THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAy. PORTLAND, SFPTmnj 12, 1915.
If III UH I V lr I fl IkI.. A A WL
Hftchii3or
WE are a bundle of exercises. Life
Is Just one muscular movement
after another, and when our
muscles stop, life stops and we stop,
We do not exercise to live, nor live to
exercise, but we live because, and inso-
rar as we exercise. Life without ex-
erclse Is dead.
Our ears have been stunned with such
torrents of admonition, such cataracts
of exhortation upon the healthfulnes
the righteousness, the absolute neces-
sity of exercise that we are in danger
of coming to regard it in the
light of a melancholy duty and a stern
virtue and loathe it aecordinsrlv. Al-
most we have succeeded in giving to
exercise the flavor that the pedagogues
have to education, that it isn't the real
thing.
Exercise, taken even as a duty or a
bitter medicine. Is better than none. But
nearly all Intelligent trainers and medi-
cal directors of physical culture now
declare that the really wholesome and
permanently helpful exercise is that
wmuii eiiner is or quicKiy oecomes a
pleasure.
We talk about some people taking no
exercise whatever; but that is impos-
sible. We never can get quite "too lazy
to breathe." and the amount of muscu-
lar work done every day by our muscles
of respiration, added to that which our
ever-beating heart turns out . totals
more than 100.000 foot-pounds, burning
up nearly a third of the heat units or
energy of our daily food. While the
exertion involved in "going through the
motions' necessary to earn all except
the most Indolent and "soft snap" of
livings burn up another third, leaving
only the minor part needed for a clean the most useful and suceessful man childish things, like sport and exercise
burning draught to be supplied by our 's often inclined to be rather easy- except on rare half holidays or in
voluntary or Intellectual efforts. going or even sluggish and dreamy in Summer evenings after business hours.
In fact, even city dwellers get from childhood, instead of perpetually active Any attempt to combine our exercise
at least two-thirds to three-fourths of and "into everything." He is devoting 'with our work or to get athletic devel
the exercise that we need to keep us nis whole time and strength to grow- opment out of It, or in the intervals be
in health from our daily occupations. in8T up, and not wasting any of it in tween It, to do or think or dream of
and the excursions and incursions nat- frivolous activity or useless speech. anything but business in business
urally connected therewith. Many .of
us, strange as it may seem, in shops
and in offices, are actually suffering
from too much exercise of one particu
lar sort, or of special groups or classes
of muscles, or from the wrong sort of
exercise or strain, and can remedy
half our troubles by intelligently cor
rectlng this.
It is often balancing up of unsym
znetrical muscular exercise and stop
ping of harmful strains, with better
ventilation, both of our rooms and of
our blood, that we need, rather than
violent feats of muscular effort, or
any great addition to the total amount
of our muscular work.
Of course, there is no restorer of the
body balance, no flusher out of every
nook and corner of our system, no ven
tilator inside and out equal to brisk
and enjoyable movement in the open
air. And the more nearly we can get
our full requirement of this, the more
and better work we will do during the
business hours of the day.
But until we become our own boss
and can intelligently plan for this, or
our existing boss becomes intelligent
enough to see the benefit of it for
him, there is much that can be done
inside the harness and without seri-
ously breaking the Bacred office hours,
We hear much, and justly, of the lm-
portance of putting brains into our
work; but it is also a good thing to
mix as much muscle with our brains
as we reasonably can, in even the most
...u ...c,,,
occupations. Both muscle and brains
will profit by team play. You will not
sharpen, but dull your mind and re-
strict its powers of flight, by neglect-
lng your muscles, just as you will im-
prove your body, not by letting your
mind rest, but by letting it work hard
and happily.
You can keep up an excellent appe
tite on brain work alone, and all you
neea muscie wors: ior is to Keep you
from getting bilious, by flushing out
the ashes of your brain work and garbage-burning
such parts of your food
as your brain can't utilize. Fortunate-
Iy. it is impossible to divorce even the
most Indoor life, the most-high-brow
and transcendental vocation from ex-
erclse or from opportunities for it.
