The Curse of Idleness by Christian World

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 2, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 46.

The Curse of Idleness.

By Christian World

HE was a wise man who prayed, "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me." And the reasons he gave are very applicable to the present day: "Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." These ancient words are pregnant with the blessings belonging to that great middle class, which we are accustomed to consider an invention of modern times. Obliged to work for their living, they are taught self-denial and self-control by the necessities of their position. They are never at a loss how to spend their day; and to men who wish there were thirty hours in the day, the notion of "killing time" is almost as shocking as homicide. Add to this the Puritan tradition, which influences the middle ranks almost exclusively, and a very good case is made out why they, rather than any other, should be considered the privileged class. Above them luxury and idleness too often relax the fiber of responsibility; below them, hardness of circumstance and insufficiency of wages, with consequent squalor, are too much for anything but a heroic temper to overcome. Give idle lordings and silly ladies daily task work, and they would have a healthier will. Double the wages of the working class all around, and the next generation would be transfigured and transformed.—Christian World.