,,how ,,to ,,get ,,strong ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,stay ,,so ,,by ,,william ,,blaikie ,illustration3 ,decoration ,,new ,,york ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,,publishers ,,franklin ,,square #ahhc4 ,entered according to ,act of ,congress1 in the year #ahgi1 by ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,in the ,office of the ,librarian of ,congress1 at ,washington4 ,,to ,,archibald ,,maclaren ,,who ,,has ,,probably ,,done ,,more ,,than ,,any ,,one ,,else ,,now ,,living ,,to ,,point ,,out ,,the ,,benefits ,,resulting ,,from ,,rational ,,physical ,,exercise1 ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,attain ,,those ,,benefits ,,this ,,book ,,is ,,respectfully ,dedicated ,,preface4 ,millions of our people pass their lives in cities and towns1 and at work which keeps them nearly all day in-doors4 ,many hours are devoted for days and years1 under careful teachers1 and many millions of dollars are spent annually1 in educating the mind and the moral nature4 ,but the body is allowed to grow up all uneducated2 indeed1 often such a weak1 shaky affair that it gets easily out of order1 especially in middle and later life1 and its owner is wholly unequal to tasks which would have proved easy to him1 had he given it even a tithe of the education bestowed so generously in other directions4 ,not a few1 to be sure1 have the advantage in youth of years of active out-door life on a farm1 and so lay up a store of vigor which stands them in good stead throughout a lifetime4 ,but many1 and especially those born and reared in towns and cities1 have had no such training1 or any equivalent1 and so never have the developed lungs and muscles1 the strong heart and vigorous digestion--in short1 the improved tone and strength in all their vital organs--which any sensible plan of body-culture1 followed up daily1 would have secured4 ,it does not matter so much whether we get vigor on the farm1 the deck1 the tow-path1 or in the gymnasium1 if we only get it4 ,fortunately1 if not gotten in youth1 when we are plastic and easily shaped1 it may still be had1 even far on in middle life1 by judicious and systematic exercise1 aimed first to bring up the weak and unused parts1 and then by general work daily which shall maintain the equal development of the whole4 ,the aim here has been1 not to write a profound treatise on gymnastics1 and point out how to eventually reach great performance in this art1 but rather in a way so plain and untechnical that even any intelligent boy or girl can readily understand it1 to first give the reader a nudge to take better care of his body1 and so of his health1 and then to point out one way to do it4 ,that there are a hundred other ways is cheerfully conceded4 ,if anything said here should stir up some to vigorously take hold of1 and faithfully follow up1 either the plan here indicated or any one of these others1 it cannot fail to bring them marked benefit1 and so to gratify ,,the ,,author4 ,new ,york1 ,july1 #ahhc4 ,,contents4 ,,chap4 ,,page ,i4 ,,do ,,we ,,inherit ,,shapely ,,bodies8 #i ,,ii4 ,,half-,,built ,,boys #bc ,,iii4 ,,will ,,daily ,,physical ,,exercise ,,for ,,girls ,,pay8 #db ,,iv4 ,,is ,,it ,,too ,,late ,,for ,,women ,,to ,,begin8 #eg ,v4 ,,why ,,men ,,should ,,exercise ,,daily #gd ,,vi4 ,,home ,,gymnasiums #ia ,,vii4 ,,the ,,school ,,the ,,true ,,place ,,for ,,children',s ,,physical ,,culture #ajd ,,viii4 ,,what ,a ,,gymnasium ,,might ,,be ,,and ,,do #aag ,,ix4 ,,some ,,results ,,of ,,brief ,,systematic ,,exercise #ach ,x4 ,,work ,,for ,,the ,,fleshy1 ,,the ,,thin1 ,,the ,,old #aed ,,xi4 ,,half-,,trained ,,firemen ,,and ,,police #agg ,,xii4 ,,special ,,exercise ,,for ,,any ,,given ,,muscles #aii a4 ,to ,develop the ,leg below the ,knee #bjj b4 ,work for the ,front of the ,thigh #bjh c4 ,to ,enlarge the ,under ,thigh #bad d4 ,to ,strengthen the ,sides of the ,waist #bae e4 ,the ,abdominal ,muscles #bah f4 ,counterwork for the ,abdominal ,muscles #bbd g4 ,to ,enlarge and give ,power to the ,loins #bbg h4 ,development above the ,waist #bbh i4 ,filling out the ,shoulders and ,upper ,back #bcj j4 ,to obtain a good ,biceps #bcc k4 ,to bring up the ,muscles on the ,front and ,side of the ,shoulder #bcf l4 ,forearm ,work #bcg m4 ,exercises for the ,triceps ,muscles #bch n4 ,to ,strengthen and ,develop the ,hand #bda o4 ,to ,enlarge and ,strengthen the ,front of the ,chest #bdc p4 ,to ,broaden and ,deepen the ,chest itself #bde ,,xiii4 ,,what ,,exercise ,,to ,,take ,,daily #beb a4 ,daily ,work for ,children #bec b4 ,daily ,exercise for ,young ,men #bgc c4 ,daily ,exercise for ,women #bgf d4 ,daily ,exercise for ,business ,men #bgh e4 ,daily ,exercise for ,consumptives #bhc ,,appendix ,i4 #bia ,,ii4 #bia ,,iii4 #bib ,,iv4 #bib ,v4 #bic ,,vi4 #bid ,,vii4 #bie ,,conclusion #bie ,,table ,,of ,,illustrations4 ,fig4 #a4 ,a warped ,university ,oarsman1 imperfectly developed in ,muscles not used in ,rowing #cf #b4 ,a warped ,professional ,sculler1 imperfectly developed in ,muscles not used in ,rowing #cg #c4 ,horizontal ,bar and ,chest-bars1 for ,home ,use #ib #d4 ,noiseless ,pulley-weights #id #e4 ,appliance for developing the ,sides of the ,waist #bag #f4 ,a ,correct ,position for ,fast ,walking #bbj #g4 ,device for developing the ,abdominal ,muscles #bbe #h4 ,a ,chest-widener #bdh #i4 ,a ,chest-deepener #bej ,,how ,,to ,,get ,,strong1 ,,and ,,how ,,to ,,stay ,,so4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,do ,,we ,,inherit ,,shapely ,,bodies8 ,probably more men walk past the corner of ,broadway and ,fulton ,street1 in ,new ,york city1 in the course of one year1 than any other point in ,america--men of all nations and ages1 heights and weights4 ,look at them carefully as they pass1 and you will see that scarcely one in ten is either erect or thoroughly well-built4 ,some slouch their shoulders and double in at the waist2 some overstep2 others cant to one side2 this one has one shoulder higher than the other1 and that one both too high2 some have heavy bodies and light legs1 others the reverse2 and so on1 each with his own peculiarities4 ,a thoroughly erect1 well-proportioned man1 easy and graceful in his movements1 is far from a frequent sight4 ,any one accustomed to athletic work1 and knowing what it can do for the body1 must at times have wondered why most men allowed themselves to go along for years1 perhaps through life1 so carrying themselves as not only to lack the outward grace and ease they might possess1 and which they occasionally see in others1 but so as to directly cramp and impede one or more of the vital organs4 ,nor is it always the man's fault that he is ill-proportioned4 ,in most cases it comes down from his progenitors4 ,the father's walk and physical peculiarities appear in the son1 often so plainly that the former's calling might almost be told from a look at the latter4 ,a very great majority of ,americans are the sons either of farmers or merchants1 mechanics or laborers4 ,the work of each class soon develops peculiar characteristics4 ,no one of the four classes has ordinarily had any training at all aimed to make him equally strong all over4 ,broad as is the variety of the farmer's work1 far the greater1 and certainly the heavier1 part of it tends to make him stoop forward and become inerect4 ,no man stands up straight and mows4 ,when he shovels1 he bends more yet2 and every ounce of spade or load pulls him over1 till1 after much of this sort of work1 it requires an effort to stand upright4 ,ploughing is better for the upper body1 but it does not last long4 ,while it keeps one walking over uneven ground1 it soon brings on an awkward1 clumsy step1 raising1 as it does1 the foot unnaturally high4 ,chopping is excellent for the upper man1 but does little for his legs4 ,in hand-raking and hoeing the man may remain erect2 but in pitching and building the load1 in nearly every sort of lifting1 and especially the heavier sorts1 as in handling heavy stone or timber1 his back is always bent over4 ,it is so much easier to slouch over when sitting on horse-rake1 mower1 or harvester1 that most persons do it4 ,scarcely any work on a farm makes one quick of foot4 ,all the long day1 while some of the muscles do the work1 which tends to develop them1 the rest are untaxed1 and remain actually weak4 ,a farmer is seldom a good walker1 usually hitching up if he has an errand to go1 though it be scarce a mile away2 and he is rarely a good runner4 ,he is a hearty1 well-fed man1 not only because wholesome food is plenty1 but because his appetite is sharp1 and he eats with relish and zest4 ,naturally a man thinks that1 when he eats and sleeps well1 he is pretty healthy1 and so he usually is2 but when he is contented with this condition of things1 he overlooks the fact that he is developing some parts of his body1 and leaving others weak2 that the warp he is encouraging in that body1 by twice as much work for the muscles of his back as for those of the front of his chest1 while it enlarges the former1 often so as to even render it muscle-bound1 actually contracts the latter1 and hence gives less room for heart1 lungs1 stomach1 and all the vital organs1 than a well-built man would have4 ,if a man should tie up one arm1 and with the other steadily swing a smith's hammer all day1 there is little doubt that he would soon have an excellent appetite and the sweet sleep of the laboring man4 ,but in what shape would it leave him in a few years1 or even in a few months8 ,the work of the farmer1 ill-distributed as to the whole man1 leaves him as really one-sided as the former4 ,it is in a lesser degree1 of course1 but still so evident that he who looks even casually may see it4 ,while the farmer's work makes a man hearty and well1 though lumbering1 it takes the spring out of him4 ,the merchant is1 physically1 however1 in a worse position4 ,getting to his work in boyhood1 sticking to it as long as the busiest man in the establishment1 his body often utterly unfit and unready for even half the strain it bears1 he struggles on through the boy's duties1 the clerk's1 and the salesman's1 till he becomes a partner2 or perhaps he starts as entry-clerk1 rises to be book-keeper1 and then stays there4 ,in many kinds of work he has been obliged to stand nearly all day1 till his sides and waist could scarcely bear it longer1 and he often breaks down under the ceaseless pressure4 ,if his work calls him out much1 he finds that the constant walking1 with his mind on the stretch1 and more or less worried1 does not bring him that vigor he naturally looks for from so much exercise1 and at night he is jaded and used up1 instead of being fresh and hearty4 ,when exceptional tension comes1 and business losses or reverses make him anxious and haggard1 there is little in his daily work which tends to draw him out of a situation that he could have readily and easily fitted himself to face1 and weather too1 had he only known how4 ,to be sure1 when he gets well on and better to do1 he rides out in the late afternoon1 and domestic and social recreation in the evening may tend to freshen him1 and fit him for the next day's round2 but1 especially if he has been a strong young man1 he finds that he is changed1 and cannot work on as he used to do4 ,his bodily strength and endurance are gone4 ,the reason why is plain enough3 when he was at his best1 he was doing most work1 and of the sort to keep him in good condition4 ,now there is nothing between rising and bedtime to build up any such strength1 and he is fortunate if he retains even half of what he had4 ,to be sure1 he does not need the strength of a stalwart young farmer2 but1 could he have retained it1 he would have been surprised1 if he had taken sufficient daily exercise to regulate himself1 how valuable it would have been in toning him up for the severer work and trial of the day4 ,if1 instead of the taxed and worn-out nerves1 he could have had the feeling of the man of sturdy physique1 who keeps himself in condition1 who does not know what it is to be nervous1 what a priceless boon it would have been for him6 ,who does not know among his friends business men whose faces show that they are nearly all the time overworked2 who get thin1 and stay so2 who look tired1 and are so2 who go on dragging along through their duties--for they are men made of the stuff which