The Press., 1892-03-10

Number 40.
 For The Prcss3
 WHY PEOPLE FRET. x,
 The person who frets is . lunatic No person possessed of a sound mind in q sound body can possibly be an habitpal Egrumbler. Fretting Is always an indica- tion of weakness, usually brought on by i'll health. And it is asserted by some of the modern thinkers that the time is com ing when to Dc sick will be as great q dis grace as to allow the hair to shelter a col Bony of parasites. st3ss
 To this rule there are at the present time a few exceptions. One of these is the case of him who has found; through misfortune or poverty, not brought on by indiscretion on his part, continued over exertion to be compulsory. He goes to bed at night too tired to rest, we'll know ing that the same tedious grind is coming morrow, that it will probably reach away out Into as long a otuture as there is left to him in this world. And, more than that, if in the night watches he chances to fall asleep, his perplexities share the same couch, and relentless taskmaster spresides over his dreams, compelling him, in them, to continue the work of the day. His condition is pitia- ble. He cannot see the sun shine ,he hasn't time. There may be beauties right beside him, but he scarcely lifts his eyes from his work. And, with all this, es- pecially if he Is a christian, he struggles to keep good tempered. It Is a hunsan impossibility. He that .triumphs overiir- |ritability in such trying circumstances is q saint. But you and I, my friend, are very far from being saints if we, in our prosperity, allow. such a condition of things to continue without trying to re- lieve the burdened. Are we not all sons, brother or sister, and daughters of the King? Shall we. who have received a goodly share of our inheritance, withhold our sympathy and help from the prince or princess who must wait If so, we de- serve to be disinherited and deprived of our title.
 But perhapss after all, you and are grumblers. If so, our misfortunes, If we really have them, are the result of our own actions. We have invited them, dined them; and even wined them, and yet we are sometimes 30 unreasonable as to pronounce them ssdispensations of Providence.'' We take intemperance as our bosom companion He introduces us to the unhealthfnl caprices of fashion, and into the excesses. of social life No fashipnable folly is too absurd for us to dntei4ain. So, after time, our perfect health yields to the inevitable. We be- come dyspeptic, blue and utterly misera- ble, and never enjoy a moments happi- |nesss except that diabolicai variety which finds it's pleasure in keeping every one else ''stirred up." We disregard every law of health, and throw the responsibiI- ity on our Creator. We expect every one to sympathize with us, although we have wasted our substance in riotous living. The luxuries thatseemed so alluring have turned to "husks." Do we deserve char ity? God pity the rest of the family. We shall probably kill them all off before we begin to plead for mercy. stt
 But, of all victims of fretfulness, the most exasperating are those who immoc late themselves on what they call the "altar of duty" They glory in their mar tyrdom. Housekeepers, for example, who ''never have time" to read, to go out driving, noraeven go into the open air for a short walk. They haven't time for it., and if they had they would be too tired This is true of many, as we know, but I am speaking of those pernirkety speci- mems who would deny themselves and others great pleasure rather, for in stance, than go away, in any circum- stances, leaving a bed unmade or 8 dish unwashed. They seem to take great pride in saying that they have "been on their feet all day long-haven't had a chance to sit down." They are fond of quoting, "Order is heavens first law" With their eyes glued to tthe law" they lose sight of "the heaven" Their minds get narrow, their faces thin, pale and fur rowed, their voices querulous, and their tongues sharp and sarcastic. If they were deaf and dumb they would be as good as machines. They could then neither say nor hear disagreeable things. The husband comes in and finds the house-oh! i! so neat! He dreads to meet his Xantippe, however. He knows that she will fairly scold him out of his boots, lest they leave print ton my clean kitch- en foor." She knows ashe is making everybody in the family uncomfortable, but has she not gained the reputation of being the neatest woman in town? So she keeps on, day after day, fretting and working, scolding and stewing to the end of the chapter. A worthy physician says, Fl would rather take my wife out driv- ing and watch the color of health glowing in her face, than to have her breaking her back over the molding board or preparing an elaborate, dinner. A dinner which may be prepared in ten minutes suits me just as well; and neither of us care wheth. ler,she has more than one hat or not"
 Finally, will dismiss the subject with 8 peep at the school teacher. It is uni, versally acknowledged that teaching is one of the most inerve-trying vacations The faithful teacher will so devote her self to her school as to gain the best re- suits as far as she knows how. But recreation of some kind is an absolute necessity. One often may find it in an