The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-03-11
IAZINESS AS A SCIENCE


one has the time to devote to it: but
that is just the trouble; when one has
absolutely nothing to do the days are
really too short for him to accomplish
it, and he goes to bed at night with a
feeling of having left something I'M
done. The science of ,aziness is a
branch of study for which one must
have natural bent to make it a sue
cess, wherein it resembles the genius of
;he poet; and, it is said by some that
the two frequently go hand in hand
OF course any one can loaf" any
one can do nothing in fidgety, dissat-
isf1ed sort of way, but that is very anna
flourish and shows a decided lack of
talent for this beautiful branch of study.
The true student of leisure never I'D
gets; he is never dissatified; he knows
that though he has nothing to 90 ne
will never find time for it, but that is
the fault OF the solar system, not his
system, so he doesn't worry about it.
He knows when he lounges idly in the
cigar store, putting lazily at fresh
weed, and talking baseball with the
proprietor, that he really should be in
|
to one that there will be some one there
whom he knows and who would be
glad to see him. And when he at last
tears himself away from the cigar store
and goes to the hotel, he has hardly SET
tied himself down in one of those lux
urious leather-upholstered chairs with
which the lobby abounds before a vague
feeling comes over him that the boys
need him at the club to make fourth
at whist But these things do not worry
him nor make him dissatisfied with his
lot He realizes that no man has ever
been able to be in two places at once,
and as something has got to be neg
lected, it might as well be one thing as
another
To keep up with current literature is
an absolutely impossibility to the man
of leisure, so he reads little of this and
little of that and gets a smatterng of
most all OF it To the newspapers he
can only devote time enough to read
the headlines, which put his mind in
sort OF preparatory state for absorbing
a knowledge of passing worldly events
by social contact
The demands of society upon the time
OF the man of leisure are absolutely
preposterous 1t seems to think because
he has nothing to do that he has always
ample time, which, as may be seen, is
an egregious error. 1t seems to think
that because he has no Office to demand
his hours, he is on tap at any time the
spigot of pleasure is turned. But So
ciety forgets it is a hydra for which no
Hercules has yet appeared, and its
many demands may clash with each
other So here again must something
be neglected for lack of time
1t does not make any difference how
little the man of leisure has to do, he is
always busy-always must neglect a
great many things for the pure lack of
time to attend to them. But the I'M
ruffied manner in which he goes on his
way, knowing of the things which he
has left undone, is refreshing to the
philosopher and irritating to the bust
ness man. The man of leisure knows
that under the present arrangement OF
axial and orbital revolutions of the
earth most suns must set on things I'M
done which should have been performed
before the shadows were shortest: so he
bows to the inevitable and at night laws
him down to sleep with the serene con-
seriousness that, as far as has been in
his power to make it so, the day is CON-
plete.
Should there by any concatenation
OF circumstances happen to be an abso-
lutely idle half hour or hour on the
hands OF the man of leisure he is never
at loss to use it. Such instances are.
OF course, rare, but he is always equal
to the emergency, and when they occur
passes them in the placid enjoyment of
the dolce far niente unknown to the in |
dividual to whom this world, either
from choice or necessity, is a world of |
work
When the failure Of engagements or a |
misconnection Of appointments gives to
the busy man such an idle hour he is |
embarrassed and has not the slightest |
idea what TO do with it Helooks upon |
1t as so much valuable time wasted |
which he can i'll afford to lose, and he |
frets and fumes and wonders what he |
can do to fill the gap The time is really |
too short for him to attempt to do any
thing or go any place, yet how intermin-
able 1T seems when he must helplesslv
SIT down and wait for it to pass Weigh |
ing the flight of time in the money |
changers scales, he feels that he has
suffered loss that can never be re-
gained He has not time to waste in
IN this manner. and would not waste it
so II he had, could he possibly avoid it
The whole trouble lies in the before
mentioned lack of time Ifaman has
nothing to do, and only half an hour
or an hour in which to accomplish ii.
he almost attempts an impossibilitv.
But If he has a whole day for an hours
idleness, how easy it is, Time will av
on wings of gauze without the least
effort on his part, and the blank space
IN the days programme will seem as
short as morning nap or summer va
cation.
This is the whole secret To do moth.
ing, and 10 do it successfully and plea
surably. n man must devote his entire
time to it, and even then the DAYS are
too short He must be willing To rive
part of his nights to it # necessary for |
his correct achievement of beneficial |