Year: 1872

/, VACATION has come and gone, not only


with schools, but with business and pro-
fessional men. With its experience


fresh in our memories, it may be well to
consider the philosophy of the months
or six weeks vacation which has become
so general with all classes. Relaxation is
law of our nature. There is no elastic
ity to a bow constantly bent A horse
even cannot work steadily for twenty


four hours consecutively. Mental ma
chinery requires to be stopped and oiled
UP daily. Hence the necessity of daily
sleep, during which the mind, though
constantly active, is not geared for work,
but runs loose. During sleep the body
also performs its vital functions, but the
nerves and muscles are relaxed and tenn
porarily dead. Sleep is therefore not "a
waste of time, but ''kind natures sweet
restorer" Some require more sleep than
others, and no definite rule can be laid
down as to the amount of time-to be de-
voted to this most essential recreation.
To Franklin is attributed the maxim,
"SiX hours for a man, seven for a woman,
and eight hours for fool;" but we do
not believe Franklin was ever such fool
as to limit man to six hours sleep. Men
would live longer and accomplish more II
they would devote one-half of their time
to the absolute rest of sleep. Some may
require more than this, and others less,
but the average man requires eight hours.


Besides the recreation of sleep, every
man needs some daily exhilaration, some
thing to stir up the sluggish humors OF
both mind and body. Children demand
and should have an abundance of this ex-
hilaration. 1t is their life to jump, skip
and run, laugh at every trif1e, and throw
off all care. Those parents who restrain
their children from all frolic hinder their
normal development. AS the cares OF lie
increase with age, we are too much in
clined to omit the relaxation which lit
tie frolic always furnishes. Parents
should join daily in the sports OF their
children, and thus keep themselves young
and restrain their children from an excess
Of riot. We know of some fathers who
boast of not seeing their children except
on Sundays, as they leave their homes in
the morning before the little ones are up,
and continue their business in the evening
till the children are abed and asleep. Such
glory is their shame. BY this devotion to
business they are shortening their lives
and neglecting their family duties. BUS
mess before pleasure may be y good
maxim, but there is better one, "duty
D6IOT0 DuSlu0SSJ anu lb lS 6YOIy ludu
duty to look daily after the welfare Of his
children and his own health. Money
may purchase luxuries for the family, but
to bring up the children properly requires
the personal influence of both father and
mother. 1t is not lost time if father
daily spends an hour or two joining in the
games of his children, or walking or riding
with them. AS he plays, or walks, or
rides, let him intersperse some teachings
Unnatural science or some moral precept
No teacher can have half the influence
with a child that father possesses.
Children believe their parents implicitly,
and know tnat their love is unfeigned,
and their counsels disinterested. Parents
should therefore take daily vacation from
business, and do good and get good by
joining the children's circle. .g.s


1t is for the want of this daily relaXa-
tion that we find so many business and
professional men breaking down in health
and requiring rest of weeks ana
months These longvscations are partly
the dictate of fashion and partly neces-
sity arising from the want of daily recrea-
ton. They are altogether abnormal.
There is law of our natures requiring
daily rest, but there is no law requiring
months vacation. The necessity Of the
long vacation results solely from the want
of the short daily one. By mingling
work, play and sleep in the right proper
tions daily, there is no reason why we
may not be able to perform the duties Of
each day till we have reached our three
score and ten years, and in all probability
our strength will hold outtill we are four
score A farmer friend of ours has re-
Gently deceased at the age of ninety-fve,
who for eighty years did not fail toswing
his scythe each summer. "Iiis eye was
not dim nor his natural force abated, !" be-
cause he took his vacation from labor
daily. Eminently social in his disposi-
ton, he was ever ready to join in little
frolic with his children and great grand
children. OF the latter class he numbered
at the time Of his decease fifty-fve. tie
thus kept young himself and enjoyed a
green old age.


We do not mean to be understood as
obiecting to all long vacations A voyage
TO Europe may be as much matter OF
duty TO some of our clergymen as paro-
chial a-drinking with their neighbors.
The proposition we wish to lay down IS
that the moral condition of our nature is
best satisfied by daily recreation. Horses
may be so hardly used that they must De
turned ont to grass for a summer in order
to recunerate. but it is much better that
thev should be worked so moderately as
MOTTO require so long vacation, which
seldom thoroughly rejuvenates the jaded
and stiffened beast, whether biped or
quadruped. -E1ch0n9e