Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-06-24
DON'T NEED VACATIONS.
Russell Sage Thinks Summer Holiday
ls Useless.

DON ] NEED VASAiISNS'
Russell Sage Thinks Summer Holiday
ls Useless.
Writing to the New York Indepen-
dent, Russell Sage says:
During the eighty-three years of my
career I have not once taken a vaca-
tion..
A young man said to me the other
day: "Mr. Sage, would you not nave
taken a vacation If you had worked for
some one else?"
replied that I would not.
I have never been an advocate of
what some term the vacation habit.
When was boy the practice was not
In vogue. AZ a matter of fact, I was
so glad to get a chance to learn busi-
ness that the idea Of asking my en-
ployer to make me present OF two
weeks of the time that belonged to him
because he had paid for 1t would have
been preposterous. Besides, was
eager to advance in business, and
could not see how I could do this by
wasting valuable time.
Neither did any Of my youthful as
sociates take vacations, and l am sure
you will agree with me that the fact
did not retard their progress when l
say that among them were Thurlow
Weed, the king maker; Horace Greedy
Governor Seward and George Jones,
the founder Of the New York Times.
These men were constantly at work
and they were history makers.
I think the vacation habit Is the
outgrowth Of abnormal or distorted
business methods. l fai& to see any
thing legitimate in 1t.
Let us assume that an employer and
his clerk make an agreement to ex-
change just remuneration for rea-
sonable service and each one keeps MS
part Of the agreement. Are they not
quits? If there Is any obligation, 1
think 1t is on the part of the clerk. who
avails Of the credit, skill and organi-
cation of the employer to learn bus
mess and advance himself along a path
which has already been prepared for
him. What right has he, then, to de-
mand or expect pay for two weeks
time for which he renders no equiVa-
lent, not considering the serious incon-
venience to which he often puts his
employer?
Suppose we were to reverse the con-
ditional order of things and, instead OF
the clerk demanding two weeks pay,
gratis, the employer should demand
two weeks work without pay as con-
dition of retaining the clerk in his en-
ploy. What a tremendous howl would
60 up.
It may be urged that the clerk by
his vacation gains in health and Vigor
and Is thus enabled to render better
service to his employer. If this claim
were true he would be justified In ask
ing for a vacation. In fact, he would
not have to do SO, as his employer
would for his own gain and Of his own
accord send him away thus to recuper-
ate.
But is 1t not absurd to suppose that
a man who can work for eleven and
half months cannot as we'll work the
whole year? Is it not equally absurd
to suppose that a man can In two
weeks recuperate from the wear and
tear of a years work, If there be such
wear and tear? On the contrary, l
have too often observed that men will,
while on their vacations, make inroads
upon their vitality and purses that
cannot be repaired in the following
eleven months and two weeks.
Then, again, the loss Of time, the dis
organization Of business, that result
from the absence Of valuable man
from his desk are difficult to repair.
A man sometimes must spend weeks
catching up with work that has accu-
mulated while he was away for fort
night.
If a man will only take an interest
In his work, love it, he will not need
anything else W ISSupCl atS ~'~
men who learn to love their work in
variably succeed.
A man should work "easy," be econ
omical of his time, conserve his forces
and not worry. It's worry and not
work that makes the hair gray.
The doctors may recommend
change of air for man when he's
sick; but why be sick? Sickness Is an
irreparable loss of time. If had
thousand tongues I'd preach, save
time" with them all. It's infinitely
more valuable than money.
We read Of Gladstone, who got all
the recuperation he needed by simply
changing his work. He didn't quit
work and go idling about. Time was
the most precious thing in the world
for him, and by availing of every min
ute Of it he practically did the work
of an army Of men.