does the duty as it comes up1 whether hard or easy8 ,the noon meal is rushed through1 perhaps when the brain is at white-heat4 ,more is eaten1 both then and in the evening1 than will digest2 and good as is the after or the before dinner ride1 as far as it goes1 it does not go far enough to make the digestion sure4 ,then comes broken sleep4 ,the man waking from it is not rested1 is not rebuilt and strong1 and ready for the new day4 ,with many men of this kind--and all city men know they are well-nigh innumerable--what wonder is it that nervous exhaustion is so frequent among them1 and that physicians who make this disorder a specialty often have all that they can do8 ,one of the most noted of them1 ,dr4 ,s4 ,weir ,mitchell1 of ,philadelphia1 in his valuable little book1 ,wear and ,tear2 or1 ,hints for the ,overworked1 page #df1 says3 ,all classes of men who use the brain severely1 and who have also--and this is important--seasons of excessive anxiety or grave responsibility1 are subject to the same form of disease2 and this is why1 ,i presume1 that ,i1 as well as others who are accustomed to encounter nervous disorders1 have met with numerous instances of nervous exhaustion among merchants and manufacturers4 ,my note-books seem to show that manufacturers and certain classes of railway officials are the most liable to suffer from neural exhaustion4 ,next to these come merchants in general1 brokers1 etc42 then1 less frequently1 clergymen2 still less often1 lawyers2 and1 more rarely1 doctors2 while distressing cases are apt to occur among the over-schooled young of both sexes4 ,and while the more active among business men run into this sort of danger1 those less exposed to it still do little or nothing to give themselves sound1 vigorous bodies1 so as to gain consequent energy and health1 and so they go through life far less efficient and useful men than they might have been4 ,hence their sons have to suffer4 ,the boy certainly cannot inherit from the father more vigor and stamina than the latter has1 however favored the mother may have been2 so1 unless the boy has some sort of training which builds him up1 his father's weaknesses or physical defects are very likely to show in the son4 ,nor do most classes of mechanics fare much better4 ,take the heavier kinds of skilled labor4 ,the blacksmith rarely uses one of his hands as much as the other1 especially in heavy work1 and often has poor legs4 ,indeed1 if he has good legs1 he does not get them from his calling4 ,the stone-mason is equally one-handed--one hand merely guiding a light tool1 the other swinging a heavy mallet4 ,nine-tenths of all machinists are right-handed4 ,and so on1 through the long list of the various trades where severe muscular exertion is requisite1 there is a similar uneven distribution of the work to the various parts of the body1 the right arm generally getting the lion's share1 the left but little1 the back more than the chest--or1 rather1 than the front chest--and the legs having but passive sort of work at best4 ,puddlers and boiler-makers1 plumbers and carpenters1 coopers and smiths1 shipwrights1 carriage-makers1 tinners1 and all who follow trades calling for vigorous muscular action1 not only constantly work one side more than the other1 but many of their tools are made1 purposely1 right-handed1 so that they could hardly use them with the left hand if they wanted to4 ,as to those whose work is more delicate1 saddlers and shoe-makers1 mill-hands and compositors1 wood-turners1 tailors1 jewellers and engravers1 and nearly all the lighter craftsmen1 learn their trade with one hand1 and would never venture to trust any of its finer work to the other4 ,in short1 take the mechanic where you will1 in the vast majority of instances his right arm and side are larger and stronger than his left1 and quite as often his vocation does little or nothing to strengthen and develop his legs4 ,the fact that most of these men have active work for some of the muscles1 with enough of it to insure a good appetite1 combined with inherited vigor1 makes them often hearty men1 but it leaves them unequally developed4 ,when they get into the gymnasium1 they are usually lacking in that symmetry1 ease1 and erectness which they might all along have had1 had they but used the means4 ,the result1 then1 of overworking one part of the body at the expense of the other1 especially in heavier mechanical labors1 and of too little vigorous action in the lighter1 tends to make the average workman more prone to disease4 ,were there uniform development1 and that daily vigorous exercise which would stimulate the dormant parts of the man's body1 it would add to his life and usefulness4 ,but how is it with the sturdy laborer8 ,he can hardly be liable to the same defects4 ,his work certainly must call into play every muscle of his body4 ,well1 watch him awhile and see4 ,try the coal-heaver4 ,his surely is heavy1 hard work1 and must make him exert himself all over4 ,but does it8 ,while it keeps his knees steadily bent1 his back is all the while over his work4 ,the tons of coal he lifts daily with his shovel gradually1 but with positive certainty1 insures his back remaining somewhat bent when his work for the time is done4 ,when a year is spent at such labor1 the back must take a lasting curve4 ,while his back broadens1 growing thick and powerful1 his chest does not get so much to do2 hence he is soon a round-shouldered man4 ,as he does not hold his chest out1 nor his neck and head erect1 he contracts his lung-room1 as well1 indeed1 as his general vital-room4 ,scarce any man grows earlier muscle-bound1 for few backs do so much hard work4 ,now1 standing erect1 let him try and slap the backs of his hands together behind his shoulders1 keeping his arms horizontal and straight at the elbow4 ,now he will understand what is meant by being muscle-bound4 ,it will be odd if he can get his hands within a foot of each other4 ,the navvy is no better4 ,the gardener's helper has to do much stooping4 ,so do track-hands1 stone-breakers1 truckmen1 porters1 longshoremen1 and all the rest4 ,especially are ordinary day-laborers1 whose tools are spade1 pick1 and bar1 who are careless about their skin1 who are exposed to dust and dirt1 who are coarsely shod1 most prone to have bad feet4 ,they1 too1 have the hearty appetite and the sound sleep4 ,seldom do they give their bodily improvement a thought1 and so often1 like their own teeth1 they decay before their time1 and materially shorten their usefulness and their days4 ,here1 then1 we see that the vast majority of men in this country--three out of four at least--are born of fathers but partially developed1 and uniformly of inerect carriage4 ,and how is it with their mothers8 ,naturally they come1 to a large extent1 from the same classes4 ,they inherit many of the characteristics of their fathers--size1 color1 temperament1 and so on1 and generally the same tendency to be stronger on one side than on the other4 ,in the poorer classes their life is one of work1 frequently of overwork and drudgery1 and in ill-lighted1 ill-ventilated apartments4 ,among those better off1 they do not work enough1 and often1 though of vigorous parents1 are not themselves strong4 ,thoroughly healthy1 hearty women are not common among us4 ,ask the family physician1 and he will endorse this statement to an extent most men would not have supposed4 ,american women are not good walkers4 ,look how they are astonished when they hear of some lady who walks from five to ten miles a day1 and thinks nothing of it4 ,one such effort would be positively dangerous to very many1 indeed probably to the majority of our women1 while nearly all of them would not get over its effects for several days4 ,yet many ,english and ,canadian ladies take that much exercise daily from choice1 and1 finding the exhilaration1 strength1 and health it brings1 and the general feeling of efficiency which it produces1 would not give it up4 ,no regular exercise is common among the great majority of the women of this country which makes them use both their hands alike1 and is yet vigorous enough to add to the size and strength of their shoulders1 chests1 and arms4 ,ordinary house-work brings the hands of those who indulge in it a good deal to do1 even though the washing and ironing are left to hired help4 ,the care of children adds materially to the exertion called for in a day4 ,but far too often both the house-work and the looking after the children are sources of great exertion4 ,were the woman strong and full of vigor1 she would turn each off lightly1 and still be fresh and hearty at the end of the day4 ,with the father1 as with the mother1 the conclusion arrived at seems to be as follows3 now that the day's work is done1 no matter whether it brings with it strength or weakness1 let us be perfectly contented with things as they are4 ,if it makes us one-handed1 so be it4 ,if it stoops the back over1 so be it4 ,if it does little or nothing for the lower limbs1 or cramps the chest1 or never half fills the lungs1 or aids digestion not a whit1 so be it4 ,if it keeps some persons thin and tired-looking1 and does not prevent others from growing too fleshy1 it never occurs to most of them that a very small amount of knowledge and effort in the right direction would work wonders1 and in a way which would be not only valuable but attractive4 ,most of us get1 then1 from our parents a one-sided and partial development1 and are contented with it4 ,unless we ourselves take steps to better our condition1 unless we single out the weak spots1 prescribe the work and the amount of it1 and then do that work1 we shall not remedy the evil4 ,more than this1 if we do not cure these defects1 we will not only go through life with limited and cramped physical resources1 with their accompanying disorders and ailments1 but we will cruelly entail on our children defects and tendencies which might have readily been spared them1 and for which they can fairly blame us4 ,a little attention to the subject will show that the remedy is quite within our reach2 and so plain is this1 that a generation later1 if the interest now awakening in this direction becomes1 as it promises to1 very general among us1 our descendants will understand far better than we do that the body can be educated1 as well as the mind or the moral nature2 that1 instead of interfering with the workings of these1 the body will1 when properly trained1 directly and materially aid them2 and1 further1 that there is no stand-point from which the matter can be viewed which will not show that such training will pay1 and most handsomely at that4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,half-,,built ,,boys4 ,but1 whatever our inherited lacks and strong points1 few who have looked into the matter can have failed to notice that the popular sports and pastimes1 both of our boyhood and youth1 good as they are1 as far as they go1 are not in themselves vigorous enough1 or well enough chosen to remedy the lack4 ,the top1 the marble1 and the jack-knife of the boy are wielded with one hand1 and for all the strength that wielding brings1 it might as well have been confined to one4 ,flying kites is not likely to overdo the muscles4 ,yet top-time1 marble-time1 and kite-time generally cover all the available play hours of each day for a large portion of the year4 ,but he has more vigorous work than these bring4 ,well1 what8 ,why1 ball-playing and playing tag1 and foot-ball1 and skating1 and coasting1 and some croquet1 and occasional archery1 while he is a painfully accurate shot with a bean-shooter4 ,well1 in ball-playing he learns to pitch1 to catch1 to bat1 to field1 and to run bases4 ,how many boys can pitch with either hand8 ,not one in a hundred1 at least well enough to be of any use in a game4 ,observe the pitching arm and shoulder of some famous pitcher1 and see how much larger they are than their mates4 ,dr4 ,sargent1 for many years instructor in physical culture in ,yale ,college1 says that he has seen a well-known pitcher whose right shoulder was some two inches larger than the left2 indeed1 his whole right side seemed out of proportion with his left4 ,the catcher draws both hands in toward him as the ball enters them1 and passes it back to the pitcher almost always with the same hand4 ,he has1 in addition1 to spring