244 MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE. 



worn out with age, or sickness, there exists in the feel- 

 ings of every person, a natural disposition for play, both 

 in the mind and muscles ; and where the restraints of 

 society, or circumstances are removed, we may every 

 where observe illustrations of this law of nature. Hence 

 at watering places, at the sea-shore, or any other place 

 devoted to public amusement, and relaxation, persons 

 of the most erect gravity at home, and even members of 

 the sacred office, throwing off the mantle of restraint, 

 which had, perhaps, for a quarter of a century, hid their 

 natural dispositions, not only from all their associates, but 

 almost from themselves, again become boys, and play all 

 sorts of recreative games with as much interest, and 

 nearly with the same agility as they did twenty or thirty 

 years before. 



Men bound to use exercise which conduces to health. 

 Now we do not make the above remarks by way of 

 accusation, or for the purpose of hinting that such indul- 

 gences involve either hypocrisy or levity. On the con- 

 trary, such facts illustrate and confirm the principles of 

 organic life which we have attempted to establish with the 

 best intentions, and for the best of purposes. They show 

 that nature is averse to the solemn restraints of society ; 

 and that exciting exercise, because it is most agreeable and 

 most natural, is the only kind which relieves the body and 

 mind, when the first has become torpid from too little, 

 and the last from too much exercise. And for the pur- 

 pose of verifying those principles, we would call upon 

 those who now and then yield to the mandates of na- 

 ture, (whatever may be their acquired gravity,) and 

 reckless of muscular power, or mental reputation, enjoy 

 for a time, some sort of exciting play, to say whether 

 the effects are not only congenial both to body and 

 mind, and whether they do not believe that under such 

 amusements, frequently repeated, a man would perform 

 a greater amount of mental labor, and continue longer 

 in health, and in life, than he would, to proceed in the 

 usual manner, of either taking no exercise at all, or only 

 that in which the muscles are compelled by force to per- 

 form their duty, as is the case with most literary men ? 



