Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-05-08
A hot AXLE.
IT. Dewitt Talmage in the May Home
Science.

IT. Dewitt Talmage in the May Home
Science.
The express Il ain was living from Coz k
to Queenstown; it was going like sIxt'
that is, about sixty miles an hour. n"
sight of Irish village TO arrest our sped
no sign of breakdown; aud yef the train
halted. We looked out of the " ndow
saw the brakeman and crowd of pas
sengers around the locomotive. and q
dense smoke arising. What was the
matter? A hot axle!
We were Oh the lightning train fOi
If We stopped for half hour We shoulc
be greeted by the anathemas of a lectui'
ing committee. We felt sort of pre-
sentiment that we should Toe too late
when, TO confirm il, the whistle blew
and the brakes fell. and the cry all along
the train was, What is the matter?
Answer, "A hot axleI" The wheels had
been making too many revolutions in d
minute: the car was on fire. 1t was d
very difficult thing to put it out. Water
and oil and sand and Swabs were tried
long detention caused, and smoke that
threatened flame down to the end of the
journey.
thought then, as think now, that is
what is the matter of people everywhere
In this swift, express" American life
we go too fast for our endurance. We
think ourselves getting on splendidly
when, in the midst of our successes, We
come TO a dead halt What is the mat
ter? The nerves or muscles or brains
give out; We have made too many revo
lutions in an hour. A hot axle!
Men make the mistake of working ac-
eording to their opportunities. and not
according to their capacity of endurance
"Can run this train from Springfield tC
Boston at the rate of fifty miles al
hour?" says an engineer. Yes. Then
will run it, reckless of consequencesr r
Can be merchant, and president OF
bank, and director in a life insurance
company, and a school commissioner
and help edit paper, and supervise the
politics of our ward. and run for Con-
gress? "I canp the man says to him
self. The store drives him; the bank
drives him; the school drives him; pol.
itics drive him. He takes all the scold
ings and f1ets and exaspel ations of eacl
position. Some day, at the height of the
business season, he does not come t. the
store. From the most important meet
ing of the bank directors he is absent
In the excitement of the most important
political canvass be fails to be at tht
place appointed. What is the matter
HIS health has broken down; the train
hslts long before it gets to the station
A hot axle!
Literary men have great opportunitie:
opening in this day. If they take al
that open, they are dead men, or Worse
The pen runs So easy when Won have
good ink and smooth paper, ana all easy
desk to write un. and the CONSCIOUSNESS.
of HI audience of one, two or three hun
dred thousand readers. There are TIE
religious newspapers through which You
may preach, the musical journals thrO
which you may sing, and the agricultura
periodicals through " tich ynu can pow
aud family newspapers in which vou
may roInp with the whole hOuSphaIa
around the evening stand. There art
critiqGes to be written, and reviews Il
he INDUCED in, aud poems to he chimed
and novels To be constructed. When ouI
OF mans pen he can shake recreation
and friendship and usefulness and bread
he is apt TO keep it shaking. So greaI
are the Invitations to literary work, that
the professional men of the day art
oyerdone. They sit, faint and tagged
out, Oh the verge of newspapers anG
books; each one does the work of three
And thess men sit up late nights, and
OO"H Vi LlGdl hlAnOnl
masticatiOn, and scold their wives thro
lrritability, and maui innocent authors
AMI run the physical machinery with d
liver mlserably given out. The driving
shaft has gone fifty times second. They
stop at no station. The steam chest is
hot and swollen. The brain and diges.
tion begin to smoke. Stop, ye fiyinp
quilts! Down brake% A hot axle!
Some of the worst tempered people OF
the day are religious people, from the
fact that they have no rest. Added tc
the necessary work of the world, they
superintend two Sunday schools, listen
TO two sermons, and every night have
meetings of charitable and Christian in.
stitutions. They look after the beggars
hold conventions, speak at meetings
wait on ministers, serve as committee
men, take all the hypercriticism that
inevitably come to earnest workers
rush up and down the world, and de.
velop their hearts at the expense of all
the other functions. They are the best
men on earth; and Satan knows it. and
Is trying to kill them as soon as possible
They know not that it is as much duty
to take care OF their health as to go to
the sacrament. 1t is as much a sin to
N rr.if cni1 rr.t