about on his feet1 unless the balls come very uniformly1 and to do much twisting and turning4 ,the batter bats1 not from either shoulder1 but from one shoulder1 to such an extent that those used to his batting know pretty well where he will knock the ball1 though1 did he bat from the other shoulder1 the general direction of the knocking would be quite different4 ,some of the fielders have considerable running and some catching to do1 and then to throw the ball in to pitcher1 or baseman1 or catcher4 ,but that throw is always with the stronger hand1 never with the other4 ,many of the fielders often have not one solitary thing to do but to walk to their stations1 remain there while their side is out1 and then walk back again1 hardly getting work enough1 in a cold day1 to keep them warm4 ,running bases is sharp1 jerky work1 and a wretched substitute for steady1 sensible running over a long distance4 ,nor is the fielder's running much better2 and neither would ever teach a boy what he ought to know about distributing his strength in running1 and how to get out of it what he readily might1 and1 more important yet1 how to make himself an enduring long-distance runner4 ,for all the work the former brings1 ordinary1 and even less than ordinary1 strength of leg and lung will suffice1 but for the latter it needs both good legs and good lungs4 ,run most ,american boys of twelve or fourteen six or eight miles1 or1 rather1 start them at it--let them all belong to the ball-nine if you will1 too--and how many would cover half the distance1 even at any pace worth calling a run8 ,the ,english are1 and have long been1 ahead of us in this direction4 ,to most readers the above distance seems far too long to let any boy of that age run4 ,but1 had he been always used to running--not fast1 but steady running--it would not seem so4 ,tom ,brown of ,rugby1 in the hares-and-hounds game1 of which he gives us so graphic an account1 makes both the hares and hounds cover a distance of nine miles without being much the worse for it1 and yet they were simply school-boys1 of all ages from twelve to eighteen4 ,let him who thinks that the average ,american boy of the same age would have fared as well1 go down to the public bath-house1 and look carefully at a hundred or two of them as they tumble about in the water4 ,he will see more big heads and slim necks1 more poor legs and skinny arms1 and lanky1 half-built bodies than he would have ever imagined the whole neighborhood could produce4 ,or he need not see them stripped4 ,one of our leading metropolitan journals1 in an editorial recently1 headed1 ,give the boy a chance1 said3 ,about one in ten of all the boys in the ,union are living in ,new ,york and the large cities immediately adjacent2 and there are even more within the limits of ,philadelphia1 ,boston1 ,chicago1 and the other ,american cities whose population exceeds a hundred thousand4 ,the wits of these millions of boys are being forced to their extreme capacity1 whether they are taught in the school1 the shop1 or the street4 ,but what is being done for their bodies8 ,the answer may be obtained by standing at the door of almost any public or private school or academy at the hour of dismissal4 ,the inquirer will see a crowd of undersized1 listless1 thin-faced children1 with scarcely any promise of manhood about them4 ,take a tape-measure and get the girth of chest1 upper and forearm1 of waist1 hips1 thighs1 and calves of these little fellows1 likewise their heights and ages4 ,now send to ,england and get the statistics of the boys of the same age who are good at hares-and-hounds1 at foot-ball1 and see the difference4 ,in every solitary measurement1 save height1 there is little doubt which would show the better figures4 ,even in height1 it is more than probable that the article just quoted would find abundant foundation for calling our boys undersized4 ,next cross to ,germany1 and go to the schools where boys and their masters together1 in vacation days1 sometimes walk two or even three hundred miles1 in that land where the far-famed ,german ,turners1 by long training1 show a strength and agility combined which are astounding1 and try the tape-measure there4 ,is there any question what the result would be8 ,when the sweeping work the ,germans made of it in their late war with ,france is called to mind1 does it not look as if there was good ground for the assumption so freely made1 that it was the superior physique of the ,germans which did the business8 ,where work is chosen that only sturdy limbs can do1 and that work is gradually approached1 and persistently stuck to1 by-and-by the sturdy limbs come4 ,but when all that these limbs are called on to do is light1 spasmodic work1 and there is none of the spur which youthful emulation and pride in superior strength bring1 what wonder is it if the result is a weakly article8 ,another and natural consequence many parents must have noticed4 ,often1 in a city neighborhood1 there is not one strong1 efficient boy to lead on the rest1 and show them the development which they might have and should have4 ,boys1 like men1 are fond of doing whatever they can do well1 and of letting others see them do it1 and1 like their elders1 they gladly follow a capable and self-reliant leader4 ,but if no one of their number is equal to tasks which call for first-class strength and staying powers1 when no one will lead the rest up to a higher physical plane1 they never will get there4 ,it is not a good sign1 or one that bodes well for our future1 to see the play-grounds of our cities and towns so much neglected4 ,you may stand on many of them for weeks together and not see one sharp1 hot game of ball1 or of anything else1 where each contestant goes in with might and main1 and the spectator becomes so interested as to hate to leave the fun4 ,foot-ball is a game as yet not at all general among us4 ,excellent is it for developing intrepidity and other manly qualities4 ,the ,duke of ,wellington is reported to have said that her foot-ball fields were where ,england's soldiers were made4 ,the short1 hasty school recess in the crowded school-yard1 or play snatched in the streets--these will never make robust and vigorous men4 ,yet these are too often all that our boys get1 their cramped facilities for amusement soon bringing their natural result in small vital organs and half-developed limbs4 ,many of our large cities are wretchedly off for play-grounds4 ,such open spaces as we have are fenced around1 and have signs nailed all over them saying1 ,keep off the grass6 at the same time forbidding games on the paths4 ,one part of ,boston ,common used to be a famous play-ground2 and many hard-fought battles has it seen at foot-ball1 base-ball1 hockey1 and cricket4 ,many an active school-boy there has more than once temporarily bit the dust4 ,but now rows of street lamps run through that part of the ,common1 and the precious grass must be protected at all hazards4 ,new ,york city is scarcely better off4 ,central ,park1 miles away from the great majority of the boys in the city1 is elegant enough when they get to it2 but let them once set their bounds and start a game of ball1 or hares-and-hounds1 or try a little jumping or running1 on any one of those hundreds of beautiful acres1 save in one solitary field1 and see how soon the gray-coats will be upon them4 ,the ,battery1 ,city ,hall ,park1 ,washington ,square1 ,union ,park1 ,stuyvesant ,square1 and ,madison ,square are well located1 and would make capital play-grounds1 but the grass there is altogether too well combed to be ruffled by unruly boys4 ,if a boy's cousin comes in from the country1 and he wishes to try conclusions with him1 he must confine his efforts to the flagged sidewalk or the cobble-stoned street1 while a brass-buttoned referee is likely at any moment to interfere1 and take them both into custody for disorderly conduct4 ,again1 outside of a boy's ball-playing1 scarce one of his other pastimes does much to build him up4 ,swimming is excellent1 but is confined to a very few months in the year1 and is seldom gone at1 as it should be1 with any regularity1 or with a competent teacher to gradually lead the boy on to its higher possibilities4 ,skating is equally desultory1 because in many of our cities winters pass with scarcely a week of good ice4 ,coasting brings some up-hill walking1 good for the legs1 but does practically nothing for the arms4 ,so boyhood slips along until the lad is well on in his teens1 and still1 in nine cases out of ten1 he has had nothing yet of any account in the way of that systematic1 vigorous1 daily exercise which looks directly to his weak points1 and aims not only to eradicate them1 but to build up his general health and strength as well4 ,he gets no help in the one place of all where he might so easily get it--the school4 ,so far as we can learn1 no system of exercise has been introduced into any school or college in this land1 unless it is at the military academy at ,west ,point1 which begins to do for each pupil1 not alone what might easily be done1 but what actually ought to be done4 ,it will probably not be many years before all of us will wonder why the proper steps in this direction have been put off so long4 ,calisthenics are here and there resorted to4 ,in some schools a rubber strap has been introduced1 the pupil taking one end of it in each hand1 and working it in a few different directions1 but in a mild sort of way4 ,at ,amherst ,college enough has been accomplished to tell favorably on the present health of the student1 but not nearly enough to make him strong and vigorous all over1 so as to build him up against ill health in the future4 ,at another college certain exercises1 excellent in their way1 admirable for suppling the joints and improving the carriage1 have for some time been practised4 ,but this physical work does not go nearly far enough1 nor is it aimed sufficiently at each pupil's peculiar weak spot4 ,it also neither reaches all the students1 nor is it practised but a small part of the year4 ,in the great majority of our schools and colleges1 little or no idea is given the pupil as to the good results he will derive from exercise4 ,the teacher's own experience in physical development is often more limited than that of some of his scholars4 ,the evil does not end here4 ,take the son of the man of means and refinement1 a boy who is having given him as liberal an education as money can buy and his parents' best judgment can select1 one who spends a third or more of his life in fitting himself to get on successfully in the remainder of it4 ,that boy certainly ought to come out ready for his life's work1 with not only a thoroughly-trained mind and a strong moral nature1 but with a well-developed1 vigorous physique1 and a knowledge of how to maintain it1 so that he may make the most of all his advantages4 ,but how often does this happen8 ,stand by the gate as the senior class of almost any college in this country files out from its last examination before graduation1 and look the men carefully over4 ,ask your physician to join you in the scrutiny4 ,if1 between you two1 you can arrive at the conclusion that one-half1 or even one-third of them1 have that vitality and stamina which make it probable that they will live till seventy1 it will be indeed most surprising4 ,a few of these young men1 the athletes1 will be well-developed1 better really than they need be4 ,but this over-development may be far from the safest or wisest course4 ,even though physically improved by it1 it is not certain that this marked development will carry them onward through life to a ripe old age4 ,but1 with others indifferently developed1 there will be many more positively weak4 ,such men may have bright1 uncommon heads4 ,yes2 but a bright and uncommon head on a broken down1 or nearly broken down1 body is not going to make half as effective a man in the life-race as a little duller head and a good deal better body4 ,but have these graduates had a competent instructor at college to look after them in this respect8 ,will some one name a college where they have such an instructor8 or a school where1 instead of building the pupil up for the future1 more has been done than to insure his present health8 ,one or two such there may be1 but scarcely more than one or two4 ,take even the