42 BULLETIN OP THE UNIVERSITY OP WISCONSIN. 



spectmg diet, and she instanced her six grown sons and daugh- 

 ters to prove that hale and hearty children could be reared 

 on "unhygienic victuals." As a matter of fact, however, these 

 "stalwart" men and women are taking medicine half the time ; 

 and not one of them has yet accomplished anything of conse- 

 quence in the world. But this woman, beholding them through 

 a mother's eye, is convinced that perfection has been attained in 

 their construction ; while a disinterested neighbor sees the mat- 

 ter in a quite different light. It is a far cry from the grave 

 to the most energetic and efficient living; and because one is 

 alive is no evidence that he could not be more alive. It is 

 not assured beyond question that one out of jail is a good citi- 

 zen ; nor is it at all conclusive that because one is "getting on" 

 in the world he could not swing along with greater momen- 

 tum by the aid of a knowledge of some of the principles of 

 mental mechanics. It would indeed be a remarkable circum- 

 stance if by accident alone we should have hit upon the very 

 best ways of ordering the minutse of our daily lives, when it 

 is seen how great advances, what discoveries of beneficial meth- 

 ods are made by careful study in other fields. If science can 

 do so much for us in simple matters how much more ought 

 it to help us in the most complex and intricate of all affairs, — 

 the adjustment in harmonious relations of a human being to 

 his environments. But the very complexity overwhelms the 

 common mind, stops up the avenues of thought, and it falls 

 back on the universal platitude of ignorance, "Oh ! there's noth- 

 ing in it anyway." 



On the other hand, one too conscious of his demeanor in re- 

 spect of the petty details of life is in so far limited in his 

 efficiency. A mind turning in always upon itself or upon bod- 

 ily processes throws the machinery of life out of gear. Speak- 

 ing in general terms that mind is the best instrument that is 

 concerned with objects outside of self, when the organism ad- 

 justs itself to the attainment of these ends; then things work 

 together in harmony. This is the ideal. But yet through 

 early ignorance or through the necessity of adaptation to waste- 



