Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-07-02
a WASTE OF LABOR.

Appliances to Conserve the Health and
Strength of the Household
1t would seem hardly necessary to
enter into course of argument with a
man possessed of seeing eyes and
reasoning mind to convince him that
the half of a thing is less than the
whole of it, or that the radius of
circle is less than its circumference.
And yet there are men possessed of
both these attributes of sight and rea-
son whose daily tasks and plans in life
are measured out by rule that sets at
naught these self evident truths. And
as might naturally be expected from
an applicat on of such false rule of
measurement Their work. whatever it
NAV be. is generally in state of con-
fusion and their plans seldom come out
as they are expected to do The fact
is that a great amount of time and
labor is spent to no purpose, or in
ways that are wholly unnecessary
and avoidable by little care
and forethought- 1t is the wise
and prudent man who learns TO
economic time, to turn every moment
of his labor to the greatest possible
advantage. TO make every ounce weight
of his energies weigh on the side of
actual profit 1t is this proper use of
time that often turns the scale between
success and failure in any given calling
OF profess on. Men sometimes wonder
at one of their number that he is able
to accomplish such a prodFgious amount
of work in a brief space of ( me with
out appearing to exert himself any
more than others whose labors have a
In
cases generally the secre: is that the
one has learned how to economic time;
he has SO arranged his plans that all
his efforts may be concentrated upon
one point at time. and that the neei-
full one. His energies are not DIS
sipated in fruitIess and amless en-
deavors, but expended in every in
stance Just where they viii do the most
good. He does not spend his time
in going around a circle when
with a slight additional effort he
might open way across It He does
not himself carry great burdens TO and
fro between two points when ny the
exercise of little patience and inge-
nuity he might devise some means for
lessening the number of steps and thus
save time and labor. We have in mind
q case that may be cited as an extreme
example of the Inconvenience person
viii subject himself to which a slight
effort would remove. In this case it
is a farmhouse where the wood-shed,
though jutting against the kitchen. is
to be entered only by going through
the gate out of the front yard and
around to door that opens on high
way The buildings are old. and this
arrangement has probably been IN
force for forty years or more. The
distance around by the highway to the
interior of the wood-shed is not less
than seven or eight rods, while the
same point might be reached in go
ing as many feet The only obstacle
that intervenes in the latter case
between the kitchen stove and the
wood-pile is thin board partition
But in all these forty years. more or
less. it seems never to have occurred to
the responsible head of this house to
eut door through from the kitchen
into the wood-house. or directly from
the ward outside. If it has ever oc-
Cured to him, the thought has been
dismissed bv the conviction that
things are good enough as they are"
and that what has been must continue
to be. And so through the winter
SHOWS. the rains of spring. the sum-
merss scorching heat the daylight and
darkness. the storm and shine of near
lF half a century. the good wife OF this
farmer, and her occasional assistants,
have trudged around the circle carry
ing wood to replenish the kitchen fire.
" T. Obserrer.