student who has devoted the most time to severe muscular exercise--the rowing-man1 not the beginner1 but the veteran of a score or more of races1 who has been rowing all his four college years as regularly and almost as often as he dined4 ,certainly it will not be claimed that his is not a well-developed body1 or that his permanent health is not insured4 ,let us look a little at him and see4 ,what has he done8 ,he entered college at eighteen1 and is the son1 say1 of a journalist or of a professional man4 ,finding1 when he came to be fourteen or fifteen1 that he was not strong1 that somehow he did not fill out his clothes1 he put in daily an hour or more at the gymnasium1 walked much at intervals1 took sparring lessons1 did some rowing1 and perhaps1 by the time he entered college1 got his upper arm to be a foot or even thirteen inches in circumference1 with considerable muscle on his chest4 ,now this young man hears daily1 almost hourly1 of the wonderful ,freshman crew--an embryotic affair as yet1 to be sure1 but of exalted expectations--and into that crew he must go at all hazards4 ,he is tried and accepted4 ,now1 for four years1 if a faithful oar1 he will row all of a thousand miles a year4 ,as each year has1 off and on1 not over two hundred rowing-days in all1 he will generally1 for the greater part of the remaining time1 pull nearly an equivalent daily at the rowing-weights4 ,he will find a lot of eager fellows at his side1 working their utmost to outdo him1 and get that place in the boat which he so earnestly covets1 and which he is not yet quite sure that he can hold4 ,some of his muscles are developing fast4 ,his recitations are1 perhaps1 suffering a little1 but never mind that just now1 when he thinks that there is more important work on hand4 ,the young fellow's appetite is ravenous4 ,he never felt so hearty in his life1 and is often told how well he is looking4 ,he attracts attention because likely to be a representative man4 ,he never filled out his clothes as he does now4 ,his legs are improving noticeably4 ,they ought to do so1 for it is not one or two miles1 but three or four1 which he runs on almost every one of those days in the hundred in which he is not rowing4 ,our young athlete has not always gone into the work from mere choice4 ,for instance1 one of a recent ,harvard ,freshman crew told the writer that he had broken down his eyes from over-use of them1 and1 looking about for some vigorous physical exercise which would tone him up quickly and restore his eyesight1 and having no one to consult1 he had taken to rowing4 ,the years roll by till the whole four are over1 and our student is about to graduate4 ,he looks back to see what he has accomplished4 ,in physical matters he finds that1 while he is a skilful1 and perhaps a decidedly successful1 oar1 and that some of his measurements have much improved since the day he was first measured1 others somehow have not come up nearly as fast1 in fact1 have held back in the most surprising way4 ,his chest-girth may be three or even four inches larger for the four years' work4 ,some1 if not much1 of that is certainly the result of growth1 not development1 and1 save what running did1 the rest is rather an increase of the back muscles than of front and back alike4 ,strong as his back is--for many a hard test has it stood in the long1 hot home-minutes of more than one well-fought race--still he has not yet a thoroughly developed and capacious chest4 ,doubtless his legs have improved1 if he has done any running4 7,in some colleges the rowing-men scarcely run at all47 ,his calves have come to be well-developed and shapely1 and so too have his thighs1 while his loins are noticeably strong-looking and well muscled up1 and so indeed is his whole back4 ,but if he has done practically no other arm-work than that which rowing and the preparation for it called for1 his arms are not so large1 especially above the elbow1 as they ought to be for a man with such legs and such a back4 ,the front of his chest is not nearly so well developed as his back1 perhaps is hardly developed at all1 and he is very likely to carry himself inerectly1 with head and neck canted somewhat forward1 while there is a lack of fulness1 often a noticeable hollowness1 of the upper chest1 till the shoulders are plainly warped and rounded forward4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #a4 ,a warped ,university ,oarsman1 imperfectly developed in ,muscles not used in ,rowing4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #b4 ,a warped ,professional ,sculler1 imperfectly developed in ,muscles not used in ,rowing4 ,with professional oarsmen1 who for years have rowed far more than they have done anything else1 and who have no especial care for their looks1 or spur to develop harmoniously1 the defects rowing leaves stand out most glaringly4 ,notice in the cuts on pp4 #cf1 #cg 7,figs4 #a and #b7 the flat and slab-sided1 almost hollow1 look about the upper chest and front shoulder1 and compare these with the full and well-rounded make of the figure whose body is sketched on the cover4 ,it will not take long to determine which has the better front chest1 or which is likely to so carry that chest as to ward off tendencies to throat and lung troubles4 ,yet ,fig4 #a is from a photograph of one of the most distinguished student-oarsmen ,america ever produced1 while ,fig4 #b represents one of the swiftest and most skilful professional scullers of the country to-day4,a ,better proof could not be presented of the effect of a great amount of rowing1 and of the very limited exercise it brings to those muscles which are not especially called on4 ,after the student's rowing is over1 and his college days are past1 and he settles down to work with not nearly so much play in it1 how does he find that his rowing pays8 ,has it made him fitter than his fellows1 who went into athletics with no such zeal and devotion1 to stand life's wear and tear1 especially when that life is to be spent mainly in-doors8 ,when1 in later years1 with new associations1 business cares1 and long1 hard head-work1 accompanied1 as the latter usually is1 by only partial inflation of the lungs1 when all these get him out of the way of using his large back muscles1 he will find their very size1 and the long spell of warping forward which so much rowing gave the shoulders1 tends more to weigh him forward than if he had never so developed them4 ,instead of benefiting his throat and lungs1 this abnormal development actually inclines to cramp them4 ,here1 then1 is the case of a man who voluntarily gave much time1 thought1 and labor to the severest test of his strength1 and who had hoped to bring about staying powers1 and he comes out of it all1 to begin his real race in life1 often no better fitted1 perhaps not nearly so well fitted1 for it as some of his comrades who did not spare half so much time to athletics4 ,the other men1 who did not work nearly as much as he did1 still managed to hit upon a sort which1 instead of cramping their chests1 expanded them1 enlarging the lung-room1 and so gave the heart1 stomach1 and other vital organs all the freest play4 ,if the ordinary play and exercise of the boy do not build and round him into a sound1 well-made1 and evenly-balanced man2 if the hardest work he has hit on1 when left to himself to find out1 mostly to be paid for by a considerable amount of money2 if these only leave him a half-developed man1 can it not be seen at once that an improvement is wanted in his physical education8 ,are we not behindhand1 and far behindhand1 then1 in a matter of serious importance to the well-being of the people of our country8 ,do we not want some system of education which shall rear men1 not morally and intellectually good alone1 but good physically as well8 which shall qualify them both to seize and to make the most of the advantages which years of toil and struggle bring1 but which advantages among us now are too frequently thrown away4 ,men too often1 just as they are about clutching these benefits1 find1 ,tantalus-like1 that they are eluding their grasp4 ,the reason must be plain to all4 ,it is because that grasp is weakening1 and falls powerless at the very time when it could be and should be surest1 and potent for the most good4 ,,footnotes3 ,a ,the faces of both men have1 of course1 been disguised4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,will ,,daily ,,physical ,,exercise ,,for ,,girls ,,pay8 ,observe the girls in any of our cities or towns1 as they pass to or from school1 and see how few of them are at once blooming1 shapely1 and strong4 ,some are one or the other1 but very few are all combined1 while a decided majority are neither one of them4 ,instead of high chests1 plump arms2 comely figures1 and a graceful and handsome mien1 you constantly see flat chests1 angular shoulders1 often round and warped forward1 with scrawny necks1 pipe-stem arms1 narrow backs1 and a weak walk4 ,not one girl in a dozen is thoroughly erect1 whether walking1 standing1 or sitting4 ,nearly every head is pitched somewhat forward4 ,the arms are frequently held almost motionless1 and there is a general lack of spring and elasticity in their movements4 ,fresh1 blooming complexions are so rare as to attract attention4 ,among eyes1 plenty of them pretty1 sparkling1 or intelligent1 but few have vigor and force4 ,if any dozen girls1 taken at random1 should place their hands side by side on a table1 many1 if not most1 of these hands would be found to lack beauty and symmetry1 the fingers1 and indeed the whole hand1 too often having a weak1 undeveloped1 nerveless look4 ,now watch these girls at play4 ,see how few of their games bring them really vigorous exercise4 ,set them to running1 and hardly one in the party has the swift1 graceful1 gliding motion she might so readily acquire4 ,not one can run any respectable distance at a good pace4 ,there is abundant vivacity and spirit1 abundant willingness to play with great freedom1 but very little such play as there might be1 and which would pay so well4 ,most of their exercise worth calling vigorous is for their feet alone1 the hands seldom having much to do4 ,the girls of the most favored classes are generally the poorest players4 ,the quality and color of their clothing necessitates their avoiding all active1 hearty play1 while it is the constant effort of nurse or governess to repress that superabundance of spirits which ought to belong to every boy and girl4 ,holding one's elbows close to the body while walking1 and keeping the hands nearly or quite motionless1 may accord with the requirements of fashionable life1 but it's terribly bad for the arms1 keeping them poor1 indifferent specimens1 when they might be models of grace and beauty4 ,as the girl comes home from school1 not with one book only1 but often six or eight1 instead of looking light and strong and free1 she is too often what she really appears to be1 pale and weak4 ,so many books suggest a large amount of work for one day1 certainly for one evening1 and the impression received is that she is overworked1 while the truth frequently is that the advance to be made in each book is but trifling1 and the aggregate1 not at all large1 by no means too great for the same girl were she strong and hearty4 ,it is not the mental work which is breaking her down1 but there is no adequate physical exercise to build her up4 ,see what ex-,surgeon-,general ,hammond says1 in his work on ,sleep1 as to the ability to endure protracted brain-work without ill result3 ,it is not the mere quantity of brain-work which is the chief factor in the production of disease4 ,the emotional conditions under which work is performed is a far more important matter4 ,a man of trained mental habits can bear with safety an almost incredible amount of brain-toil1 provided he is permitted to work without distraction or excitement1 in the absence of disquieting cares and anxieties4 ,it is not brain-work1 in fact1 that kills1 but brain-worry4 ,the girl1 of course1 has not the strength for the protracted effort of the matured man1 nor is such effort often required of her4 ,her studying is done quietly at home1 undisturbed1 usually1 by any such cares and responsibilities as the man encounters4 ,hers is generally brain-work1 not brain-worry4 ,yet the few hours a day exhaust her1 because