Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-06
SUMMER VACATIONS.
Health and Happiness the Chief
 Objects.

Health and Happiness the Chief Objects.
 | The pleasure of a summer vacation l is a chief element in the good it brings
 to us. Without that should we wan
 der anywhere as a mere form or duty,
 taking small interest in what is around us, and thinking all the time of
 the cares we have left behind, we
 need not expect to reap any consider able harvest of good. On the other hand, if we seek nothing but pleasure,
 though we may gain much we shall
 also lose much. Especially is this 1 true of those who extend the amuse-
 ments of city life in winter into their summer holiday One of it's chief ele- ] ments of good is the change which it
 affords, and this is equally true of
 play as of work. Crowded rooms, heating dances, exciting company,
 troublesome toilets, are all out of
 place. They should be superseded for
 that time at least by the simpler de- lights of outdoor existence Of
 course these will vary according to
 tastes, capacities and needs. Some re- quire activity and some repose. Much
 sleep will benefit those who have lost
 it; it will stultify those who have had enough. Some will choose the active
 sports of rowing, climbing and athlet-
 1c exercises; others will prefer to spend
 quiet and restful hours in company
 with the beauty or the sublimity of
 nature. Whatever be the chosen plan
 let it always include a change from fhf Jnc cfof, Il, . 1oI zI~<
 De as thorough and complete as the tastes and habits will allow.
 One object to be held in view is that
 of health. The sick want to gain 1t;
 the we'll want to increase and strength
 en it. Everyone on his return from vacation, be it long or short, should be
 conscious of stronger nerves, better digestion, freer circulation of the
 blood, a keener sense of vitality and
 more physical strength than before.
 This forms an excellent test of wise
 ly spent vacation, And whatever
 tends to raise the flow of vitality in
 man will also tend to increase his
 happiness, and his power of giving
 happiness. Thompton declares that ! ''health is the vital principle of bliss" and Carlyle, in his quaint way. says
 Blessed is the healthy nature; it is the coherent, sweetly cooperative, not the incoherent, se1f-distracting, self
 destructive one"
 If, however, health and happiness are prime acquisitions for good sum- mer vacation, they are not the only ones There is health of mind, closely allied to that of the body, which may be largely reinforced dur ing such season. In the unusual leisure which we then enjoy we can surely find time to cultivate certain barren patches of our inner life. Each one knows for himself what they are and what they need. Tn this connec- tion, we cannot speak too highly of the many summer schools and classes that open up chances not to be had i'll the press of regular life. The only fear is lest eyEtempt most strongly | tired teachers and other sedentary | workers away from the outdoor free dom and mental rest which they pre- eminently need. There are large num- bers of young people whose brains and nerves are not exhausted by any Se were strain, and whose long summer | vacation may very well be partly | spent in some mental work, especially | in some branch for which no time can | be found in the regular school life. If, | instead of overcrowding children's af- ternoons with So many extras, some | of these desirable accomplishments | should be taken up in the summer, the tax would be far less severe, and great gain might be made without any | injury. The camps for boys, which under suitable direction, provide for both body and mind, are efforts in this direction, and parents who prefer to cultivate home life in these leisure months can easily make similar ar | arrangements. And those of us who are no longer young may surely hail little leisure to read, to think and to | observe, as we cannot in the stress of regular life.- Philadelphia Public | T,edger