The sun., 1890-07-10

MI. ALBERT MATHEWS, ncmDeF oI tue
New York bar, discusses The Art OF Lifo I"
in the last number of the Yale Reuieu,
taking as his text these lines Of GOETHE:
"The art OF life is easily attained;
Trup in yourself, and you the whole have gained"
Undoubtedly the advice is good. if you
yourself arc trustworthy, but if you are not,
you must trust in somebody else. You are
bound to be showed aside and to become a
slave if you cannot rely on yourself, for
strength will always dominate weakness.
But Mr.. MATTHEWS neglects togive people
the further advice not to fritter away their
stock Of force, fixed quantity in every in
dlvldual, by fretting over small matters For
instance, it Is not worth while TO further tax
your energy in very warm weather. such
as we are having, by running to and fro to
see how the thermometer stands. The
true way is to keep at work and forget all
about so small q matter as tho temperature
whether it is 7o0, 500, or 1902. II it were 2Oo
below zero and you had no fire it
would be q different matter; you
would have to hustle around to get
warm. But when the thermometer
runs up toward blood heat nature is treat
ing you with comparative kindness. If you
are dressed properly, avoid stimulants, and
preserve your soul in Quietness, YOU are in
capital trim for work, unless the work be
under the direct rays OF the sun.
In this latitude too, the extreme heat is
not likely to last long enough to become Sc
rously deblitating, unless to very young
children. 1t passes away usually after a
few hours, or. II it continues through one
day, it is rare that on the next it is
not varied by refreshing breczes or CRATE
full showers. Tuesday was very warm
day, the thermometer rising to extraordi-
nary height, but yesterday a vivifying breeze
swept over the town, making the weather
remarkably agreeable. So it has been since
the beginning Of summer II We have had
occasional tropical weather, 1t has been
quickly succeeded by moderate tempera-
ture, and the average has made the season
delightful. A man who growls at this sum-
NOR is hard to please.
1t is true that there have been some cases
of sunstroke during the last two days,
but they were few. Deaths from that
cause are never many. 1t is one o. the
least active in tho whole list OF mala-
dies from which people suffer in New
York. Tho indirect injury to health due
to high temperature Is also compare
lively small so far as adults are concerned.
Children under five years in whom vitality
is feeble, may gasp away their lives under the
weakening effects OF diseases produced or
aggravated by sitting air. but older people
in fair health and OF habits up to the aver
age get on very well. The heat does not
kill them. The cold OF December, January,
and February is their dangerous enemy.
Then the death rate among them goes up.
and pneumonia and pulmonary diseases
generally and diseases Of the air passages
become rife.
The heat is OF great advantage to us, and
it does very little compensating harm to
men and women. 1t makes lively trade for
the dealers in straw hats, the ice-
cream saloons, the soda fountains
the sellers OF flannel shirts and gossamer
coats and the keepers of summer hotels and
boarding houses. With the help Of occa-
sional rain, 1t pushes forward vegetation and
assures richness of crops. 1t also sends
people out to enjoy the open air,
the green fields, and the rolling
surf Meanwhile the laborer sheltered
from the sun can pursue his tasks without
blowing on his fingers TO keep them from
DelHR lFOSI DllIeH. Many OF Lne cnurCneS
are closed, it Is true. 80 that the pastors may
have their play time, but thereare parks and
gardens In which a man can lift up his
soul in grateful devotion, II he is 80 dis
posed; and Mr.. MATHEWS lays it down as a
cardinal rule Of the art OF life that a man
should strive always to maintain high con-
dition Of health as OF equal spiritual and
physical value.
II Is also as easy to philosophize, admon-
ish. and counsel when the thermometer is
at l000 as when 1t falls to co., and you are as
likely to be successful in searching out the
secret OF the art Of living by theorzng on
the subject when the temperature is at
blood heat as when it gets down to the
freezing point. Probably tho man who
goes to work and spends his thought on his
task rather than on himself and on theories
OF life, is doing the best he can and all he
can In both winter and summer to solve the
problem OF his destiny. One thing is cer-
tain: he is bound to get where he was born
togo, whatever the changes of the thermom-
eter as he pursues his way.
Not a Silver Platform.