The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-05-06
The Day of Rest.

A few months since, Mr.. A, driv-
ing, energetic man of business, who
worked in his Office and at his accounts
on Sunday just as on other days, COM
mitted suicide. He was not embar-
rassed in his business, but prospered in
all his undertakings, but his brain was
overworked, and under the excitement
of bewildered thought and dreaded evil
he knew not what-he took his own
life. His physician said it was the
overworked brain, and the temporary
insanity arising from it, that led to the
fatal result. Mr.. l. was the president
of large manufacturing company, the
business of which engaged him all the
week. And on Saturday, as he went to
his home, he almost always took to his
carriage large bundle of papers which
he spent Sunday in carefully examining,
that he might bring them back on Mon
day to the office, thus neglecting the
house of God and taxing his brain and
body as fully on Sunday as he did ON all
the other days of the week. One day
Christian friend with whom he was in
innate said to him, as he was going to
his carriage with the usual bundle of
accounts and papers: " Mr.. l., why do
you labor and toll so necessarily as you
do? Six days are surely enough for
one to work, even for health's sake, if
for no better reason. You will kill
yourself by working as you do through
all the seven. And besides, my dear
friend, you are taking no time for eter-
nifty, or to prepare yourself or train
your family for heaven" Hesitating
moment, in tones which showed he
was touched by the kind expostulation,
he replied: g | must do it, or my bust
ness would overwhelm me. By-and-bye
/ hope to get more time, or have some
one to share my duties, and then | will
think of better things" And so he
went on in his course of Sunday work
till his mind was so overtaXed that soft
ening of the brain came on, and he died
victim to his violation of the fourth
commandment. A distinguished mer-
chant of Boston, who for twenty years
did an immense and successful bust
ness, said to friend: g Had it not
been for the weekly rest of Sunday,
have no doubt l would have been a
maniac long ago. 1t was nothing but
the quiet of that day which gave rest
and repose to the brain, and saved it
from giving way under the constant
pressure. And as this was mentioned
in company ofmerchants, one of them
said That remark applies to the case
of Mr.. f. He was one of our largest
importers, and he used to say that
Sunday was the best day in the week to
plan successful voyages, showing that
he gave his mind no rest on that day,
and as consequence he has been in
the insane asylum for years, and will
probably die there" And another said:
GO have had very extensive acquaint-
ance with business men, and | have
never known one who worked seven
days in the week who did not kill him
self or break down his mind" And
DR.. Fare, in his testimony before a
committee of the house of commons in
England, said that "men who labor six
days in the week and rest ON Sunday
will be more healthy and live longer,
other things being equal, than those
who labor seven; they will do more
work and do it better" And an asso.
citation of twenty leading physicians
voted unanimously that they fully as
sented to the statement. Remember
then, the Sabbath day and keep il
holy" and blessings, both Temporal
and spiritual, will attend its faithful OBJ
servance.-Erchange.