Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-09


Fear, grief and joy, to say nothing of pathos
and anger, bring tears to the eyes. They are
said to come from the heart; and this is true,
for no one ever reasoned himself into weeping
without first appeal through the Imagination
to some emotion. Tears are the natural outlet
of emotional tension. They are the result of a
storm in the central nervous system. giving rise
to changes in the vascular terminals of the tear
secreting glands. These changes induce pro-
fuse excretion Of water, and weeping results.
In mild degree some excretion is always in
process, to battle the eye and clear i. Of foreign
matter. The controlling center is at distance.
though the secretion may be kept up by the
small trace OF saline substance that is present
In the tears themselves. The lachrymal
glands lie between the nervous center and
the mucous surface of the eyeball. Tears
afford good illustration of the way in which
nervous fbers are capable OF conveying TO
secreting organ exciting impulses from
both sides of gland lying in their
course. Afferent and efferent communica-
tions brings about a similar result. Internal
nervous vibrations and external excitation or
reflex action cause a fow of tears. In both in
stances the exciting impulse is vibration.
Niobe. ''all tears" and the unfortunate pedes-
trian with n minute particle of steel from the
rail Of an elevated road in his eye are unwilling
opponents of similar process. They weep the
same kind Of briny fluid. in exactly the same
way, though from widely different causes
Imagination is at times sufficient to excite the
nervous system into the production of tears
without external aid or reflex. Writers and
readers of good fiction weep over i0like and
the actor loses himself SO entirely in the ext
gencies of dramatic art that he sheds real tears
and the audience shed tears with him. OF n
truth. the man who never weeps has a hard
heart, and the quality of his intellect may also
be questioned.
Emotion. then affection. grief anxiety, incite
to tears: not pain or discomfort. The pangs of
maternity are fearless, though the influence of
ether or chlorofOrm may cause some emotional
dream that results III weeping. In the earlier
days OF surgery patients might scream and utter
such pitiful cries as to sicken the bystanders
might even faint with pain. vet there were sell
dom any tears. These, being pure waves of
emotion and a relief to the heart, are almost
powerless to mitigate pain. Perhaps one who
weeps from pain does SO from unconscious
though selfish pity-in other words, from emo
'tion.
For the fearful, change of scene. mental di-
version and outdoor life are the best remedies
The author quoted objects TO alcohol as fear
fully injurious. 1t disturbes and unbalances
the nervous system, keeps up a maudlin and
pitiful sentimentality and sustains the evil
Alcohol is the mother Of sorrow. An opiate,
however. prescribed at night, sooths and con-
trolls and really desciplines rebellious nerve
centers. Sleep cures tears. And SO does time,
the restorer. Persons subject to many and re-
peated griefs forget how TO weep. and the old
as compared to the young are almost fearless
Tears have their value in the life Of humanity
not AS tears but as signs. They show that grief
centers are being relieved Of their sensi bility,
and that the nervous organization is learning
bow to bear up against sorrow.