Thursday, September 27, 2007

MANY INSTINCTS ARE TRANSITORY



MANY INSTINCTS ARE TRANSITORY.--Not only do instincts ripen by degrees,
entering our experience one by one as they are needed, but they drop out
when their work is done. Some, like the instinct of self-preservation,
are needed our lifetime through, hence they remain to the end. Others,
like the play instinct, serve their purpose and disappear or are
modified into new forms in a few years, or a few months. The life of the
instinct is always as transitory as is the necessity for the activity
to which it gives rise. No instinct remains wholly unaltered in man, for
it is constantly being made over in the light of each new experience.
The instinct of self-preservation is modified by knowledge and
experience, so that the defense of the man against threatened danger
would be very different from that of the child; yet the instinct to
protect oneself in _some_ way remains. On the other hand, the instinct
to romp and play is less permanent. It may last into adult life, but few
middle-aged or old people care to race about as do children. Their
activities are occupied in other lines, and they require less physical
exertion.




The part played by the brain in memory makes it easy to understand why



we find it so impossible to memorize or to recall when the brain is
fatigued from long hours of work or lack of sleep
The part played by the brain in memory makes it easy to understand why
we find it so impossible to memorize or to recall when the brain is
fatigued from long hours of work or lack of sleep. It also explains the
derangement in memory that often comes from an injury to the brain, or
from the toxins of alcohol, drugs or disease.




"I seek to evolve the present state of the universe from the



simplest condition of nature by means of mechanical laws
alone
"I seek to evolve the present state of the universe from the
simplest condition of nature by means of mechanical laws
alone."




Another class of young women which is especially exposed to this



alluring knowledge is the waitress in down-town cafs and restaurants
Another class of young women which is especially exposed to this
alluring knowledge is the waitress in down-town cafs and restaurants. A
recent investigation of girls in the segregated district of a
neighboring city places waiting in restaurants and hotels as highest on
the list of 'previous occupations.' Many waitresses are paid so little
that they gratefully accept any fee which men may offer them. It is also
the universal habit for customers to enter into easy conversation while
being served. Some of them are lonely young men who have few
opportunities to speak to women. The girl often quite innocently accepts
an invitation for an evening, spent either in a theatre or dance hall,
with no evil results, but this very lack of social convention exposes
her to danger. Even when the proprietor means to protect the girls, a
certain amount of familiarity must be borne, lest their resentment
should diminish the patronage of the caf. In certain restaurants,
moreover, the waitresses doubtless suffer because the patrons compare
them with the girls who ply their trade in disreputable saloons under
the guise of serving drinks.