The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1897-02-25
THE GYMNASTICS OF REST
A Physicians Suggestions to Ailevintef
Vital Waste OF Hurry.

The Edinburgh health lecture -
delivered by Dr.. George R. ,y1lsy
medical superintendent of Nav
bank asylum, ca The GymnastI
of Rest. +"
He said it was the unfortuna
habit Of our times to measure 4
welfare of the people only by Thu
material prosperity and to igno
their mental distress. The waste
human material was greater th
ever, the tear and wear of mel
minds increased, and now, in sp:
of all our inventions nay, becau
of all of our inventions--the wol
was more than ever in need of re
The nervous system VI lntra
so as to th1ive1n ~.
mild impressions, not i1S
slant shosaAand jars.
could be accommd
shocks, to ne&se and din, biS
come ACCOMMODATED to thenN
by using up energy. 1t would I'd
us to get away from noise and
even for short time. just ii m
was to the ear, dingines& and zi
dull gray atmosphere OF Cities Wei
to the eye; our eyes1and or b1aii
were adapted for richer colors tia
the life Of cities afforded. Thel
was perhaps greater evil whie
city life brought upon the eye
eye itself, and its nerves and u
cles, was SO contrived that in ii
natural state-in the State of rest
we looked at distance, but by co,
stantly looking at objects lclos6l
hand we never gave the eve rest.
1t was not easy for older people I
learn new ways, but children zAai<
be taught, whenever gliml
distance could be had, to Il
their eyes upon it, to turn
horizon and rest. One of Il -
steps to mental rest was tbs abilit
to perform the feat-as to the n
quirement of which the lecture
gave some interesting hints
looking at distance whens the
was no distance to look at and res
ing the eye on an imaginary pictJ'
of tho horizon. A second step 4
ward rest was the relaxation of thI
tension in the muscles round IL
eye, and especially in the muscl
of the forehead, which characteriz,
men of the city and busy men ever
where when they were attending i
tently to sonethingwhich they co
sidered.important. A third step W
the teaching of the muscles roul
the mouth to stand at case" rath
than Eat attention. This threefo
process he called Expansion of t
attention. " 1t was a mistake to su
pose that this whole subject w
stupid. Nothing was more evide
in this bustling age than that me
men and women had not the me
remote notion of keeping the
minds at rest. In play and at wo.
alike we were pressing ITO use ;
expression from the language
golf-nearly all the time, anxio
minded and strained. Passing on
the subject OF hurry" the lectur
noted that there was a world of d.
ference between promptness
quickness and hurry. The diffe
ence was that when we hurried v
were anxious minded-we we
'pressing"-and the excessive tie
sion disordered our activities. Mex
speaking of panic, the lecturer offe
ed various hints for "squanderir
the attention" by way of minimi
ing the effect Of shocks.
Closely allied to panic, but mo
lasting, more chronic, was the VII
of the mind which we called worr
Worry wapan inability to withdra
the attention from unpleasantnes
1t was vice which was rampal
among us-a most reprehensib
vice, because so unnecessary and
easily evaded. If we practiced VIII
he had called the gymnastics of res
we would never worry. We wou
feel pain and distress often enoug.
but our minds would not dwell {
the feeling of them. Scotsman.