Abnormal Ideas and Nervous Super -Excitability. 39 



classes of emotions follow this, as indeed they do all immoderate 

 desires. One class, of an expansive form, bright and enliven- 

 ing ; another of a repressive form, dull and depressing ; and 

 these influence different individuals, or may in turn affect the 

 same. But one form of this immoderate desire is a passion for 

 fame and glory, which, like all egotistical desires, may be the 

 source of opposite forms of mental aberration. Certain phases 

 of social education must be blamed for these emotional dis- 

 orders ; for false ideas are diffused, and the point, aimed at, is 

 illusory and meretricious. Perhaps of all forms of this im- 

 moderate desire, the most prominent is that which takes the 

 form of political ambition, with which is associated the love of 

 wealth and luxury. In democratic communities this is more 

 manifest than in aristocratic, for though the prizes are of less 

 value, they are more numerous, while the attendant evils are 

 more pronounced. One explanation of this is to be found in 

 the fact that the less mental training a man has received in 

 early life the greater likelihood there is that the ill-effects of 

 nervous over -excitability will manifest themselves. 



(c) The immoderate desire to please. This is traceable to 

 unrestrained romantic emotions, and includes an undue 

 development of the principle of self-love, a principle which, 

 unrestrained, degenerates into vulgar selfishness. Common to 

 both sexes, it is more fully developed in the female than the 

 male. To early training this is largely due, but as a proof that 

 the commonly called superior sex is not insensible of the 

 impressions referred to, may be adduced the fact the most 

 popular corps in the army, or Volunteer forces, are those whose 

 uniform is most attractive j and we have it from one ot the 

 highest authorities in the Army that the utmost attention 

 ought to be paid to the dress of the soldier in order that he 

 should be especially attractive to the opposite sex. On the 

 other hand, that the idea is early developed in the female is 

 shewn by the way in which little girls busy themselves about 

 the adornment of their dolls, and by the influence exerted on 

 the minds of older girls by the attractions and excitements of 



