West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-03-06
RECKLESS OF LIFE.
The Sin and Folly Of Giving the
Brain Too Much to Do.

Brain Too Much to Do.
When L learned the Catechism in
childhood, an answer TO what Is re-
quired in the sixth commandment was
impressed on my infant mind. The
commandment is Thou shalt not
KILL and the Catechism said this com
mand requires 1.-The use of all lawful
endeavors to preserve our own lives
and the lives of others"
There is no question among Christian
people as to the sin of suicide There
have been moralists who boldly teach
The circumstances in which it is right to
take ones life, run away from tho post
which God has appointed, rush unbid-
den INTO the presence of the Supreme
Judge, abandon every trust and duty.
and plunge into the dark abyss of
eternity, with the guilt of murder on
/ the soul
! 1t is probable that very few persons
! oi Christian prime pies thus DEFY God.
! except when reason has left its thro1e
] ana the mind IS in anarchy. We call
that state ms unity. He was insane: un-
sound; and we see the duty of praying
| God daily and hourly that we may
have the use Of reason, for with il we
| g astray too often and too far: with
I out IT, wreck and ruin are assured.
But with the knowledge of this fact
that we are 10y the rule of God TO use
all lawful endeavors to preserve our
/ own and others lives, the truth is that
we are far more reckless of our lives
lhan we are of our money. To gct
and keep that, we tug and toll and
strive, eat the bread OF care ard often
waste and destroy health i'm the pursuit
| OF wealth we can not enjoy because we
have ruined health in It's acquisition.
l wrote in my last of being i'm Spain.
AT the same table where / met the
Am, rican lady who described the bull
tights was gentleman from New
/ York, who talked out loud % him
self while eating his dinner. No
I other outward manifestation of in
hrmity was given, while his counte-
nance and appetite encouraged the be-
! hef that he was eccentric only. But
+ inquiry brought out the fact that he
! was a gentleman from New York who
had erwOrked himself i'm business
and was now said to be "oT the
/ handle. There are thousands of
&
mind and body to-day Their ranks
are recruited by volunteers "a fast
as they die at the top and 90
! to Europe or the grave And was
/ led to look at the beginning of these
/ troubles by an extract in a late number
I OF this paper from DR.. Crichton
Brownies report addressed to the Edu-
cation DEPARTING mt of the British Gov
/ ernment The facts are very startling,
and they apply with intenscr force 10
the American people than TO the British
We are far more driving pushing
and pulling people than they We never
| have learned, and never Will, TO take
T th ngs moderately. Rcpose i'm essen
tlal TO the finest character of an English
man. Activity is the beauty OF an Ameri-
can. The Britisher is supposed 10 be
calm. The Yankee known to be ALWAYS
/ on the 90 Hence the facts which DR.
Browne presents are of greater value
on this than on the other side Of the
sea. He finds that sleeplcssness is
largely on the increae over there. DO
one doubts that il is sadly true Of us
here. He discovered by careful inquiry
that school children are slecpless be-
cause they are so excited during the
day learning their lessons. Many tax
only talk. but wa k i'm their sleep. And
the extent Of this great evil Is found to
be greater the further the inquiry is
pushed. 10 is a dreadful evil, which IL
is next to impossible 20 remedy or allie
viate
Why? Because parents and children
and teachers prefer the evil TO the sim
pie remedy All the three classes lust
named viii not use the means TO pre-
serve tbei- own lives and the lives of
others. Parents complain Of the SOW
progress Of their children aud wish
them TO be crowded and c-ammed
Children do not know the danger and
their ambition is reused to excel
Teachers stimulate the school as their
obvious duty, and rejoice when the
scholar at the risk of his life makes "a
perfect recitation. Studies arc null
tiplicd immodcrately. Books are taken
I home at night and Che child is porino
over them when be or she ought be i'm
I bed and asleep. The harp Of q thou
/ sand strings is out Of tune. Discord
rciPns in the whole inner department
And the primary education of nearly
I the whole Of our people is given on
7 these hgh-pressurc principles. regard
less of the inevitable conscQuenc. of
This sin and fClly. Thus ion early life
the seeds of future mischief are sOwu
The overwrough brain of the child de-
velOps rs natural results when the man
assumes his position in the national
army of working citizens. Tie may be iu
business. trade lctters he may bca pastor
or bank president he has in him the
toint Of that disease that kept him awake
of nights when he was a sc ool-hov
The visions that haunted fis sleeploss
pillow then, come back now, and II be
gets asleep his dreams arc Of the multi
] phoat,oR table. Probably his digestion