LABOUR AND EXERCISE
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The essayist opens the present essay with a statement there are two types of bodily labour: one is that which people do to earn bread and the other is that which people do to keep their body healthy and to have pleasure. Both involve labour in it. If there is difference between, it is the difference of bread, it is known as LABOUR but when we do it for pleasure and health, it is known as exercise.
During the spectator’s stay in the country house of Sir Roger, he has come to a conclusion that a countryman enjoys better health than a city based man. The reason is that country life provides more scope for bodily labour and exercise than city life.
The spectator comments on human body saying that it is a system of tubes and glands then he explains the same thing in rustic phrase that human body is a budle of pipes and strainers. All these pipes and strainers are inter connected which makes it a complete engine for the proper functioning of this engine, bodily labour is a must.
THE SPECTATOR NOW EXPLAINS VARIOUS ADVANTAGES OF LABOUR AND EXERCISE:
(1) Human body is an engine made of pipes and strainers and it requires frequent movement for its functioning and to throw out dirt, these frequent movement are given to body with the help of labour and exercise.
(2) The second advantage of physical labour and exercise is that it shapes our humours, it rebuilds our spirit and confidence and it gives us mixing nature. A man without physical labour and exercise becomes stingy and doubtful in nature and can not mix with others. Labour and exercise makes our nature cheerful and it destroys monotony of life.
(3) The third advantage of physical labour and exercise is that it improves our mental faculties, it gives us clear understanding, refines our ignition and it activates our spleen because of which our temperament does not get despair and dejection. It nourishes human mind with good thoughts.
(4) The fourth advantage of labour and exercise is that it keeps our body healthy and active. The spectator praises here. God who has given appropriate shape and limbs to human body because pf which man can do labour and exercise. Man can stretch, compress and exercise. God made it a rule that nothing valuable can be achieved without labour and exercise. Man must struggle and work hard in order to achieve something precious and so man has to accept labour and exercise. The Spectator is of the opinion that nothing valuable can be achieved without toil of hands and sweat of brow.
The Spectator here passes a comment on all those who are rich. The general notion of the people is to consider rich fortunate and poor unfortunate. The spectator does not agree with this notion of the people. He is of the opinion that poor are fortunate because they get a chance for labour and exercise. He would like to consider rich unfortunate because they don’t have to work hard. The spectator calls them a miserable lit if they neglect even exercise. What the spectator wants to say is that labour and exercise are equally essential for health, rich and poor.
SIR ROGER’S LOVE FOR LABOUR AND EXERCISE:
The spectator informs the readers about how Sir Roger used to participate in labour and exercise in his youth. The spectator gives an account of Sir Roger’s love for labour and exercise.
(1) Some of the rooms of Sir Roger’s house are filled with trophies and medals wom by Sir Roger as a sportsman.
(2) The walls of his rooms are decorated with horns of deer, which he considers the most valuable/precious furniture of his house. Those medals and trophies prove that Sir Roger had never been an idle person.
(3) In the living toom of his house, the skin of Otter is stuffed with hay. Sir Roger’s hunting dog had killed that Otter.
(4)One room of Sir Roger’s house is an arsenal room- a room full of guns and all other weapons. The spectator mentions that Sir Roger used to do a havoc in the forest with those weapons by killing partridges, pheasants and woodcocks.
(5)The doors of Sir Roger’s stable are decorated with the nose of fixes, killed by him. Now because of his old age he has given up hunting as an exercise. Now as an aged man he prefers the exercise of walking and he us going to the field and farms to serve the purpose of exercise.
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Conclusion
The essayist concludes the present essay saying that the best exercise for both men and women is horse riding because horse riding gives the movement to every part of the body. The spectator is reminded af how he used to fight with his own shadow. It opens the chest, developes the power of arms and there is no risk of getting blows from the rival because it is an artificial fight with one’s own shadow. It also gives the joy of boxing. The spectator winds up his essay with an advice to the readers that they should not waste their time in disputes and conflicts. It would be better for mankind to use their time in labour and exercise. He believes that mankind should employ body in labour and exercise, and soul should be employed in study and contemplation/ meditation.