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Show ; j j 1 iew years ago wuiiam 01 1T 1 r ' YT I James wrote an article on vyj iylaking Une s Work what might be called men-Congenial men-Congenial Is Best tal second wind, his thesis By J. G. DENT. Cincinnati. OKio beinS that just as in phys- I ical effort, mental effort ' ' brought on preliminary sen sations of tiring,, but that if these were disregarded they would pass and exertion could be continued for a long time without discomfort or injury. Professor James, further developing his theory, explains the almost overpowering over-powering capacity for toil of many well-known historical characters on the basis that rather than having any unusual mental capacity they were men who had merely learned the possibilities of the human mind when driven by will power or absorbing interest. Along these lines the Boston Herald remarks that the assumption that work is always tiring, and amusement, so called, is not, is one that will not bear analysis. "If a man be more interested in his work than in what generally passes as play," says the Herald, "It is almost certain that it is better for him to do the thing that he prefers. "A great deal is heard about the breakdowns caused by overwork, but little is said about nervous collapses that come from having too little to occupy the mind, which are probably even more frequent. Moreover, much that is laid to hard work is often the result of an occupation that do not interest, or more frequently still of worry." There is, no doubt, much truth in the assumption that long hours of work tiro not tedious and do not impair one's strength or attention if the work is congenial. That may account for the working "debauches" of Edison and possibly other men of achievement. It is equally true, doubtless, that work which is not congenial is tiring. One feels driven by it. Then it is probably unwise to continue it for long hours at a stretch. Adapting one's self to one's work in such a way that it becomes congenial is, however, a reasonable and possible accomplishment |