her vital system1 which supports her brain1 is feeble and inefficient4 ,no girl is at school over six hours out of the twenty-four1 and1 deducting the time taken for recitation1 recess1 and the various other things which are not study1 five hours1 or even less1 will cover the time she gives to actual brain-work in school1 with two1 or perhaps three1 hours daily out of school4 ,with the other sixteen hours practically her own1 there is ample time for all the vigorous physical exercise she needs or could take1 and yet allow ten1 or even twelve1 of those hours for sleep or eating4 ,but notice1 in any of these off-hours1 what exercise these girls take4 ,they walk to and fro from school1 they play a few minutes at recess1 they may take an occasional irregular stroll besides1 and may indulge in a game of croquet1 but all the time intent on their conversation1 never thinking of the exercise itself1 and the benefit it brings4 ,such things fill up the measure of the daily physical exercise of thousands of our ,american girls4 ,it is the same thing for nearly all1 save those from the poorest classes4 ,and what is the result8 ,exactly what such exercise--or1 rather1 such lack of it--would bring4 ,the short1 abrupt run1 the walk to or from school1 the afternoon stroll1 or the miscellaneous standing about--none of these call for or beget strength of limb1 depth of chest1 or vitality4 ,none of these exercises is more than almost any flat-chested1 half-developed girl could readily accomplish without serious effort1 and1 going through them for years1 she would need little more strength than she had at first4 ,but all this time her mental work comes in no meagre allowance4 ,it is all the time pushing forward4 ,subjects are set before her1 to grasp and master which requires every day hours of close application for months together4 ,the number of them is also enlarging1 and the task is constantly becoming more severe4 ,a variety of influences spurs her steadily onward4 ,maybe it is emulation and determination which urges her on1 not only to do well1 but to excel4 ,maybe it is to gratify the teacher's pride1 and a desire to show the good fruit of her work4 ,perhaps oftener than anything else the girl is in dread of being dropped into another class1 and she resolves to remain with her present one at all hazards4 ,but with all this there is an advance in the amount and difficulty of the brain-work4 ,no distinction is made between the delicate girl and the strong one4 ,to those of a like age come like tasks4 ,the delicate girl1 from her indifference to physical effort1 finding that for the time her weakness of body does not interfere with a ready-working brain1 gradually inclines to draw even more away from livelier games and exercises1 in which she does not excel1 and to get more at her books4 ,can there be much doubt as to the result a few years later8 ,is it any wonder that the neglected body develops some partial weakness1 or too often general debility8 ,is it at all a rare thing1 in the observation of any one1 to notice that this weakness1 this debility1 are very apt to become chronic1 and that the woman1 later on in life1 is a source of anxiety and a burden to her friends1 when instead of this she might have been a valued helper8 ,now1 if the body1 during the growing years1 was called on to do nothing which should even half develop it1 while the brain was pushed nearly to its utmost1 does it take long to decide whether such a course was a wise one8 ,leaving out entirely the discomfort to the body1 is that a sensible system of education which leaves a girl liable to become weak1 if not entirely broken down1 before she is well on in middle age8 ,is this not like giving great care to moral and mental education alone1 and actually doing almost nothing for their physical nature8 ,is this not an irrational and one-sided course1 and sure to beget a one-sided person8 ,and yet is not that just what is going on to-day with a great majority of the young girls in our land8 ,the moment it is conceded that a delicate body can be made a robust one1 that moment it is equally plain that there can be an almost incalculable gain in the comfort and usefulness of the possessor of that body1 not only during all the last half of her life1 but through the first half as well4 ,and yet1 to persons familiar with what judicious1 daily physical exercise has done1 and can do1 for a delicate body1 there is no more doubt but that this later strength1 and even sturdiness1 can be acquired than that the algebra or geometry1 which at first seems impenetrable1 can be gradually mastered4 ,the rules which bring success in each are in many respects identical4 ,begin to give the muscles of the hand and forearm1 for instance1 as vigorous and assiduous use as these mathematical studies bring to the brain1 and the physical grasp will as surely and steadily improve as does the mental4 ,give not only the delicate girls1 but all girls1 exercises which shall insure strong and shapely limbs1 and chests deep1 full1 and high1 beginning these exercises mildly1 and progressing very gradually1 correcting this high shoulder1 or that stoop1 or this hollow chest1 or that overstep1 and carrying on this development as long as the school-days last4 ,let this be done under a teacher as familiar with her work as the mathematical instructor is with his1 and what incalculable benefit would accrue1 not to this generation alone1 but to their descendants as well6 ,but will not this physical training dull the mind for its work8 ,if protracted several hours1 or the greater part of each day1 as with the ,german peasant-woman in the field1 or the ,scotch fish-woman with her wares1 no doubt it would4 ,but if ,maclaren of ,oxford wanted but a little while each day to increase the girth of the chests of a dozen ,british soldiers three inches apiece in four months1 is this very moderate allowance likely to work much mental dulness8 ,did ,charles ,dickens's seven to twelve miles afoot daily interfere with some masterly work which his pen produced each day8 ,did ,napoleon's whole days spent in the saddle tell very seriously on his mental operations1 and prevent him from conceiving and carrying out military and strategic work which will compare favorably with any the world's history tells of8 ,and what if this daily exercise1 beside the bodily benefit and improvement which ensues1 should also bring actually better mental work8 ,unbending the bow for a little while1 taking the tension from the brain for a few minutes1 and depleting it by expanding the chest to its fullest capacity1 and increasing the circulation in the limbs--these1 instead of impairing that brain1 will repair it1 and markedly improve its tone and vigor4 ,there ought to be in every girls' school in our land1 for pupils of every age1 a system of physical culture which should first eradicate special weaknesses and defects1 and then create and maintain the symmetry of the pupils1 increasing their bodily vigor and strength up to maturity4 ,if several1 or a majority1 of the girls in a class have flat or indifferent chests1 put them in a squad which shall pay direct and steady attention to raising1 expanding1 and strengthening the chest4 ,if many have a bad gait1 some stepping too long1 others too short1 set them aside for daily special attention to their step4 ,if many1 or nearly all1 have an inerect carriage1 wholly lacking la ligne of ,dumas1 then daily insist on such exercises for them as shall straighten them up and keep them up4 ,the dancing-master teaches the girl to step gracefully and accurately through various dancing-steps4 ,to inculcate a correct length of step1 and method of putting the foot down and raising it in walking1 is not nearly so difficult a task4 ,if the setting-up drill of the ,west ,pointer in a few weeks transforms the raw and ungainly country boy into a youth of erect and military bearing1 and insisting on that bearing at all times throughout the first year gives the cadet a set and carriage which he often retains through life1 is there anything to hinder the girl from acquiring an equally erect and handsome carriage of the body if she too will only use the means8 ,if the muscles which1 when fully developed1 enable one to sit or stand erect for hours together are now weak1 is it not wise to at once strengthen them8 ,but may not this vigorous muscular exercise1 which tends to produce hard and knotted muscles in the man1 take away the softer and more graceful lines1 which are essentially feminine8 ,if exercise be kept up for hours together1 as in the case of the blacksmith1 undoubtedly it would4 ,but that is a thing a sensible system of exercise would avoid1 as studiously as it would the weakness and inefficiency which result from no work4 ,a little trial soon tells what amount of work1 and how much of it1 is best adapted to each pupil2 then the daily maintaining of that proportion or kind of exercise1 and its increase1 as the newly-acquired strength justifies and invites it1 is all that is required4 ,without that hardness and solidity which are essentially masculine1 there still comes a firmness and plumpness of muscle to which the unused arm or back was a stranger4 ,instead of these being incompatible with beauty1 they are directly accessory to it4 ,elegance of form in the human figure1 says ,emerson1 marks some excellence of structure2 and again1 any real increase of fitness to its end1 in any fabric or organism1 is an increase of beauty4 ,look at the famous beauties of any age1 and everything in the picture or statue points to this same firmness and symmetry of make1 this freedom from either leanness or flabbiness4 ,the ,venuses and ,junos1 the ,minervas1 ,niobes1 and ,helens of mythology1 the ,madonnas1 the mediaeval beauties1 all alike have the well-developed and shapely arm and shoulder1 the high chest1 the vigorous body1 and the firm and erect carriage4 ,were there a thin chest or a flat shoulder1 a poor and feeble arm or a contracted waist1 it would at once mar the picture1 and bring down on it judgment anything but favorable4 ,put now on the canvas or in marble1 not the strongest and most comely1 neither the weakest and least-favored1 of our ,american girls or women1 but simply her who fairly represents the average1 and1 however well the face and expression might suffice1 the imperfect physical development1 and indifferent figure and carriage1 would at once justly provoke unfavorable comment4 ,that the same vigorous exercise and training which brought forth womanly physical beauty in ancient days will bring it out now1 there need be no manner of doubt4 ,a most apt and excellent case in point was mentioned in the ,new ,york ,tribune of ,june #aith1 #ahgh4 ,it said3 ,the study and practice of gymnastics are to be made compulsory in all the ,state schools in ,italy4 ,the apostle of physical culture in that enervating climate is ,sebastian ,fenzi1 the son of a ,florence banker4 ,he built a gymnasium at his own expense in that city1 and from that beginning the movement has extended from city to city4 ,he has preached gymnastics to senators and deputies1 to the syndic and municipal councillors1 and even to the crown princess1 now queen4 ,he especially inculcates its advantages on all mothers of families1 as likely to increase to a remarkable extent the personal charms of their daughters4 ,and so far as his own domestic experience goes1 his theories have not been contradicted by practice1 for he is the father of the most beautiful women in ,italy4 ,suppose ,mr4 ,durant at ,wellesley1 or ,mr4 ,caldwell at ,vassar1 should at once introduce in their deservedly famous schools a system of physical education which should proceed on the simple but intelligent plan1 first of training the weaker muscles of each pupil until they are as strong as the rest1 and then of transferring the young woman thus physically improved from the class of this or that special work1 to that which insures to all muscles alike ample1 daily vigorous exercise4 ,suppose that all the girls could be made to consider this daily lesson as much a matter of course in their studies as anything else4 ,suppose1 again1 that there is a teacher familiar with the work and all its requirements1 one who is capable of interesting others1 one who fully enters into the spirit of it4 ,if such a master