power of doing all with consciousness and volition mentalizes the body, gives
control over to higher brain levels, and develops them by rescuing activities
from the dominance of lower centers. Thus mens agitat molem. [Footnote: Mind
rules the body.] This end is favored by the Swedish commando exercises, which
require great alertness of attention to translate instantly a verbal order into an act
and also, although in somewhat less degree, by quick imitation of a leader. The
stimulus of music and rhythm are excluded because thought to interfere with this
end. A somewhat sophisticated form of this goal is sought by several Delsartian
schemes of relaxation, decomposition, and recomposition of movements. To do
all things with consciousness and to encroach on the field of instinct involves
new and more vivid sense impressions, the range of which is increased directly
as that of motion, the more closely it approaches the focus of attention. By thus
analyzing settled and established coördinations, their elements are set free and
may be organized into new combinations, so that the former is the first stage
toward becoming a virtuoso with new special skills. This is the road to inner
secrets or intellectual rules of professional and expert successes, such as older
athletes often rely upon when their strength begins to wane. Every untrained
automatism must be domesticated, and every striated muscle capable of direct
muscular control must be dominated by volition. Thus tensions and incipient
contractures that drain off energy can be relaxed by fiat. Sandow's "muscle
dance," the differentiation of movements of the right and left hand—one, e.g.,
writing a French madrigal while the other is drawing a picture of a country
dance, or each playing tunes of disparate rhythm and character simultaneously
on the piano—controlling heart rate, moving the ears, crying, laughing, blushing,
moving the bowels, etc., at will, feats of inhibition of reflexes, stunts of all kinds,
proficiency with many tools, deftness in sports—these altogether would mark
the extremes in this direction.
This, too, has its inspiration for youth. To be a universal adept like Hippias
suggests Diderot and the encyclopedists in the intellectual realm. To do all with
consciousness is a means to both remedial and expert ends. Motor life often
needs to be made over to a greater or less extent; and that possibilities of vastly
greater accomplishments exist than are at present realized, is undoubted, even in
manners and morals, which are both at root only motor habits. Indeed
consciousness itself is largely and perhaps wholly corrective in its very essence
and origin. Thus life is adjusted to new environments; and if the Platonic
postulate be correct, that untaught virtues that come by nature and instinct are no
virtues, but must be made products of reflection and reason, the sphere and need
of this principle is great indeed. But this implies a distrust of physical human