These lie around us,
us. in fact on every
profusion, if we will
hand, in enjoyable
only use them. This must have been
nno rf th thins-, whik s.van.nn V.J
In mind in his famous couplet:
The world ! o full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be happy as kings.
Although we seldom realize It. we
often lose much, all our lives long,
from our failure to properly mix our
exercise with our business, our play
with our work; and consequently go to
extremes in both. Even in the happy
days of childhood there is often some
thing almost frenzied about our romps
and scrimmages, our wild rushes and
Dounces in everv direction, oui- i r, . -o
ant and irrepressible grasshopperlike
activity, as if we were on. wires, and
charged with explosives to boot: our
yells and warwhoops and deafening
shrieks like an engine blowing off
steam. It is a sober fact that not a
few children will literally play them-
selves sick, especially when a number
of them "get going" at once. Thev
sometimes seem to develop a sort of
"dancing mania" or "jumping craze"
such as used to sweep across Europe in
,- ,tuji. a ...
a.uuic AMe, Biicr trireme re
ligious excitement.
This Is not th n.tnni r,nno.
bubblTng over!nd effscCof" jo"
ous. happy childhood, but a morbid re-
action and revulsion from the monot-
onous confinement of the schoolroom.
with its enforced muscular inactivity
an riTid , .v.-
uiaciiiim. kjt irom tne re-
pressive and depressing atmosphere of
the formal tvn nf i,n
dren may "be seen, but not heard." troops has ever done such constant and task in finished fashion,
where ornaments are more precious arduous campaigning. But France over Officialy the Foreign Legion is com
than h ea.lt h and happiness; where the and over again has used them also as posed of 8000 men. In reality.lt is un
furniture is too nice to be played with leaven among other troops. They stiffen derstood that it has nearly double that
and curtains and draperies and potted tho niasa and men emulate their ac- number, and the Legion becomes read
plants get most of what little air and tions. ily.a whole arms corps with the addi
light there Is. The Legion was sent tut to the tion of some of France's colonial troops.
A certain type of old-fashioned home. Crimea and got no special credit for France for hundreds of years had
especially if presided over by a "model covering itself with glory, as that had regiments of Germans, English. Irish.
homekeenr" of thA snnrlACB . . -. been exoected of if hut riid reflect ffrnat fierttoh s.-i i . 1 . .. , . . .
by a strict disciDlinarian whn h
Knr,r,v., .... vi- v. . i ,-i , .
-" v .a ta me .ear oi
the Lord and of himself might have
been very good for their souls and
their morals, but It was terribly hard
on their bodies and their happiness,
The same was true of most temples of
education up to a couple of decades
The natural, unspoiled, healthy child
who is allowed to throw his arms and
his le and hi. w in. h..
- , '
Plly and mu.lcaUy at home with 1UU.
'
restraint, indoors, as well as out, all
day long, will seldom go to those ex-
tremes of rlotousness and lrrepressl-
bleness or fiendishly incessant activity
and destructiveness. But the spectre
of what he would do if he were Just
let loose has been raised with the
double result that we grownups think
we are compelled to keep sitting on
the lid to save our property, our nerves
and; our comfort from utter destrue-
tion. And when the explosion after
restraint does come, many children
plunge on, not merely to disturbances
of the Peace and of the proprieties.
which is a small matter (the only way
to keeP laws human is to rebel against
them occasionally), but Into harmful
excesses of overexertion.
