BONES, MUSCLES, EXERCISE AND REST. 301 



power and labor. He rose with the sun in summer, and let 

 it go down upon his toil. He allowed himself a few hours 

 for sleep, and a few minutes for food, and no time for di- 

 gestion. But in a few years he was worn out, and was then 

 and afterwards, in health and strength, an old man. For the 

 rest of his years he was an invalid, and unable to undertake 

 even the lightest labor of his farm. Such instances of com- 

 plete waste of power by excess of labor may be rare, yet the 

 lesser degree of exhaustion is very prevalent. We find many 

 who, after the middle period of life, feel obliged to favor 

 themselves, and do lighter work, and with more frequent in- 

 tervals of rest than others, because they have overworked and 

 expended their power; and there are not many laborious 

 men who do not thus begin to slacken in their labors soon 

 after, perhaps before, they have passed their fiftieth year. 



696. This constant labor, not only wastes the strength, but 

 breaks up the constitution, and finally disarms it of its power 

 of resistance to the causes of death. Hence the life of the 

 overwrought laborer is, in general, shorter than that of the 

 moderate worker. According to the registration of deaths in 

 Massachusetts, for the 20 years and 8 months ending with 

 1863, it seems that the average length of life is the shortest 

 with those classes of men whose days are spent in the severest 

 toils. The ages and professions of men are recorded in' these 

 registers ; and from these we learn that 19,252 farmers died at 

 the average age of 64 years and 37 days; 14,733 common day 

 laborers, at the average age of 45 years and 11 months ; and 

 5070 sailors, at the average age of 45 years and 8 months. 



697. The farmer is not obliged to make so continued 

 and unremittingly severe exertions as the day laborer. He 

 has a capital in store, and, in jnost cases, can have help at 

 command, and suspend his own labor, or take the lighter 

 tasks. But for the laborer, each day's bread must be ob- 

 tained by that day's toil. To him there is allowed no rest 

 nor choice of work; and to him is usually assigned the 

 heaviest and the hardest. The sailor is presumed to be, in 

 all cases, a man of full strength. He must assume his share 



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