The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-11

looking out at the busy hustle Of the rassen-
gers on the platform The train has Just
sounded the shrill whistle as signal for
her TO start when, 10, of sudden a natron-
~ lady with her parasOl in one hand and
her bandbox and some small parcels in the
other-also lapdOg on her arm-rushes cut
on the platform and runs, literally runs,
making for the train. The gallant ccaduc-
tor relieves her of her handbook and the par
GELS, and with his assistance she steps up
into the train. There she comes sailing ike
war vessel, putting and Tuning all the
time She is actually gasping for breath
and quite exhausted with the hard exer-
else of running. Here again l cannot un-
uerstand why this Mrs. Hardbreath could
not leave her home a few minutes earlier
simply to save herself from all this hurry,
haste and trouble. But, no; she is an Amer
lean, and an American is nothing If he is
not restless. He attempts much more than
what mortal humanity can accomplish
within the twenty-four hours of the day,
and the result is that ne is always restless,
peaceless ard ever on the go
With a view to increase the scope of his
activities and facilitate the dispatch OF
work, the American has invented innumera-
bic machines an" mechanisms, but the
greater his achievement in the success of
these the more restless and impatient he
shows himself to be. The clever ingenuity
OF Yankee inventions and the American
spirit of scientific genius have so much over
come the once inSurmountable factors or
time and space, the means of comfort, ease
and luxury have been so much multiplied in
the new world. An, ordinary American
to converse through the telephone with any
one within the radius of no less than forty
miles; the rushing railways of America,
with their marvellous speed, can take him
from New York to San Francisco in less
than four days, and the improved methods
of modern telegraph cables have put him in
communication with almost every principal
point in the world The untiring and never
wearied giants of steam and electricity
have multiplied and remultiplied his
means of comfort at least million times
and with what result? In spite of all these
the American is as restless as ever! More
properly speaking, he is more restless, not
only in spite of all these, but because of all
these advanced modes and methods. His
brain is always seething with new ideas and
new notions. He has no time to be friendly
or courteous. His manner is curt, bruSQue
and short. He is ever running to catch a
railway train, a street car-or a something!
He hurries over his breakfast, because he
has to catch the train; he is hurried in the
train because he has to attend his place of
business! Here again he hurries over his
work because there is so much work to be
got over! In the street, when he meets his
friends, he gasps forth his Good morning. -
How do you do?' and "Good-bye''-a in
one breath! While he is at home be is in a
hurry to go out and while he is out he Is
In hurry to come home! This constant,
ceaseless, never-ending hurry and worry
must be so irksome and wearisome 1t
must keep the minds Of men always at a
high tension! 1t cannot but kill both body
and soul, making men and women mere
moving machines, lifeess and soulless, be-
cause restless and peaceless!