The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-25
Work and OverWork.

The decree of an all-wise Creator, says
the Rural. Home, has been given Sin the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. and
from the earliest ages work seems to have
been the common lot of man. And the bet
ter civilized a people are, the greater is the
burden of work laid upon them. The bet
ter the dwellings and their furnishings the
more labor there is in their produc ion. 1t
requires labor to produce luxurie5, and 1t
usually requires unceasing labor to produce
wealth. Now while it is no doubt best for
mankind to work. it is decidedly bad for
him to overwork. While the old adage
that "It is better to wear out than to rust
out" may be true, it is no worse. so far as
the individual is concerned, to rust out than
it is to work ones self to de ath, and this is
just what thousands of our American peo-
pie are doing at the present day. We seem
to be running ourselves on the high press
ure principle, a full head of steam and the
safety valve closed.
Statistics tell us that our insane asylums
are filling up rapidly. Additions are built
from time to time to accommodate this
class of unfortunates. Learned men tell
US one cause OF the increase of insanity is
overwork either of mind or body, or both.
In many of our country places the life of
farmers wife is little better than slavery; it
is drudgery from one years end to the
other; all work and no recreation.
The round of homework never ends,
and is the same from day to day. The
farmer has at least a change of labor. He
rides to market, spends little time at the
store or postofice, and usually has his even
ings to himself, and yet many of our farm
ers are killing themselves by overwork. Now
does it pay to ruin body or mind, just for a
better style of living, or little larger bank
account? God has given us our bodies and
minds, they are in our keeping, and we are
in a great measure responsible for the way
in which we care for them.
Now, do not wish to be understood as
unfolding laziness, but there never was a
truer saying than "All work and 10 play
makes Jack dull boy.n | believe in work,
but let us have some rest and recreation
with it, in the house and out.
There seem to be two extremes in almost
every locality, those who do nothing in
the line of bodily labor, and those who are
compelled to labor far beyond their
strength in order to keep the wolf from the
door. It seems to me there can be no more
beautiful example of charity than for those
who have an abundance Of wealth and are
not compelled to labor to DO something to
tighten the labors OF those who are literally
killing themselves in order to live.
Now, I believe that our farmers, as
rule, might fall into line, and form happy
medium between these two extremes.
Farmers aud their wives should allow them
selves some time for play as well as work.
1t win pay them far better than all work,
not perhaps in dollars and cents, but In
happiness. We often hear it said that there
is "only Just about SO much work in a man"
and it may be said that there are just about
so many heart beats in human life. Is 1t
then any advantage for a person 70 over
work himself to such a degree as TO be-
come old at midlifel Or, in other
words, to do the amount Of
work in forty years that he
should be three score and ten years in
doingl And at the end Of the forty years
find himself wreck for others 10 care for.
There Is not thought or attention enough
given to this matter by the working classes,
and especially is this true among our farm
ers. who own their farms and are their own
masters 90 far as themselves and their
households are concerned. Let those who
are killing themselves aud their families by
OyerVoTk stop aud ask themselves: Am
doing right Ia placing greater burdens upon
myself aud family than We are able 70 beari
Have I any right b inlure their health Or
ny own, 10 mind Or body, By oysrwofkf'