Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-01-03
THE CURSE OF oveRWcRK.
How Americans Abuse Themselves I'm the
on.l T,a,r 81 Il ;ca

HOW Americans Abuse themselves In the
Wear and Tear of Life.
We have heard a great deal about the
nervous wear and tear of American life,
and every one is familiar with the warn
ing that we are living too fast and must
pay serious penalty Yet we continue
to ''go the pace, and the visiting foreign
er continues to hold up his hands in
amazement at the breathless rapidity of
American life Scientists lay the blame
largely to our dry. bracing atmosphere,
illustrating theE theses by the more
powerful effects of alcohol here than in
England Sociologists talk of our material
conditions, of the development of new
country, and the necessity of confronting
pressing material problems which stimu
late the race for fortune-a race offering
such free competition and SO many i'm
mense prizes not restricted by class or
caste, that participation is almost IN
avoidable. Although every American is
las good as" any other, vet every Ameri-
can is stimulated by burning desire to
show himself little better-to win special
success in his chosen field The result is
hand to hand competition, fercer, prob
ably, than in any other country in the
world Americans have not yet learned
how to rest and the effect is noted as men
drop out exhausted from the professions
or from business while yet in the prime of
life. Often this attracts no attention.
But we have recently had some concrete
illustrations of the evils of the terrible
tension of American life in certain phases
which ought not to pass unnoticed.
These are examples of self abuse in a
field of work where excess is peculiarly
characteristic of Americans. This coun-
try, with its great natural opportunities.
and it's sudden changes and developments,
offers peculiar invitations to speculation,
and the colossal fortunes made within the
last twenty years are ever before the eyes
of men as a stimulus There is specula-
ton everywhere; but Americans have
been called, not without reason, nation
of spectators. New York and Chicago
are the centers, and in intensity the hot,
feverish life of their exchanges is not
equaled in the bourses of Paris, Berlin
or Vienna, or the Stock Exchange of Lon
don. Now and then fortunes collapse,
and the public wonder; but of the men
who fall exhausted in the race the public
as a rule hear little.
Yet it is worth while to consider the
moral of three recent cases. In Chicago
wealthy Spectator began to show signs
of excessive mental strain. All his
thoughts, dreams and speech were of the
market. His actions became strange; he
made wild offers in the Exchange; he
threw away his money in disastrous ven
lures; and finally the truth was discovered
insane from overwork." Here in New
York, not long since, we were told that
even Jay Gould was obliged to seek rest
upon his yacht in order to avert the con-
sequences of mental over eXertion and
sleeplessness. Within the fortnight two
members of the Stock Exchange have
fallen out of the ranks. OF one of them,
now in an insane asylum, his brother
said HE has overworked himself The
physicians call it form of brain paralysis,
accompanied by emotional insanity and
occasional paroxysms. He knew that he
was overtaxing himself. yet he persisted
in coming to business. 1t was a case of
an unintentional course towards insanity
or suicide" OF the other broker, his
physician says: 1T was a case of over
work and consequent nervous prOstra
ton" Yet this man was already mil
lionaire.
1t is surely not necessary to insist upon
the moral of such breaking down of men
in the prime of life Such practical warn
ings should have some effect, yet it will
be long time before the lesson is learned
And it will be a long time, too before
Americans learn to understand the evil in
fuence of the present system of specula
ton. 1t is gambling, and nothing else
~ yhih Iiv-r,e .,-.,. ~.,1 I~~A
frank LeSlieS.