New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-08-07
THE SOCIAL PROBLEM OF TO-DAY.

| THE SOCIAL PROBLEM OF lO-DA1'
| HOW 10 BUILD THE BEST BRAIN WITHOUT INJURY
| TO THE HIGHEST PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF
| TIE RACE-sEX AND IFS FUNCTIONS To BE
| ACCEPTED AS ELEMENTS IN EDUCATION-PAPER
| READ BEFORE THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL AS
| ISOLATION BY DR. EDWARD II. CLARKE.
The following is a very full abstract of the
paper entitled 1.-THE Building OF Brain read before
the National lucatiOual Association by Dr. Edward Ii.
Clarke author of " Sex in EducauOn:"
No race of human Kind has yet obtained permanent
foothold upon continent the Asatics trace back
their life IN Asia so far that the distance between to-
day and their recorded startingpon5 seems like geo
logic epoch. TIE descendants OF the Ptolemys still
inger about the Nile. The race that pcoped Northern
Europe, when Greece ami Rome were young not only
retains It's place and power but makes itself felt
and heard throughout the world. Ga this continent.
races have been born, and lived, and diappearec.
Mounds at the West vcstiges in Florida aud traces else
where procalm at least extinct The causes
OF their disappearance are undiscovered We only KNOW
that they are gone. The Indian, whom our ancestors
confronted was losing his hold on the continent when
the Mayhower anchored in Plymouth Bay, aud Is now
rapidly disappearing also. 1t remains to be seen II the
Anglo Saxon race which has ventured upon continent
that has proved the tomb Of anecedent races can be
more fortunate than they in maintaining permanent
grasp upon this Western world One thing at least Is
suret will fall as previous have failed unless 1t
can produce physique anu brain capaDio OF meeting
successfully the deuanls IndI our TIC
ton make upon it, Bat the Anglo-Saxon will not be
satisfied aud ought not TO be, with simply securing
permanent foOthod He will not rest content with
mere accimation and existence. The sponge aud the
oyster can exist, and perpetuate their KIND. He
must do more than they He must ascend in the scale
OF being. as well as exist.
THE TWO DUTIES OF CIVILIZATION.
Two duties, then, are imposed upon our civilization.
Two problems are presented to our educators. The
fha lion, nff hn
in America aud secondly to provide for the survival
OF the ttest also The problems are, first TO de-
yeop the individual to the highest degree and, second
w. TO obtain this development without Interfering with
the perpetuation of the best In other words, humanity
demands, education must give, both the highest
development OF the individual aud the perpetuatiOn Of
the fttest. II has been argued with much apparent
force that these results impossible because the
highest cerebral development. being made the ex-
pense Of the rest OF the organization sterzes in
dvduals whose brains attain such supposed
proportion and quality. This Is not the place,
1t fall within the scope of this paper, point out the
faacy OF such statement II Is referred only
the purpose Of calling attention 10 ply theological error
that has already been ngrafed into system Of edu
cation and which exerts its most pernclOus influence
In our common and high schools VIZ the Of ex-
cusey developing one part OF the organization at the
expense Of and by ignoring. the Every physoIo
gist knows that oDeslded development possible and
may be arfcially attained. The athlete may develop
his muscle the GutOn his stomach, aud the sensuast
his power the expense OF the brain and conversely
the brain may DC developed at the expense muscle
stomach and reproductive force and this nharmoni-
GUS growth may be carried far, by dwarng more or
less of the organization TO produce what ply slOogy
calls monstrous brains, sOmachs muscles and the like
that is, mOnstrosies, which. by beneticent law Of
Mature, cannot perpctuate themselves.
How much literature, politics, and morals OF the
world NAV have suffered from the abnormal intro
cranal development OF some, who, like Byron, Napo-
leon, aud LOyoa, compelled the worlds attention.
we may guess, but can never know. Shakespeare's
brain probably crowned a nervous system and body
that presented very little nharmOnious growth. Doubt
less the same may be said Of Mary Somerve.
Brains rule the world and the individual The prob
lem OF the age which educators TO solve. with all
the light that experience. aided by physiology and
Election, can give, is, how TO build the best brains
ont OF the materials given 10 work with. The
demand of humanity is, Give the best pos
sible brain for men and women both. Fortunate
w. the necessity OF answering this demand admits
OF 10 dispute. The best possible brain is as much
necessity for one for the other. Indeed.
is the divine alliance between the that II is
to produce the best possible brain for
unless you produce the possible brain for the other
also. This constitution OF human nature,-the inter
dependence of the sexes by which the advance OF one
contingent upon the advance OF the other the best de-
yeopment Of TIE masculine and fcmluine brain made "