528 INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF EDUCATION. 
and the attempt at possession. The willing is here of slight importance. 
The act is reflex, but higher and more complicated in character than the 
reflexes of the cord, and slower in time. 
Now, practically all of our physical activity falls under this type of 
reflex action. Walking is reflex, the sensory stimuli coming frem the 
soles of the feet and the eyes; the walking does itself. So also in eating 
and manual work of all kinds. We have the sensory stimuli acting as 
guides to the motor responses, and all unconsciously. The curious part 
is that we can react best when we are unconscious, for as soon as we 
recome conscious we react less accurately and more slowly. 
The small boy who throws a snowball at a passer-by is perfectly nncon- 
scious of the ball, of his hands, and of the dozens of muscles he is about 
50 use, but he is vividly conscious of his victim—his whole attention is 
apon the target. He does not estimate the distance and the necessary 
elevation to carry the ball, nor the force to get it there ; he simply makes 
a vague, violent effort, and the snowball rises in the air, falls in a graceful 
curve, and hits squarely. In the first place, the boy has a reflex desire to 
shrow the snowball, which all the policemen in the neighborhood cannot 
‘nhibit ; secondly, a reflex control of all the muscles, which makes them 
work together with that perfect harmony that insures success, allowing 
‘or force and elevation so as to overcome the distance, and perhaps also 
illowing for the wind, and movement of the target. Of all of this, our 
small boy is totally unconscious. 
Analysis of other acts will show that they are made in response to sen- 
sory stimuli, and that we are unconscious of the means, being conscious 
solely of the ends sought ; all else is done for us, so far as we are con- 
sciously concerned. We know, moreover, that this is true throughout the 
animal kingdom, and doubtless has been true in part through the ages of 
development. We not only do things now in this way, and have always 
Jone them in this way, but we possess nerves and muscles developed by 
this plan of interaction ; hence our conclusion must be that the mutual 
work is thus best done—that it is the natural way. 
We find that our ordinary activities are stimulated by our perceptions 
of external conditions ; that our plan of procedure is dependent upon our 
‘nterpretation of those conditions, and a stimulation of just the right 
nuscles to accomplish the result. During this time we are intent upon 
the end to be reached, the target to be hit, the book to be lifted, the car 
to be stopped, ete.; this seems to be the most important factor, for our 
skill is directly proportional to our success in this concentration. What 
lo we get from this besides clear judgments of size, distance, etc.? It 
seems that these are essential factors for our motor responses, and that 
they start, reflexly, the whole complicated train of accurate motor 
response ; thus they act as guides of the responses as well as stimuli. It 
.s this function which is of greatest importance to us as physical trainers.