The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-10-24
RECREATION.

ating to Mind and Body Than an Ill
Spent Vacation of Weeks.
The vacation season has its failures
as well as its successes. The Spectator
strives to explain why pleasure-seekers
who strive hard to enjoy the summer
holiday sometimes exhaust themselves
in futile attempts to find genuine en-.
joyment. 1t lays stress upon the MIS-
take of confounding rest with
recreation, since while it forms con.
siderable part of well-spent holiday.
it is not the whole OF it. Nothing"
it remarks. 'sreally tends so much to the
resting of the energies which have
been over-used as the bringing into
play of those which have been inactive
or suppressed" 1t maintains that in
order to have recreation one must not
only discontinue his usual routine but
also find something to do which will
awaken new sense of power distinct
from that which ordinary vocation
awakens. Prec sely as mathema'
tician employed his holiday in writing
..Alice in Wonderland" one must re-
fresh himself during the vacation
season by exerting dormant faculties
or disused powers, which receive no
stimulus in life's ordinary routine.
The obvious criticism upon this spe-
cial regimen for recreation is that 1t
can only be recommended for men OF
marked intellectual force. The effect
of mental elasticity aid fresh ness is
produced by unaccustomed intellectual
exercise, very much as one set OF
muscles is relieved by the action of an
other. But the world is largely made
up of busy, overstrained, practical peo.
pie, who have no favOrite studies to re-
vive, no scientific tastes to CRAFTY, nc
intellectual pleasures to pursue. IL
would be as absurd for them to under
take any unwonted literary tasks in
quest of recreat on as it would be for
| faded clergymen, wearied out by a long
season of parish activity. to apply
themselves to laboriou3 farm work in
the hope of getting thoroughly rested.
Professor Tyndall may find both rest
and recreation in dropping his scientif-
ic studies for season and writing a
review on theological work. but sus-
tanned intellectual effort after an active
year of bu mess or professional
labor will ordinarily exhaust
both the tired body and the
weary brain. Even if the mind could
be refreshed by the revival of former
studies or the awakening Of new inter.
ests, recreation would be obtained at
the expense of rest, which after all
constitutes the essence OF an invigor-
ating vacation.
The common mistake that s made is
in allowing ord nary occupations to
| absorb so much time and energy as to
exclude everything else from ones
thoughts. The man incapable of think
ing OF anything except his bus ness or
his profession can not make the best
use of q vacation, since he has few il
any interests outside of his daily rou-
tine. Like Issaehar couch ng between
the burdens OF his business life. he
sees that rest is good. but he has bowed
his shoulder to bear and become SER
want unto tribute. The iron of ord:-
nary routine has entered into his soul.
The machine can scarcely stop running
during the vacation season. The mind
is preoccupied with business projects. OF
harassed with domestic cares. There
may be peace aud quiet for the tired
body and tho overstra ned nerves, but
there is no real change OF thought
along with the change of scene. He
may be satisfied to return to his bust
ness with sense of being thoroughly
rested, and in that case his vacation
will be accounted a success. But if the
season has passed in dull. methodica
way, almost as fat'guing as his worka
day life, he will go back to work with ;
iaded end hopeless feeling that he il
not lit for anything except hard work
Is there anything that tends to make I
man more discontinued and forlorr
than the feeling that he has tried hare
to enjoy himself and has made sigma
failure of itp 1t seems to imply tina
the mind has not sulfc ent elasticity Il
react under favorable phys cal eondi
tons. To return after vacation will
, depressed spirits and consciousness
! of intellectual debility involves hu
initiating confession OF lack of capac.t,
for recreation.
/ How different is the result if habit
of relaxation are formed during tn
working year, Let the tension of dali,
} business be- relieved every day by
} change of pursuit, an hour of reading
or study, the cultivation of spec a
, tastes, the awakening of new interests
1 and the annual vacat on will not fin
even the busiest man without resource
: for recreation Us exhilaratng to hi
: mind as the rest is inv,go sating to hi
: body. The professional man VIII
Q works in his own garden an hour o
E two day. and interests himself j
y everything that grows, will be happ
Q in the quietest farm village during Al
n gust. for he will dwell among flower
! and birds, in the wholesome compaT
4 ionship of woods and fields. an INTEL
Q gent observer trained to comprehen
i the manifold pleasures of rurs
a surroundings. Put the over
d worked salesman. who Occupie
% his leisure through the. year in maxim
It close study of trees and native wood
}. in Central Park, for single fortnigh
l. in the Adirondacks, and how keen wi
It be his pleasure in roaming throug
o thieket and forest! Let the artist
y senses be trained by frequent visits
y picture galleries or by fam 'liarty wit
.. good engrayings Of landscapes, and III
l. summers vacation VIII promote a d,
d velopment OF the finer senses; the ey
al will easily relipct Tho nlaarhasa of III