| Show A j The Unity of the Mind IV WE wi will now briefly discuss the remaining remaining remaining re re- side of mental life and growth the willing faculties or volition The will unit unites s the knowing and feeling powers of the mind and seems to direct their action It is an impulse consciously consciously consciously con con- directed to the attaining of some recognized end which is desired by the self t. t Like the other powers powers of the mind it has its seat in sensation which is developed developed developed de de- along the line of willing much in the same way as along the lines of knowing and feeling f as as already de de- scribed H Here r the sensation first arouses a sensuous impulse which is a afelt afelt afelt felt pressure within to produce some physical change in response to that pressure In infancy the childs child's responses responses responses re re- to sensations of hunger pain etc are vague unorganized and difficult difficult difficult cult for the mother to interpret Still th the sensations arouse the impulse and anda a physical change or movement follows With further devel development p ent they become more intelligently directed and more easily interpreted so the sensation may be recognized and and relieved and the crying or other manifestation cease A sensation as hunger etc may and perhaps generally does arouse activity along more than one line for as it gives us information of the state of the body it arouses the knowing faculties as it is pleasant t or painful the feelings are affected and as it stimulates a reaction reaction reaction re re- action the will is a awakened wakened This illustrates in another way way the unity of mind action r Before the impulses aroused by a sensation can be directed and and organized into a complete manifestation of will attention must bring the mind to bear bearon on them to comprehend them and to assist in determining the channel in which they shall go Attention may be defied as an adjustment of the mind for proper action and is itself an act of primary will Impulses like perceptions are never separate and isolated they must be understood associated and directed in th their ir course of development by the action of the whole mind as will be illustrated further oJ on If the experience of the impulse and i its s reaction satisfies the feelings and is in harmony with our knowledge pleasure is caused and a desire is awakened to continue or re repeat eat the experience But if pain has resulted an aversion aversi m to to instead of ofa a desire for t the e experience is created Since no desire c can n be brought brough to perfection isolated from all other desires desires desires de de- sires no more than can can an a percept be understood without being associated with other percepts it follows that an indefinite number numb r of desires exist in inthe inthe inthe the mind at the same time Since but butone butone one of these can be gratified at a time and there may be several of equal use presented to the self there must necessarily necessarily necessarily arise within the mind a power of choice which is is the next stage in th the development of the will Knowing and feeling assist here also and one desire is selected to be realized T The e choice is often made so quickly as asto asto to involve but little deliberation in fact fact almost unconsciously at other times requiring days of careful deliberation deliberation deliberation delibera delibera- tion before a choice is formed But when th the choice has been determined its realization then becomes the motive As yet the motive is only ideal It exists only in the mind We have hae decided decided upon a state or experience which we do not yet enjoy but which Yle we feel is within our reach The realization realization realization reali reali- of this difference bet between een the ther r actual state and the ideal state causes the feeling of pain which we call faction So long as this feeling is not created no volition will res result lt No matter how strongly desired or how firmly chosen the ideal ma may be no action of the will can take place until the feeling of dissatisfaction puts the mind in motion Then the necessary steps are taken to realize the desire chosen and we have an example of the development and action of the will Having discussed the successive stages in the development of the mind in all three e of its departments and illustrated incidentally that each department necessarily necessarily necessarily acts in conjunction with each of the others it might be well here to state what a moments moment's reflection will show to be a fact that none of the stages of either department must reach a given degree of perfection before ore the next stage begins to appear The unfolding unfolding unfolding un un- folding of all seems to be taking place at the same time and from the very beginning This principle throws the purifying light of truth into musty labyrinths of old pedagogy and shows many of its its- supposed pillars of strength to be decayed moss-covered moss wooden posts instead of polished marble columns That a child has no reason until he is isten isten isten ten or twelve years of age therefore point out to him no relations of cause and effect but stuff him well with forms and drill work is an injunction that causes the modern pedagogue pedagogue pedagogue gogue to smile It might be well now to take a view of the action of the mind as a whole to show more fully its unity First a sensation is felt the attention is directed to it it is associated associated associated asso asso- with former sensations and arouses impulse and instinct As it gives us knowledge of anything it becomes becomes becomes be be- comes a perception as it produces pain or pleasure it is a feeling and therefore creates a desire or avers aversion on Memory Memory- brings up past states with which this may be associated and the former feelings feelings feelings feel feel- ings are again experienced from which imagination and judgment may get material to aid the will in making a choice and developing a motive Reason and the moral and religious feelings then direct volition in the realization of that which is determined to be for the best welfare of the self and thus the whole mind is involved in th the act It does not require lequire a very careful observer to see the great evils of ignoring ignoring ignoring ing the unity of the mind Whenever one part is emphasized for a considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able time and other parts are neglected grave physical results follow How many men have ridden a horse hobby into an insane asylum How pitiably weak in some respects are many minds that are abnormally developed in others Hist History ry is full of anecdotes of great geniuses that illustrate this principle mindedness Absent-mindedness financial inability lack of accurate judgment neglect of family fickleness of purpose purpose purpose-in in fact the absence of any anyone one or more of the powers of the mind may and generally does accompany the too strong growth of any of f the others This is equally true of nations as a's as of individuals The religious feelings of the Crusades completely absorbed judgment judgment judg judg- ment and reason and what disastrous results followed The monastic system of education developed the mind abnor abnor- mally Their high religious ideals of virtue and temperance were not attainable attainable attainable attain attain- able as the will and intellect had been neglected and they reveled in ia the sin that their theories taught them to abhor The he reaction in this case was the Reformation A recent writer claims that the careful careful careful care care- ful exclusion of all religion or the awakening of the religious feelings in inthe inthe inthe the public scho schools ls of France for twenty years has h had d the most disastrous effects on the morals moral's of the present society there In my opinion the exclusion of reason from young students or of religion from all the students is a gross ross psychological psychological psychological blunder All the stages or processes of knowing feeling jedling and willing should receive constant and careful training in the school in the church and in the home A harmonious development development de de- would then be produced and the welfare of society would society would be best Horace Cummings |