It seems incredible, even ironic, In
view of the naturalness and over-
whelming healthfulnes, of play, but it
Is a fact that a great many, especially
city children, need less exercise and
Play Instead of more, and are greatly
improved in both health and temper
LUi appetite ny Deing Kept in Dea ror
breakfast and induced to rest more dur-
lngl the day' and feel better,
Incessant, irrepressible activity, In-
ability to either keep still or within
the bounds of moderation and of rea-
son, is often not a sign of superabund-
ant vigor, or surplus energy and nerve
strength, though in few rare infant
geniuses it may be this, but of nervous
weakness and neurasthenia, technically
known as loss of power of inhibition,
And this wasteful "busy foolishness,"
this perpetual sputtering and leaking
at the faucet. Is by no means confined
to childhood. The child who will make
At the other extreme the consclen-
tious, modern parent, anxious to do
everything imaginable to give his child
every possibility of development, of
self-expression, and to incubate him
into a genius willy-nilly, it may be re-
marked that it Is not necessary to turn
a child into an athlete, either physical
or mental, at the earliest possible period
of infancy. Nor to hang punching
bags above his cradle or fashion his
nursing bottle in the shape of a dumb
bell, so that he can fill up his time with
gymnastic "extrasizes." to develop his
arms and grip before he is able to sit
up. These 2-year-old contortionists
and 5-year-old finished acrobats are
very wonderful while in in the nursery,
but they are seldom heard of after they
grow up, unless they happen to be
born of "circus families."
Nor is there much biologic reason to
believe that festooning the nursery
walls with couplets of Greek poetry
and Sanscrit, Mother Goose rhymes or
teaching the baby to play hide-and-
seek in Hebrew will materially alter
either his ultimate mental horsepower
at the age of 18 or the range of his
culture and assist mental acquisitions
at 30.
Lincoln in hi3 early days as a coun-
try lawyer was once attending Circuit
Court at an Illinois county seat and.
in the war of wits and friendly dis-
cussion which went cn around the tav-
em stove every evening a furious de-
bate once arose as to the ca.nnn nf
artistic proportions of the human fig-
ure. particularly as. to the length of
the lesrs and arms. comparei wh the
height. Lincoln had preserved a judi-
clous silence, but one of the disputants
suddenly turned to him with a "Well.
now. Ill leave It to Lincoln. You tell
us what a the proper proportions for
the arms and legs of a man." Lincoln
modestly tried to excuse himself, but
the other disputants Joined in chorus
and so, finally, with one of his matr-h.
less smiles, he gently drawled out:
"Well, gentlemen, I don't know any
thing about it, but if you insist, I
should say that a man's lesrs ousrht tn
be long enough to reach from hU body
to the ground"
grou
i. .v.-. .. .
Childhood is that period of ttm
which reaches from birth to maturity,
And whether it be a few years longer'
or a year or two shorter i, a matter of
trifling i i . A,
-. .. n u tumpai cu w tne
-
FRENCH LEGIONARY
nlu MAUPASSANT, describing: an offl-
cer. said that iust to look at Sim
made one feel martial. He did not
-
say warlike or bellicose. The idea he
wished to convey was much more sub-
tle- In the presence of this officer one
assumed the military attitude of mind
, . ..
This is tho h .
.
he attention of most people women,
however, observe it. Practically every
non - military man at the sight of a well
set up. fully accounted soldier instinct-
tvely assumes something of a military
bearin- And who th rm. i,
bearln; And hen the drums roll and
f march,n column of soldiers flashes
" ' "v""ul -nvo.uniaruy
th"ws back his shoulders and steps
out with a tense measured tread.
. .
And as with civilians so with soldiers,
oruinary regiment becomes more
T PreSenC6 '
The crack regiment Itself
galns something more when in prox-
imity to a de,aclime"t ot troP '
heroic. almost legendary, fame such as
the Foreign Legion.
The Legionaries handle campaigns of
" ana prooaDiy no Doay or
credit on the Judgment of those who
t.A .- t . i 1 .
- i' kj luone a
whole army.
The Queen of Spain SO years ago was
In a hard fix with a civil war on her
hands. The Carlists whom she was -
fighting were just as good soldiers as
her own if 'not a shad, better Then
., Z . a J. ' - 7.
tion of genius.
" ln'y c,oma, onIy et
eiTn Lesrion into their
the French Foreis
,n - .h .v.r -v-"
' --j vaniagfl
from the then Klns-of France and for
- uvutiii Liie x" kji cixn if"iri riTi
soundness, the wholesomeness and the
wearing Qualities of the result. Chlld-
hood is usually, and can easily be
made, one of the happiest and most de-
ligrhtful Deriorls of lif and to turn a.
joyous, care-free child, by some hot
house forcing process, into a man or a
woman years before the natural time,
to throw the cares and responsibilities
of life orrto the happy young shoulders
sooner than is actually necessary ap
pears a doubtful triumph, even If it
could be achieved. There has been no
better way devised for a child to spend
his time than simply int growing -up.
