Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-01-12
WORK AND 0CRRY.
New York Sun. I

the most valuable piece Of advice he
could leave US in departing from our
shores Was not to he restless-to work
less and play more. Overw0rk was the
besetting sin of Americans. accord
ing To that English philosopher, who
spoke with more feeling and the
stronger emphasis on the subject be-
cause he himself was a victim of the
very excess against which he has
warned US. He had come to the
United States. in truth. with the hope
of restoring tone to his nervous sys-
TEN, 80 shattered by injiscreet appli-
cation to study that he was unable to
sleep sOundly.
Sensible people. however, knew
very well that working too hard was
not an American vice. 1t is rare to
find an American whose tendency to
sin takes that direction. The men
who complain most of Overwork are
usually those who are uniting them
selves for exertiOn BY bad habits of
self-indulgence. They could do their
work without undue strain if they did
not otherwise overtax their nerves.
But there is another very frequent
cause OF nervous prOstfatiOn. It is
hasty and unmethodical labor, the
habit of hurrying. But that cause, it
seems, is commonly active in London
no less than in New York.
The London Lancet warns the
"city men. that is the business men,
that they are wearing themselves out
with with unnecessary hurry and
hustle. 1t also tells physicians that
they would do far more to prevent
the spread of nervous disease il they
undertook to cure this vicious men
tai habit, than they can hope to do
by dealing only with the particular
ills which comes from it.
One Of the ch eff characteristics of
business life. the Lancet says, is to
be always in q hurry. The moment
\ lad enters q business house he
begins to make believe to others. and
too quickly to himself, that he is over
whelmed with work. The result is
the formation of mental habit OF
hurrying, which before long becomes
the keynote and motive of the whole
life. 1t is the custom to write and
speak as though commercial men
were really as much pressed for time
As they pretend To be- Now. the sim
pie fact is that all their haste and tur.
moil, prejudicai and often ruiuous as
1t is, is artificial"
The busting, hurrying man, a. a
matter OF fact. is poor worker, and
accomplishes comparatively little in
q dSy. Too much of his steam power
Is expended in kicking up a dust.
The habit Of hurrying and Of feeling
In q hurry is fatal to good work, and
dimhishes the amount Of work that
. man can get through with The
friction is too great. So little of
practical value is accomplished, de-
spite all the superfluous expenditure
Of energy. that he cannot 60 home q:
night with the sweet consciousness OF
duty done. of days work complet-
ed. He has left too many stitches to
be taken up.
The mon who accomplish the
most never seem to be in q hurry. no
y after how much they have 10 do.
Everybody must have observed that
They sre not troubled for lack of
time, for they make the most of the
minutes by working in . cool, clear,
orderly and methodical fashion, fin
ishing each Job properly. and not
wasting their nervous free on trifles
or expending it in hustle. They never
complain OF overwork. They are
more likely to be hunting up new
work to do, in order give their facul
ties more varied employmen: and 10
exercise some which are not sufil-
GENTLY used.
Too much work to do! The hugh
est pleasure and greatest satifactiop
are found In work only. and the more
work man has to do, II IL Is work
70 which he 10 adapted, the better be
likes Il The men TO pity are those
who can get nothing to do, and those
whose only business 10 hunting pleas
ure for itself-the fellows Who have
no other occupation than that of kill.
ing time. But Ne are also sorry for
the men whose manner, - described
By the Lancet. suggests . boiler work
ed up 70 tho highcss pressure and only
saved from bursting BY frequently
letting of steam.