The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1899-08-29
Most Interesting Of The Series in
Subject and Detail.
The PERIOD Of ADOLESCENCE
Particularly Favorable to Relig ons Awaken.
ing ana for Confirmation 10 the
Churches.

The fourth of Professor Dewey's lee
lures on Child Life" was presente,
last evening at the High School. b.
far 1t was the most interesting of tn
series thus far, in subject and detail
The lecture dwelt with the impulse
and emotions which come into tn,
youths mind during the period o
adolescence, and the feeling of con
seriousness as given expression in hi
feelings toward others. The emotion!
bring about a moral awakening ant
mark change in his intellectual atti
tude. Continuing generally along thes,
subjects, the Professor said:
This particular period is generally
known as the period of adolescence
and comes at about the age of 10. BE.
fore touching upon this feature, | wish
to speak of the emotions in general
Adolescence Is perhaps more irregular
in its manifestations, and 1t Is not
quite possible to fix upon any one
phase which is the most important, but
there Is large mental change con-
nected with this period, a decided
change in disposition, especially In
the social feelings. The simplest state
ment we find of all our activities Is
that they are responses or adjustments
to stimuli. Each one of us Is a force
into which is continually streaming an
indefinite number of stimuli, and the
conduct consists in responding to this
stimuli in such way as to success
fully maintain any act of ours. My
ability to stand on this floor is depend
ent upon the stimuli which comes from
contact with the soles of my feet and
other articles which come to the eye;
IL one of these stimuli Is diseased my
ability to retain my equilibrium would
be affected. Take woOd-engraver for
instance; see how every motion he
makes Is response to the stimuli as
he works upon the wood. Our muscu-
lar system is to take hold of these
stimuli in regular way that we are
perfectly adjusted. AS to the bearing
Of that upon the emotions. Professor
James Of Harvard has advanced the
suggestion that our emotions are ac-
compartments with the responses
which we make to the stimuli; only
in this case we have to think of the
responses not only of the muscles, but
also all Of the internal organs, the
breathing, etc.
Some one told me today that ply
stefan told her that if she could notice
herself, for instance at lecture, she
a a,,l a.. La1
ing her breath unconsciously, and that
If she only knew it, there was great
loss of energy in doing that. On the
other hand, If she were to keep on
normally she would not find
herself losing any energy. Then with
the emotions there are changes in the
of the blood. We blush I'M
der certain circumstances; we grow
white with fear, showing that the reac-
ton extends to the circulation as well
as to the muscles. Children, too, have
a heavy feeling in the pit of the stOm-
ach when saddened or greatly de-
pressed. II you take the terms for joy,
Or elation, most all of them show a
Of energy. Mr.. James
theory Is that our emotions are the
way, really, in which we feel He says,
and violently, too, that we do not run
AWAY because We feel afraid; we feel
afraid because we run away. That we
10 not strike because we are angry;
We are angry because we strike. You
IAN see that person feels afraid
when he doesn't run away. In this |
way a gross response and movement |
u the whole body Is suppressed, but |
you find the movement of the muscles |
shows a changed breathing, a change
II feeling even In the pit of the stom-
lch. The theory seems paradoXical in
he extreme, but you will see there Is
good deal Of truth in 1t. II you no.
Ice yourself walking along dark
treet at night and you hear a noise
that noise Is a stimulus
In the dark, where you can
lot see, the stimulus has an effect
which II would otherwise not have. Prof.
ames wrote an article In one of the
magazines short time ago pointing
ut that the nervous drain on the ay-
rage American Is due 10 the fact that
g never quite relaxes himself, his ner-
GUS tension, at any time completely.
v H'H ,"u l''l WDIfltuI " YOU take
reat pains 10 unrayel your brow, you
III be surprised 10 find how much OF
he mental worry and depresslOns goes
long with the unrayelling, In sub
lance, then, emotion IL due TO the
hange In the breathing apparatus,
lood activity, due 10 the activity
hlch responds 10 the stimulus given,
when one gets 10 doing something
abllually and We do Il without think
" ANA without fear, the habitual ac-
WY Is automatic, but any disturb
nee IN u, any diiiiculiy coming in, Or
other words, any break Ia lbs habit
ieurIlns' which ar0uses 0r eNciles us,
n0llon comes Now when ws have an
nollonal ouihurst accompanying
lolespenrh great changes pan b.
'oh'l ior ~ our character A. this
lllnh mere are new stimuli coming
Ih the system win great force, aud
zero arc nq nahiiual nr hApd modes
lpspqhs' ~ These Tho rhlei silmu- \
. sNnA 'Nh's ~ this llmp 10 Tho