.rt tt ,, v,, u i.i. j .
and growing steadily and give him the
advantages of Intelligent society he
wiu ultimately arrive at whatever ln-
tellectual or practical goal he may be
capable of reaching, no matter what
you cram or don't cram Into his head
in the meantime.
This same idea of utter separation,
of antagonism between work and play',
between business and- niosnr no.'
tween occupation and exercise (that
when one begins, the other must stop),
which has been Instilled into us since
childhood, causes half our troubles
about healthful exercise in later life.
Although in our high school and col
lege aays we may have formed the
habit and recognized the value of "go.
lng in for" some kind of exercise or
sport, and of keeping in training so as
w Keep our heads clear for our studies,
when we enter business, all that sort
of childish foolishness is over and must
be dropped at once. Business is busi
ness. Life is serious. And now -that
ve have become men we must put awav
hours, is frowned upon as indecorous
and against tlfe rules of the game.
J-t you don t keep long hours you are
not really working; and if you allow
anything to distract your attention
from strict business in the office, the
store or the factory, you are wasting
your time. Thank heaven we are get
ting over the worst of this Insanity al
ready and are beginning to show signs
of lucid intervals in our business ma
nia. The growth of the Saturday half
holiday as a permanent institution, the
open-air Sunday, the regular observ
ance of legal holidays, with week-end
trips and excursions into the country
or to the beach attached, are all en-
couraging signs of the times and give
hope of a new wholesomeness and hap-
Plness for humanity.
But there still remains much to be
done in the way of officially recog-
riizinig that it is admissible, yes, good
business policy, as well as biological
righteousness,, to take advantage of
every opportunity that our business
affords to keep ourselves nhvsicallv
ft, and to manufacture new ones as
Quickly as possible, "A disordered liver
Predicts damnation,' as the old phrase
has It, and to let ourselves get clogged
and Poisoned with waste products and
cooked air not only slows down our
speed and diminishes our output, but
clouds and queers our business 1ude-
ment.
First of all, let us get a clear idea
Of what i)ane-or o- 1 , .
what standards to reach Th nf
muscular exercise to the" busv citv rL n
mVH .1 Tmode. f
manly beautor of athMi, ,
but to 2 T him m 6 efflcLnl rnor
, L 11 L JV"Cl""fc. m"
at his own trade or occupation or pro-
fession. Not to make him capable of
some sudden. spectacular feat or
heart-breaking strain of endurance
Dut to enable him to run smoothly,
steadily, comfortably, and meet and
conquer emergencies for 30. 40 or 50
years.
Don't attempt to train yourself to
,..., . - . . lo
beauty-show modei or beco T
!., Lt, . w mod el' or be come a cham-
' ' ' musci
that squirm under your skin like
ea
snak
unless you were 'fortunf6 k".'
be born that w.t tL"'1?
.
mat way. Though that
needn f vtrnrv
worry
lop
you; you .can deve
four vpn t- h t , ,
1- Legr'n belonSed to
opain.
In the present war part of the French The recruiting officer reads the can
Legion has been sent to the trenches didate a warning lecture. "Don't you
of France and Flanders and Alsace and know what the Legior. Is, monsieur?
to the Dardanelles. Part of it remains Surelv thern in Rnmpthi n t- holtop
in
-. . . . ,t, niti i naoiiat. onintr
mighty vigorous campaigning In the
-i---an- part or i ranee s wonderful
new African empire.
The Americans and other foreigners
who are enrolled as volunteers in the
French army are put in contact with
Sionaries. and this, while giving
m SCPe for their "Bating qualities
and assuring them an opportunity for
genuine campaigning, is the highest
measure of protection for them. It
guarantees them against foolish rash-
nesa . waII .-oin.. i , i . j
' "b" uoiiig jeu uiiu
traps or losing their head In critical
moments.
