Milford chronicle., 1888-05-25
PHYSICAL STRAIN.
PERlLs RESULTING FROM EXCESS
OF BODILY ACTIVITY.

Proper Degree OF Exercise Necessary
to the Wen Being Of s1an-rhe Jewish
Race = sedentary or Brain Pursuits.
Overworl.
Nothing Is more absolutely necessary to
the well being Of man-not only physical, but
mental and even moral-than the bodily &c
| tivity involved in proper degree Of exercise.
/ But, on the other hand, undue strain put
/ upon the physical forces is a potent source Of
danger It is case for the application Of
the Horatian maxim in regard to moderation
Exactly to define the proper mean is an ex-
tremely difficult task. We can, however,
offer some suggestions on this point that
may prove of use; and we will also touch
upon some Of the perils resulting from ex-
cess. The ancient Greeks have for many
centuries supplied the world, among other
things, with models Of physical culture The
climate permitted them to live largely in the
open air; their dress was unrestraining, and
they paid great attention to athletic sports
and the development and care Of the body.
They were, as people, patterns Of manly
and womanly beauty; their average Of health
was high, and their longevity good.
The observations made, however, by the
physicians of the Greek and Roman schools 20
conclusively to show that, wherever physical
activity was carried to undue excess among
them-as in the case Of professional athletes,
etc.-the invariable result was premature
decay and early death. Excessive physical
culture during the age Of ehivalry furnished
the same results Study OF the vital statistics
of England, France and Prussia in modern
times leads to a similar conclusion. Not onlv
does the point we are urging hold true in the |
lives OF individuals, but it is true Of nations
and races. Perhaps, as regards tenacity Of |
existence as displayed by a race, the most |
striking argument in favor Of our position to |
be found in history is the negative testimony /
furnished by the Jews. This people, since its |
dispersion, has never in any general, system
attic way cultivated its physique It has |
never voluntarily borne arms It has taken I
no share in the athletic pursuits Of the ma
tions among whom it has been placed. It
has never exhibited high physical standard.
Its worst prosecutions have, probably, been
due, more than anything else, to its apparent
corporeal feebleness. Yet today this race,
for tenacity and vitality, probably stands
first on earth, and even at this late stage of
its history still shows capacity for produc-
ing results in literature, science, art. politics
and commerce that ranks with the best
Full vigor of intellect is only properly
based upon vigor Of body, and this vigor Of
body results only from proper exercise. 1t
is no unusual thing in colleges TO find stu
dents standing well both in their studies and
in athletics President Eliot has always been
a stanch friend Of physical sports, and him
self when in college pulled an oar in the uni
versity crew. No one can ever look at Jo-
seph Cook, or could ever have looked at
Agassiz or Bryant without at once recogniz-
ing the development and solidity of the phys
ical man. Such instances are almost innu-
But one thing is certain: no man
can continually use both his physical and
mental powers at anything like their full ca
pacity without soon coming to grief. HUI
man mature was not made for this sort Of
thing. 1t is burning the candle at both ends.
It is not given TO one man to be both an EN-
srson and a Sullivan.
A man should decide which half Of his
nature is to have the lead, and then exercise
-he other half just sufficiently to keep the
'ormer in condition and to preserve the !
proper general balance. If he lives by his
Drain, let him take physical exercise sufficient
o keep his bodily faculties and by conse-
Iuence his brain at their best-but not too
much. If he lives by his body, certain ad-
mixture of brain occupation will make him S
lot only larger, but even actually physi-
ally healthier man. A body worker should
lse this and every other possible precaution /
Igainst undue physical strain. In both and I
II all cases overwork Of the bodily forces
must result in serious harm. The outside NAV
le fair, and the external appearance all that Z
ould be desired, but inside there will be de- 7
ay. Wilkie Collins, in one Of his stories.
most truly showed how delusive are the
eeming soundness and vigor of even the
rained athlete, when the call upon his vi S
ality has been too prolonged or too great, or /
rhen his physical Development has been alb
ormally forced-how suddenly his apparent
obustness disappears, and is replaced by p
lorbid conditions, upon any sudden or extra Y
anslon Of work or emotion. The case Of the
Il cOnquering but finally foiled Sullivan,
'hich has lately attracted 50 much attention,
GEMS clearly one exactly in point. d
For the sake Of emphasis we again say: In C
he case Of the man of sedentary OF brain K
ursuits, he should employ his body only K
lOugh to keep it active and vigorous, and Il
ence his spiritual faculties bright and keen, cl
ithout taxing his reserve Of vitality. The III
oject is not to use himself up as fast as DOS W
BILE. 1t is wasteful and fatal mistake 81
keep the entire endowment at high pres IL
ire. As regards the man employed in bod W
y labor it is seldom within his power to OF
,ntrol its amount. It may however, be IL
i'd that, as soon as he finds the equipoise Of OF
S system is being disturbed-a fact which II
i'll generally reveal itself to him through NJ
me pain or feeling of strain in some local o.
y, the unnatural action of some organ or III
me sensation Somewhere that he recognizes tn
not natural-or as soon as be finds that ba
S physical strength is gradually 'lessening. dr
may know that he has passed the limit. da
all cases, by systematic and severe physi- Sc
/ competition-such as either calls for the 70
ertion of sudden and tremendous force or
r prolonged endurance, as occurs in prize
,hts, rowing matches, walking or running
ces, etc.-is physiologically unsafe, and Lit
ON the standpoint Of health and longevity hi
ould be abolished. th
The danger in physical overworlk is princi- ph
lily to those portions Of the body which are sb
ncerned in the involuntary acts Of life is
at is to say, to the muscles and nervous an m,
ratus employed in circulation, digestion mn
d respiration. At the best these never fr
St; and when undue labor devolves upon H.
EN-, they become more OF less deranged to
icy belong to vital organs, and injury 10 tol
ose is Of the gravest import. Again. when m,
9 or more Of the vital organs are in any of bo
parts seriously affected, all the other por- W.
ms Of our complex bodies which depend in.
on it or them suffer also. Generally, the att
art fails first, and, Of all vital organs, it,
gether with the whole circulatory system, clr
most likely to suffer from undue physical sui
ain; but sometimes the respiratory organs I'D
as soon, or even earlier. Either way, the Pr
yestive apparatus soon follows, and when
in SO vital as this has taken place, death
mot be put of.-Boston Herald.
po
To fasten knife handles that have become me
'sened, take powdered resin and mix with set
a small quantity Of powdered chalk or on