St. Landry democrat., 1885-01-10
MODERATION.
Few Words of Canton and Advice to
People Who Are Living too Fast.

tOIlus LuC lu4OClC dnI IuuUCCu0, 0iLO
Teak-minded, are treated kindly by the
stronger and richer members of society.
This is a proper development of Chris
DAINTY. We have often referred to
health of mind; and have warned our
readers against excessive exercise of the
brain as destructive to mind and body.
Mental activity, if moderate, conduces
TO health and growth. Daily obserya~
ton shows that the growth and contin-
uances of mental power may be seriously
harmed by excessive activity. The
mind may be weakened and exhausted BY
prolonged and severe exertion. We
have more than limited that the train
ing of children consists in securing
sound minds in sound bodies, and that
the mind is so dependent on the body,
that parents and teachers should cult
yate the body and develop its various
powers by giving it and its organs
proper nourishment, judicious exercise
and suitable repose. The young and
growing need more nourishing food,
more regular exercise, and more rest
than the mature and grown.
Many observations show that the
moderate activity of the mind and reg
ular training OF its forces contributes to
long life Men and women of mental
culture live longer and happier than the
ignorant. Nearly all the mental giants
of our race live to be more than three
score years and ten. But to secure this
result, body and mind culture should
be begun at an early period of life and
continued judiciously to its close. Men
who cease to practice the activity of
their growing years lose the powers
they once acquired. The active mer-
chant who becomes rich and retires
from business life usually cuts short
his days. Those who disregard hy-
gienic laws, and cease to exercise from
day to day their muscles and their in
tellectual powers, soon cease to have
"a sound mind in sound body
Some men in the prime of life and in
the midst of usefulness disregard hygi-
enic laws in some way either by ex-
cessive activity of brain, or by ceasing
to give it proper, moderate exercise.
Wealth enables them to fall into sem
sual indulgences and so impair their
mental and bodily forces. They may
have no family tendency to disease,
may have led regular and sober lives,
and still be troubled with weaknesses
and infrmities in middle life This
condition most men could avoid by con-
Itinuing to live as they began. Modera-
tion5in eating, regular business, proper
exercise of mind and body would
have kept their mental and bodily ma
chinery in good condition until they
reached old age. 1t may be true that
the prime of life may extend from thirty
to fifty years and still, we have known
men who observed strictly the laws of
health, and SO lived to four score years.
We gain strength of brain and muscle
by using them; we become weak when
we cease to use them After fifty years
an active man should be more moderate
In his eXertion than before, but still he
should not cease to act and use his va
rious powers, as the best means of pre-
serving them. In the middle period of
life, thirty to fifty years-few men or
women can safely overtax their brains.
This organ once impaired does not east
", if ever, regain its strength. The |
mind sympathizes with the brain in all |
its sufferings. Many of our scholars
limit themselves in their exertions, and |
so reach old age. Agassiz forgot that he
was mortal and so continued to exert |
his mental powers during many hours of |
The day and night after he had passed
three score years, and so broke down,
and science met with an irTeparable
loss. Sir Walter Scott in his middle
life declared that six hours a day in
brain work was all he could continuous
y endure. But when he was pecun-
arialy embarrassed in later years, he
oVer-taXed his brain to meet his obliga-
ions, he became exhausted and his pro-
life mind lost its former strength and
le died an imbecile.
While we object to excessive physical
ind intellectual exertion, we also see
5he folly of laziness and inactivity. The
business man, who deyotes ten hours a
lay to his special calling, should have
he remaining fourteen hours for sleep,
social intercourse and Improvement of
he mind. This latter does not make a
nan, butt does make him more of a
nan than he otherwise would be.
a clergyman called upon lady who
within few years had lost her children,
Ter husband and nearly all her proper
". He attempted to console her, but
lie soon found that she did not need or
eek his services. For on saying that
le did not see how she could be so
cheerful, she replied that she made up
Ter mind great many years ago that
I she did not enjoy herself as she went
long, she never should. So we think
hat every man, woman and child
hould have hours for pleasure as well a