F'ght1 U rUtine k
Legionary, just as sailing a yacht is to
the expert mariner. The wi nds may be
different on each trip and the craft is
never handled twice in the same way,
but the exnert knowlr. f th
v . iwiwiubc u. tne teen-
nique of his trade makes Legionary
ana sKiDner each sennit nlmolf v,,--
eis - ner rnrniiri in ..... .i.-
, . .'
"icacut foreign iegion may be consld-
ered as dating from 1831. One brief
One brief
rule In Its constitution says that the
enlisting colonel may accept a man even
though he does not present a birth cer-
tiflcate or identification papers "Where-
fore the name, of the English and
legionaries have been Smith,
froml and Jone: of the Germans, Mul-
ler Sohwnrt Ttrt... t,.h
"""'"
jwsn ana urossi; of the French Petiot
namii nr rtrovi -n muhiJi.i-- i -a . .
t.r. a. th, ioYl
i . ...
" "V lnA Bme"nS -
" practlcal Purposes,
? ke6P urEelve fi
ewU cuwugu tiiiu attractive enouga ior
fit and ready, not
aerHnkbLk"Ttn:J:".t.r,
-
AND ITS INSPIRING INFLUENCE
Almost invariably he had been
a sol
dier, very freotientlv nn nffinn.
j
Severe campaigning in Africa
or in China for a sou a day, or a few
sous as you begin to advance, is no bed
of roses. You had better think it over
a day or two. No? You already are
aware? Very well, mon cher enfant,"
and his tone changes as he now speaks
as a Colonel to his soldier. "There is
a glorious career down there for the
right kind. If you are a good and faith
ful soldier you may go far. Good luck !"
tJ.
tel1
The recruiting Colonel can generally
at a glance what army the candi
. . . . . .
. haS erved in nd " be ha "
- " "" "--- in mo latter
Toilt. ZTf
hn"t fhJ VI 55 . , T."
r.inci v, v, , . .
" J. , he" ,hf arrl!eS "J h training
" 8 , Aca- One-who has been
an officer in a European army is usually
. , . , , , .
be ! J..h wh T'
io ob a sergeant or tne Legion.
Why do men join the Foreign Legion?
It has often been told how a fine young
man, down on his luck or who has com
mitted some haunting misdeed. Is about
to seek oblivion in the murky waters of
the Seine when the timely arrival of a
friend, with the hearty advice that one
can commit suicide Just as well in Al
ters as In Paris, makes him decide to
enlist In the Legion, and how this
st in the Legion, and how this
tea a new man of him and gives htm
mak
A new lAJLMA nf l!f That V.aa V. ,
The nnniilf V, I. ,u,
, Ji, Vota thr. mat. men
bUghted heart fftlr. J""
, ot rrelond wh tM T
reacts. correspond with the hard
The man of romantic soul who. in
the bitterness of his heart, would ko
out and die with his face to the foe
" sometimes get as far as the bat-
tlefield
Usually the surgeon-major
him at the very, first inscec-
. .
7- VST.. ToveU
.. a m-r WJf
I- OUr.e! brlht-
vicar, coior Kooa ana tf-mners ch?ftrfii .
a much milder suffering for a man of
soft hands, tender feet and otiose
habits that is soldiering In the desert,
and. besides, there Is a remedy for the
former. The occasional hopeless lover
who does get into the Legion becomes
a notorious cynic regarding the fair
sex and usually makes a very gay,
devil-may-care soldier.
Men enter th T.oHnn ni-fAfi-. t -
would seem, because soldiering of that
kind appeals to certain natures. Many
of the men who join could assure them-
selves good pay and relatively easy
times in the volunteer armies of other
tTi'm' thej!0in a corPs ln "lch
nghfini- afmo,t , t hardes,t Klnd. the
2 r Vlth CaSUal-
th. m severi of ww'l, d,"?,P""
1 l h .h ?hBre 18 any
nlv ttlZ anf,en;:nt and tho
Tfnnd thft y ' Wi" be Under-
sotdiering
..,.," , .
vet S?fL Z . tY Bet' d thCy
?b. ti!- r , th. PrUd bast
that they are Legionaries. The-man
who - can make this boast among
' "-- - r.Bnt or city
is at once acknowledged.
