Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-03-13
MODE9ETICD.
Few Word> ri Canton and Advice to
People Who Are Living too Ia>t.

SOpiC tiNfiI ipp
In the present state of the Christian
world. the idio.ic and inbc lie the
weak-minded. are treated kindly 10y the
stronger and richer members of >ocirty.
This is a proper development Of Chris
tianiy. We have often r.icrtcd TO
health of mind; and have warned our
readers againS. excessive exercise of the
brain rs destructive to mind .nd body.
Mental activity. if moderate. conduc.-
to health and growth. Daily ub>rr, -
ton shows that the growth and cou'jn.
Uances of mental power may bc seriously
harmed by cNcrs i've Il t;viiy. The
mind may be weakened and exhausted bv
| prOlc'ged and s.v.re cvvrti"n. We
have more than hintel that tn, 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 cu'ti-
vate the body and develop it. various
powers by giving it and its organs
proper nourshmcnt. judiciouS exercise
and suitable repo-e. The Young and
growing need more nouri>hng food.
more regular exercise. aud more rost
than the mature and grown.
Many observations show tha, tho
moderate activity of the mind and reg
ular training of its forces contributes Ia
long life Men and women of mcutal
culture live longer and happier than the
| ignorant. Nearly all the III 'nial giants
of our race live To b. more than three
score years and ten. But to secure ,di-
result. body and m nd 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 mrr-
chant who becomes rich and rctrc~
from business life usually cuts short
his days. Those who q sregard nv
gienic laws and cease to exercise from
| day to day their muscles ANA their in
tellectual powers, soon cas-. t. have
"a sound mind in q sound body"
Some men in the prime of life and in
the midst of usefulness disregard hygi-
enic laws in some way either by cx-
cessive activity Of BRAN. or by ceasing
to give il pro,er. moderate exercise.
Wealth enables them to fall into sen
sual indulycrccS and so impair their
mental and bodily forces. They may
have no family tendency To dis nae,
may have led regular and sober Ives.
and still be troubled with weaknesses
| and infirm:tics in middle life. This
condition most men could avoid by con-
tinuing to live aS they began. Modcra-
ticn in eating. regular bu>iTes.. Proper
exercise of mind and body would
have kept their mental and bod lv ma
chinery in good condition until they
reached old age. !, may b. 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 sill he
should not cease to act and use his va
rious powers, rs the best means of pre-
serving them. In the middle period of
life. thirty to fifty years men or
women can safely Ov,rtax their brains.
This organ once impaired does no, easi-
| ly, if ever. regain its strength. The
mind sympathizcs with the brain in all
its sullerings. Many of our scholars
limit themselves in their eNprt;ons. and
so reach old age. Aga>si, forgo, that he
was mortal and so continued t. exert
his mental powers during many hours of
the day and night after he had pas ,cd
| three score years. and so broke down.
and science met with an irreparablc
| loss Sir Walter Scott in his middle
brain work was all he could continuous
| " endure But when he was pccun-
iarialy embarrassed in later years. he
Over-iaNcd his brain to meet his obliga-
tons. he became exhausted and his pro-
| lilic mind lost lis former strength and
he died an imbecile.
While we object to excessive physical
and intellectual exer:ion. we also see
the folly of lazineSs and inactivity. The
! business man. who deyotes ten hours
day to his special calling. should have
the remaining fourteen hours for sleep.
social intercourse and improvement oi
the mind. This latter does not make
man, but il does make him more Of .
man than he otherwise would be.
A clergyman called upon lady who
within n few years had lost her children.
her husband aud nearly all her proper
ty. He attempted to con 'olc her. but
he soon found that she did not need or
seek his services. For on saying that
| he did not see how she could bc so
cheerful. she replied that she made up
her mind great many years ago tina,
if she did not enjoy herself rs she went
along. she never siorld. SO We think
that every man. woman and child
81 ould have hours for pleasure IA well
- hour, for work. We ought To pro-
vide for the future. bu; also enjoy the
present. The man who overta-ks his
body or brain. sooner or la:er pays iha
penalty. C H. Alien. u. d.. IN IicSi-
erU RHrdi.