The Rude Pace of Life…in 1907

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Norman Rockwell, © SEPS

Men who would not, in a dining-room, push others out of the way, rush to a table, and begin to gorge with both hands, think the same sort of conduct in their offices not only excusable, but a sort of virtue.

The whole gospel of hustle is very much overdone. To rush is not necessarily to develop real efficiency. Quite as often it develops mere aimless commotion, comparable to that of a pup frantically chasing his tail.

The above is the unabridged editorial, “The Pace That Insults,” from the August 24, 1907, issue of the Post.

This article is featured in the July/August 2017 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.