The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-06

DOPE IS A SAD ALTERNATIVE
 Tn the red book (No. 16 in Little Lessons in the Ways of Health, en- titled Building Vitality") I say:
 Ivory, stress, anxiety, fear, hatred, envy, jealousy and anger may indeed be hard on the arteries, for these emotions cause an out- pouring of excessive adrenin from the adrenal glands into the blood stream, and adrenin raises the blood pressure. With any such emotion there is usually repression or suppression of the impulse to overt action, the outlet for the energy released by the emotion, and
 that is why 1t does harm. The adrenin speeds up all the vital
 functions, and the effect is compar-
 able with Eacing an automobile
 engine or throwing the belt of Q fiywheel."
 Mind, 1t is not the emotion that is so harmful, but the repression or suppression of the motion. Repres- sion or suppression seems to be the highest aim of civilization and cul- ture. It Is Q mark of culture and education and refinement to "con- trol" your emotions, your feelings, to mask them, to resist or repress the impulse to bawl out, call down, threaten, defy, bang on the jaw, fight or run away from the source of your irritation. It betrays low breeding to react in primitive way to emotions.
 This is hard on the arteries of cultured people. It Is unquestion- ably 0 factor in the high incidence of cardiovascular degeneration among them. It is indeed the path ogenic influence in the strenuous life, the high tension" under which the big business man lives.
 Every man must choose his own course. Does he prefer to be known as a highly cultured gentleman who can smile urbanely under any and all circumstances, never losing his temper. never raising his voice, al- ways keeping cool and calm, at least on the surface? Or does he prefer to be known as 8 bit of a lowbrow or plug ugly, apt to fly off the handle and paste you once if you drive him too far, man you must be careful not to annoy? Or does he prefer to resort to dope. of one kind or another to ease the strain on his nerves" his feelings, his emotions. and self-control? Or does he know and appreciate the great value of vicarious outlets for the surplus energy released by emo- tions?
 For instance, in time of particular stress or irritation one can nearly always retire for a few minutes to another room and roll some somer- saults, walk on the hands. do some brisk settitng-up exercises, shadow boxing or athletic dancing = any thing to absorb some of the surplus energy. Then one returns to the business in a much better spirit to carry on. You can't understand the value of this until you try 1t your self. Costs you nothing and never does any harm to try 1t.
 The worst possible remedy for the trials, strains or vexations of every body life is dope. any hope you banker for. be 1t tobacco, alcohol or other sense-deadener. This evil at It's worst is a familiar spectacle at baseball or football games. where the excited spectator resorts to dope to keep him in his seat. when every natural impulse drives him to action. It is the spectators arteries, not the players. that bear the brunt. It is in the grandstand that the gravest casualties occur. Candldly, when one catches oneself resortlng to a smoke in . moment Of irFlia- ton, anxiety or ennui, one may az well say goodbye Co youth and