The Press., 1889-06-27
HASTE AND HEALTH.

HASTE AND HEALTH.
 "It is the pace that kills" so many of our American people.
 "Diligent in business" is the bible in junction, rather than haste and worriment. "Two things impress ne painfully, said an intelligent Englishman recently in giv- ing the writer his first impressions of this country. "First, your universal greed Of money {; secondly, your want of confidence in each other-compelling one to produce his vouchers of fidelity at every meeting." Of course, I made partial excuse for these apparent evils from the fact that in this country the common people have so many opportunities by which to better their financial condition, ,and, therefore, too many were allured into an undue greed and haste in gaining the almighty dollar," and the second evil was the natural outgrowth of the first, for, where every one is on an in- sane scramble for money, mutual jealousy and want of confidence must be the result.
 In the Old World there is an almost inn passible gulf between the rich and poor. The rich and aristocratic people generally remain so, while the working people know that there is little hope that they will ever attain wealth; therefore, both classes of society have less temptations in this regard than with us.
 The revolutions of the wheel of fortude are so rapid and marvellous with us, even among the wealthy, that every one is kept in a fever, both of fear and of hope.
 Every American boy expects before he dies to be worth s'cool million" or be- come president of the United States, and possibly both.
 | And yet temptation cannot shield us from divine displeasure or human censure, if we yield.
 To-day when people who work for a liv- ing are receiving on an average double the income of their fathers, with only about two-thirds as many hours of toll, they are twice as unhappy as their ancestors. Why? Because with this increased prosperity has come the desire on the part of ninety-nine families in hundred, who are in comfort able circumstances, to live like the one hundredth family who have wealth. If their bank account is not so large their bodies and their houses must be adorned as expensively, and often more so, than those who are rich.
 This is sore and increasing evil. It is the curse of American society It causes more unrest of body and soul, more defal- cations and stealings, more family troubles and even divorces than some would like to admit. And further, there is hardly any thing, next to dissipation, which so de- stroys health and shortens life as an un- wise and ungodly haste to acquire prop erty. As the hardships of army life destroy the strongest constitutions, so this greed and haste to get money is undermining and running the health of multitudes.
 As in an army every soldier must keep rank and step with his fellow soldiers, so the temptation is almost irresistible to keep this killing pace toward the goal of wealth because it is the prevailing habit. But what is the gain? Does mans hap piness depend on the amount of wealth which he possesses
 Even if this life should end all, a man is a fool to hurry and worry himself into an untimely grave.
 l, "He throws up his interests in both worlds First starved in this, then damned in that to } come!"
 piness, but Che that hasteth to be rich troubleth his own house." He carries into the sacred realm of home bundle of jan gled and diseased nerves, and his offspring inherit constitutions robbed of half of the vital force before their birth, as testify es- pecially so many of our city born children. He has no time or inclination for those , gentler sympathies and mutual pleasures of home and social life, as he has trans ! formed himself into simple money making machine.
 How few American men and women ar rive at middle life without some chronic ailment induced by overwork of mind or body which will shorten their lives unless they watch themselves with abnormal care. Of course persons may do their work with z haste and energy if they will take reason I able time for rest after work, as a race horse will wear as long as dray horse if only
 properly cared for after his severe exertion.
 But constant strain of mind or muscle
 will soon destroy the strongest constitu-
 tion.