NOTES BY COLONUS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XII, Issue 596, 18 December 1885, Page 3

NOTES BY COLONUS.

THB BALANCE OF MIND.

Perhaps the highest and most perfect human character is the wellbalanced mind— r-the mind in which the several mental faculties bear siproper relationship to each other. Probably among human beings malformation of mind is more common than malformation of body. Though the bodies of men differ in size and weight, and some people may be better proportioned than others, any excessive disproportion of the various parts of the body is seldom seen. Disproportion of the mental faculties, however, seems to be more common. Theie is no mental quality which is bad per se, or in itself. It is the disproportion of one quality to another which works the mischief. Again, it is none the

worse, but all the better, for the mental faculties to be strong and well developed, provided only there is a proper balance. It. is better for a man to have strong animal passions than weak, but if such strong animal passions are not accompanied by moral attributes, by which they are controlled, strong animal passions are dangerous to the possessor of them and others. A man who has all the various mental faculbies well developed is, spiritually speaking, a bigger and stronger man than he who has a weaker development of mental faculties. It is, however, the proper balance of the mental faculties which tends to produce perfection of character. It is better for a man to have strong sexual passion, or what the phrenologists call amativenes3, than weak sexual passion, for the children of people with strong sexual passion are generally likely to be more healthy and strong than the children begotten by people with feebler sexual passion. If, however, strong sexual passion be hot accompanied with good moral .power, it is apt to be a curse instead of a blessing, and • the possessor of it is in danger of becoming a ' gay Lothario,' Or sensual debauchee. It is well a man should have strong combativeness — that passion which inclines a man to fight. A vast deal of fighting of one sort or another is required in this rough world, and if a man cannot fight, he is likely to be nowhere. It is the fighting propensity which induces a man to persevere and struggle with difficulties, and determine not to be beaten in what he undertakes to do, and also induces him to defend himself or others from injustice and tyranny. If, however, the fighting propensity is not properly balanced by other qualities, the combative man is not a very agreeable sort of person. He is always ready for the fray, eager to quarrel, and not much disposed to live peaceably. There is no doubt that caution is a very useful quality. If a man be but ill provided with caution, his stay in this world, where life is exposed to so many dangers, is apt to be brief. For successful progress in this world, a large amount of caution is requisite. If courage and dash are required in the general of an army, so also is much caution required, and many great disasters in war have occurred through want of caution in commanding officers. If, however, large cautiousness be not properly balanced by combativeness, and some other qualities, a person with a large development of cautiousness is apt to be timid and over careful, and liable to despair and panic, and to be discouraged by difficulties and dangers. What the phrenologists call love of approbation, or regard for the opinion of others, is a good quality, and is a motive for exertion, and may induce a man to act well in order not to offend public opinion, and do creditable actions for the sake of fame and applause. If, however, the love of approbation be not properly balanced by other qualities, a person who has much of it is apt to be vain, and to be morbidly sensitive to opinion — to be in fact the slave of opinion. The faculty of acquisition, or what the phrenologists call acquisitiveness, is a useful quality. It induces a person to struggle to acquire a livelihood, and what is requisite for himself and family, and to be careful and economical. If, however, large acquisitiveness is not counterbalanced by other qualities, a person possessed of it is apt to become a miser, and mammon worshipper, and have an inordinate love of wealth. Veneration is an excellent quality. It induces i respect for others, and would seem to | be the basis of religious worship. A person wanting in veneration is apt -to be cheeky and impertinent, and not ready to venerate what is worthy of i veneration. If, however, not properly counterbalanced, a person with much veneration is apt to be a bigot, dogmatic, and a worshipper of forms and ; ceremonies. There are some people possessed Of powerful reasoning facul- 1 ties, and great logical acumen who are ' deficient in the power of dealing with details. On the other hand there are people who have a great aptitude for dealing with and mastering small details, who are deficient in reasoning and logical power, and the capacity to generalise.