174 PHYSIOLOGY AND TEMPERANCE. 



CHAPTEK XII. 

 PHYSICAL EXERCISE. 



1. The Benefits of Exercise. The study of physi 

 ology, however brief, will impart such a knowledge of the 

 construction of the human frame and the functions of its 

 various organs as will enable us to interpret the many wants 

 of the system, to appreciate the difference between that which 

 is wholesome and that which is unnecessary or useless, to 

 know what is required of us in aiding in that growth of 

 body and mind which will attain to perfect manhood, and 

 to avoid the use of anything that tends to injure the health 

 or undermine the constitution. Both mind and body are 

 more susceptible to external influences in youth than in 

 mature age. Early attention is necessary to the formation 

 of correct habits, not only in eating and drinking, but in 

 every action and movement of the body. Excess in anything 

 should be avoided. We have seen that excessive action of 

 any part is sure to be followed by a corresponding reaction 

 or loss of function in that part for a time. The heart may 

 be induced by stimulants to act too fast, but there comes a 

 time when it will act too slowly. The mind may be over- 

 exerted for a while, but reaction will set in and the brain 

 become sluggish. The muscular system may be over-taxed 

 by hard labor or violent exercise, but weariness and pros- 

 tration are the result.' 



While we can injure our systems by excesses, we can also 

 do so by inattention or neglect. Untrained minds have not 

 a large amount of brain energy. Sluggish circulations and 

 enfeebled digestions frequently follow in people who live 



