THE PHYSICAL ELEMENT IN EDUCATION. 475 



are involved, so that individual skill must be subordinated to 

 the good of the whole body of players. The individual must re- 

 press and control self and observe law. Children have the same 

 discipline in their play when they engage in games requiring the 

 observance of rules. 



This mental element in games assigns to them the first place 

 in any rational system of physical culture. The grind of the 

 gymnasium is so distasteful to the generality of people that gym- 

 nastic exercise, whether free or with apparatus, is only sought as 

 a last resort. But gymnasium work can be made interesting by 

 variety and by competitions. By being made also a preparatory 

 training for athletic sports, gymnastic exercises can be given an 

 interest and a power which they would fail to possess if taken 

 only from a sense of duty. 



The more complete the exercise is for the whole system, the 

 more complete is this development of the mind through the body. 

 Therefore all supervision of the exercise of children should be in 

 the line of removing obstacles to the free exercise of every mus- 

 cle of the body. Care should be used to guard against the com- 

 pression of any part of the body by tight clothing. Badly fitting, 

 uncomfortable shoes often make the movements of the feet and 

 lower limbs a torture, affecting, unfortunately, the carriage of 

 the whole person, and producing ungraceful habits of walking. 



The connection between the body and mind is so close that 

 the working of every (even the smallest) muscle of the body 

 must leave some trace in the mind. The education of the mind 

 through the body is defective to the extent of every unused mus- 

 cle. We see this plainly, according to Dr. Luys, quoted by Dr. 

 Faries in his paper read last April : " When a limb has lost its 

 function there is atrophy of certain parts of the gray matter of 

 the brain, due to defective action of the motor cells." So that 

 muscular exercise, besides conducing to the strength of the body, 

 is necessary to the storing of force in the brain and nervous sys- 

 tem. But this is not all. The brain has a great deal of its devel- 

 opment in consequence of directing and controlling the use of the 

 body through the muscular system. The more extensive this use 

 of the muscles, the more complete the education. Interfere with 

 this education by directing the will too early in life to conscious 

 cerebration by means of books, and you not only check the devel- 

 opment of the brain, but you deprive it also of a growth more 

 important than knowledge can give it, and one which no subse- 

 quent effort can supply. 



In support of this theory of the growth of mind and true 

 brain power during the period of immaturity through the muscu- 

 lar system, I quote from Dr. Ladd's work on Psychology : " All 

 our study hitherto has led us to emphasize greatly the influence 



