Recognized HTML document

iii.]   ORIGIN OF TASTE FOR SCIENCE.   229

A great deal of energy is wasted in attempting to seize more than can be grasped. There is a feverish tendency, fostered by the daily press, to interest oneself in all that goes on, which leads to perpetual distraction, and curtails the time available for serious and sustained effort. It may be

worth while to mention a curious little morbid experience of my own, as suggestive of much more mischief ; it is this :-A few years ago, I had foolishly overworked myself, as many others have done, misled by a. perverted instinct which goaded to increased exertion, instead of dictating rest. The consequence was, that I fairly broke down, and could not, for some days, even look at a book or any sort of writing. I went abroad ; and though I grew much better and could amuse myself with books, the first town where I experienced real repose was Rome. There was no doubt of the influence of the place-it was strongly marked ; and for a long time I sought in vain for the reason of it. At last, what I accept as a full and adequate explanation, occurred to me ; simply that there were no advertisements on the walls. There was a pic-