Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-04-06
INSANE ASYL U|Ns :
HOLD MORE THAN
ALL COLLEGES
President HiII's Closing Lee
ture on Conserving the
Mind Shows Necessity and
Means of Doing So.

c' W 'HtJ biC
Mind Shows Necessity and
Means of Doing So.
That in 1917 there were 400, 900
people in insane asylums in the
United States, nearly as riany-per-
sons as there are in all the univer-
sites and institutions Of learnin!s
IN the. country was one Of the inn
nressive facts brought out BY DR..
David Spence Hill in the last of his
extension lectures Yesterday after
noon.
Mental hygiene" or Conserving
the mind" was the subject of this
final and most important Of
the educational measurements SER
les. The number of persons in
asylums does not begin to touch
the great number of persons suf-
fering from mental aberreations of
one sort or another both of which
are tremendous drain on the
country, said DR., Hill.
The sorrows that come from
wrong thinking, the domestic trag-
edies, the business failures, might
perhaps all be avoided, with thei,
great waste of emotion. and force,
which is an incalculable eeonomic
loss. Some people are still salts
fled with primitive ways of think
ing. although they would not be
satisfied with primitive surgery or
even cooking, states DR.. Hill, and
will not believe that mental habits
have anything to do with sanity,
just as at one time many refused
to believe that the mosquito had
any relation to malaria, or typhoid.
The progress Of psychology,
stated the lecturer, shows that
should and could oe pre-.
served. In speaking of the causa
tive factors he stated that in cases
of hereditarial insanity very little
could be done except to avoid the
strain and conditions which pro
duced the variety of mental dis.
order from which the patient suf-
fered, a.
Alcoholism, trauma Cor shock
and blows) disease and extreme
fatigue were named as other fac
tors in mental alteration. Extreme
fatigue lessons mental and physi !
cal resistance and increases their -,
susceptibility and should be avoid
ed with care
DR.. Hill stated that the popular |
delusions and errors about phre- /
nology and physiognomy, hypotisnI
and spiritualism, should all be ex-
posed as the fakes they are con-
fiding in are being. Faulty mental |
habits can be overcome, he assert |
ed. by observing the principles of |
habit formation, and by training |
young minds to healthy habits
Instinct is an inborn tendency |
10 repeat. to react to stimulus. |
There are many valuable in
stincts," DR., Hill continued. Fear
IS an instinct of protection, one
With which We are born, but we
aan use our minds to differentiate
our instincts, a thing which the
animal can not often do"
Habit. repeating an act over
md over again, which only our rea-
son and our will can make us ac-
makes us accomplish |
hose things with a minimum of
consciousness. We learn in three
ways, by trial and error, (the hit
IF miss system) by imitation, which
S far quicker. and by reasoning.
Ne can build our habits. The habit
If failure is one of the worst things
possible, do not think that you
IRE going to fail. but work until /
'ou succeed"
Faulty mental habits were d.
'ided by DIR. Hill into obsc5sons
md imperative ideas, into lndecis-
on or abulia and fear and worry
Reason must be eXerted over the
bsessions which seem about to
Master the mind and, energies of
n individual, and other interests
nd diversions must be steadfastly
ought.
GLOW few people like to make
ecisions,' continued DR.. Hill They ;
void through inability to decide ;
rbich is the best thing TO do or
he thing they want to do They I
hould cultivate MAKING Up their {
,inds rapidly, once "A conclusion {
as been reached as to the advis- {
bility of a thing. Fear, or antici- J
ated. pain, which incapacitates so
lany. is purely mental illness
hich may be cured by various {
ntidotes. Remove the cause of I
our distress If possible. Attack the
roblem. Perhaps you re 4 chronic I
ctim, then you shouidsloole after
our health. Have u vocation so
lat you can go to your WORK With
/ cart, if you can't then get cut OF
at work for you viii never be a
lccess and you had bettec he mi
'me other. Have an avocation,
ave philosophy and religion,
aching out for the infinite, and o
stly," concluded the lecturer,
earn to relax" ..-s
DR., Hin spoke OF the famous 7
alikak and Jukes families, de- q
ended from weak mentally defic-, )
mt women, which had produced l
ch evil results. The Jullcs fam o
+ had cost the state of New York n
'er a million dollars it was esti- n
ated and had proiluced 1,2C0 IN Q
Viduals who wefe either CT imln- e
S or Criminally insane. unless
ey were imbeciles.
a resolution was passed 1T the !.
ose of the lecture, thanking DR..
i'll for his series Of splenlid lee
Tes, giving TO The teaches he .
'aefi' of the exhaustive research
ork made by D.. Hill along these L
los of mental MEASUREMENTS and !
1t was decided to push the mat
r of the scientific school library
ggested by DIR. Hill last week,
Id superintendent Milne an
unced that he would request the
ard of education to duplicate the
mount of money donated by the
achers for that purpose.
TUT7 MnTnp rhcE lM