The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-04-07
Physical Training as a Means of Mental
Health.

HEALTH. -
One of the serious problems which
modern science encounters is how tt
deal with-more particularly, how tt
preventive excessive nervous develop
ment, and through that the frequent
mental failure or arrangement charac
teristic of modern life. The mad poets
sarcastic remark that brains had brought
him to the asylum-a fate his interro.
gator ran no risk of--was bitterly true
but it is not volume of brain so much as
an unbalanced development of brain
that leads to insanity or a liability to
that distressing malady. That the rapid,
eager, restless, anxious life which most
OF us lead tends to produce an increas-
ing completely of the nervous system, all
| Psychologist agree. That this complex
| ity OF nervous organizationlays us liable
to the development of a condition of I'M
stable mental and nervous equilibrium is
only too clearly proved by the statistics
of our asylums.
ically change our style of living to that
OF our ow-going ancestors; on the con-
trary, the indications are that our chill
dren's children will, by contrast with
their more active life, look back upon
our age as measurably serene, 1t is re-
motely possible that new order of in
vention may reverse the tendency of the
race and relieve the future of much of
the mental and nervous strain which
we have to endure; but it does not look
that way now. The immediate future,
at any rate, is pretty sure to intensity
the conditions which so many break
down under to-day. Must the mental
breaking down increase in frequency in
proportion? 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
was 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 fit 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 many cases
the course of education pursued seems
rather TO have lessened the endurance
OF our people, and to have fastened the
mental collapse of many. of our BRAIN
workers. And the school children of
to-day have more to do than their fathers
and mothers had, and have to bear no
mconsiderable portion of the evils of
modern life besides; that is, if constant
excitement, haste, and worry are to be
accounted obstacles to healthy mental
and nervous development. That they
can not fairly be considered beneficial is
sufficiently evident. .,r......,....
Speaking of the nervous excitements,
and their results, due to our modern
education and the rate and manner of
our living, an eminent English physician |
CDR. Browne, editor of the British Med
zeal JourmaD says: 1.-THE cerebral
tissue becomes more and more highly
convolutions obtain secondary |
gyri, and with each differentiation in
structure new possibilities of disturb
ances are introduced; while the very
differentiation in question produces in |
turn new mechanical devices, which |
again introduce u more complicated
mode of life with which the nervous sys-
tenn must keep pace.'
Ii there were no possible corrective to
this tendency to increase the nervous
strain OF life more rapidly than the
nervous organism can acquire power to
endure it, the inevitable destiny of civ
llized men would be the mad house or
something near it. But there is promise
of such a corrective. The late DR..
oeguin demonstrated many years ago
hat the undeveloped brains of the
eeble-minded could be stimulated to
healthy growth by patient and systemat-
C training of the muscles and the organs
If sense. DR.. Browne looks to a CORE
'ponding physical culture of those of
FORMAL brain endowment to give them
he increased brain capacity which will
1t them for the severer needs of our in
'reasingly active intellectual life, and at
he same time make them better able TO
esist the inroads of mental disease.
Muscular EXERCISE" he says, 5. has
'een hitherto thought to expand the
ungs, quicken the circulation, and brace
he nerves; but to this must now be
dded the pregnant idea that it also con-
routes TO the brain growth and mental
volution. As large part of the brain
composed Of motor centers, we NAV.
the nascent state of the organ, power
lilly act on the brain by putting into
lethodical exercise the muscles which
re know to be directed by its various
arts; and especially the centers gov
rning the movements of the hand ought
be brought into training by careful S
rlll OF manual movements, so that, in {
ue time, cunning right hand may be !
le servant OF every man to some me- |
hanical art, and of every woman to
'me technical work. -, rt l
And not only is it possible, as DR. /
rowne suggests, to fortify the young G
sainst the inroads of mental and nerv. {
IS disorders by the development of
rain capacity, stability and symmetry, /
trough manual training, but there is ]
lined also, by means of such training. G
Re additional safeguards which come e
ON such dealing with realities, from a
aVing always at hand the means of U
faithful recreation, and from the con. n
lous ability to do, fnecessity compels, t
Of h <l,x -