The term of enlistment is five years,
Most men re-enlist. There Is a pen-'
sion atter iu years service, practical
ly 15. as one year's campaigning counts
for two; and campaigning is almost
constant.
The age limit prescribed is 18, to 38
years. All recruits are entered some
where between that limit, but a re-
uianuiuijr large numoer oi them are
around 40 when they join they show
no nirtn certificates. The Legion up-
sets many established theories. Legion-
arles between 40 and 65 make far more
durable and reliable soldiers than men
between 20 and 30. This, of course.
is heresy to a certain class of phy-
sicians and trainers, but the hard facts
sustain it.
Marshal Macilahon, Marshal Can-
robert and many others of France's
great soldiers have been officers of the
Legion. Nowhere else is the test of
an officer so severe.
"Not onijc must be be a mxuiuf auper
1It.--ouh-d will wear longer
nnfl cHv..
the - long:
lative military qualities, strong, cour-
ageous, highly skilled In the science of
war, capable of obtaining and holding
the esteem and respect of the hard,
strong men whom he commands; but h
must also be endowed with rare qual-
lties , of judgment. with a profound
knowledge' of - human nature, with a
capacity for reaching prompt and ac-
curate decisions, with infinite tact and
commn sense.
iThe Legionaries are unusual men in
many ways. ' They are subjected to a
discipline of extraordinary rigor and
severity. But to attempt to apply dis-
cipUne by mathematical C8.lculat,on
wuld- t critcal moments, be a fatal,
e"'-tb ror the Germans are
charged with In Belgium and else-
here The officer must know how to
be tinninchingly severe even regard-
lng trifle,, but he must know
also how to be deaf, dumb and blind
at tImes regarding breaches which may
8eem ot the utmost gravity. In other
worQS, he mu8t be intimately conver-
sant with human nature and know-that
men are machines onlv un to a certain
point, that' at times something breaks.
th.t r.,nnn,ihiiuv ... v
demanded.
It happen, once in a long while that
a battalion -in' the .Summer Js back at
a station and inactive. . The men are
tip at 4:30 in the morning and after six
hours' work are given an hour and a
half rest,. after which they resume the
grind ' till 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
when they get their second meal of
soup for the day and. are free until
bedtime. In this free time of course,
they have to take the dally bath and
wash their uniforms, also a dally duty,
and furbish all their accoutrements,
But with a month or so of thl, life of
ease the morale softena and In the
meager cafes or drinking places of the
settlement on the edge of the desert an
outbreak will take place some night as
scandalous a, would be an outbreak in
a seminary of young clerical students.
This is one of the occasions when
the good officer closes an eye. He acts
as If -nothing;- ha4 'happened,
run than strenuous rounds of training
or bursts of speed competition for cup,
and records.
How much exercise, how much
breesing In the open Is necessary to
reach this Ideal? Less than we some
times think. If we happen to have
started with a reasonable physique, or
can get ourselves during some vaca
tion period Into a condition of elastic
responsive, physical fitness. , with
limber joint, and springy, easily
moving muscles, even If they don't
look like sausages or balloons. It is
really surprising what small amount
of hard muscular effort are needed to
keep ourselves fit. Though the muscles
built the mind In the first place and
render its continued existence possible,
still the mind reacts powerfully upon
the muscles, and there Is good reason
to believe that keen, vigorous, successful-
mental work reacts upon and
helps to keep -up a wholesome tone
and elasticity In the muscular system.
At all events, as a matter of . prac
tical observation. It is surprising in
how little time and with how little
effort a hard-working, successful
business man. who takes reasonable
advantage of his interludes and op
portunities can get himself Into train
ing tor his mountain-climbing, tennis
or rowing at the beginning of the out
door season or of his vacation. It is
quite possible for the business man,
the professional man and the indoor
worker to keep himself so ventilated
and recreated that he can start oft for
a five-mile heel-and-toe walk just as
he stands at any moment and enjoy It.
