Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1875-11-27
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Most Of us attribute our ill-health, or
unhappiness, to low condition of the
body and want of physical exercise and
pleasure, ignoring the facttfiat the mind
has most important influence upon the
bodily system, and is often the cause of
much suffering which. might easily be
avoided five only looked tothes0uree of
the evil and considered the means neces-
sary for its prevention. Few people at
tach sufficient Importance to the care of
the mental faculties, which are frequent
ly either injured by an undue degree of
exertion or weakened by neglect and
disuse. The vast amount of s'sOcial pres
sure which bears. upon the daily life of
Bushes meA furnishes only too many M
stances of the abuse Of the mind by over
exertion. The rising man who is making
a mark in his profession, or amassing
wealth i'm mercantile pursuits, finds ere
long that his strength is only human, and
just as he may be about to reach the sum-
NIT of his ambition he breaks down, and
forstie waHt.ofs a. little timely care his
brightest hopes are wrecked and he is
condemned to drag out weary and shat
tered existence. The instances of mental
neglect are nOtless sad, for many man,
whose liabilities would have fitted him for
the highest spheres Of usefulness, allows
the demon slOth to eXertits fatal influence
AID incapacitate him for any active walk
i'm life. Restless and dissatisfied, he seeks
relief and excitement i'm the reckless in
diligence of his bodily appetites, and
wantonly destroys thel brilliant talents
which might have been turned to so good
an account. The opposite sex also affords
nuAefons INSANE s,of misused and neg
lected minds. The sphere of woman's
life being necessarily more limited than
that of man, she has not so wide a
choice of occupation or amusement.
This often causes women who are natu-
rally capable of considerable mental ex-
ertiOn TO use their powers in an ordinate
and unpatural degree. They choose
some tpecular Occupation, into which
they throw all their energy with such
force that they become not only hard and
masculine i'm manner, but eccentric
Often they fall into the opposite extreme.
Not being possessed OF sufficient force
of charaeterfo AXE up any really INTEL
lectual pursuit, ard being easily influ-'
enced by any unusual excitement, they
rest their hpes Ofshappiness on such
slight foundations that when these fail
themuthey- have no power to rally.~The
vacant mind broOds over trifles for sheer
want of occupation; inactiOn produces a
feeling of fatigue, which induces desire
for solitude; solitude soon gives rise to
melancholy and a general WEAKNESS
of existence makes the sufferer only
TOO glad to embrace any chance of re-
lief Hence arise ill-assOrted marriages,
melancholic, religious mania and conyen-
tual life. 80
Ii persons of both sexes would pay
aff To m of In 10 nd
our lunatic asylums would be less full
than they now are, and the health of the
body wonld b4much- better preserved,
for, as Schiller truly says, mentaf pleas
IRE is invariably attended lby animal
pleasure, mental pain by animal pain. 1t
is too much the custom for people TO live
in one narrow groove of thought and ac-
ton. They consequently have no inter-
est or sympathy for matters outside their
little world, and having only one support
TO lean on they become utterly democrat
lied when it fails them. A change of Oc-
cppatipp is as desirable and beneficial for
the mind fass walking exercise for the
body It shotifi be the practice Of every
one to cultivate ut least one form Of
mental occupation other than that which
forms the chief purpose of life; for a
wide range of knowledge and ideas is of
inestimable value, and may prove to be
not only a means Of recreation and pleas
ure i'm prosperous times, but source of
profit and comfort when accident or mis-
fortune renders it impossible for the Or
dinarf ptiysuifto be followed He who
has to o6rsin bis boat has a great Ad-
vantage over the man who has but one.
An enlargement Of the field of thought
not only yields benefit to ourselves by
expanding the mind and making it more
fit to bear the harassing cares and troubles
of the world, but promotes Hberalviews,
which fais6 rs above the petty jealousies1
and preiudices, soften the heart, and
tend to make us more kind and consid-
crate TO others. Though no amount of
study and application can make a dull
man clever, yet he may by the practice
of lf-cu1tivation become wen-informed
and studious. Every attempt to gain
knowledge is productive of some good
result, for, if it does nothing else, it leads
to spirit of inquiry, which is Of itself
beneficial.
The mental faculties should never be
allowedto sink into lethargy, for nothing
is more productive of irreparable mischief
than a listless inaction.-Home Journal.
Ia.