The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-17
A CHAPTER ON LAZINESS
illustrated by the Man Who Slept in a Fall Of
Water and the Lady Who Was Baked

One definition of laziness is habitat mac
ton. Another might be lack of energy. 1t
cannot be always habitual inaction, for
sometimes the most energetic have streaks
of lazinesss. To judge whether person is
lazy or not is delicate matter. If the per
son Is well known as a sluggard and he is
lazy-sure and simple-then the matter is
decided; but persons are sometimes ac-
cused or laZlneSs when they are not that
way at all. One may be i'll or tired. and
physical life needs quiet and rest and one
securing %eans feief from .t exhaustion by
repose without sleep. is often
accounted lazy if seen in such a condition
by another. The languid feeling which
precedes sickness has many a time been
are sufficiently strong to warrant one being
perfectly. justitiable in making the charge.
There IS great desire on the part of
those who are compelled to labor, and who
do 1t conscientiously, to be lazy once in a
while. 1t is as great luxury to that class
to steal little time to do nothing in as it
would be to a rich man to have any of the
rare and curious articles held in the
magnlhcent museums, to the collector
TO secure some great curiosity, to the biblio-
work, or for any luxury that many a one
might desire. The person who longs for
some Work to do is envied by the one who
has no moment for rest, save few night
hours which nature demands from hours of
work. And so laZiness is difficult thing
to Judge. However some phases are so
easily discerned that even the dullest may
see that the command Go to the ant, thou
sluggard," has clearly been unheeded.
who IN c
account OF having lazy, or Indifferent,
streak. The story is so old that the old cry,
"chestnuts," might be repeated, and no one
would contradict it; but to illustrate the
tack. The aforesaid man has recovered
from the cold, so no anxiety may be felt on
that score. 1t seems that he. or 'he" may
be called Mr.. A, which is not his initial at
all. had bedroom on the first floor of the
house, and its location was, directly under
fore some one of the family
left the water running, and the
stopper in the outlet of the
readily supposed, the tub beca@ i g. full f; and
then over full Like ''the peach of emer-
aid hue it grew, it grew" and finally
soaked through the floor, and one drop
found its way through the ceiling. A sec;
directly on the bed of the sleeper below.
The first, second or third drops may not
have made very much impression, but be-
fore long Mr.. A. became conscious that the
customary quiet had been disturbed and he
awakened. He knew that water was
dripping, and on the bed. What
did this man of energy dot Get up and at
tend to mattersf Make a reconnOitre and
find out what was the matterf No; he
moved over to the other side of the bed.
himself to sleep: How long he lay there
soaking. no one knows but it was day.
light when he awakened. The drops were
still falling. The bed was almost as wet as
y hoA of< rarrx .r<rt.A
Mr.. A. was chilly and decidedly damp. The
cook, upon arising, discovered the bath
room all afOat, and arranged matters
up stairs, and Mr.. A. arose and
tried to arrange them down stairs.
ing, and it was several days before the mat
tress and comforts were thoroughly dried,
but 1T was not for months afterward that
Mr.. told how he had awakened. known
the water was falling and moved over, and
GREETED by him ever since.
The heat from the natural gas is simply
1nsuherable, as every one knows who has
used it. and especially during these warm
sat near the fire reading; she became very
warm, then warmer; the gas key was on and
by simply leaning forward she could have
lowered the fire or turned it out. but she
did not She sat and baked and baked
until her face, head and hands were burst
ing and the veins stood ont in great blue
ropes. The discomfort suffered from the
lack of doing so slight thing was boun-
tiful reward for slight attack of laziness.
The lessons that could be drawn, the ser
mons that could be preached are number
less on this one subject; and how few they
are; and even if there were. lessons and
sermons would anyone heed themi
The little acts Tor non-acts) of
pure lazlness, of which every one is guilty
nearly every day in the year, if recorded,
would be a weighty plea for a better use of
the time that is given mankind for the per-
Torrance of many duties which are now
neglected. Many pleasures in life might be
grasped if people were not so lazy. A little
well-directed effort, made just at the mo-
ment when one feels that he OF she is lazy,
would bring harvest, such as they never