Work and Play

Work hard and play plenty is a sound principle for the conduct of life. In practice, of course, points of difference arise regarding the kind and intensity of the work to be done and its proportion to the time of leisure and play.

Human progress is being greatly helped in modern times by machinery which tends to reduce the hours of work with an almost automatic increase in the hours of play.

He is fortunate who can start out in life with the kind of work for which he has some personal aptitude, although—such is the adaptability of the human animal —with good health, a generous spirit, application and determination, almost anyone can succeed in any kind of employment.

Part of the pleasure of work is in seeing the result, and part of the pleasure of play is the change it affords from work—and that applies to the hours of the day, the days of the week, high day, holidays and Sundays—to the years of youth before work becomes an obligation, and to the years of age, when the time of toil is past and an Indian summer of relaxation has been gained.

There was an old song which held popular favour for many years, and its refrain, “Knocking round the city, watching other people work—that will never upset me,” still finds a response in the hearts of most people —as can be attested by the crowds who gather to see any expert in any line of business do his work in a public place. And a good man usually has no objection to being watched at his job, because he takes pride in it and in his own proficiency.

To see a capable shunting gang at work cutting up or making up a train, is as good an example of skill and understanding—teamwork at its best—as any man could wish. Other interesting railway operations to watch are the quickness and fidelity of craftsmanship shown by a workshops machinist; the judgment of an enginedriver; the reliability of a guard's sheet: the sureness of a signalman: the cohesion of a loading, line or bridge gang; all these and a thousand other arts and crafts in the railways and in the world outside are seen and enjoyed by those who like to view the work of man's hands. It is when the interrelation of all these activities is considered that one realises the truth of the lines:—

“All are needed by each one:
Nothing is fair or good alone.”

Production and manufacture in our times are getting along famously and we might relapse into a condition of contentment with our lot—play more and take our ease more freely—were it not for salesmanship—that spur to human desires which makes life an ascending stairway of wants satisfied and new desires created.

So it is the part of wisdom to find a proper balance between enough and too much of either work or play for the fullest enjoyment of life.

To some a change of work is play, and others are like Kipling's “Tramp Royal” who, although he could “turn his hand to most, and turn it good,” said:

“Pay couldn't hold me
when my time was done
For something in my
head upset me all
Till I had dropped
whatever twas—for good,
And out at sea beheld
the dock lights die,
And met my mate, the wind
that tramps the world.”