Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-12-21
TEARS.

Fear, grief, and Joy, TO say nothing
of paihos 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
a first appeal through the Imagination
to some emotion. Tears are the natural
outlet of emotional tension. They are
the result of storm in the central
nervous system, giving rise to changes
in the vascular terminals of the tear
secreting glands. These changes in
duce profuse excretion of water, and
weeping results. In a mild degree
some eXcrelOn IL always 10 process, to
bath the eye and clesr it OF foreign
matter. The &C ntrOling centre is at
a distance, though the secretion NAV
be kept up by the small trace of saline
substance that is present in the tears
themselves. The lschrymal glands lie
between the nervous centre and the
mucous surface of the eyeball. Tears
afford a good illustration of the way in
which nervous fbres are capable OF
conveying to a secTetiug organ excit-
ing impulses from both sides of a glard
lying in their course. AffeTent and
eferent communications bring about a
similar result Internal nervous vIhr =
tiOns and external excitement or reflex
ac ion cause a flow of tears. In both
instances the exciting impulse is a
vibration. Niobe, "ail tears, and the
unfortunate pedestrian with minute
particle OF steel from the rail of an
elev ted road in his eve, are unwilling
exponents OF a similar process They
weep the same KIND OF nriny fluid, u
exactly the same way, though from
widely different causes. Imagiratiou
Is at times sufficient to excite the rerv
ous system into the production of tears.
without external aid or rehx. Wri'er,
and readers of good fiction weep over
1t alike, and the actor loses hims, If SO
entire IN the exigencies OF dramatic art
that be sheds real tears and the aud
leEce shed tears with him OF truth.
the man who never weeps has a har
heart, and the quality of his intellect
may also be questioned.
Emotion, then, affection, grief
ahxety, incite 30 tears; not pain o
discomfort The pangs Of maternity
are fearless, though the influence
ether or c c'loro.orm may cause some
emotional dream thatres ults in weepipg.
in the earlier days of surgery patients
might scream and inter such pitt nj
cries as 10 sIcF en- the bystanders, miolu
even faint with pain, vet there were
seldom any tears. These, being pure
waves of emotion and relief 70 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
emotion.
For the fearful, change of seems.
mental diversion and outdoor life are
tie best remedies, The author quoted
objects to alcohol as fearfully injuri-
Gus. 1t disturbs and unbalances the
nervous system, keeps up a maudlin
and pItifui entimentality, and sustaius
the evil, Alchol is the mother of sor-
row. An opiate, however, prescribed
at night, sooLhes and controls and
really disciplines rebellious nerve CEN
tres. Sleep cures tears. And so does
time, the restorer. Persons subject to
many and repeated griefs forget how
to weep, and the old as compared TO
the young are almost fearless. Tears
have their value in the life of human
ity, not as tears but as signs. They
show that grief centres are being re-
heved of thei- senslbility, and that tho
nervous organization is learning how
% bear mp against sor.ov.