The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-03-08
SPECIAL ARTICLE BY PROF.
ASHTON ON EFFECT OF HABIT
Continued from First Page


bad ones. Habits are formed in all
educational work. Intellectual hab-
its are as prevalent and as strong as
physical ones. 1t is, therefore, es-
sentia, that all educational work take
aotice of this habit forming principle
and use it in the proper training OF
children.
Between the ages of twenty and
thirty or az least by thirty the habits
seem to become fixed and are set
I Ike plaster which will never soften
again If then the period between
twenty ard thirty is the critical one
for the formation of intellectual and
Professional, habits, is not the period
below twenty more important still
FOR the formation of personal habits?
I Since it is through the nervous
system that our habits are formed,
he great thing in all education is
10 make our nervous system our ally
instead of our enemy. The man for
whom education has done all It can
do, finds habit not his master but his
most useful servant. Rosenkrauz
says in this connection: Education
must procure for the pupil the power
of being able to free himself from
Que habit and to adopt another.
Through this freedom, he must be
able not only to enounce any habit
formed, but to form new one; and
must SO govern his system of habits
that it shall exhibit a constant pro-
gress of development into greater
freedom"
When a new resolution is made,
make every effort possible to carry
it out Keep the faculty of effort
alive by doing something every day
for NO otner erason than you would
rather not do it The man who has
daily Injured himself to the habits of
concentrated attention, energetic
yoIition, anc. self-denial will find him
self ablo to stand like a tower when
everything rocks around him.
Could the young minds Of our boys
and girls and young men and young
women realize how soon they will
become a mere walking bundle OF
habit sthey would give more heed to
their conduct while in the plastic
state. Lei them realize that every
day they are spinning their own
fates, whether good or evil, and
never to be undone. Even the small
EFT stroke of vice or virtue leaves a
little scar.
The drunkard, Rip Van Wrinkle, in
JoffersOn's play, excuses himself
from every fresh dereliction by say
ing, Il won't count this time" He
may not count 1t, but down among
lis nerve cells and fbers the mole
cules are counting it and storing it
up 10 be used against him when the
next temptation comes.
Habits are easily formed, especial
ly such as are bad; and what today
become fixed, and hold you with the
tsrength Of a cable. That same cable,
you will recollect is formed by spin. !
ming twisting one thread at a time,
out when once completed, the proud. !
est ship turns her head towards it, !
and acknowledges her subsection to !,
its power
Habits OF some kind will be formed |
by every student. He will find a
particular course in which time his |
employments. his thoughts, and feel
ings will run. Good or bad these
habits socn become a part Of him.
self. and kind Of second nature.
We expect our pupils to fofm
habits. We wish them 10 40 SO. He
must be a poor character. indeed,
who lives SO extempore as not to
nave habits of his own. But what
We wish is that they form those
habits which are correct. and such
rs will every day and hour add to
their happiness and usefulness. |,
II pupil were to be told that he \
must use the same ak, which he now
selects, through life, would lie not
be more careful in selecting one OF
.he right proportions and temper?
But this. III the case supposed, would
pc of no more importance than 10
he selection of habits in which the
'oul shall act.
Let the student not fear to form
my habit which is desirable; for it
AN be formed, and that with more
'ase than at first supposed. No mat
er il it be irksome at first only let
retun periodically, every day. and
hat without any interruption for q
ime. and it will become positive