There is no
such thing as "menial" work; the washing of dishes and the carting
away of garbage are just as necessary and important as the running
of a railway or the making of laws. The real horror is the dead weight
of ennui, the aimlessness and fruitlessness of a life that has done
nothing and has nothing to do. If the thought of the day's work
depresses, it is probably because of ill health, over fatigue, unpleasant
surroundings or companions, because of worry, or because the particular
work is not congenial. The finding of the right work for the right
man and woman is one of the great problems which we have hardly begun
to solve. But all of these sources of the distaste for work can normally,
or eventually, be reached and the evil remedied. In spite of the burden
and the strain, if we could have our way with the order of things,
one of the most foolish things we could do would be to take away the
necessity of work. Here, as usual, personal and social needs coincide;
in the working life alone can be found a lasting satisfaction for the
soul and the hope of salvation for society. Are competitive athletics
desirable? As samples of the concrete problems involved in the ideal
of health and efficiency, we may briefly discuss two questions that
confront particularly the young man. And first, that concerning athletic
sports are of marked value:
(1) They are to any normal man or woman, and especially to the young
who have not yet become immersed in the more serious game of life,
one of the greatest and most tonic joys.
Pages:
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239