Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-09-24

The Benefit of Vacation.
The close of the vacation season and the
return to active work of those who have
been so fortunate as to secure a summers
outing, suggests an inquiry as to the ben
eft of these annual periods of rest and
recreation. We think it will he admitted
that, on the whole, a larger aggregate
amount Of work is done during the year,
and that of better quality, because two or
three months out of the twelve are de
voted to repairing waste and renewing
physical and mental energy The eco
nomlcal value of the annual vacation sea.
son is now almost universally admitted
A private letter, urging the need of rest
and recreation upon the writer's friend, Il
hard-worked business man, may be briefly
quoted in this connection. The following
passage is especially pertinent:
What is your position in life ? You are
10 years old, have worked hard all your
life, have taken little recreation or rest,
are very successful III business have more
money than you can spend WITH your
quiet tastes you nave a lovely family, one
worth living for and caring for, ana car
ing for yourself for their sakes; in short,
your position in IL social, as well as II busl-
ness point Of view, Is most satisfactory,
and still you are so shOrtsighted as to tell
me that you can't get away from business
for few weeks, to give your lnnd ana
body Il respite from the habtual strain OF
your daily life. DO You not think that
an occasional short vacation here
i'll the mountains would be pre-
ferable to II long vacalio at the som
erville asylum--a vacation that could not
be terminated at will Look around upon
your business acquaintances ami see the
number of brOken-dOWn men who would
give anything if they could regain that
robust health which they have sacrificed
by overWork, You remember our old
friend b., who pursued much the same
course you are in, ahd VINO never knew a
good nights sleep after he let up i'll bust
ness. He had all that YOU have except
health, and without that he could not en-
JOY anything. 1t is only by close and con-
stant.oversght that he is prevented from
taking his own life. Not Il pleasant pros
pect, you say. No, 1t it is not and while
you may not break down in that way, you
Will be pretty sure to suffer in some man
her II you do not at times give nature Il
chance to regain her original Vi9or.
This is lOgic-not sentiment. Experience
and common sense endorse every word of
1t. The human system Is hot an iniieXible
piece OF machinery, dependent upon some
force for motive power. The machine and
the motive power are one. We cannot i'm
par by oNel-uSe our physical or mental
powers without impdIug our vitality
and conNerscly,we cannot impair our vital
ity without rendering our working powers
less effective. The man, therefore, who
neglects to keep all his energies in trlm
who denies natures right, and resiSts hen
demand as respects recreation and rest, is
gully of IL crime against himself, against
his family, against society. He deliber
ately commits a Kind of suicide.
The duty Of recreation is plain, then, in
the case of all persons who are of sedentary
or confined occupations and SO situated
that it Is possible There are sOme-per
haps the larger class-s no cannot take the
time for extended Vacations whose
families are absolutely dependent upon
Their continued labor. But even this
Glass by making small sacrifice, here and
there, in matters Of personal Indulgence,
perhap--shall We say III "smalI vices 81
can generally lay 10y enough money to
warrant a brief respite from toll at some
or even "a week. away from the monot-
onous round Of daily labor, often makes
all The rest OF the year pleasanter, easier
and even more profitable. Nature allows
great deal tor the spirit of obedience
and ii Il man actually and earnestly at
alton and rest, she frequently gives him
the fun value of that for which he has
only paid Il small mstallment.