| Show THINKING AND HEALTH R A maynard writes an able article on relation of thinking to health in which he says the phenomenal growth of christian science throughout the world as well as the general interest aroused by new thought centers to be found in nearly every community have served to emphasize the central thought contained in all these philosophies or religions and this central thought is the relation 0 the thinking mind to the acting body the question at issue being not doe thought influence bod lly functions and activities for this Is generally admitted but the emont to which it influences or may influence in other words how far true is the statement made by the disciples of the new thought think ing Is ane cause of all that a man is and all that ho does psychology the science of alio phenomena of mind although one of the oldest sciences and said to have had its origin with pythagoras and to have been greatly improved by aristotle has however in only comparatively recent years taken the position of a universally recognized science what is termed the now psychology consists for the most part of extensive observations upon persons in abnormal states upon persons having some mental peculiarity upon the development of the minds of children upon the language institutions mythology and arts of different races and the comparative study of biography while psychology as taught in the colleges was tor a long time a division in the department part ment of philosophy at the present time it is generally recognized as a science and in many colleges js a department part ment by itself alie new thought cult which originated twenty five or thirty yeara ago had its origin not with scientific apsy but with the laity not with trained scientific thinkers but with well meaning persona imbued with humanitarian mani impulses although untrained thinkers certain strong charr ackers discovered the great influence and result upon the body of certain mental states and without attempting to demonstrate their faith according to the methods of the scientists or justifying it according to their standards an extensive movement was set in motion and a wealth of practical experiment developed prom time to time book dealing with now thought doctrine have been written and published until the whole body of literature upon the subject has attained to considerable proportions it is only within recent years however that from the realm of the psychology of the schools there has come a body of doctrine which in remarkable degree la confirmatory fir matory of much that Is claimed by the unscientific disciples of the now thought As examples let me duoto from some of them president G stanley hall of clarh university in a lecture before the american medico psychological society in boston assorted the relations between tho body and the emotions are of the closest there can be po change of thought without a change of and ho also suggested that tho course in thinking might develop muscle as well as the right course of exorcise professor C A strong of columbia in his work why the mind has a body haa said recent tell ua that all mental states are followed by bodily changes that all consciousness leada to action this Is true of the entire range of our mental life the bodily effects in are or limited to the voluntary but consist rn leas patent changes antho action of tho heart lungs stomach arid other viscera in the caliber of blood vessels and the secretion of glands sap professor james of harvard all mental states are followed hy bodily activity of some fort they lecul to inconspicuous changes in breathing circulation general muscular tension and glandular or other visceral activity even it they do not lead to conspicuous movements of the clea of voluntary life professor ladd of yalo even the most purely vegetative of abo bodily processes are dependent tor their character upon antecedent states of mind professor of harvard there Is never a particle of an idea in our mind which is not the starting point for some bodily action last year dr charles gilbort davis a well known chicago physician of regular and recognized standing in his profession published a book called the philosophy of life in ahse book dr dails maintained that disease may bo created and maintained iby what we think and that may bo averted notwithstanding the presence in the body of dangerous bacilli b what we think says one of the new thought writ ere the relation of thinking to every bodily action from the smallest to the greatest is that of cause to effect therefore the same is true of the relation of to health and disease harmonious thinking is the cause health is the effect discordant thinking is the cause disease fhe f he effect each person haa built as ho would each person may build as he will and do these conclusions warranted in the light of the statements quoted from the utterances of the scientific psychologists in other words are not christian science dl vine science and the new thought generally being readily made scientific by leading physical scientists |
