The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-01-23
Life at High Pressure.

There is a philosophy of living, says
Casselps Magazine, which the wise do
well to study. To what end ? To the
end that our lives may be long2 By no
means; but to the end that we may live
BEAUTIFULLY while we do live, and at the
same time feel that we are living. Why
should life be the exciting game it is to
thousands of us Why should the days
and weeks and years fly 80 swiftly over
our heads while absorbed in this game of
life2 Why should we, in the excitement
of it, almost forget what we are playing
for, or, at all events, give ourselves no
time to pause and consider whether
what we are aiming at be worth the
precious time and health we are losing in
trying to gain it Do not thousands of
us throw away the very best years of our
lives in trying to win for ourselves wealth
to support us in an old age that seldom
comes, an old age, the very possibility of
which has been precluded by the high
pressure mode of life We have lived
The life that most of our business men
lead in towns is one of high pressure in
the truest sense of the term, and it may
reasonably be doubted whether two out Of
every ten of them are in good, /. e., enjoy.
able health. They have little time to
think about such thing as present
health. They "worry through one way
or another" and some of these days, most
of those l speak to tell me, they mean to
60 in for ga good spell of rest and enjoy
ment." Now, they are not trying to de-
ceive themselves when they speak thus,
but there is one thing they forget, namely,
that even if they could afford the time,
they would hardly get their brains to &C.
commodate themselves to the long
dresmed-of spell of rest and enjoyment.
1t is as impossible for Woodworking
man of business to settle his mind to rest
to order, as it is for person to settle his
mind to sleep Immediately after he has
undergone period of excitement, whether
pleasurable or the reverse. Now l do not
scruple to affirm that this incapability of
enjoying rest is in itself symptom of an
unnatural condition of brain, which,
though medical men out of mere polite.
ness do not designate it by the name Of
disease, is nevertheless very near akin to
it. 1t is not every one who makes for.
tune in business large enough for him to
retire contentedly upon while still com
paratively young, and there are very few
of those who do that retire with any ca.
pacity for enjoyment beyond the chimeri
cal pleasure of money-making. Constant
work at high pressure soon wears out the
best machinery that ever was made or in
vented, but some people seem to forget
the analogy betwixt human body and a
piece of machinery. Yet it exists, never
theless. Continual hard work will wear
out either man or machinery. Yes, re
pair is not impossible, but will either be
as good again as it might have been
Putting new cloth into an old garment il
not the best policy. al am going to re-
tire from business" heard a man say
not long since, " in about five years more
l shall by that time have made enough
for me, and iii not be an old man then
fifty-fve isn't old" No, a person who il
only fifty.five cannot be said to be old in
years, but if he has lived life of high
pressure he may be very old in reality
for age is never to be computed by the
number of years man has lived, but BY
the strength of his constitution. Now
however much hard manual labor may
tell upon the health and constitution, il
has not half the wearing, ageing power
that brain-work has. A manual laborer
when his days toll is finished, is king
in many ways compared with the brain
worker when the tools of the former art
laid aside for the day, care and trouble 81
rule lie down beside them but the
phantom of his tolls follows the latter
home, and seats itself on the pillow or
which he tries to rest his hot and weary
head. Well, here l am, a medical man
railing and cavilling against the evils Of
life at high pressure that see going or
everywhere around me, and the very fact
of my doing 80 gives my readers the right
to ask me if have any remedy to suggest
for the mischief / deplore. Labor, re
ply, is the common lot of all, and more
often blessing than anything else; ant
ambition, unless carried to the border
and of mania, is thing to be encouraged
rather than condemned; and have bu
one word of advice to sound in the ear
of those who do not wish to throw away
their lives, but to live comfortably anC
nationally for reasonable ZENITH of time
and that word is "conserve." Conserv'
health while we have it, conserve the con
stitution nature has given US and WI
can only do this by obeying nature,
laws. Railways have done An immeasur
able amount of good, aud they do not I
little harm as well. Many business PEG
pie take advantage of their speed to liv,
in the suburbs, or even the country itself
If they have some twenty or thirty miles
or say journey of an hour and half
for the time occupied in going to anc
from the stations must be considered
every morning and evening, and this TO
five days of the week, 1 doubt whethe
their country life is very advantageous Il
the health. At all events, it would b.
very much more 80 if they had not 81
often to hurry to catch the train. Thi
hurry entails considerable degree o
anxiety almost every morning, it prevents
the discussion of a comfortable breakfast
it would prevent the comfortable assimi
lation or digestion of that meal, ever
should it be partaken of. Then there il
more hurry at the journeys end, and
man who hurries is never fresh. But if ,
good substantial meal were enjoyed abou
mid. day, the evil effects of light snt