NATIONAL HEALTH

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1938, Page 7

NATIONAL HEALTH

THE NEED FOR CONCENTRATION. Why are we concentrating so much nowadays upon national health? asks Dr. R. Cove Smith, the former English Rugby captain, writing in the Pathfinder. Well, the main reason is that the .general trend of modern civilisation is leading us away from natural paths. Physical strain is being replaced by mental strain, nervous ailments are on the increase and our brains seem to be getting too big for our bodies. We must therefore endeavour to equate the biological balance and release the human spirit from its bondage of neurosis. Plato tells us that “the mere athlete becomes too much of a savage . and the mere musician is melted and softened beyond what is good lor'htm—the. two should therefore be blended in right proportions.’.’ The Greek ideal of a citizen was something ot an artist, of an athlete of a soldier, of a statesman and a. piiilosopher all in one. A tall order, you will say. Yes! but the effects of Greek culture still exist, and one thing that the Greeks have taught us is the imporbeing an active participant, T e industrial, revolution and the machine age have wrenched most of us away from those manual, handicraft tasks which gave us muscular activity and a margin of true play in making and fashioning tilings for our own use and amusement. All-round developj ment such as the pioneer and the I craftsman know .is increasingly a thing of the past. Repetition work and muss production seem to be the keynotes of modern industry. Our jobs to-day are less active; in the office, we are sedentary- and subject to the same routine for weeks on end, and even in the factory, where we may use our muscies, it is all too frequently the same set day in and day out. ,We do less with our hands than our amcestors, we do not carry burdens, we .ride instead ot walk, we live in urban communities, we no longer hunt for our food and develop an appetite in cliasing it ive do not need to defend ourselves from attack and no longer develop great muscular strength and endurance. A culture which encouraged us to use what, time and money we have, by substituting new forms of play and personal development would be a wise culture.