Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-15
THE GOSPEL OF REST.
The Prime Requisite for q Happy Sum-
mer Outing-keep Cool; Go Slow.

From Medical Classics.
The gospel Of rest-of true rest and sensible
vacation methods - cannot be too widely
preached at this time Of the year. Not the rest
that blunts and deadens the physical and in
tellectual powers. but that which, taken wisely,
gives promise Of the continuance Of strength
and promotes the harmonious develop
ment Of every organ and faculty. 1t
is the pace that kills. The strong
Drained and strong-limbed may not SO soon
show the wear and tear Of modern life, but it
exhausts the weaker man. Americans, how
ever, will not take life easily, and too often
they over-exert themselves more in the SUM-
mer than in the winter. The day begins with
the hurried breakfast and the mad rush or pell-
nell drive TO catch the train, and il ends in
about the same way
Once the traveller, who sought, could find
beauty In every mile Of the quiet country
through which the old coach trnndled. Gold
OF rlpened corn, or soft dan hues Of fallow
Fields; erawiing, SPRAYING brook, or Juno
bosomed river; emerald lights of rain
washed turf, or yellow ribbon of dusty
road winding into the horizon; gray castle.
or red-roofed cottage; green-topped elm,
or biue-eyed speedwell circling lark, or
stately rook-each of the thousand and one
phases OF nature etched itself clearly into his
memory and became bright bit" in the gal
lery OF his mind But now that we traverse a
continent in the time then needful to cross a
state We have no time, and, alas. too often no
inclination to notice detail. And SO the
might suggest that the 'change"
prescribed by common sense, and indi-
Gated by tagging energies and jaded body, is
best found in some primitive spot where only
the calm-eyed cows are likely to notice one
toilet He might; but, if he is not likewise a
hi0TEh nad ia will mt
to study the gold of daisys heart, beneath
Vie shade of some scarce-trodden forrest. The
pursuit goes headlong on the dreary highway.
We pull up stream. To rest? Never! To
time ourselves on the home-stretch with a
strong current to send mp the record. The
truth is, we strive too much. Happiness is a
state not process. Like sleep, it loves quiet
neart and hles the aggressive soul.
''Gather ye rosebuds while ye may"
but gather them with a gentle touch; for they
wlther in feverish palm. Only recently have
We heard DIR. Richardson's emphatic warning
that whatever quickens the action of the heart
beyond its natural speed subtracts from that
fund of stored vitality which alone can
tide us over the crisis of life. And
undoubtedly the mad rush for so-called
pleasure Is not only responsible for
shortened lives; it breeds disappointment
as well as disease. The pursuit of happiness"
has set its weary seal on many a face one
meets. Now and then, however, the fortunate
possessor of an independent mind sturdily re-
fuses to take his pleasures either madly or
sadly. He makes money to live, rather than
Ewes to make money. His friends are chosen
tor the delightful quad pro quo of congenial
tastes not upon carefully adjusted scale Of
society values.
Many who have become enfeebled by long
confinement and close attention 10 the calls OF
sedentary occupations rush away for a short
holiday, and endeavor by systematic overexer-
tlon to make up for the inactivity of the pre-
vious months. Every year brings its sad warn
lngs OF this folly in a record of fatalities.
while the experience of most practitioners
shows yet more clearly that this overstrain is
followed by prolonged illness. The circula-
tory and respiratory systems work hand-in-
hand, and rebel against any sudden disturbance
OF their ordinary routine. The danger is always
greatest when there is any heart weakness. In
moments of intense nervous excitement the
breathing is frequently unconsciously stopped,
and the strain upon an enfeebled heart then
becomes very severe. Emotional excitement
necessarily produces palpitation, and the ixa-
ton Of the thorax (ches) then adds to the
difficulty at the moment when the heart is at its
weakest.
The prime requisite for a happy summer
outing. for beneficial vacation is the harmo-
nions setting. Keep cool; don't fret your nerves;
strive to keep your temper, and be deliberate.
Don't hurry. A vacation in the summer is a
good thing-a very good thing-provided you
go about 1t like a sensible being. Let us drop
our ''beastly" American way of doing it. /. is
the pace that is swapping so many strings. 90
Slo,c.