Evening journal., 1911-10-14
ON THE 90
BY The REV. r. L. JACKSON

lne modern man mas given up Try
ing to make machine that will un-
ceasingly go Of its own accord and
instead has decided to convert him
self into such a contrivance. He is
par excellence the perpetual motion
machine o. his dreams and desires.
On-thego hits him off as does moth
ing else. He is always enroute, al
ways either coming or going. He
puts himself through each day with
a maddening rush and q shattering
bang. At the call of the alarm clock
he hustles into his clothes, crashes
through his breakfast, races off to
business and drives through the
days doings as with coach and four.
He hurries home at night eats his
dinner with indecent haste and
chases out Of the house TO the lodge,
club, heaven only knows where.
When he finally lands in bed it IS to
do the days program all over again
in his dreams.
1t is both pathetic and curious how
everything nowadays Is Fastening TO
conform to the crazy requirements of
this perpetual motion human. He
cannot wait a minute for his meals;
they must be ready when he an
nounces his readiness. To sit in
railway station FIVE minutes for q
train Is an imposition and absurdity.
The moment he enters the station
! there must be a fast express in wait
ing to convey him to his temporary
destination. His newspaper must be
all headlines, big bold things, not
afraid to bang him in the eyes. Should
he go 10 church the preacher must
shorten his sermon at both ends and
make II a thing Of brevity all com
pact. Books? He has no time for
] books; they belong to antediluvian
days. Meditation? What is that?
Prayer? Who prays nowadays?
The present day on-the-go manner
Of living is in universal evidence and
is putting its blight upon modern
American life in a hundred ways. 10
Is causing our preaching TO become
serappy, our thinking to become su-
perficial and our work to become
slovenly. It is anything to get
through a given piece c, work. get
our pay and get away. What VII the
coming generation be with the present
one perpetually on tho go?
The other day ] saw a young wo-
man running an automobile with a
baby in her lap. Scorning the SER
vices of the conventional chauffeur
she was scorching down Delaware
avenue with her infant looking
breathlessly on and wondering what
sort Of a buzzing. blooming, roaring
bedlam he had been born into. Every
minute of the little fellows rapid
ride something was getting itself de-
posted in his subliminal conscious
ness that in due time will appear
above the Threshold in the shape Of
mania for making speed. His
. mother need not be surprised if the
little chap (possibly II Is girD
turns to be kind of human motor
! cycle
What fools we mortals be! Not
satisfied with making the journey Ia
j our resting place Git is superauous Ia
call it our last resting place. in a
slow moving hearse, we are insisting
upon going thither by motor power
We want our careers from start "a
finish TO be master pieces Of speed
!, Cui bono?
There is only one respect in which
: we are in no hurry in which we Ian.
: guidfy loaf and loiter and that is In
respect of improving our characters
s Would that some q. this mania fol
o going might infect. our moral volition
q Would we could be able to say Of the
modern man touching his moral life
= He Is ever on the 60.