Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-06-07

science from the FrOllcS OF
Animals, the Garden of Eden
Ideal. the Games of Ancient
Greece, the Beer Gardens of
Germany and the Lives of
Huxley and Darwin.
From Lecture
BY Harlow Brooks, MD,
Professor Of clinical Medicine in the Nep York
Uniuersitu
Given In the Series Of Medical Lectures by
the Medical Society Of the Borough of the
Bronx, Feb. II, 1914.
4 MoNG the primitive instincts OF all ami.
~ NAL life are those of selfpreservation.
= OF the desire for food and the perpetu.
alton Of species.
Claiming very close Relationship to these
essential and insstent vital motives is the de.
sire to play. We find this instinct manifested
in practically every grade of animal life from
the insect up to mankind The playfulness of
the kitten, the games Of birds and even those
OF reptiles are matters OF the most common
place and certain scientific observation. Tho
frolics of puppies. of colts, of young calves and
all manner Of our wild friends, but most beau.
tiful of all the pranks Of our own babies, are
30 commonplace and so much a part and mar.
Gel Of life in its happier aspects that I need
but to recall them to you to induce you to ac.
cept with me that play is indeed an essential
and primitive part of all animal life
It IL also readily shown that III most In.
stances the plays of youth under natural CON-
ditions and in all grades of the scale of evo.
luton are largely preparatory for the sterner
obligations Of adult life. The higher we az.
cend In the ladder Of mental and nervous de-
velopments the more marked and evident does
this instinct of play become and the greater its
necessity. You are then, hope, prepared to
accept with me the axiom that play and re-
Taxation are part of life itself. and since we
find no such general instinct in nature, with.
: out deep and important purpose. we must
assume that In some way play is d necessary
part of life and that as life becomes more COM
plicated the necessity for It becomes the
greater.
Mans recognition of this fact goes back as
far as history, and the very earliest of history
tells us that Adam and Eve were given one
everlasting holiday, and had 1t not been for
that very unfortunate vegetarian tad of our
first militant ancestor, it Is quito probable
that we all bould be this very day joyfully
gambolng about some beautiful park, instead
of considering the wherewithal shall we be
clothed and the office for tomorrow and the
rent day Of next month.
All the great nations of history have recog.
nized the need for relaxation and recreation.
We see this demonstrated even by the stern
Spartans in their games and by their feast
days. 1t is also evidenced by the art of ancient
Greece and 1t is manifested to-day by our public
parks, concerts, artNcollections, athletic games
and geological gardens. Practically every
Government be 1t more or be II less paternal
In type has arranged for the play and reaxa-
ton of ifs people. The ffestas of the Latin
people, the beer gardens and glorious music
NJ hos ptn aYn1A kt1A. A.
mans. are but evidences of this impelling in
stinct and the necessity Of its normal gratif-
cation for the public welfare. Even our own
Government has taken cognizance Of this in.
structive demand, and we see II recognized in
the establishment of national Fairgrounds,
such as the Yellowstone and Glacier National
Parks. Hardly now State a city OF any
pretense but what has its Yosemite, its Pros.
pect Park, or its Bronx Zoo
Napoleon's greatness no more mani.
a tested by his great military operations than in
his constructive establishment of art collec.
lions and his encouragement OF architecture
and OF the numerous similar institutions Of
France. Perhaps we should have even for
gotten Great Caesars conquests had he not
amused himself by the writing of them down.
This is form of amusement, however, which
! am afraid some of you In common with my.
sell may have looked upon as anything but
an innocent occupation when we were first
attempting to describe that crucial bridge.
So great statesman as Patrick Henry even
gave the object OF life as "the pursuit OF happi.
ness"
National, State and Municipal Governments
despotic or popular have thus since the time Of
history made the subject of play and relaxa-
ton serious study and a public care. We
hear Of city opera, of State theatres and pub
lie Fairgrounds. Many, II not most of these
are designed not SO much to educate as to
amuse and to relax, and their establishment Is
recognition of that instructive craving within
us for play and diversion an instinct which
then demands thoughtful attention.
In our convalescent wards at the hospitals
we have found the necessity OF the visiting
quartette, of the monograph, the books, games
and of the pictures designed to entertain and
divert. All these subjects have under sucn
circumstances become matters of grave study
and careful supervision. We have our pro
fessional play instructors, just as certain OF
the birds, the partridge family for example.
have also theirs The story-tellers of the
Romans of the Norsemen or those of our own
Americans, the Apaches or the Comanches.
are replaced by the trained story-tellers OF our
city libraries and public schools.
But although every one must recognize these
general facts as have stated them, how nfre-
quently 1t Is that we hear OF any person care
fully and studiously arranging for his play and
relaxation. This Is the point to which wish