The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-16
AN OILERS FANCIEs.
GAN Work and No Play"

Inou Snalt not play truant, Is funda-
mental rule of school government more
strongly impressed than any other upon the
childish mind. Sometimes the needless
youngster passes through long and painful
course of discipline before he learns to re-
strain the natural tendency to wander at his
own sweet will, but when he does learn he
never forgets. 1t is a lesson for life. For it
must be the early training which makes the
man, whose father was the boy, so sternly
check each rising inclination to stray out of
the beaten, everyday paths and play little
by the way. The coveted pleasure is sinno-
cence in itself; but the feeling that it would
take time from business, the grown-up
school, makes the thought seem almost a
guilty one. There is no one to say that the
merchant shall not go afshing this morning.
No patient would suffer should the doctor
float idly down the river in a boat as he is
tempted to do. The lawyer fancies the woods
and would like to be there to-day. None of
them goes because-well, because business is
a tyrant which takes the place of the school
mistress of old, and says: Here is your place,
and here you shall stay"
the cool parlor another hour after dinner, or
even feels passing inclination to sit on a
bench in the park, but no; he would be late,
''tardy." Hurrying on the merchant sits in
his counting-room, and no one calls who
might not as we'll be served by others. The
lawyers clients forget him for the day, and
though they have been good, neither is as
happy as if he had run away Better give
runaway school-boys a reward of merit than
to train them into mechanical beings who are
ever pursued by the shadow of black mark.
None of us play truant often enough. In
the indefinite future each OF us intends to
take long vacation, but in the meantime
there is
Summer on field and hill, In heart and brain,
All life washed clean in this high tide of june"
and plodding workers miss the sweetest
of it all. Though retributon sometimes
overlook the school-boy who played
hockey" he had "lots of fun" The next
time the fragrant airs of June bring the
tempting thought what day to sun RE
and do nothing" succumb to the temptation.
Idle away the day to your hearts content,
for peace and not punishment lies at the
end.
Let no one confound the man who ''loafs
and invites his SOUP with him who walks
for health and conscience sake. 1t is a wide
spread idea that to take a walk for the health
is a commendable and virtuous act-the
longer and more tresome the walk the more
praiseworthy. If more nonsense is uttered
on any other hygienic topic this Ider does
not know what it is. The advocates of the
walk for health are of two classes. There is
the man who loses no opportunity to enlarge
upon the benefits to be derived from pedes-
trian exercise, who iainents the degeneracy
of Americans as compared with the English,
and thinks it advisable to live in the suburbs
to secure the healthful results of walking
down town. This man is pedestrian only
in theory. After wondering why his friend
does not walk more, he rides away in his car
riage or adds to the revenue of the horse cars.
The other class, small minority, is made up
of persons who actually do walk. They walk
regularly and industriously, and assume
disagreeable airs of superiority for
having done So 1t may be dusty
and they come home grimy and hot but they
have taken walk" 1t may be wet, and
they are spattered with mud, but the liver
or other portion of the anatomy supposed to
be benefited by churning-up, is properly
attended to and an obtrusive satisfaction
remains. The great number of persons who
see no good in painfully travelling up one
street and down another for exercise, and
who feel no joy in pursuing health into the
rural districts on foot have not the courage
of their opinions, and tamely submit to lee
lures on their shortcomings and goings.
Mr.. Barker, the American friend of DR..
Claudius, was not one of these moral cow
ards. Said that WISE though bad, young
man, when asked by an English friend why
he always rode: "If nature" said Mr.. Barker,
chad intended that man should walk, she
would have provided him with four legs"