The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1869-11-18

important and universal manual opera
tons, it is on the average, perhaps, the
most imperfectly executed. There are
many men who can peg shoes, or do fine
sewing, or play violin for many hours
together but there are comparatively few
who can write many consecutive letters
without great fatigue. On the contrary,
the extent TO which its powers can be de-
vsleped is shown in the manipulations of
jugglers, and in very many important me-
chanical operations.
The subject of physical education is now
attracting universal attention, and its i'm
portance is generally admitted 1t has,
however, been too exclusively considered
in relation to health, and instruc-
ton has been confined principally
to the development of the larger
muscles of the body and increase
of general strength This is all right so
far as it goes, but it ought not to be for
| gotten that in the emergencies of life the
hand plays by far the most important part
of all the members, and that to enlarge its
powers, is to add directly to the resources
| of its possessor. If legs are lost, skillful
hands can supply partial substitutes If
| eyes are extinguished, the hand if educated
can still supply the physical necessities of
the blind. If hearing fails, the hands re-
place spoken Language by an inferior but
| Ineligible language of signs, but If the
| hands are lost what can in any measure
compensate for this overwhelming calam-
| ity? The feet can only in measure take
| the place of hands after many years of
practice, and immunity from the severe
labor of walking; and it is very doubtful
whether any adult could ever succeed in
making toes do the work Of fingers, al
though children born without arms have
been known to do So
| What excuse can there be, then, for neg
lecting the early and careful instruction
of both hands. We are not speaking of an
| impIacticable thing when we say it is pos
sible to rear chill en- so that whatever one
hand can do the .her may do equally well.
| We know this Ias been accomplished IN
many notable instances, where the disa-
bility of the left hand has been rectified,
in spite of all obstacles arising from bad
habits acquired in childhood. We have
seen surgeons transfer an instrument from
one hand to the other during an operation,
whenever convenience required it, with
out the least awkwardness. We have seen
craftsmen using both hands in coloring
drawings, an immense advantage both to
rapidity of work and evenness of shading
We have see wOOdmen chop timber right
or left handed" and one carpenter who
used hammer or saw with either hand
with nearly equal facility. In all these
cases, the use of the left hand in common
: with the right gave very much greater
efficiency.
We have seen many instances of chill
dren whose parents were foreigners, grow
ing up among children of American birth
and speaking the language of theil
! parents, or of their playmates, with equa
facility, and we are confident that the two
; languages are acquired in such cases a.
/. easily as one would be- The same cas-,
would undoubtedly attend the learning Il
use either hand for all necessary manipula
tiOns, so that no fear that both would be
come awkward need be apprehended..
Thus the resources of those 'dependen
8 upOn manual labor for subsistence woulC
be nearly doubled, much time and expens
3 would be saved in the requirement of art
; specially requiring the employment of tn
/, left hand, and the superior grace ant
dignity attending complete and sym
, metrical development would be in mucl
| larger measure attained.
Much more might be said in regard t
\ the education of the hand, but as thi
article is only intended to arouse the at
: tention of thinking people to radica
defect in physical education, we may ap
= propriately close our remarks with tn
= following quotation from that admirabl
: poem The Hand and its Work." by Mr..
= Hale.
An wants that from our nature rise
Lies common cares, the hand supplies
! | II tends and clothes myriad race,
And forms for each resting place
And ccaseless ministry doth Keep
l. From cradle dream TO coffin Sleep
r Scientific american.