The Washington times., 1901-08-03
Brnius md Hrawu.

| Brains and Brawu.
1t is said that three of Princeton's
best athletes have failed in their stud
les and been set back into lower
classes. Whether these particular stu
| dents are naturally a little dull or have
simply neglected their class studies in
order to cultivate their muscles, we are
| not advised, but the incident is more
or less suggestive of the relation which
does or may exist between brains and
| Drawn.
| Frequently it has been remarked that
great athletes are seldom equally strong
mentally, and many have wondered
whether there is anything in the culti-
walton of musclar power that tends to
| retard mental development. 1t is not
easy to answer the question with abso-
| lutte assurance, for il is one of those
| things which scarcely admit of full
| proof. There is no apparent reason
why a man who is strong physically
should not also be well endowed with
mental power, and so far as natural
gifts go, it would seem as if physical
health and vigor should be conducive
to strong mentality. The brain is a
portion of the human system, and it
has no power whatever separate and
apart from the physical organism that
sustains it. Any man is, as a rule, in
better mental condition when he is well
than when he is weakened by disease.
But it does not follow that strong
muscles are Indispensable to a strong
brain. for man may be in excellent
health without a great deal of muscular
development. The human organism is
seldom, if ever, perfect, and there is
more or less of inequality in the devel-
oIment of every man or woman. Some
men are unusually strong in their arms
and others in the legs, while some have
abnormal strength in the chest or back.
S. certain individuals show great brain
power without anything to correspond
in the muscular system.
Then it must be remembered that
whether a man becomes a great ath-
lete or a great thinker depends very
largely upon his education and train
ing. No man ever yet acquired supe-
riority in athletics without practicing
his muscles, and no one ever attained
high rank in the field OF mental en-
deavor without education. If one is
unusually strong physically, it is quite
natural for his mind to turn TO athletic
pursuits, for most people like to do
those things in which they excel. For
the same reason, one who is mentally
acute prefers mental labor, which has
the effect of Strengthening and sharp
ening his mind still more. 1t often hap
pens that the physical weakling of a
family develops the highest order of =
mentality. In some cases. this may be
owing to natural superiority of brain,
but in many 1t undoubtedly is due to
the fact that being regarded as unfit
for heavy manual labor, the delicate
member of a family is given better
education than the others, which car
ries him to higher intellectual plane.
In the case of collegians, we must |
assume that they are all fairly well !
endowed with native intelligence, for |
they must have made considerable |
progress in an educational way before |
entering college. Whether college ath- /
letes usually fall behind in their |
studies, that is to say, whether they |
fall below the average of their class |
mates, we do not know. But, SO far |
as they do fail in this respect, it is |
probably owing to two principal causes: |
First, the leading athletes are compar- |
atively few in number; and second, |
those who are put forward TO defend |
the athletic supremacy Of the school |
have their minds diverted to a cOnsid-
cradle extent from their studies. This
latter cause suggests very strongly the |
that university athletics are
carried too far. Plenty of good, health
giving exercise is valuable aid to the
student but it is not necessary for
man to have the muscles of a prize
fighter or wrestler in order that he may
stand high in literature. science, or art.