November 21, 1S84.] 



SCIENCE, 



473 



belong, and he is to a certain extent endog- 

 amons in relation to the tribe to which he 

 belongs, that is, he must many within that 

 tribe ; but in all cases, if his marriage is the 

 result of legal appointment, he is greatly re- 

 stricted in his marriage rights, and the selec- 

 tion must be made within some limited group. 

 Exogamy and endogamy, as thus defined, are 

 integral parts of the same law, and the tribes 

 of mankind cannot be classed in two great 

 groups, one practising endoganry, and the 

 other, exogamy. 



The law of exogamy is universal. Among 

 all peoples there is a group, larger or smaller, 

 and natural or artificial, within which marriage 

 is prohibited. The terms ' exogamy ' and 

 ' endogamy ' are misleading, and should be 

 discarded. J. W. Powell. 



A SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF LAWN- 

 TENNIS. 



Lawx-texxis is a game which has taken firm 

 hold upon Americans, and is becoming more 

 popular every year. It is claimed to possess 

 the qualities which make a perfect game, being- 

 safe, healthful, not insuperably difficult, and 

 alike interesting to ' duffer ' and expert, pro- 

 vided the two are not matched. The use of 

 the ; cat ' and of slow returns having been 

 given up for drives, volleying, and swift 

 returns, it has ceased to possess the reproach 

 once cast upon it of being a ladies' game, and 

 is admitted to call forth science, skill, and 

 endurance. Lawn-tennis puts upon its players 

 a demand for muscular quickness and elasticity, 

 great self-control, and a fine and peculiar de- 

 velopment of the muscular sense. 



It is by the help of this sense that the ball 

 is returned with just the right force and in 

 just the right direction, no matter how hard 

 or how gently it strikes the bat ; and in ten- 

 nis the peculiarity lies in the fact that delicate 

 muscular adjustments must be made at the 

 same time that violent contractions of the 

 muscles take place. The skilled artisan goes 

 slowly and gently over his delicate work. 

 The juggler performs his tricks with light 

 and easily handled articles. The billiard- 

 player has to use comparatively little force 

 to make his brilliant strokes. The tennis- 

 player, however, must be ready to strike hard 

 or softly while gripping the racket, adjusting it 

 at just the right angle, and driving it in just 

 the right direction. 



Man experiences a curious sensation of pleas- 

 ure in thus developing and exercising his mus- 



cular sense. The delight felt over a good shot, 

 a brilliant catch, an unexpected return, — all 

 come in the main from this same source, which 

 we might almost call the ' sporting sense.' 



The physiology of muscular co-ordination has 

 been much studied, but its relation to aesthetics 

 is, perhaps, not as yet ' worked up : ' therefore 

 I will dwell upon this point a little. 



Every phase and degree of muscular contrac- 

 tion registers itself in the brain ; but when 

 these contractions, in obedience to the will, 

 effect a certain delicate, previously conceived 

 result, a thrill of pleasure is felt, which is not 

 wholly mental satisfaction over success ; it is 

 also an intensified muscular sensation. As the 

 eye delights in beautiful colors, and the ear in 

 sweet music, so the muscles rejoice in delicate 

 adjustments. They have their own aesthetics : 

 hence there have always been athletic sports, 

 and hence even pugilism would have no charm 

 if it were mere slugging. 1 The Greeks culti- 

 vated this sense as actively as that for poetry, 

 sculpture, and architecture : we might do well 

 to imitate them. 



It is true that the muscular sense is not the 

 only factor in measuring distance and adjust- 

 ing muscular movements. The eye, the ear, 

 and the tactile, more especially the pressure, 

 sense, also come into play. But setting aside 

 the zest of competition, the joys and sorrows 

 of beating or being beaten, it is to certain 

 sensory nerves, distributed through muscle and 

 tendon, that we must attribute much of the 

 pleasure got from athletic games. This may 

 be shown in still another way. After the fre- 

 quent repetition of a set of muscular contrac- 

 tions, the sensations excited thereby cease to 

 rise into consciousness. Perhaps this is due, 

 as Ribot suggests, in part to their increased 

 number, and briefness of duration. At any 

 rate, we know that a frequently repeated act 

 of muscular skill finally comes to be done 

 almost automatically and with little interven- 

 tion of consciousness. So it is that with skilled 

 players the minor and easy strokes of the game 

 call out no new, complex, and delicate adjust- 

 ments with the corresponding aesthetic excite- 

 ment. 



Every one who has ever attained an}' special 

 skill in athletic games knows the pain and wea- 

 riness of playing with the beginner. What 

 hours of heroism in love's cause have been 

 spent by old tennis-players in teaching the non- 



1 I am quite aware that some physiologists consider part of the 

 muscular sensations to be central in origin (innervation feelings), 

 starting up with the volitional impulse, and accompanying it, as it 

 were, to the muscle. It is simply inconceivable, however, that 

 we can be conscious of muscular contractions that have not yet 

 been made. 



