Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-22
WEARING MEN OUT.
Business Habits Lending to Mad


(Cassells Saturday Journal)
Businessmen are to-day being driven 70
the mad-house as they We're never driven
before And why? Chiefly because they
cannot or will not, allow themselves
time in which to refresh their jaded
brains. Nature has equipped us with no
more exouisitely complex piece Of me-
chanism than the brain. II Is capable Of
outstanding tremendous strains, but be-
cause it does not always cry out, like
our limbs, when it is tired, we are apt
to forget there is limit TO its endu-
rance Like the pirate omnibus horse,
it is fogged up hill and down dale, until,
after mute protests. it finally collapses.
How, then can we make tolerably sure
Of keeping sane? This question can be
best answered perhaps by citing a few
examples of men who have not succeeded
in keeping sane.
There has lately died in the north of
England a well-knoWn accountant, who,
for seven years, never took q holiday
In splendid practice. he was anxious TO
amass a fortune and retire early. After
being five years in perpetual harness
his brain began 10 show signals Of dis
tress. He was not so quick at figures
as he used TO be. nor 50 accurate. IL
was plain that his mind required rest.
He refused TO obey the mandate Of eX-
hausted nature. however. and stuck 10
his books Two years later his brain
gave way to such an extent that he was
unable to repeat the multiplication table.
Subsequently, his mind became a total
blank; and. though perfectly conscious
he died without even recognizing his
wife.
Even doctors do not invariably keep
sane. A popular member Of the profess
son succumbed to insanity last year His
brain warned him Of what was in store
for him, but he had jumped into a big
practice which brought him big fees. The
first indication of mental disturbance was
his inability 10 remember names Of pa
tients. Impaired memory Is a certain
sign OK brain exhaustion and want OF
repose. but the doctor disregarded it. The
result was that he developed into hope
/ less idiot.
An enormous amount OF insanity can be
/ traced 70 the hebit INDUCED in by bust
| ness people of taking their work home
| with them. The men who achieve most
| success in life and live 10 enjoy the fruits
J of their labors are those who, confnins
| their commercial operations strictly 10
| Office hours. devote thoir evenings to
! their families or TO the pursuit of some
/ hobby. The best brain tonic is cnange
| Of occupation. Yet some Of the richest
men. while maintaining their brains al
! concert pitch throughout the day, spend
| their after-dinner hours in devising plans
! for acquiring wealth. The disastrous
! consequences Of their folly they discover
| when il is too late.
one day about five years ago, city
merchant, who boosted that he had never
wasted an hour ordered some soup at a
restaurant. Strangely enough, just as he
| took the first mouthful his brain seemed
| TO snap. From that moment his gold
might have been so many bricks for all
! the use it was 10 him, for he starved
| himself TO death. Nature had repeatedly
held out the red flag to this persistent
| money-grabber. For some time ne mad
been unable 10 fix his attention on any
subject: when writing his flow OF words
was deficient and his spelling Inaccurate;
| but he preferred to thrash MS braih 10
| destruction rather than lose a few sove-
reiens. Mind wandering Is one of the first
precursors Of mental decay; but the fault
can be remedied by relaXation-by forget
| ting the cares of business of an evening
and bracing the mind with fresh inte-
rests. -
Tradesmen are chronic sinners in this
| rosnect TngrOssed with the one idea OF
| getting ahead of their rivals. as they car
| SCARCELY help being in these strenuous
| dove they unnecessarily employ thelI
| evenings in cOncocting new enterprises
| overlooking the fact that the pralh i
| capable of much better things AFTER lts
| fair share Of rest than when 1t IS contin
uallv on the move. y prosperous traces
won was placed I'm an asylum a few
,,,on+bs ago after threatening TO stall
ono ~ his most intimate friends. IL was
learned that he had long suffered froT
headaches. and that for a whole year NJ!
mind had been occupied to the exclusion
az everything else, in plotting how h'
couid crush an opposition shop. In one o
his sane moments he confessed that tn'
nrese,re on his brain was such that III
falt II could only be relieved by the shed
ding Of blood
~ more extraordinary illustration o
a. danger of oVerwOrking the brain, or
r~fbor. concentrating II on one spot, s.
| ~ sneak. for the brain j. never over
worked If IL is engaged on variety o
| siibfects-could be found man lhe ease
a cited lady artist VINO al'er siaNins
/ -ieture for months ana worrying Gbou
,,it,uafe fate at an important exhibi
non fell into a deep sleep which laste'
,,trHteen hours. When she awoke he
knowledge of art had completely van
| ished. - ....,,.s. -,
49, ~ a mad-house is TO stimulate
tagged brain by constant "nips"
s sn1iSit overindulgence in spirits injure
the memory to an incredible degree. i
years gone by no person VINO was KNOW
~ intemperate habits was permit,
ted TO appear as witness IN the SPANS
sou ~ Justice. the authorities main
tanning that alcoholism was so prejudlel.
80 TIE brain that It was unsafe 10 acceI
~ ,ostI,uony OF an inebriate. There !
singular instance on record OF mer
chant who grew so accustomed 10 jos
nng his brain by Misunderstanding tina
unless he could procure nip he Wa
utterly unable TO work Needless to ga,
ha generally left his office in a state
intoxication, The day that his brii
] collapsed he went home and insistad O