The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-04-02
p>,,lesl Training a. Q Means q Ne.t.l
Health.

One Of tho serious problems which
modern science encounters Is how to
deal with-more particularly, how to
preyent-the excessive nervous dey,lop.
rent, and through that the freauen,
mental failnrc or arrangement chsrac.
ieris,ic OF modern life, The md poe, |,
sarcastic remark that brains hal brm,rh,
him to the asy luna fate hi iu,err.
gator ran NO risk ol--was bitterly t,rc
but il j. not volume %! brain 40 much A.,
an unbalanced development, II brain
TIA, lead, 20 insanity or . liability to
that distressing malady, That the randi,
eager, restless. anxious life which most
o: Us Leaf tends To- produce an incrcaS.
Ing comPieNitF If tas nervous system, all
Psychologist agree, That this comp,c,.
vol nervous organization lays Us liable
b The Development III u condition @. I'm.
stable mental and nervous equilihrium is
only too eleari, proved by tho statistics
OF our asylum-.
What are we To do? We can no, r,d.
ieally change our style of living 10 tha,
OF our slow.going ancestors; ON the con.
irary, the indications are that our ebiI.
dren's children will. By contrast with
their mdte active life, look back upon
our AGE as mcasurably scrcue. II |, re-.
mo,ely possible that new order oi in.
ven,ion may reverse the tendency oi the
race aud relieve the future ol much oi
thu mental and nervous strain whiel,
We have to endure; but IL does not look
tina, way aow. TIE immediate future.
at any rate, y pretty sure To- intensity
the conditions which So many break
down under to-day. Must the mental
breaking down increase in frequency in
proportlone Or can we pitch upon some
means whereby the rising generation
Can be fitted to endure the strain which
will come to them better than the men
and women of to-day bear the burden Of
to-day?
A generation ago the popular theory
vas that mental discipline, with the
brain development which early and long.
continued schooling gives, would furnish
the capacity for mental work and men
tai endurance which would best lit the
coming man for the work he would have
To do. The result has been to increase
the work to be- done, and the speed Of
doing it, without materially increasing
mans capacity for toll. In macy case
the course Of education pursued seem,
rather To have lessened the endurance,
Of our people, and 10 have fastened tn,
mental collapse Of many Of our brain
workers. And the school children O
to-day have more to do than their father,
and mothers had, and have u bear NJ
inconsiderable portion Of the evils o
modern life besides, that il, II cOnstan
excitement, haste, and worry are to b,
accounted obstacles to healthy menta
anil nervous development. That the
can not fairly be considered bene fetal i
sufficiently evident.
Speaking Of the nervous exci,ements
and their results, due TO our moderl
education and the rate and manner O
our living, an eminent English ply sicial
Or. Browne, editor Of the British Ned
zeal JOurnaU says: "The cercbra
tissue becomes more and more hight
organized, cOnvOlutiOns obtain secOndar,
gyri, and with each differentiation il
structure new possibilities OF disturb
ances are introduced; while the yer
differentiation in question produces il
turn new mechanical devices. whic
again introduce more cOmplicSte,
mode Of life with which the nervous sys
tenn must keep pace"
" II there were no possible corrective :
this tendency to increase the nervOn
strain of life more rapidly than tn
nervous organism can acquire power 4
endure il, the inevitable destiny Of civ
ilized men would be the mad house o
something near it. But there is promis
Of such n corrective. The late ID
Seguin demonstrated many years az
that the undcyeloped brains of tn
ieeble.minded could be stimulated I
healthy growth by patient and sys,ema,
ic training Of the muscles and the organ
Of sense. DR.. Browne looks to a CORE
/, spending physical culture Of those G
normal brain endowment to give Their
the increased brain capacity which wi
1t them for the severer needs Of our in
creasingly active intellectual life, and q
the same time make them better able
resist the inroads of mental disease.
"Muscular exercise" he says, cha
been hitherto thought to expand tn
lungs, quicken the circulation, and brac
: The nerves; but to this must now b
added the pregnant idea that it also cor
, tributes to the brain growth and ment,
evolution. As large part Of the brai
Il composed of motor centers, We ma,
I In the nascent state Of the organ, power
q fully act on the brain by putting in.
: methOdical exercise the muscles whic
we know to be directed by its variol
parts; and especially the centers 60
erning the movements of the hand ougl
70 be brought into training by carefl
drill of manual movements, 80 that,
due time, . cunning right hand may |
p the servant of every man to some m
chanicsl art, and of every woman
some technical work."
And not only is it possible, as d
Browne suggests, to fortify the you,
against the inrOads of mental and ner
Gus disorders by the development !.
brain capacity, stability and symmetr
through manual training, but there
gained also, by means Of such trainin
the additional safeguards which con
from such dealing with realities, fro
!. having always at hand the means
: healthful recreation, and from the CO
scious ability to do, ifnecessity compel
i something that will win support.
- Industrial education thus takes on .
2 Importance far greater than has hithe
10 been accorded il. It becOms niece
,yfity, not merely to those who are like
| - spend their lives as artisans, but ev,
3 Aose to those who may never earn
6Avsa wa0aa ak tho bench-m0n Of Il