The Princeton union., 1880-03-03
EXPERIMENTAL WORK.

pl1Ct VI tlldt SOt Uv common BULL.
OVER-MENTAL WORK.
Any person who has moved IN the usu-
al circles of society, must have noticed
that children rarely reach the growth and
statue Of their parents. They possess
poorer health, and so are less able to en-
dure the wear and tear of life. The par
ents may have led lives not exactly in
harmony with the laws of health. They
may have no regard to ventilation, nor
cleanliness, yet are strong and firm, and
duly reach old age. Their children are
we'll bred, and faithfully observed the
laws of health and growth. They were
careful to obtain full supply of fresh
and invigorating air, and yet were less
able to endure the cares and tolls of
life than their parents. The generation
of girls coming upon the stage Of life
at the present period are likely to BE-
less healthy, less robust, less able to en-
dure the activities of life than their
mothers. Many causes exist for this con-
dition of our girls. But a leading one IS
that they have less physical exercise,
and more mental than the mothers. One
hundred years ago, girls were limited
in their studies to reading, writing and
arithmetic, as tar as the Rule of Three.
They were allowed to run and scream, to
rest and sleep, to spend their days cheer
fully, and their nights quietly. Bnt now
girls spend ten years Of their time in
school, urged forward and compelled to
exert their minds more and more. Ev-
cry hour in the day and evening is oc-
cupied in studying music, the languages,
history, and the various branches OF
mathematics. Some have no time fol-
proper sleep, their minds are filed with
thoughts that are useless and even harm
full. So much brain force is consumed
in mind work that they have but little
left for exercising the functions of the
body. Their appetite often fails or il
they corsume small amount of food, il
does not easily digest nor nourish them
One cause, then, is that our girls nova
days are subject to greater menta
strain than were their mothers. So man,
OF them really break down physically
and even mentally long before they reacl
their growth. ... ..- ..
The proper purpose Of education is tx
develop the intellectual powers-to cul
tivate them in such way as to Civ
them strength and to store them with
certain amount of knowledge. Now tn
general law in all nature is that noderat
exercise of mind or body promotes thei
growth and strength, while excessive ex
ercise debilitates them. Our girls, yer,
often, are compelled to keep their minds
in excessive exercise, and so instead q
Strengthening and enlarging them, actu
ally weaken and belittle them. The mos
distinguished scholars in our seminarie
tor females are not usually those who ar
the most useful in the ordinary walks 0
life. We may find among the graduate
of these seminaries many illustrations Q
this fact. We have known professionally
many girls who were nearly. if not quit
ruined by over-strainlng of the mind, an
we have rarely known them entirely t
recover. The usual result of over-task
ing the intellectual powers is, ordinarily
chronic distu1 bance of the brain, an,
general feebleness. We have known som
girls who were completely ruined fo
this world by over-exertion of the mine
and under-feeding Of the body. Schoo
girls rarely consume food enough, if ,ov
e1 -tasked in mind, to sustain the func
tions of the body.
| A young lady of unusual stength ant
beauty, the daughter of robust parents
was nearly ruined years ago by thi
wicked process Of over tasking and un
der-feeding at a boarding-scheol. Thi
process was conducted on certain prln
cipal. The principle may be true, bu
its application was false. The principl
was, that girl cannot eat heartily an
study we'll. The brain cannot suppl
force at the same time to the mind an
stomach. No person can think clearl!
and, at the same time, digest prope
dinner. The inference the princips
and manager Of this seminary made ws
that girls could study hard, or exercis
their Intellectual power only 0
a light and innutritious diet. In ha
mony with this thought, this girl W.
over-worked and under-feed. The resu
: was what we should expect. After
few months from her entrance on th
course of treatment, her sufferings begal
! She lost her appetite, had headache an
v1rtigo. She had dreams about her stut
/ les; she was studying hardly less by nigl
/ than by day. Finally her brain ",
, much disturbed, and her health was
seriously impaired that she was cor