Once, in the old time long past, the physically
weak suffered. Might was right then, and brute
force carried the day. The strongest men in
body were capable of dealing with the
institutions of those days, just as the strongest
men in mind can grapple with the institutions
of these days. Force of body then, force of
mind and character now. Swift gaze, strong
arm, nimble feet in the one age. Quick perception,
firm nerve, versatile brain in the other age.
There are men whose minds are exactly fitted by
nature to carry away the prizes of these times,
as there were men with bodies which enabled
them to win those of a less refined period. The
vigorous aggressive man of the feudal time made
his way and gained his object with spear and
battle-axe. The same thing happens now, only
we go to work with weapons drawn from a less
material armoury.

What is to become, then, of those who cannot
be reckoned among the strongest of the
strong? Are they to strain and tear their faculties
to shreds, until such sad results are brought
about as we have glanced at above? Or are
they to drop, shouldered out of the contest
altogether? They are to do neither the one
thing nor the other. They should remain and
try to do what they can, but by no means what
they can't. How many achievements may now
be crammed into the space of a single day.
What journeyings, what multiplicity of
incongruous business- transactions, what breakfasts
in one part of the world, what suppers in
another! I remember to have heard it said,
by one who was a special worker in the most
modern of all our fields of labour, that one of the
commonest mistakes of the day is to suppose
that, because in these times you can do things
so much more quickly than they could be
done formerly, therefore you can do so many
more things. There is much truth in these
words. Your mental acts, your decisions
laboriously arrived at, are carried out with
incredible swiftness; but can you multiply such
acts and such decisions with equal rapidity, and
not suffer for it? Why should our brains work
more closely and quickly than they used, because
our machinery does?

For this very reason that work is done more
quickly than was once the case, men might take
more rest now, than they did formerly, were it
not for the existence of a certain great element
in our social life, with the mention of which I
propose to bring this letter to an end: I mean
the luxury of the age, with which, it seems, that
it behoves every man to keep pace. Here is the
real difficulty. Here is the explanation of the
prevalence among us of those disorders which
arise from an overtaxing of the powers. For
how can a man be moderate in his labours, when
his expenditure is immoderate; or how can
he reduce the number of hours to be devoted
to money-making, when all the time he can by
possibility give to that laborious occupation
is barely enough to meet the requirements of
the day?

It is necessary, dear sir, that I should bring
this letter, already a long one, to a close. Before
doing so, however, I would ask you to observe,
that in every case which has been cited, those
who suffer by the introduction of modern institutions
are the middle-aged and the elderly, who
have not grown up along with those institutions,
but who have, so to speak, been surprised and
overtaken by them. Have a care then, my worthy
sir, have a care, I entreat you, and leave the
superintendence of all the more rapid transactions
which belong to the business operations of the
day to us of the new generation. We take
things much more coolly than you can, we are
less excitable, and much less is taken out of us
than would be the case if we got into a state
of fuss about everything, as some of our elders
do.

I have not yet exhausted all that I have to
say to you, but will reserve the rest for one or
two future letters. Meanwhile I am, with the
warmest desire for your well-being, which,
believe me, I will spare no pains to secure,
                     Your affectionate Son,
                           P. CHESTERFIELD, Junior.

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