Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1875 — Taking It Easy. [ARTICLE]

Taking It Easy.

We may just as well confess that there are simple things which are very hard to do; and keeping easy under all cir. Constances is one of them. It is not every man that has the philosophical composure of the mill-owner who, when his factory was burning, quietly remarked that the pleasure of earning SBO,OOO was compensation enough for him, and having done it once he could do it again, or something better. But there is no question that this disposition is a very convenient commodity to have a large supply of in thesl uncertain and pinching times. There is a good deal more disquiet, chafing and irritation among us than is wholesome or well. We fret too much over things that cannot be helped, and the boiling over of the pot puts out the fire. Competition makes our people eager, and it is hard not to quicken one’s pace when everybody else is on the run. It would be really better for our health if we took things more easily, and laughed and joked and played with children, and were merry with friends in the teeth of misfortune. More people fret themselves out than work themselves out. Chafing is taking things by the wrong handle, and cutting the fingers instead of carving the meat. The sockets of human nature require a great deal of the oil of gladness to keep them in good working order, and the art of life consists very largely in keeping-them well lubricated. In these crowded ways people do grind into each other terribly, unless they protect themselves hy fenders of good feeling, as ships keep their sides trom being rubbed through. To take things easy is the happy way. We tire of teasing one who turns every criticism into a joke, and the fates relent and grow kind toward those who keep an unfailing stock of sunshine for cloudy days, and welcome the storms for rest or experiment. There was sound wisdom in the course of the woman who was terrified by lightning until she caught a glimpse of its effects on the landscape, and forgot all her fears in watching its spectacles and admiring its splendors. Americans are proverbially anxious. They borrow trouble when they do not have it, and when they have a little they borrow more. They are tco much exercised about to-morrow to quite enjoy to-day, or use it to the best advantage. One of the things we need specially to cultivate as a people is the act of taking things easy. It makes a world of difference in the comfort of life whether the peas in the shoes are hard or cooked. —Hearth and Home.