South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-11-05
Haze You Acquired
Week End Habit?
It is Worth While as Means
of Keeping Body Sound
and Mind Clear.
when tan you come again ?"

When tan you come again?'
"I-don't quite know. Not this week,
for 1 am going away for the week
end. but perhaps might manage the
week after"
Are you falling into the weekend
! habit. -toO?" 1 asked laughing, for my
/ friend had always assured me that she
did not care for short holidays. She
smiled, but looked rather guilty.
Il am afraid l am" she confessed.
Laura Simon has a perfectly charm
/ ing weekend cottage, and she has
asked me to spend the week end with
her several times. 1t is such a change.
and l feel all the better for il. Then
/ 1 have discovered that it is possible TO
| see much more of ones friends if one
Will only submit to the flying visit. l
! have been having quite gay time.
/ You ought TO try it. 1 was very much
against it once, but in these days"
| She finished her sentence with an eX-
| pressive gesture as she went out OF my
] front door.
Perhaps I will try it, [ said; Eat
all events ! shall think about it."
And so, after my friend had left me,
| and later on in the evening when
| had a little leisure time TO myself, I
| fell TO considering this habit of flying
! have been accustomed to IL for some
time, but the habit seems to be be-
coming very much more general now
adays than il has ever been hitherto.
Why is this?
As I sat considering The matter I
saw very clearly the reason for the
short holiday that so many people are
taking today. The stra-n of life at
the present time is greater than it has
ever been within living memory.
But one cannot work forever The
body breaks down after a time, and
when the body is feeble, the mind has
great power over it. The troubles
press very much more heavily on the
overtaxed person than they do on the
man or woman who is physically mt.
1t behooves us all to keep ourselves
fit in this physical sense. So we ought
to take what rest and recreation and
change we can, if we are to keep our
bodies sound and healthy and our
minds clear and calm.
The short holiday is very useful for
this purpose If the long rest is i'm
possible, it is obvious that the frequent
short rests Will at all events serve to
relieve the tension, and give US little
rest and refreshment, 30 that we can
go on once more with our work,
whatever it may happen to be.
One fact that should be borne in
mind by the week-ender is that so
short a holiday ought to be a rest. II
is foolish 20 try to take a long jour
ney, or to plan firing excursions, for
the few days of rest. There is no
rest, although there will be a kind of
holiday. Change is needed, espe-
cially for those who are mentally
rather than physically weary; but in
all cases there ought to be "A sense Of
repose. Hurried and long Journeys,
late nights and full days, are not, or
ought not, to be included in the pro-
gram of the weekend holiday.
Looking back in history-and Won
dering rather dreamilY who originated
the weekend habit, 1 came to the
conclusion that the blame or the
praise should be at the door of the
virgin queen. If ever anyone enjoyed
numberless visits Queen Elizabeth did.
Countless in number are the houses in
which she is supposed to have spent
the night 1t would almost appear
that her majesty was always travelling
somewhere; but possibly the houses
have become multiplied with the pass
ing of centuries. Be that as it may,
she was decidedly fond of "gadding
about" and trying the state bedcham- !
bers Of her devoted subjects The ideal /
weekend holiday should be as quiey |
as possible. It should not be dull, but 1
with the right kind of hostess and the /
right kind of guest, dizziness is never /
associated with quietness. The change /
Of air, Of scene, and of thought will |
do much to restore the faded worker, /
and to increase his or her usefulness /
TO the community.