New-York tribune., 1922-12-17

NERVES AND lEhNpNAI row hh. hN ~
vs,Dousa KIng Fleming n Reven Com
PAM.
TRANCE and devious, at least TO the
calm. are the ways of th6 nervous.
Indeed. nervous people are generally
~ supposed 20 be wretched creatures
whose only happiness consists in the ex-
suples and the advice given 10 them by the
calm. III you would only try you could be
iss ike me-" says the calm. comforting
friend And II the object Of pity murmurs
God forbid" the calm one insists upon
calling the doctor and two trained nurses.
Il seems 10 be a fact that the nervous have
their troubles partakinc. as they do, Of
mortality But these, they say, would be
considerably alleyiated if their calm and com
foring friends would only give them up as
bad job and take long sea voyage on
their own account. Not the least Of their
lEis,ions, they tell me. are the calm books
calmly and constantly preferred by calm
arthon telling them how to be calm and
unneHeBs
0rs Of my nervous friends informs me
tE the members OF his confraternity are
e'"r hAhA VI NHt lAfoNhN nAhAN VI ohaiiNs
They are going 70 launch propaganda and
institute thorough examination OF the
foundations Of practically everything TO de-
isrnine whether the calm have any real and
legal right to regard themselves as superior
species. They will employ the most nervous
,gperts in all branches Of learning and will
,onduet the investigation ab initio. prima
iAeie, a priori and so on, just as the calm
SPECIALISTS do.
Ny friend believes that the results will
Be quite upsetting. lie thinks it will be
found that the calm people are the ones in
need Of treatment, not because they cause
dl the nervousness, which is in their favor,
but simply beeause they are calm. He says
that calm people are so simply because they
have no nerves, voluntary, vegetative or
Otherwise that they are under control merely
because they have nothing to control that
they don't notice horrible noises because they
are tco dumb to notice anything, and that
therefore, they should be regarded not as
s0permen. but as subhUman, and sent to
ssnitaria to recover from general negativism,
J. e. calmness.
These are the people who regard them
selves as our keepers and nurcse,' he com
plains we must outwit them. II would
seem easy to outwit anybody with such wits
as they have, but try and do it. 1t will take
general movement"
THE propaganda for nerves holds that it Is
the calm who drive their fellow men to
drink to pillage. rapine and even murder
It is said that homieides often admit that
their only reason for the crime was the
sslmness Of the deceased. Calmness, truly,
is never very complimentary, even in the
home, and ] can see how il might easily be-
eons menace As my informant says, IN
undermining the home it is striking at tne
Why basis Of human society, fact when
vsIy calm sociologist would, and in fact mas
Fvlssiedly observed.
TIE Asrvous do not regard this under-
aiming as an unmixed evil, however much
they may blame the calm for helping II
sleng. And here one notices a little loose
thinking on their part. Since nervousness
Is caused by faulty adaptation to society
As 1t exists. il is clear that il society we're
tAanred TO fl the nervous they would De
vel adapted 10 society and hence no longer
hrvous, but calm. / spoke OF TINS Du' my
friend said that IL he ever became calm IN
nat way he would for that very reason DC
too fatuously dissatisfied to notice ms
eeudition. and that anyway it would be a
change. Can it be that he really wsnts "
be calm
II is not unknown TO psycho-theraPists 'h"'
the victims Of neurosis fight against cure
That is part Of the disease. Apparently it Is