EDITOR'S TABLE. 



545 



The predominance of pugilism and 

 athletic sports, which depend upon 

 11 muscle," have favored the idea that 

 the chief influence and benefit of exer- 

 cise is upon the muscular system ; but 

 Professor Beymond shows that this is 

 an error. An important effect is, of 

 course, produced in the development 

 of the muscles, which is very fully and 

 interestingly traced out ; but by far 

 the most important and valuable influ- 

 ence of physical exercise is shown to 

 be upon the nervous centers. "It is 

 easy to show the error of the common 

 view, and demonstrate that such bodily 

 exercises as gymnastics, fencing, swim- 

 ming, riding, dancing, and skating are 

 much more exercises of the central 

 nervous system, of the brain and spinal 

 marrow. Every action of our body as 

 a motive apparatus depends not less but 

 more upon the proper co-operation of 

 the muscles than upon the force of their 

 contraction. In order to execute a 

 composite motion, like a leap, the mus- 

 cles must begin to work in the proper 

 order, and the energy of each one of 

 them must increase, halt, and diminish, 

 according to a certain law, so that the 

 result shall be the proper position of 

 the limbs, and the proper velocity of 

 the center of gravity in the proper di- 

 rection." 



But when it is established that the 

 Central nervous system is not only 

 amenable to the law of exercise, but is 

 the chief object of its influence, we then 

 begin to see how the highest mental 

 effects are involved in the question. 

 Improvement by means of exercise and 

 deterioration from non-exercise apply 

 to the gray matter of the brain as well 

 as to the muscles. From this point of 

 view, which is that of the philosophy 

 of human educability, the subject has a 

 comprehensive interest, and we hope our 

 readers will recognize that, in furnish- 

 ing them articles that imply some effort 

 in their mastery, we are conforming to 

 the only law by which real mental im- 

 provement can be secured. 

 vol. xxi. 35 



MORE SIG3TS OF THE TIMES. 



That there has been going forward 

 within the last few years a rapid lib- 

 eralization of public opinion on the 

 subjects that are in issue between sci- 

 ence and theology, everybody now ad- 

 mits ; and, having done what little we 

 could to promote this salutary result, 

 we are naturally interested in all the 

 striking indications of the growth of 

 toleration in quarters where it has been 

 previously but little looked for. We 

 called attention a few months ago to 

 the significance of a declaration made 

 by an eminent English doctor of divin- 

 ity that the appreciation of Herbert 

 Spencer's system of philosophy is u an 

 education to an age," and we have 

 now to take note of another liberal 

 concession of perhaps greater interest. 



The Victoria Institute, a vigorous 

 English society of nearly a thousand 

 members, consisting chiefly of lords, 

 bishops, and clergymen, was founded a 

 few years ago for the broad purpose of 

 reconciling orthodox Christianity with 

 the revelations of science. It is a kind 

 of British standing committee on the 

 relations of science and theology, the 

 duty of which is to consider and report 

 on all the alleged cases of their con- 

 flict. 



It has been long expected that the 

 Institute would take up the question ot 

 the religious relations of Spencer's phi- 

 losophy, and that has now been done. 

 The last report of its proceedings, just 

 published, contains an elaborate paper, 

 attacking this system and claiming to 

 demolish it, which was written by the 

 Rev. W. D. Ground, and its reading was 

 followed by an unusually full discussion 

 of the subject by the members of the 

 Institute. We have no room to repro- 

 duce at length either the essay or the 

 comments that were made upon it; but 

 there are certain features of both to 

 which it seems desirable to call atten- 

 tion, because we here get weighty the- 

 ological confirmation of positions that 