or mistress can be found1 if the pupils are instructed--whether they be sitting1 standing1 or walking--to always remain erect1 is there any reason why the ,vassar girls should not soon have as fine and impressive a carriage as the manly young fellows at the academy across the river1 but a few miles distant8 ,looking again at the effect on the mental work1 would the daily half-hour of exercise in-doors1 and the hour's constitutional out-doors1 in all weathers1 if sensibly arranged1 interfere one whit with all the intellectual progress the girls could or should make8 ,for1 is that a rational system of intellectual progress which brings out a bright intellect on a half-developed body1 and promises fine things in the future1 when the body has had no training adequate to justify the belief that there will be much of any future8 ,is not that rather a dear price to pay for such intellectuality8 ,hear ,herbert ,spencer on this point3 ,on women the effects of this forcing system are1 if possible1 even more injurious than on men4 ,being in a great measure debarred from those vigorous and enjoyable exercises of body by which boys mitigate the evils of excessive study1 girls feel these evils in their full intensity4 ,hence the much smaller proportion of them who grow up well-made and healthy4 ,in the pale1 angular1 flat-chested young ladies1 so abundant in ,london drawing-rooms1 we see the effect of merciless application unrelieved by youthful sports2 and this physical degeneracy exhibited by them hinders their welfare far more than their many accomplishments aid it4 ,mammas anxious to make their daughters attractive could scarcely choose a course more fatal than this which sacrifices the body to the mind4 ,either they disregard the tastes of the opposite sex1 or else their conception of those tastes is erroneous4 ,men care comparatively little for erudition in women1 but very much for physical beauty and good nature and sound sense4 ,how many conquests does the blue-stocking make through her extensive knowledge of history8 ,this is a question quite worthy of the consideration of every teacher of girls in our land1 and a paragraph full of suggestion1 not only to every parent having a child's interests in his or her keeping1 but to every spirited girl herself as well4 ,every school-girl in ,america could be daily practised in a few simple exercises1 calling for no costly1 intricate1 or dangerous apparatus1 taking a little time1 but yet expanding her lungs1 invigorating her circulation1 strengthening her digestion1 giving every muscle and joint of her body vigorous play1 and so keeping her toned up1 and strong enough to be free from much danger either of incurring serious disease1 or any of the lighter ailments so common among us4 ,as to her usefulness1 no matter where her lot is to be cast1 it will be increased1 and1 it is not too much to add1 her happiness would be greatly enhanced through all her life as well4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,is ,,it ,,too ,,late ,,for ,,women ,,to ,,begin8 ,but if the school-days are past and the girl has become a woman1 what then8 ,if the girl1 trammelled by few duties outside of school-hours1 has found amusement for herself1 yet still needs daily and regular exercise to make and keep her fresh and hearty1 much more does the woman1 especially in a country like our own1 where physical exercise for her sex is almost unknown1 require such exercise4 ,our women are born of parents who pride themselves on their mental qualifications1 on a good degree of intelligence4 ,our educational system is one which offers an endless variety of spurs to continued mental effort4 ,are not the majority of our women to-day1 especially in town and city1 physically weak8 ,the writers on nervous disorders speak of the astounding increase of such diseases among us1 of late years1 in both sexes1 but especially among the women4 ,general debility is heard of nowadays almost as often as ,general ,grant4 ,most of our women think two miles1 or even less1 a long distance to walk1 even at a dawdling pace1 while few of them have really strong chests1 backs1 or arms4 7,if they wish to test their arms1 for instance1 let them grasp a bar or the rung of a ladder1 and try to pull themselves up once till the chin touches4 ,not two in fifty will do it1 but almost any boy can47 ,hardly a day goes by when a woman's strength is not considerably taxed1 and often overtaxed4 ,there is no calling of the unmarried woman where vigorous health and strength--not great or herculean1 but simply such as every well-built and well-developed woman ought to have--would not be of great1 almost priceless value to her4 ,the shop-girl1 the factory operative1 the clerk in the store1 the book-keeper1 the seamstress1 the milliner1 the telegraph operator1 are all confined1 for many hours a day1 with exercise for but a few of the muscles1 and with the trunk held altogether too long in one position1 and that too often a contracted and unhealthy one4 ,actually nothing is done to render the body lithe and supple1 to develop the idle muscles1 to deepen the breathing and quicken the circulation--in short1 to tone up the whole system4 ,no wonder such a day's work1 and such a way of living1 leaves the body tired and exhausted4 ,it would1 before long1 do the same for the strongest man4 ,no wonder that the walk to and from work is a listless affair4 ,no wonder that1 later on1 special or general weakness develops1 and the woman goes through life either weak and delicate1 or with not half the strength and vigor which might readily be hers4 ,and is it any better with the married woman8 ,take one of limited means4 ,much of the work about her home which servants might do1 could she employ them1 she bravely does herself1 willing to make ten times this sacrifice1 if need be1 for those dearest to her4 ,follow her throughout the day1 especially where there are children3 there is an almost endless round of duties1 many of them not laborious1 to be sure1 or calling for much muscular strength1 but keeping the mind under a strain until they are done1 difficult to encompass because difficult to foresee4 ,in the aggregate they are almost numberless4 ,a man can usually tell in the morning most of what is in front of him for the day--indeed1 can often plan so as to say beforehand just what he will be at each hour4 ,but not so the housewife and mother of young children4 ,she is constantly called to perform little duties1 both expected and unexpected1 which cannot fail to tell on a person not strong4 ,a healthy child a year old will often weigh twenty pounds2 yet a woman otherwise weak will carry that child on her left arm several times a day up one or more flights of stairs1 till you would think she would drop from exhaustion4 ,let sickness come1 and she will often seem almost tireless1 so devotedly will she keep the child in her arms4 ,while children are1 of course1 carried less when they begin to walk1 many a child two1 or even three years old1 is picked up by the mother1 not a few times a day1 even though he weighs thirty or forty pounds instead of twenty4 ,now for this mother to have handled a dumb-bell of that weight would have been thought foolish and dangerous1 for nothing about her suggested strength equal to that performance4 ,and yet the devotion of a weak mother to her child is quite as great as that of a strong one4 ,is it any wonder that this overdoing of muscles never trained to such work must sooner or later tell8 ,it would be wonderful if it did not4 ,yet now1 suppose that same mother had from early childhood been trained to systematic physical exercise suited to her strength1 and increasing with that strength until1 from a strong and healthy child1 she grew to be a hearty1 vigorous woman1 well developed1 strong1 and comely--what now would she mind carrying the little tot on her arm8 ,what before soon became heavy and a burden--a willing burden though it was--now never seems so at all1 and really is no task for such muscles as she now has4 ,instead of her day's work breaking her down1 it is no more than a woman of her vigor needs--indeed1 not so much as she needs--to keep her well and strong4 ,and1 besides escaping the bodily tire and exhaustion1 look at the happiness it brings her in the exhilaration which comes with ruddy health1 in the feeling of being easily equal to whatever comes up1 in being a stranger to indigestion1 to nervousness and all its kindred ailments4 ,this vital force1 sparing her many of the doubts and fears so common to the weak1 but which the strong seldom know1 enables her to endure patiently privation1 watching1 and bereavement4 ,and who is the more likely to live to a ripe old age1 the woman who never took suitable and adequate exercise to give her even moderate vitality and strength1 or she who1 by a judicious and sensible system1 suited to her particular needs1 has developed such powers8 ,but1 while this is all well enough for young girls1 is it not too late for full-grown women to attempt to get the same benefits8 ,the girl was young and plastic1 and1 with proper care1 could be moulded in almost any way2 but the woman already has her make and set1 and these cannot readily be changed4 ,perhaps not quite so readily1 but actual trial will show that the difficulty is largely imaginary4 ,to many1 indeed to most women1 the idea is absolutely new1 and they never supposed such change possible4 ,bryant1 beginning at forty1 made exercise pay wonderfully4 ,bear in mind how1 with a few minutes a day1 ,maclaren enlarged and strengthened men thirty years old2 that1 out of his class of over a hundred1 the greatest gain was in the oldest man in it1 and he was thirty-five4 ,let us look at what one or two women have managed to effect by systematic and thorough bodily training4 ,in ,the ,coming ,man ,charles ,reade says 7p4 #ej71 ,nathalie1 a ,french gymnast1 and not a woman of extraordinary build1 can take two fifty-six-pound weights from the ground1 one in each hand1 and put them slowly above her head4 ,she has a sister who goes up the slack-rope4 ,farini saw her pitted against twenty sailors4 ,the sailors had a slack-rope2 she had another4 ,a sailor went up as far as he could2 the gymnast went as high on her rope at the same time4 ,sailor came down tired1 the lady fresh4 ,another sailor went up1 the lady ditto2 and so on4 ,she wore out the whole twenty1 having gone up an aggregate of feet higher than ,st4 ,peter's ,church at ,rome4 ,this feat is due to great strength1 complete either-handedness1 and the athlete's power of pinching a rope with the sinews of the lower limbs4 ,but is this great and unusual strength1 especially of the arms1 desirable in most women8 ,not at all2 but that is not the point4 ,when ,farini says that the first step toward making one a skilled gymnast or acrobat is to bring up the weak arm1 and shoulder1 and side--usually the left--until equally strong with its1 till now1 superior mate1 and that he is constantly doing that1 he is doing more by far than would be needed to make most women1 not as strong as acrobats and performers1 but--a far more important matter--reasonably and comfortably so1 sufficiently to keep nervous disorders away1 to enable them to be far better equal to the daily duties1 and to spend life with an appreciation and zest too often unknown by the weak woman2 finally1 to preserve for a woman the bloom and healthy look which once in a while she sees1 even in a woman of advanced years1 and which would be her own did she use the means to have it4 ,and what should a woman do to get this health and strength and bloom8 ,just what is done by the young girl4 ,indeed1 there are a hundred exercises1 almost any of which1 faithfully followed up1 would help directly to bring the desired result4 ,with her1 as with girl or man or boy1 the first thing is to symmetrize1 to bring up the weaker muscles by special effort1 calling them at once into vigorous action1 and to restore to its proper position the shoulder1 back1 or chest1 which has been so long allowed to remain out of place4 ,the symmetry once gained1 then equal work for all the muscles1 taken daily1 and in such quantities as are found to suit best4 ,the variety of exercises open to woman1 especially out-of-doors1 is almost as great as to man4 ,every one knows some graceful horsewoman1 