238 MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE. 



same time he finds it exceedingly difficult for him to pro- 

 ceed with his literary labors. His head often feels as 

 though there was a rush of blood upon the brain ; his 

 intellect becomes clouded, and he cannot keep along 

 with the thread of his subject, or pursue his studies as 

 formerly. Sometimes he throws down his pen, in utter 

 despair, and thinks he would willingly change places 

 with any laborer he happens to see in the street. 



There are but a few of the feelings, and troubles, and 

 perplexities, which a student suffers, when he allows 

 his nervous to gain the ascendency over his muscular sys- 

 tem, and unless some remedy be sought, will most prob- 

 ably end in palsy or apoplexy, or at least, in such a con- 

 dition of the system, as to render it incapable of any 

 useful employment, for a length of time, depending 

 more, or less on that, during which it has remained in 

 such a condition. 



Clergymen not allowed exciting exercise. The cause 

 of these affections we have said, is an undue proportion 

 of mental labor, when compared with that of muscular 

 exercise. 



With respect to clergymen it is well known that there 

 exists an artificial difficulty in jtheir indulging in that 

 kind of exercise which is most congenial to mental and 

 muscular vigor, owing to the habits and opinions of soci- 

 ety. For it is a law of the system, which applies to 

 ministers equally with others, that no exercise is effec- 

 tual in restoring, or maintaining, the equilibrium between 

 the nervous, and muscular systems, unless the brain is at 

 the same time excited. By this we mean, that the exer- 

 cise must be of that kind in which the mind, for the 

 time, takes a strong interest. This is absolutely neces- 

 sary, nor is it we believe possible, for any one who has 

 lost his muscular energy by studious and sedentary hab- 

 its, to regain it by any kind of exercise which does not 

 give pleasure, or to use a more common phrase, " carry 

 the mind along with it." 



Nor is it in the power of students generally, to retain 

 their vigor of mind, and body, for any considerable 

 length of time without the use of some such exercise. 



The principles we have already drawn, from the fact, 



