Griggs courier., 1888-09-07
100 MUCH WORK.
Why Americans Need the Gospel of fsecrea.
tiOn Preached to Them.

tiOn Preached to Them.
If ever people needed to have
preached to them gospel of recrea-
ton, the Americans need it now. We
work too hard, and too fast, and with
too much friction, and. above all. too
constantly. Weare 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. us
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 delay of two minutes. He rushes
through his business at breakneck
rate, snatches a 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 a ride behind the fastest
horse he can afford to own. After din
ner he plays a 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,
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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 a gulp. They eat one meal u
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 a way could be dis
covered of sleeping fast, they would
do that.
After one gets into it there is a
swing and movement mall 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 or
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 a little tame. One
| becomes use to excitement. and wants
to keep strung up to concert pitch all
the time. Beyond doubt, too, there is
something good and admirable in this
rapidity. 1t enables us to accomplish
marvels. We have come nearer than
any other people to annihilating time
and space.
But. after all. when one thinks ii over
calmly-if perchance he can ever find
time to think calmly-is this hurry
worth our while9 Or, to put it from
the American point of view. does il
pay? The answer to that question dc
pends upon the goal we have in view
Most men are making all this haste in
order to get rich; but when they get
rich do they "talle things easy anG
enjoy life? Possibly a few of then
may. but the vast majority do not
When they get an income of $40,
600 they want 100000: when they hav,
got that they want $4,000 Not cne
in a million of usever gets rich enough
and the few who do leave off busines:
generally find that they have lost, from
disuse. whatever faculty of cnjoymcn
they once had, aside from the hurry
and push of the business world. 1h,
capacity for enjoyment has to be cult
waited. like any other capacity; and i
will not grow except by constant use
i E'lIn.L