The man who can do this is In Ideal
condition, fit' for anything that may
happen for hard thinking, keen com
petition, executive strain, heavy loads
of work and responsibilities, to say
nothing of risk of attack by some
"bug" or -another, which Is always
roaming about In Its thousand, ready
to jump on a man the moment ho Is
down or even lowers his guard.
One reason for this Is that we make
so much mora muscular effort, do so
much more work with our muscles In
even Indoor occupations than we usual
ly realize. 'WTille we think with our
minds, every particle of expression of
our thoughts, yes, even of the formula
tion of them to ourselves, is with our
muscles. Speech, gesture. - writing,
drawing, creating doing all these are
muscular. And we do an astonishing
amount of our thinking with our hands
and even with our feet or at least
their activities must run parallel.
To take such a simpfe matter as the
amount of moving about from place to
place which we do in indoor and even
n so-called sedentary occupations .
pedometers attached to business men
in offices, to clerks in stores, member,
of the executive force in factories, are
said to have shown that these prison
ers at the desk, these slaves, chained
to the counter, actually walk from two
and a half to as high as five, six or
seven miles a day in their ordinary
occupations, counting in excursions
to and from lunch and walking to and
from the streetcar or train.
In the case of busy, careworn house
wives the results were even more sur
prising, for records of six. seven and
even 12 miles a day are said to have
been recorded by the remorseless and
incorruptible instrument. Not a little,
in fact, of the fatigue of the classic
and much-pitied "tired business man"
who is a good deal of a humbug and
really enjoys himself keenly after his
own fashion (taking his business as the
greatest game on arth) is really mus
cular fatigue rather than brain fag.
This fatigue is not so much the gen
eral and symmetrical kind that give,
the "comfortably tired" feeling and
make, you sleep well, but one-sided
and local.
Just to take what might be regarded
as a rather trifling element and one
very often overlooked, quite a consid
erable share of what we term "brain
fag" or nerve- fatigue, is really eye
strain. This, as we now know, is not
strain of the sense of sight or fatig-ue
or inflammation of the optic nerve, but
simple muscle fag from overworking
the muscles of accommodation that ad
just the eye for near vision; painful
fatigue of the slender outside muscles
which roll the eyeballs in various di
rections and pull them together so that
they can converge and concentrate upon
the page of a book qr of a ledger. Par
ticularly if that page be at the wrong
distance from the eye or the wrong
slope or the wrong angle toward the
light.. ,. Have. your. far. sight or astig
matism or near sight corrected by
proper glasses, hold your letters or pa
pers at the proper distance and the
right angrle, so that the light strikes
squarely upon-them-over your' shoul
der, and you will greatly diminish your
chances not only of brain fag. but of
headache and stomach disturbance. A
combination which in fact make, up
one of the forms of so-called bilious
ness and not an uncommon one.
Another fruitful cause of fatigue and
depression from Indoor work 1,
cramped or faulty positions of stand
ing or citting. We don't realize what
a surprising amount of muscular work
we are doing when we are Just sitting
still, still less when we are standing
stilL The only time when our body
muscles are completely relaxed and at
rest is when we are lying down. When
we are sitting the great muscle, of
our back and sides and shoulder, and
neck are In constant contraction and
often under the most wearing strain,
,o that indeed. Incredible as It seems
at first sight, simply sitting still, ex
cept In the very best-balanced and sup
ported of positions, is often more fa
tiguing than walking about. Just a
the most utterly exhausting muscular
effort known is standing perfectly still
and erect. Even the strongest athlete
can only pose living statue fashion for
a few minutes at a stretch.
The Naughty Trnmeter.
London Chronicle.
The swearing habits of our soldiers
annoyed Lord Wolseley. who became
president of a society for the suppres
sion of improper language. One day
when he was inspecting an . Irish gar
rison, commanded by an officer re
nowned for his purple flower, of
speech, the trumpeter, ordered to sound
the "charge," sounded tho- "retreat" In
stead. The officer's mouth' had opened
to volley forth appropriate denuncia
tions, when he caught Wolseley's eye,
fixed icily upon him. He hesitated,
choked, stared wildly around, then bel
lowed. "Oh, you naughty, naughty,
trumpeter"