The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-09-04
OYer.HOrk and Under-rest.

Ii we deduct from a mans life the
time that he must spend in sleep in the
serious occupations spread out over the
service of life, in eating, drinking and
exercise, he will have, in a long life of
seventy years. only about 1000 days for
the direct development of what is most
august in his nature.
We have come far enough along in
the development of social science so
that the bread question should not be
the only problem that occupies us. Po-
litical economy has concerned itself
about wages and rents and interest,
very important questions in themselves;
but it has not placed sufficient stress on
what Aristotle said centuries ago. that
the great end of all labor is to secure
leisure. There is great dignity in la
Dor, and all things seem to have been
arranged with reference TO the fact that
man shall earn his bread by the sweat
of his brow. Nature furnishes the ma
terial and man the labor. She fur
nisheS the forces and he utiliZeS them.
Everything that has value represents
so much labor. or would if it were re-
produced. and one kind of work is just
as honorable as another.
But there is such a thing rs over
work and under rest. There is such a
thing as drudgery, and this is always
curse. There can be no doubt but what
the doctrine of the nobleness of labor
has been pushed too far, and when work
becomes the end of life it is rs per-
nicious as the worship of idleness. 1t
is probably true that where you can find
one man who is desirous of cuitivating
every side of his nature, and coming in
contact with the universe at many
points 10 face, you will find at least a
hundred whose appetite for work has
been fed by passion and avarice and
pride, and mistaken desire to advance
their families Our insane aSylums are
filled with the victims of Over-wOrk;
many of them are farmers. They came
to the country when it was new. They
had but one purpose, and that to get
rich. They worked early and late;
were exposed to all kinds of weather;
ate poor food, dressed without regard
to health; by and by nature rebelled.
and now they are paying the debt with
compound interest.
We are 50 much the slaves of labor
that it has left its mark upon us. You
stand on busy street in a great city
and watch the people pass and you
will find few who are erect, elastic in
their movements and thoroughly well
propOrtiOned. Men work on the prin-
ciple of division of labor. and while
they can do something better than they
once could they exercise only a single
set of faculties. and their development
is not symmetrical. When a man works
| Just to feed the animal, he will not rise
much above the animal. When labor
degenerates into drudgery; when one
does not know that there is anything
| higher in the world than his mouth;
when he works Just to get a living and
! does not take time to live as he goes
along, he will be dehased rather than
elevated by such mode. Labor must
be means to an end and never an end
| in itself. And there needs to be, in
some way, a readiustment in society SO
that every man shall have, outside OF
the time he must spend in earning 3
living, an opportunity to attend to the
amenities and dignities of life.-Manu
| tacturer and AgrtcULturiSt.