and it is a pity there were not a hundred where there is one4 ,one of the most expert of our acquaintance is the mother of one of the most gifted metaphysicians in the land1 and he already is a middle-aged man4 ,there are a few ladies in this country1 and a good many in ,england1 who think nothing of a five or six mile walk daily1 and an occasional one of twice that length4 ,once in a while a married woman here will do some long-distance skating4 ,in ,holland1 in the season1 it is with many an every-day affair4 ,some of the best swimmers and floaters at the watering-places are women1 and they certainly do not look much troubled with nervousness4 ,more than one woman has distinguished herself in ,alpine climbing4 ,the writer once saw a woman1 apparently about twenty-eight1 a handsome1 vigorous1 rosy ,englishwoman1 row her father from ,putney to ,mortlake1 on the ,thames1 a distance of four miles and three furlongs1 not at racing pace1 to be sure1 but at a lively speed4 ,the measured precision of that lady's stroke1 the stately poise of the body and head1 and the clean1 neat1 and effective feathering1 would have done credit to an old ,oxford oar4 ,what woman has done1 woman may do4 ,bind one arm in a sling1 and keep it utterly idle for a month1 and meanwhile ply the other busily with heavy work1 such as swinging a hammer1 axe1 or dumb-bell1 and is it hard to say which will be the healthier1 the plumper1 the stronger--the live arm1 at the end of the month8 ,and will this only apply to men's arms1 and not to women's8 ,who has usually the stronger1 and almost generally the shapelier arm--the woman who1 surrounded with servants1 takes her royal ease1 and has ,american notions and ways of exercise1 or the busy maid in her kitchen8 ,if the latter's arm is large1 yet not well-proportioned1 it simply means that some of its muscles have been used far more than the others4 ,now1 to her who understands what exercises will develop each of the muscles of that arm1 and who can tell at sight which are fully developed or developed at all1 and which are not1 it is easy to bring up the backward ones1 and so secure the symmetry and the consequent general strength4 ,the same rule holds good of all the other muscles1 as well as those of the arm4 ,plenty of active out-door work will go far toward securing health4 ,but it will only develop the parts brought into play1 and there ought to be exercise for all4 ,now what daily work1 and how much of it1 will secure this symmetry1 erectness1 and strength1 supposing that1 at the outset1 there is no organic defect1 but that the woman is simply weak both in her muscular and in her vital systems8 ,in the first place1 let it be understood that the connection between these systems is intimate1 and that the judicious building and strengthening of the former1 and the keeping up that strength by sensible daily exercise1 tells directly on the latter4 ,vigorous muscular exercise1 properly taken1 enlarges the respiration1 quickens the circulation1 improves the digestion1 the working1 in fact1 of all the vital parts4 ,dr4 ,mitchell says it is the very thing also to quiet the excited nerves and brain4 ,the amount of that exercise daily depends on the present strength of the woman4 ,if she is weak generally1 for the first fortnight the exercise1 while general enough to bring all the muscles into play1 must be light and easy4 ,then1 as a little strength is gained1 the work advances accordingly4 ,if partially strong at first1 invariably the first thing to do is to adapt the exercise mainly to the weaker muscles till they catch up4 ,suppose the right arm is stronger than the left1 as frequently happens1 because it has had more to do4 ,for the first month--or1 if necessary1 for the first two months--let the left arm have nearly all the exercise1 and that exercise as vigorous as it can comfortably take4 ,then1 when it is found that it can lift or carry as heavy a weight1 and pull or push as hard as the right1 keep at it1 by means of exercise1 until both arms can do the same amount of work1 and are equal4 ,but suppose the arms are already equally strong1 or1 rather1 equally weak--that both the back and chest are small2 that is1 not so large or well-proportioned as they should be in a well-built woman of a certain height--then all that is necessary is to select work especially adapted to strengthen the back1 and other work telling directly on the chest4 ,for the first fortnight very mild efforts should be made1 and the advance should be gradual1 taking great care never once to overdo it4 ,let the advance be made as the newly-acquired strength justifies and encourages it4 ,what particular exercises will effect the strengthening and development of any given muscles will be pointed out in the chapter on ,special ,exercise1 at the latter part of this book4 ,how about the length of time this daily exercising will take8 ,it is all easy enough for the rich1 whose time is their own1 and who could spare four or five hours a day if necessary2 but how is the woman to manage it who must work from seven to six1 or even far into the evening as well8 ,she can hardly get time to read about horseback riding and ,alpine climbing1 much less take part in them4 ,well1 it is a poor system which cannot suit nearly all cases4 ,the woman who works steadily from early morning till well into the night1 especially at employment at all sedentary and confining1 is undergoing a test and a hardship which will certainly call for a strong constitution1 good condition1 and a brave spirit as well1 or the strain will surely break her down1 and bring to her permanent weakness4 ,if so many hours must be spent in labor1 then let her secure ten or fifteen minutes1 upon rising1 for a series of exercises in her room4 ,at the dinner-hour1 again at supper-time1 and once about mid-morning1 and again at mid-afternoon1 three or five minutes could generally be spared for a few brisk exercises calculated to limber and call into vigorous action the back1 and many of the muscles so long held almost motionless until they stiffen from it4 ,if there is a whole hour at dinner-time1 and half of it could be spent in walking1 if possible with a cheerful and energetic companion1 who would make her forget the dull routine of her day--not dawdling1 aimless walking1 but stepping out as if she meant it1 with a spring and energy which quickens the pulse1 driving the morning's thoughts out of the mind1 scattering low spirits to the winds--it would bring a pleasant feeling of recreation and change4 ,the benefit to be derived from such a walk would be immediate and marked4 ,is this asking much8 ,a mile and a half could easily be covered in that time1 and1 by a strong walker1 even two1 while the dinner would taste twice as good for the exercise4 ,another mile1 or even half a mile1 might be walked at supper-time1 the pace always being kept up4 ,if the confinement is so close as not to permit even these few snatches of time for a little recreation1 never mind4 ,do not give it up yet4 ,the ten minutes on rising were made sure of anyhow4,b ,yes1 another chance remains4 ,when at last the work is over1 even though it is time to retire1 get out-of-doors for half an hour's smart walk with brother or friend1 and see how refreshing it will prove4 ,the jaded body will almost forget its tire1 and the sleep which follows1 while it may not be quite as long as before1 will make up in quality1 and the new day will find a far fresher woman1 one better up to her duties1 than if no exercise had been taken4 ,to her who does not labor so long1 but has her evenings to herself1 unless already broken by disease1 there need be no trouble about getting strong and healthy4 ,let her do the little exercise above mentioned till evening2 then1 first eating a hearty supper1 beginning with such distance as she can walk easily1 add to the distance gradually1 until she finds herself equal to four or five miles at a smart pace for her--say three and a half miles to the hour4 7,the professional masculine pedestrians do eight miles an hour1 to be sure2 but ,miss ,von ,hillern1 for instance1 is good for about six47 ,this1 taken either every evening1 or1 say1 four evenings a week1 will soon give tone1 and make the woman feel strong instead of weak1 will enable her to digest what she eats1 and will visibly improve her appetite4 ,let her give five or ten minutes for exercising the arms and chest before retiring1 and she has had abundant exercise for that day1 while any trouble she has had in the past about sleeping is at an end4 ,but sufficient as the evening walk is1 of course if it can be had in daylight and in the sunshine1 it is all the better4 ,few mothers are so placed that they cannot each day1 by good management1 get an hour for the care of their health4 ,let them be sure to take a quick1 lively walk for the whole time1 not with arms held motionless1 but swinging easily as men's do--of course1 for the first month taking less distances1 but working steadily on4 ,they will be astonished at the very gratifying difference in the result between it and the old listless walk1 and how much easier the day's duties come now4 ,but there is one class of women who are especially favored--a large class too1 in our land--the daughters of parents so well to do that1 between their graduation from school and the day they are married1 their time is practically their own4 ,if weak at the start1 let them1 after gradual exercise begins to make them stronger1 take more besides the few minutes at rising and retiring1 and the hearty constitutional afoot4 ,if their walking is done in the afternoon1 let them set apart half an hour in the latter part of the morning 7if possible1 with another girl similarly placed7 for work which shall strengthen the arms and the whole trunk4 ,if there is a good gymnasium convenient--especially if it has a teacher of the right stamp--there will be the best place for this work4 ,but if not1 a little home gymnasium like that suggested later in the chapter on that subject1 and which every girl ought to have1 would be the place4 ,very soon this extra work will tell4 ,look what the four hours a week1 just with two-pound wooden dumb-bells1 very light ,indian clubs1 and light pulley-weights1 did for a youth of nineteen in one year6,c ,an increase of an inch in height1 of one and a half around the upper arm1 of three and a half inches in the girth of the chest1 of fifteen pounds in weight--would not these work marked changes in any young woman1 and would they not nearly always be most desirable changes8 ,it is not a matter of inches and pounds alone4 ,this increase of girth and weight is almost sure to tell most beneficially on the health and spirits as well--in short1 on the general vigor4 ,if1 with the increase in size and strength1 care has been taken to practise special exercises to make and keep her erect1 to at all times1 whether sitting1 standing1 or walking1 hold the head and neck where they should be1 there is not much doubt but that1 even in one short year1 the difference in any girl1 not strong or straight at the beginning1 will be very marked4 ,it really lies with young women of this class to make themselves physically--in proportion to their height--what they will4 ,is there any need of pointing out to a spirited girl the value of a sound1 healthy1 and shapely body8 ,is there any sphere in woman's life where it will not stand her in good stead1 and render her far more efficient at whatever she is called on to do--as daughter1 sister1 wife or mother1 teacher or friend8 ,nor is the benefit limited even to her own lifetime1 but her posterity are blessed by it as well4 ,would she like to have inherited consumptive tendencies1 for instance1 from her parent8 ,will her children like any better to inherit the same from her8 ,in our ,christian lands1 we find1 if history be correct1 that the great men have almost invariably had remarkable mothers1 while their fathers were as often nothing unusual4 ,the ,sandwich ,island proverb1 ,if strong be the frame of the mother1 her sons will make laws for the people1 suggests truths that will hold good in many other places besides the ,sandwich ,islands4 ,let every intelligent girl and woman in this land bear in mind that1 from every point of view1 a vigorous and healthy body1 kept toned up by rational1 