The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-07-24
work AND STUDY


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Yourself.
What portion Of the great army Of work
men in this country ever consider this sub.
ject, or IRE willing TO admit that they have
time for both. They argue that life is too
short and the prospects Of advantage too
few, to make II either desirable or necessary
to devote their sparc time TO study aud kin
dred improvements Of the mind Very few
ever lind any time to read, even, except pos
sbly enough TO keep posted on the results OF
ball games, prize fights and the miscellaneous
sensations Of the day, although upon these
important subjects one will find but very few
who are not thoroughly posted, and can ex-
plain every detail very minutely
Ask the average mechanic or other lahorer
to subscribe to trade paper, the beneilt OF
which you have carefully explained, and the
invariable answer will be: II shouldn't
read il IL had 1t; don't get any time to
read, and uan't afford Il anyway, besides, the
fellows that write thoe articles nre too high
toned for mo, and can't understand what
they say This is one Of the amest argii-
inonts possible to think of, and Is one Of the
best reasons why they should road and study
that they may he able TO understand and
profit by what these high toned writers SAY.
Such arguments not only show their igno-
rance, but their wilfu disregard Of their
own usefulness and education.
There il no better educator than the trade
paper, for II Keeps one posted on what Is
being done in the world Of science, and we
think that many o. these disinterested men,
IL they Would spend small fraction Of the
time they devote to reading trasl in looking
over good trndc laper, they wonld find
some things that woull interest and instruct
them, and al o sclnoye the prejudice against
the contributors. The average working duy
is ten hours. Now 1t is safe to say that eight
hours sleep is enough for any healthy man,
and this lea2es six hours out OF every day
that may he divided up between study nnd
recreation, for we would not ask or expect
man 10 devote NIL OF his life to the former.
Now the actual facts In the case are that
nine out of every ten Of these men do not
sleep even eight hours, neither do they study
one-eighth part Of that time; and still they
have not time enough 10 read good, sensi.
bio article TINT viii show them how to make
the Labor they perform, and about which they
are pretty sure TO Grumhle, much easier and
more proiltably accomplished.
Now let us look at another side Of this
question for moment, and see whnt some Of
the effects Of little time devoted to reading
and study are. Take, for instance, the great
inventors and prosperous manufacturers,
many Of whom have risen from common
laboreIs. They have invariably been the
most careful readers, even burning the
midnight oil' In their pursuit Of informa-
tion, not of the standing Of the League nine,
or Of the latest scandal, but Of that which
was 10 he the work Of their lives. Think you
that they found such time unnteresting or
unprohtahlc, or that they ever begrudged
the little they spent of their hard earned
wages In the purchase Of books and papersl
"A, b Crime In Boston Budget,