Part 15 (1/2)

Old for His Years.

- The ”little old man” or ”little old woman” of ten is always a Cerebral child. The Alimentives are the babies of the race and never entirely grow up no matter how many years they live. But the Cerebral is born old. From infancy he shows more maturity than other children.

The ”Teacher's Pet”

- His studiousness and tractableness lead to one reward in childhood, though it often costs him dear as a man. He usually becomes the teacher's favorite and no wonder: he always has his lessons, he gives her little trouble and is about all that keeps many a teacher at her poorly paid post.

Little Sense of Time.

- The extreme Cerebral often has a deficient sense of time. He is less conscious of the pa.s.sage of the hours than any other type. The Muscular and the Osseous often have an almost uncanny time-sense, but the extreme Cerebral man often lacks it. Forgetting to wind his watch or to consult it for hours when he does, is a familiar habit of this type.

We know a bride in Detroit whose flat looked out on a bakery and a bookstore. She told us that she used to send her Cerebral hubby across the street for the loaf of bread that was found lacking just as they were ready to sit down to dinner--only to wait hours and then have him come back with a book under his arm, no bread and no realization of how long he had been gone.

Inclined to be Unorthodox.

- Other types tend to follow various religions--according to the individual's upbringing--but the Cerebral composes a large percentage of the unorthodox.

The Political Reformer.

- Because all forms of personal combat are distasteful to him the pure Cerebral does not go out and fight for reform as often as the Muscular nor die for causes as often as the Osseous types.

But almost every Cerebral believes in extreme reforms of one kind or another. He is a comparatively silent but faithful member of clubs, leagues and other kinds of reform organizations. He may never star in them. He seldom cares to. But his mite is always ready when subscriptions are taken, even if he has to go without breakfast for a week to make up for it.

This type is usually sufficiently intelligent to know the world needs reforming and sufficiently conscientious to want to help to do it. He is not bound by traditions or customs as much as other types but does more of his own thinking. Without the foresight and faithfulness of the Cerebrals very few reforms could have started or have lived to finish.

The Social Nonconformist.

- Ask any small-bodied, large-headed man if he believes in the double standard of morals, anti-suffrage, eternal punishment, saloons, or the ”four hundred!” This little man with the big head may not openly challenge you or argue with you when you stand up for ”things as they are,” for he is a peaceable chap--but he inwardly smiles or sneers at what he considers your troglodyte ideas. He sees a day coming when babies will be named for their fathers whether the minister officiated or not; when the man who now talks about the ”good old days of a wide open saloon on every corner” will himself be a hazy myth; and when society idlers will not be considered better than people who earn their livings.

The World's Pathfinder.

- The Cerebral therefore leads the world in ideas. The world is managed by fat men, entertained by florid men, built by muscular men, opposed by bony men, but is improved in the final a.n.a.lysis by its thinking men.

These thinkers have a difficult time of it. They preach to deaf ears. And often they die in poverty. But at last posterity comes around to their way of thinking, abandons the old ruts and follows the trails they have blazed. Therefore many great thinkers who were unknown while alive became famous after death. More often than not, ”Fame is the food of the tomb.”

Indifference to Surroundings.

- A wise man it was who said, ”Let me see a man's surroundings and I will tell you what he is.” The Cerebral does not really live in his house but in his head, and for that reason does not feel as great an urge to decorate, amplify or even furnish the place in which he dwells.

Step into the room of any little-bodied large-headed man and you will be struck by two facts--that he has fewer jimcracks and more journals lying around than the rest of your friends.

In the room of the Alimentive you will find cus.h.i.+ons, sofas and ”eats;” in that of the Thoracic you will find colorful, unusual things; the Muscular will have durable, solid, plain things; the Osseous will have fewer of everything but what he does have will be in order.

But the pure Cerebral's furnis.h.i.+ngs--if he is responsible for them--will be an indifferent array, with no two pieces matching. Furthermore, everything will be piled with newspapers, magazines, books and clippings.

Often Die Young.

- ”The good die young” is an old saying which may or may not be true. But there is no doubt that the extreme Cerebral type of individual often dies at an early age.

The reason is clear. An efficient but controlled a.s.similative system is the first requisite for long life, and the pure Cerebral does not have an efficient one. Moreover, he is p.r.o.ne to neglect what nutritive mechanism he does have, by irregular eating, by being too poor to afford wholesome foods, and by forgetting to eat at all.

Physical a.s.sets.

- By reason of his deficient physicality the Cerebral can not be said to possess any decided physical a.s.sets. But two tendencies which help decidedly to prolong life are under-eating and his refusal to dissipate.

It has been said many times by the best known experts that ”more deaths are caused annually in America by over-eating than by any other two causes.” Under-eating is a very necessary precaution but the Cerebral carries it too far.

The Cerebral, lacking a large alimentary system, is not tempted to overload his stomach or overtax his vital organs. And because he is a highly evolved type, possessing little of the instincts which are at the bottom of most dissipation, he is not addicted to late hours, wine, women or excitement.

Diseases He is Most Susceptible To.

- Nervous diseases of all kinds most frequently afflict this type. His nervous system is supersensitive. It breaks down more easily and more completely than that of the more elemental types, just as a high-powered car is more easily wrecked than a truck.

Music He Likes.

- ”Highbrow” music is kept alive mostly by highbrows. While the other types cultivate a taste for grand opera or simulate it because it is supposedly proper, the Cerebral really enjoys it. In the top gallery at any good concert you will find many Cerebrals.

Entertainment He Prefers.

- The serious drama and educational lectures are other favorite entertainments of the Cerebral. He cares little for vaudeville, girl-shows, or clap-trap farces.

The kind of program that keeps the fat man's smile spread from ear to ear takes the Cerebral to the box office for his money.

A Steady Patron at the Movies.

- The Cerebral goes to the movies more than any other type save the fat man, but not for the same reasons. The large-brained, small-bodied man cares nothing for most of the recreations with which the other types amuse themselves, so the theater is almost his only diversion. It is oftentimes the only kind of entertainment within the reach of his purse; and it deals with many different subjects, in almost all of which the pure Cerebral has some interest.

Don't Laugh at Same Things.

- But if you will notice next time you go to a movie it will be clear to you that the fat people and the large-headed people do not laugh at the same things. The pie-throwing and Cutey Coquette that convulse the two-hundred-pounder fail to so much as turn up the corners of the other man's mouth.

And the subtle things that amuse the Cerebral go over the heads of the pure Alimentives.

Cares for No Sports.

- But the fat man and the large-brained man have one trait in common. Neither of them cares for strenuous sports. The fat man dislikes them because he is too ”heavy on his feet.” The Cerebral dislikes them because he is too heavy at the opposite extremity. He expends what little energy he has in mental activities so has none left for violent physical exertion.

Likes Mental Games.

- This type enjoys quiet games requiring thought. Chess and checkers are favorites with them.

The Impersonal.

- The Cerebral is the most impersonal of all types. While the Alimentive tends to measure everything from the standpoint of what it can do for him personally, the Cerebral tends to think more impersonally and to be interested in many things outside of his own affairs.

Lacks Pugnacity.