Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-10-07
DaiIp Kerrneher JournaI.
Work and Worry.

1t is not work, but worry, that kills. No
one disputes the fact that cheerful mind
is conducive to strength OF body. or that
the possessor of bodily strength is gener-
ally of cheerful disposition. Yet 1t is
also true that hard work, if unsuccessful,
and attended with repeated discourage
ment. will, after a while, break the strong
est constitution and unsettle the strongest
mind. have in my mind case which. L
fear. has many parallels.
A beautiful, healthy girl married young
farmer, and they began life under unusu-
ally favorable circumstances. As she was
strong, we'll and ambitious. she opposed
her husbands suggestion to hire servant
considering it unnecessary expense. But
before the year ended, she many times re-
GREETED her unwise opposition to her hus-
bands proposal. Worn with over-exer-
ton, she reminded him of his suggestion
and said she would be glad to have SER
want. But the crops had been a partial
failure, and some desirable land had be- n
purchased because sold at bargain
which might never be offered again). a.
the young husband thought that he could
not afford to paya servant. So the young
wife worked on, and lost her color, her
good spirits, her taste and care in dress,
became to tired to dress for the evening
and ride or walk or talk with her husband.
Of course she gradually lost her power OF
attraction, and her husband began to
withhold the thousand and one little at
tentions that mean volumes to woman.
No woman can be happy under such
neglect, and the long pent-up heartache
be gan to manifest itself in fretfulness. As
years passed on the children came, (puny,
sickly, fretful children-how could they
be otherwise p the poor mothers cares
were awfully increased, until, worn out
in bGdv and unsettled in mind by over.
work and worry, the once beautiful girl
became hopelessly insane. Saving the
wages of servant by overwork is singu-
lar economy.
| A lack of system is another great cause
OF worry in families. Some people keep
house well with apparent ease, while
others are continually IN confusion, both
in their houses and methods. We notice
that in houses that are kept with some de.
gree of comfort, there are regular hours
for washing. ironing. sweeping and bak-
| ing. Things are not allowed to clash
and, if necessary, extra help is called in
for half day or more, a much cheaper
arrangement than overwork and doctors
bill There is time for walking, riding
and reading. and the health and happines:
of the family are preserved. In an i'll
regulated family, the meals are prepared
sometimes at one hour. sometimes at an
other, and the members of the family ap
pear when it suits them. have known
breakfast to be in progress from sever
until nine o'clock.
In such family, some one must be {
slave; sometimes it is the cross, discon
tented discouraged servant ;oftener it is the
patient, seltdenying, unwise. tired moth.
er. Servants are continually leaving
what wonder? There is no time for any
thing but working and fretting, and the
children hate the very mention OF house
keeping.
Yet there is a great deal of unnecessary
worry as well as work. A lack of EN-
ployment will lead to selfish worrying
quite as quickly as overwork. A cir
brought up by weak-minded mother tt
despise work, to think of nothing but her
self and dress, becomes fretful, worry
ing woman. The best legacy to our chill
dren is not money, which is often produc
tive of ruin, but capacity for work-sys
tematic, desirable work-and trained
judgement that will restrain them from
overwork ahd consequent worry.-Cor
Country Gentleman.