The Russellville Democrat., 1881-01-06
The Power of Mind Over Matter.

The Power of Mind Over Matter.
 Kansas City Times.
 Anciently the successful athlete was crowned with laurels and wealth, but it is not so certain that he gained civic honor. It is much the same to-day. The dispatches of yesterday contain the news that Hanlan has been rendered the free dom of London--a great honor to any stranger, and one only given in response to a popular demand. In view of the honors anciently paid athletes and those now paid Hanlan, coupled with the mod ern college boat club, some interesting questions arise and among these are the effect of excessive muscular development on health; its effect on longevity and it's effect on the brain and intellectual de- velopment.
 We affirm that the effect of modern civilization is to bring about a triumph of mind over matter; and further, that all effort to unduly develop muscle must ever be at the expense of the brain pow CTS. Harvard and Yale colleges have their regattas, but it is well known that those who take part in them rarely rise to any intellectual excellence. Two of Harvard's stroke-oarsmen are personally known to the writer, and after ten years of professional life the one is physician who cannot own horse, and the other lawyer without a brief. Both are heavy, fiorid men and utterly without mental nerve power. Here it is proper to observe that atheism, when learned in schools, produces a sort of good-na- tured mental stupidity; when learned in the gutter it invariably produces brutal ity. All have noticed the peculiar and 1,t 1 hcr fighting dogs and fighting men. The matador who tortures the bull to the proper pitch of frenzy has an intelli- gence little superior to that of his victim. We venture to say that the best athlete in the school gymnasium will, as rule, be found to be the poorest scholar He may not be brutal like his brother ath- lete of the gutter, but they will be found to possess many traits in common.
 It is a most common mistake to sup pose that robust body is capable of the greatest physical strain. The contrary was proven in the late war. Those used to exposure and hardships were always outmarched by the light and attenuated clerks from the city stores. The report of Lieutenant Strain, who some years ago made trip of exploration across Nicaragua in which he saw great hard ship, states that the most intelligent of his party stood hardship by far the best, while the simply robust were the first to give up. Many other explorers have cer- tified to this same fact
 Further, muscular development is no guaranty of health. It has been seen that a system hardened by toll and exposure is no match for the more intelligent but physically weaker man in the matter of physical endurance. So also the athlete is at disadvantage in the matter of longevity and health. Dr. Winship, by careful attention to diet and training was able to lift the enormous weight of $500 pounds. In his lectures he used to say that he took up such training to regain his lost health and that he had found health in lifting, but he died shortly after of an unknown cause. Alex. H. Stephens on the other hand, an invalid for years, with his ninety pounds avoir- dupois and enormous intellectual devel- opment is as fresh and untiring to-day as ever
 As rule, it is the careful, methodical, thoughtful man who lives long. A TO- bust body or physical training seems to have but little to do with longevity, un- less, indeed, it may be the very means of shortening his day. If all humanity would be "old maidish" about their health there would be but few accidental deaths. Many persons have been warned by hemorrhage in early life to more careful attention to the laws of health, which has given them fullness of years utter ly beyond their expectation. Indeed, to be confirmed invalid scarcely presup- poses that ones days are actually short ened thereby. Montague, in his Essays, written in old age often recurs to the stone which he says afflicted him through life. Rosseau often pauses in his Con- fessions to speak of his congenital afflic- tions; and countless persons within our own circle lived long, but were never in health.
 It is the purely intellectual life which is most conducive to old age. We recall at this moment the names of Bryant, Longfellow, Emerson, Whittier and Thur low Weed as illustrations of this. The reason is not far to seek; such lives are obviously of the greatest regularity and singleness of purpose, To sum up the whole matter we believe the coupling of the gynasium with the institutions of learning Is q mistake, and worse than mistake. Boys will play, for 1t is natural, but to educate boy to be an athlete Is to do him an irreparable injustice, for the power of mere matter can never supercede the power of mind.
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