The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-14

use OF the will required to walk another
mile would have involved virtually the
whole OF the intellectual process of learn
ing 10 walk over again, and, not being
Ianatical on the subject, 1 took the car at
tne next crossing so as TO avoid the intel
lectual strain. This was partly because
on that particular day / actually needed
my determination, resolution and rational
exercise of the will for a purpose of more
immediate urgency than learning to walk
over again 1t became perfectly clear TO
me tnen, however, and il remains so now
that what / know about walking is a mat
ter OF more or less imperfect memory not
COCO Tor more than mile and half at
present without a call for the active use
or the intellect in keeping on.
anyone who can walk five miles without
beginning to forget how to keep on for an
olner mile knows how to walk well enough
for nearly all the practical purposes of life
and for all the enjoyable purposes OF walk
ing that can be made to fit In with the
practical purposes of a world in which il is
pecomlng necessary every year for larger
NUMBER or people to sit down or stand still
IN order to be able to earn a living But III
tne nrst hundred thousand names in the
uIrectofy OF this city or any other Amer
lcan city were called off alphabetically for
volunteers. 80 per cent. of us would begin
10 suHer increasing symptoms OF tenn
porary iocomotor ataxia probably at the
beginning of the second mile, and certainly
pefore the end of the third When anyone
mas iocomotor ataxia in its permanent and
mai form walking is wholly a matter OF
memory. The person who has the disease
knows exactly what he wishes his legs 10
90; ne remembers what they ought TO do.
and the rational use of the will no has ara
required TO take the next single step after
q. me one ne has taken already. Even then
LIS, - as uncertain In its results as the re-
SUITS reached by most ladies when after
having forgotten how TO walk. they have
used up their imperfect memory of the
pbI,ssS IN the first twenty blocks and are
Vongeo 10 rely wholly on the strength Of
tneir intellects TO keep on.
a, am no more prejudiced against doctors
anah 4 am against trolley cars. automobiles
ano other devices an advancing civilization
oners when the legs provided nv nature are
showed 10 fall into almost complete disuse.
put am satisfied that If 90 per cent OF the
female population of St Louis actually
knew how to walk as much as twenty
docks without having to rely on the
ss,,rength OF their intellects to walk FIVE
among city physicians would be wholly IN
precedented: A great German doctor who
hao grown so wealthy and famous that
he had more patients than he wanted at
tempted to get rid OF most of them by tell
ing the ladies' who came TO him for physic
ana operations that the only operation they
really needed to undergo was that Of learn
ing to walk. No doubt they went TO some
otner doctor they thought more sympathetic
and reasonable.
Nothing In this discourse is intended %
inouce anyone to walk for exercise and stil
less Is IL intended 10 encourage the per-
Elcious habit of walking TO make a record
. am merely attempting 20 express my con
.sction mat legs are naturally a part OF the
human body and that IL Is not disadVah-
tage TO have them or a degradation 10 use
tnem 10 a reasonable extent for the purpose
OF actually getting TO places with them
many people may be surprised at this VIEW
ana equally surprised TO learn OF my con.
viction that IL they should actually attemR
20 walk for any such purpose a this they
would be obliged TO learn much more tnAa
they actually remember of the process bus
they might be still more surprised IL theyy
knew how much / remember OF what .
learned of their habits by standing on 10
corner listening TO what they said 80
watching what they did during the iAs'
street-car strike.