Evening star., 1897-02-06
THE GYMNASTICS OF REST.
A Scotch PhysRcian's Suggestions +,
Alleviate the Vital Waste Of Hurry

scotch Physfcfan's Suggestions to
Alleviate the Vital Waste Of Hurry.
FIom the Scotsman
Ihe Edinburgh health lecture was de,;y-
cred by DIR. George R. Wilson. medical
superintendent Mavisbank Asylum, on "The
Gymnastics of Rest"
He said 1t was the unfortunate habit of
cur times to measure the welfare of the
people only by their material prosperity.
and to ignore their mental distress. The
waste of human material was greater than
ever. the tear and wear of mems minds in
creased. and now, in spite of all our fnven-
t1ons, nay, because of all our inventions.
the world was more than ever in need of
lest The nervous system was contrived
sc as to thrive in an atmosphere of mild
impressions, not in one of constant shocks
ard Jars. True We could become accom-
nodated to shocks. to noise and din but
We became aocommoda ted to them only by
'slng up energy. Il would repay us to get
away from noise and din even for a short
time. Just as noise was to the ear dingi-
ness and the dull gray atmosphere of cities
were 10 the eye; our eyes ana our brains
were adapted for richer colors than the life
Oh cities aforded. There was. perhaps a
create evil which city life brought upon
the eye. The eye itself and its nerves and
muscles. was SO cOntrived that in the ma atIlr-
al state IN the state of rest. We looked at
Il
Jects close at hand We never gave the eve
rest. -
1t was not easy for older people to learn
new ways out children should be taught
"neheVef a glimpse of distance could be
mad, to let loose their eyes upon 1t, to turn
10 the horizon and rest. One of the first
steps tc mental rest was the ability to per-
1crm the feat-as to the requirement of
whch the lecturer gave some Interesting
hints-of looking at distance when thera
was no distance to look at and resting the
eye on an imaginary picture of the horizon
- second step toward rest was the relaSa-
,ioh OF that tension in the muscles round
the eye. and especially in the muscles of tho
lorehead which characterized men OF the
city. ana busy men everywhere when they
Mere .L attending intently 10 something which
lheS considered important. A third sten
was the teaching of the muscles round tho
mouth to stand al ease" rather than ..at
attention. This threefold process he called
expansion OF the attention 1t was a
mistake TO suppose that this whole subie,r
was stupid; nothing was more evident in
thls busting age than hat most men and
women had not the most remote notion of
aeeplng NJ ping, their ,, minds al rest. In play and
al work anke we We're "pressing''-to Use
an expression from the language of r,jfN
nearly all the time, anxious minded and
shn s,raIneo; Passing on to the subject of
hurry. the lecturer noted that thera VIC
a world of difference between nromntn'.o
or quickness and hurry. The difference was
that Wnen We hurried we were anxioI,s
nihoed-we We're pressing" and the ey
cessive tension disordered our activities
Next speaking of panic. the lecturer offered
various hlnts for "squanderiHg the att.n
tion by Way of minimizing the affecr of
shocks. Closely allied to panic. but more
lasting. more chronic, was the vice of the
liind winch We called worry Worry was
an INABILITY to withdraw the attention rror,,
uhpleasantness. 1t was a vice which was
iaipaht among us; most reprehensinla
wee. because SO unnecessary and 9, fasiII
eEaued. II we practiced what he had called
the gymnastics of rest We would ,.s,.a .aieu .iie
rN we would feel pain and distress cftep
the feeling of them. "sii oii