THE MONOTONIES OF DAILY LIFE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 48, 28 November 1891, Page 626

THE MONOTONIES OF DAILY LIFE.

Not long ago a prominent merchant, who committed suicide, left a note stating that his reason for the act was that he was tired of doing the same things over every day. The monotony of life had become unendurable to him. It hardly seems a sufficient reason for so desperate a resort as suicide, yet, if the truth were known, it is probably the one reason rot many of the suicides that occur among particular sorts of people in middle life, and this is the period of life when suicides are more frequent. After men have reached the hopefulness of youth and before they have reached the resignation of age, it is then existence becomes a very dull thing ; to dress and undress at the same hour 365 times a year. To sit regularly, at regular hours, at the same table and consume the same viands ; to go to the same place of business and handle the same books, make the same bargains, perform the same duties, do always the same thing with little variation, with little prospect of variation, till death supervenes and brings it all to an end, offers not a bright outlook. But it is the reality of life —tc most lives—and the higher the race rises in civilization, the further the division of labour goes, the greater becomes the monotony. Each worker learns to do some one thing and continues to do it, and does it over'and over, year after year. But this sort of feeling is experienced only by persons who are filled with nervous energy, who are impatient of the restraints of society or the exactions of the ordinary duties of life. Such a person would fill the role of explorer, wanderer, a seeker of adventures in strange lands, caring little whither his progress led, if only it be the realization of change, the finding of something new. To such a constitution and temperament the monotony of prosperity would be as unbearable as the monotony of a narrow fortune and exacting daily labour. There are places for such restless spirits if theycouldalwayssecurethem. For such there might be in store something brilliant and distinguished, although they would be most likely to realize the meaning of the proverb about the rolling stone. True, life is prosy and monotonous enough, but not too much so for most people. The urgent demands of practical existence do not leave much time for romance, but nevertheless there are still nooks and corners into which the light of fairyland shines, while few hearts are denied the delights of love, the consolations of friendship and the stimulating influences of duty and devotion to principle. But all can neither be heroes nor saviours any more than all can be monsters of depravity. Most of us have to be commonplace persons. Let us be thankful rather than foolishly dissatisfied with our lot.