The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-09-01
TOO MUCH WORK.


tion Preached to Them.
II ever people needed to have
preached to them gospel OF recroa-
ton, the Americans need IL now. We
work too hard, and too fast, and with
too much friction, and, above all, too
constantly. We are proud Of our speed.
We believe in "push" and "go." We
are careless OF the fact that haste
makes waste, because we have plenty
to waste. We do not understand nor
practice, nor care any thing about
economy, because we have not felt, as
most peoples have, the need OF econ
omy. Our business man hurries from
his home in the morning on the fastest
train he can get, reads the newspaper
all the way to his office, and grumbles
at a delay of two minutes. He rushes
through his business at breakneck
rate, snatches u lunch at midday, die
tates letters to his typewriter, leaves
himself just time enough to catch his
train, and rushes home at the same
pace. Once there, he enjoys himself
by taking ride behind the fastest
horse he can afford to own. After dim
ner he plays game Of whist, or, as
that is generally two slow for him, OF
poker, until after what ought to be his
bedtime. If he lives in the city his
evenings are spent at the club or the
theater, or in the hotel corridors talk
ing business. Rest he has none, except,
perhaps, on Sunday, when he spends
most of the morning looking through
the papers, and most of the afternoon
doing, or perhaps taking another
ride behind his trotters. Americans
do everything fast, especially in New
York. They take their drinks stand
ing and at gulp. They eat one meal
day in about the same fashion. They
walk fast, talk fast, make and lose
money fast, ride fast, sail fast, eat fast,
drink fast, and if way could be dis
covered of sleeping fast, they would
do that.
After one gets into it there is q
swing and movement in all this that
is fascinating. 1t is contagious, and
we all catch it. There is the same
sort of pleasure in doing business fast
that there is in driving fast horse OF
sailing a fast boat. That is one rea
son why New York is the most fasci
mating of American cities. After its
.'go" others seem little tame. One
becomes use to excitement, and wants
to keep strung up to concert pitch al
the time. Beyond doubt, too, there il
something good and admirable in thi
rapidity. 1t enables us to accomplish
marvels. We have come nearer thar
any other people to annihilating time
and space.
But. after all, when one thinks it ovel
calmly-if perchance he can ever fine
time to think calmly-is this hurr.
worth our while? Or, to put it from
the American point OF view, does i
pay? The answer to that question de
| pends upon the goal we have in view
Most mon are making all this haste II
order to get rich; but when they ge
rich do they "take things easy" ant
enjoy life? Possibly few OF then
may, but the vast majority do not
When they get an income Of $40,
900 they want $50, 900; when they hav'
got that they want 100000. Not on'
in million of us ever gets rich enough
and the few who do leave off busines
generally find that they have lost, from
disuse, whatever faculty of enjoymen
they once had, aside from the hurr.
and push of the business world. Th
capacity for enjoyment has to be cult
vated, like any other capacity; and i
will not grow except by constant use.-
EnOrh