EDITOR'S TABLE. 



411 



are indebted to him for light, awaken- 

 ing, and emancipation, there should be 

 some formal and decisive utterance of 

 what may be fairly taken as the Amer- 

 ican estimate of the man. In obedi- 

 ence to this sentiment, the best arrange- 

 ments were made that the time would 

 allow for speeches more thoughtful and 

 even solid than are usual on such com- 

 plimentary occasions. The wisdom of 

 the policy was abundantly vindicated. 

 The temper of the gathering required 

 that the addresses should not only be 

 interesting, but weighty with apprecia- 

 tion of the opportunity. The guest of 

 the evening was received with enthusi- 

 asm, and listened to in utter silence, 

 that not a word should be lost. All 

 the other speakers were received with 

 the most cordial applause ; and when 

 Mr. Beecher ended his stirring and 

 whole - hearted address, at twelve 

 o'clock, there was a fervid enthusiasm 

 on the part of all that broke into a 

 common expression of pleasure at the 

 success of the affair. Many others there 

 were ready, and would have been glad, 

 had time allowed, to join in the em- 

 phatic tribute of respect and admiration 

 for the distinguished guest. 



It may be added that the only draw- 

 back upon the Spencer banquet was the 

 large number of those who were disap- 

 pointed in not being present. Had 

 there been more time for preparation, 

 the committee of arrangements would 

 have chosen a place capable of seating 

 five hundred, instead of two hundred, 

 at table ; though, had publicity been 

 given to the affair through the press, 

 the same difficulty would have occurred 

 on a larger scale. 



THE QUESTION OF OVERWORE. 



In- his address at the complimentary 

 dinner tendered to him in New York, 

 Mr. Spencer took up the subject of 

 overwork criticised the Americans as 

 faulty in this respect, pointed out the 

 evil consequences of excess in this di- 

 rection, said that it implied an imper- 



fect social ideal, and intimated that as a 

 people we need more relaxation. His 

 criticisms and advice have been gener- 

 ally received as sound and proper, but 

 they have also elicited protests in vari- 

 ous shapes, some of which it may be 

 well to notice. 



Mr. Spencer's countryman, George 

 Jacob Holyoake, was recently honored 

 with a reception in this city, and in his 

 remarks he referred to Mr. Spencer's 

 criticism dissentingly. He is reported 

 as expressing great admiration of Amer- 

 ican activity and enterprise. As for the 

 people being in too great a hurry, he 

 thought Mr. Spencer himself would get 

 to be in a hurry if he staid here six 

 months, in the midst of opportunities 

 and competitions that are enough to 

 make an angel hurry. Shrewd Eng- 

 lishmen understand that Americans love 

 to be told that they are smart and beat 

 the world in enterprise. 



But can so clear-headed a man as 

 Mr. Holyoake fail to see that there is a 

 special danger whero the tendency to 

 exertion becomes so irresistible where 

 individual impulses are only intensified 

 by surrounding influences ? The greater 

 the temptation the greater is the peril 

 of success, and the greater the need of 

 restraint. Will it be said that there is 

 no such thing possible as injurious over- 

 work, or that the powerful strain upon 

 men can be safely kept up without cor- 

 responding counteractions ? The very 

 question is absurd. The common ex- 

 perience of human nature testifies that 

 men can very easily kill themselves by 

 over-exertion. The problem is simply 

 one of a proper balance between op- 

 posing tendencies. Where there is great 

 stress in the direction of laborious ac- 

 tivity, adequate counter-checks are de- 

 manded. Mr. Spencer did not so much 

 condemn strenuous work, in which, in- 

 deed, he believes, as the lack of com- 

 pensating recreations to countervail its 

 mischievous effects. 



Mr. Seymour Haden, another of Mr. 

 Spencer's countrymen, in a compliment- 



