE draws. so to
speak, bill On his health. which must be always
renewed. because for want OF means he cannot
take it up; he consumes his capital instead of his
interest, and the result IS the inevitable bank
ruptcy of his body" Tie system contains re-
serve fund Of energy upon which we can draw
in emergencies. and this is known by the term
physiological capital The body income is
paid in daily from the food we eat; the body ex-
penditure is the daily Outgongs. The excess Of
income over expenditure is the body capital.
When the outgongs are less than the lncOmnys
an accumulation of capital takes place
in the body bank just as is the case
in. the money bank, when more is paid
in than is taken out an accumulation follows.
The excess is termed the balance. Now,
when business firms reduce their balance too far
unforeseen demand be made upon them. In
fact, if their balance be unequal to the demand
they may become bankrupt. They usually meet
the demand by drawing bill payable at a GER
tain date. In the meantime they set to work to
provide the means to meet the bill when it falls
due. If they succeed all is well. If their out
gOings just equal their incOmings such accumu-
latiOn of means is impossible. and they become
bankrupt unless they succeed in practically
staving off payment by meeting the bill coming
due by drawing another. Yet the debt remains
and bill-drawing is costly device which
means absolute ruin at no very distant period
But during all this time there Is the grave
danger of some new demand, for which no SINH
lar scheme will or can provide for their credit is
already mOrtgaged up to the hilt. Smash then
they must. Bankruptcy is the natural end of
trading upon fictitious capital. Now. this illus
tratiOn will make clear to the reader what is
here meant about physiological bankruptcy It
means the exhaustion of the body capital and
collapse before some new demand. Daily we pay
into the BODY bank so much. and every day we
draw out SO much. Some days the paying in
is far in excess of the withdrawal; then we
feel energetic. Many persons so crcumstanced
feel a craving for something to do. A walk.
row in n boat, game of tennis. anything that's
will safely take away the surplus energy is
acceptable. Animals are just the same. After
day or two in the kennel the dog delights in
long days hunting. So with the horse; after a
day or two in the stable he Is "fresh,' as it is
termed, and quite frOlicsome when first taken
out. The cup is brimming over! On the other
hand, man and animal alike enjoy rest after
severe and prolonged exertion. But when the
horse must work every day his owner feeds him
up-giyes him more stimulant food. This how
ever. cannot go on forever. The horse is at
last found unequal to bis work; the veterinary
surgeon is called in, WHO prOnounces him FUSED
up and prescribes q course Of 'grass" That
is the horse has to have q long holiday. rest
in the country, until h6ifs strong again,