Man's Supreme Inheritance; Conscious Guidance and Control in Relation to Human Evolution in Civilization

by Frederick Matthias Alexander

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1918. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... VII Race Culture And The Training Of The Children "In what way to treat the body; in what way to treat the mind; in what way to manage our affairs; in what way to bring up a family; in what way to behave as a citizen; in what way to utilise those sources of happiness which nature supplies, --how to use all our faculties to the greatest advantage; how to live completely? And this being the great thing needful for us to learn, is, by consequence, the great thing which education has to teach. To prepare us for complete living is the function which education has to discharge."--Herbert Spencer, Education. Every child is born into the world with a predisposition to certain habits, and furthermore, the child of to-day is not born with the same development of instinct that was the congenital heritage of its ancestors a hundred or even fifty years ago.' Many modern children, for example, are born with recognisable physical disadvantages that are the direct result of the gradually deteriorating respiratory and vital functioning of their forbears. For many months, the period varying with the sex and ability of the individual, the vital processes and movements are for all practical purposes independent of any conscious control, and the human infant remains in this helpless, dependent condition much longer than any other animal. The habits which the child evidences during this protracted period are those hereditary predispositions which are early developed by circumstance and environment, habits of muscular uses, of vital functioning, and of adaptability. If it were possible to analyse the tendencies of a child when it is, say, twelve months old, we could soon master the science of heredity which is at present so tentative and uncertain in its deductions, but the child's pot...

Genres: Nonfiction, Health

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Frederick Matthias Alexander (20 January 1869 – 10 October 1955) was an Australian actor who developed the educational process that is today called the Alexander Technique: a form of education that is applied to recognize and overcome reactive, habitual limitations in movement and thinking.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this is Alexander's best work. His incredibly long run-on sentences make his writing confusing. Many of my teachers were confused when they first read this but have since changed their views. Maybe in 10 years I'll understand what he's talking about. For now I'm glad I'm finished with it and will stick with The Use of the Self.

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by the founder of the Alexander Technique, this book reads like it was written in the early 1900s. It is quite hard to penetrate, though lays down some of the foundation principles in regards to posture, body use, 'conscious guidance' of movement, habit, and the Alexander Technique in general. Probably best suited to those with some experience in the method, or hardcore AT fans, rather than beginners. Sets the scene for how the technique started and where it currently sits today.

[Chris Hogan]

Very strange to read. I wonder how people will view things written today 100 years later.