systematic1 daily exercise1 is one of the very greatest blessings which can be had in this world2 that many persons spend tens of thousands of dollars in trying to regain even a part of this blessing when once they have lost it2 that the means of getting it are easily within the reach of all1 who are not already broken by disease2 that it is never too late to begin1 and that one hour a day1 properly spent1 is all that is needed to secure it4 ,,footnotes3 ,b ,see 7page #afi7 how ,mr4 ,bryant used those morning minutes1 and how well he was repaid for it1 too6 ,c ,see page #adg4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,why ,,men ,,should ,,exercise ,,daily4 ,the advantages to men of a well-built body1 kept in thorough repair1 are very great4 ,those of every class1 whose occupation is sedentary1 soon come to appreciate this4 ,some part of the machinery gets out of order4 ,it may be the head1 or eyes1 or throat2 it may be the lungs or stomach1 liver or kidneys4 ,something does not go right4 ,there is a clogging1 a lack of complete action1 and often positive pain4 ,this physical clogging tells at once on the mental work1 either making its accomplishment uncomfortable and an effort1 or becoming so bad as to actually prevent work at all4 ,it may make the man ill4 ,there is very little doubt but that a large majority of ailments would be removed1 or1 rather1 would never have come at all1 had the lungs and also the muscles of the man had vigorous daily action to the extent that frequent trial had shown best suited to that man's wants4 ,one of the quickest known ways of dispelling a headache is to give some of the muscles1 those of the legs1 for instance1 a little hard1 sharp work to do4 ,the reason is obvious4 ,dr4 ,mitchell puts it well when he says that muscular exercise flushes the parts engaged in it1 and so depletes the brain4 ,but fortunately that same exercise also helps make better blood1 gets the entire lungs into action1 quickens the activity of the other vital organs1 and so tones up the whole man1 that1 if the exercise is taken daily and is kept up1 disorder1 unless very deep-seated1 disappears4 ,it is well known that when the system1 from any cause1 gets run down1 disease is more likely to enter1 and slower at being shaken off4 ,thousands and hundreds of thousands of men and women have hard work1 mental strain1 fret and anxiety1 daily1 and for years together--indeed1 scarcely do anything to lighten the tension in this direction4 ,they tell you they are subject to headache or dyspepsia1 or other disorder1 as if it was out of the question to think of preventing it4 ,but had the work been so arranged1 as it nearly always could be--far oftener than most persons think--to secure daily an hour for vigorous muscular exercise for all the parts1 this running down would1 in most instances1 never come4 ,the sharp1 hot work1 till the muscles are healthily tired1 insures the good digestion1 the cleared brain1 the sound sleep1 the buoyant spirits4 ,the president of one of the largest banks in this country told the writer that1 disappointed one summer in not getting a run to ,europe1 reflection told him that one marked benefit such jaunts had brought him was from the increased sleep he was enabled to get1 that thereupon he determined on longer sleeps at home4 ,he got them1 and found1 as he well put it1 that he could fight better4 ,beset all day long with men wanting heavy loans1 that fighting tone1 that ability to say no at the right time and in a way which showed he meant it1 must have not only added to his own well-being1 but to the bank's protection as well4 ,again1 many men are liable to occasionally have sudden and very protracted spells of head-work1 where sleep and almost everything else must give way1 so that the business in hand may be gotten through with4 ,tom ,brown told the writer that1 when in ,parliament1 he could work through a whole week together on but four hours of sleep a night1 and be none the worse for it1 provided he could have all he wanted the next week1 and that since he was twenty-five he had hardly known a sick day4 ,a father1 tired from his day of busy toil1 may have a sick child1 who for much of the night will not let him sleep4 ,such taxes as this1 coming to one already run down and weak1 cannot be braved frequently with impunity4 ,unless the five or six miles a day of ,tom ,brown and his fellow-,englishmen's constitutional1 or some equivalent1 is resorted to1 and the man kept well toned-up1 one of these sudden calls may prove too severe1 and do serious if not fatal injury4 ,this toning-up is not all4 ,if the bodily exercise is such as to get all the muscles strong1 and keep them so1 the very work that would otherwise overdo and exhaust now has no such effect1 but is gone through with spirit and ease4 ,there is that consciousness of strength which is equal to all such trifles4 ,the very nervousness and worry which used to be so wearing1 at the sudden and ceaseless calls of the day1 have gone1 and for the reason that strong nerves and strong muscles are very liable to go together1 and not to mind these things4 ,what does the athlete at the top of his condition know about nervousness8 ,he is blithe as a lark all the day long4 ,dr4 ,mitchell says3 ,the man who lives an out-door life--who sleeps with the stars visible above him1 who wins his bodily subsistence at first-hand from the earth and waters--is a being who defies rain and sun1 has a strange sense of elastic strength1 may drink if he likes1 and may smoke all day long1 and feel none the worse for it4 ,some such return to the earth for the means of life is what gives vigor and developing power to the colonists of an older race cast on a land like ours4 ,a few generations of men living in such fashion store up a capital of vitality which accounts largely for the prodigal activity displayed by their descendants1 and made possible only by the sturdy contest with nature which their ancestors have waged4 ,that such a life is still led by multitudes of our countrymen is what alone serves to keep up our pristine force and energy4 ,now1 while this extreme hardiness and tone cannot be had by a person who has twelve hours of busy brain-work daily in-doors1 and only one of bodily exercise1 still1 much can be done1 quite enough to calm and tranquillize1 and to carry easily over those passes which used to be dreaded4 ,if the man who habitually works too long without a rest would every hour or so turn lightly from his work1 for even sixty seconds1 to some vigorous exercise right in his office1 or even in the next room or hall-way1 until the blood got out of his brain a little1 and the muscles tingled with a hearty glow1 he would go back so refreshed as to quickly make up1 both in the quantity and quality of his work1 for the time lost4 ,when his hour for exercise came1 instead of having no heart for it1 he would spring to it with alacrity1 like the school-boy does to his play4 ,even if the strong man does occasionally become jaded1 he knows1 as ,hughes did1 how to get back his strength and snap1 and that a tired man is many removes from a tired-out one4 ,there is a great deal in knowing whether your work is overdoing you or simply tiring you4 ,one of the strongest and best oarsmen ,harvard ever had1 used1 at first1 to think he ought to stop rowing when he began to perspire1 and was quite astounded when an older man told him that that was only the beginning of the real work4 ,there is no end of comfort to a tired man1 either mentally or physically1 in the thought that sure relief is near4 ,again1 this relief by physical exercise will encourage the man to hope that1 if war or accident do not cut him down1 he may look for a long life1 no matter how great may be the occasional strain4 ,few men1 for instance1 familiar with the life of the ,duke of ,wellington will claim that they are better workers than he was1 or that they get through more in a day or year1 or that1 heavy as their responsibilities may be1 they surpass or even equal those which were his for years together4 ,yet all the terrible mental strain this illustrious man underwent1 battling with one of the greatest captains this world ever saw1 all the exposure and forced marching1 privation and toil1 which come to the faithful soldier1 and to him who holds the lives of multitudes in his hands1 this man knew1 and yet so controlled his work1 exacting as it all was1 as to manage to keep his body superior to all it was called on to do1 and his mind in constant working order1 and this not merely up to threescore and ten1 but to fourscore good years1 and three more besides4 ,did not the vigorous body at the start1 and the daily attention to it1 pay him8 ,will it be claimed that the president of one of the best-known corporations on this continent did any more work than ,wellington8 ,that president was at it all day1 and far into the night1 and when away in ,europe1 nominally on a play-spell1 as well4 ,naturally1 he was a strong1 energetic man2 but he had so worked1 and so neglected his body1 that he died at fifty-two4 ,which of the two men showed the better sense8 ,what does cutting one's self down at fifty-two mean8 ,five minutes' reflection should tell any reasonable person that the man was overworking himself1 and going at a pace no man could hold and live4 ,does not this show a lack of sense1 and especially when much of that work could certainly have been done by subordinates8 ,was not one of ,daniel ,webster's best points his skill in getting work done by others1 and saving for himself the parts he liked best8 ,when1 after long years of toil and perseverance1 one has worked himself up to position and wide influence1 is it sensible to do what his humblest employe could rightly tell him is overcrowding1 and so forcing the pace that he certainly cannot hold it8 ,instead of taking that position and that influence and wielding them for greater ends1 and improving them very markedly1 must there not be a keen pang to their owner when1 tantalized with what seems surely within his grasp1 that grasp itself weakens1 and the machine goes all to pieces8 ,these later years are especially the precious ones to the wealthy man4 ,they are his best days4 ,then his savings1 and his earnings too1 accumulate as they did not when he was younger4 ,look at the work done by ,vanderbilt1 for example1 accomplished almost thirty years after he was fifty-two6 ,did not the active out-door life on the little periauger of his youth1 and the daily constitutionals which1 notwithstanding his infirmities1 all ,new ,yorkers saw him taking in later life1 pay him8 ,and are they less precious in any other line of life8 ,look for a moment at the value health is to a man in any of the learned professions--of having a sound and vigorous body1 with each branch of his vital system working regularly1 naturally1 and in harmony with the rest4 ,do these things make no difference to the divine8 ,had the sturdy1 prize-fighter make of ,martin ,luther nothing to do with his contempt for the dangers awaiting his appearance before ,charles ,v4 and his ,diet of ,worms1 and which caused him to say he would go there though the devils were as thick as the tiles on the houses2 and with the grand stand he made for the religious light which now shines so freely upon the whole ,christian world8 ,thomas ,guthrie1 first tying one hand behind him1 with the other could whip any man in ,oxford who would also fight one-handed4 ,who doubts that the vigor so evinced had much to do with the faithful1 arduous life's work he did1 and did so well that all ,scotland is to-day justly proud of him8 ,have the magnificent breadth and depth of ,spurgeon's chest1 and his splendid outfit of vital organs1 no connection with his great power and influence as a preacher of world-wide renown8 ,have the splendid physique and abounding vitality of ,henry ,ward ,beecher--greater almost than that of any man in a hundred thousand--nothing to do with his ability to attend to his duties as pastor1 author1 lecturer1 and editor--work enough to kill half a dozen ordinary men--and with the tireless industry which must precede his marked success in them all8 ,are not the towering form1 the ruddy health1 and grand1 manly vigor of ,dr4 ,john ,hall weighty elements1 first in putting together1 and then in driving home1 the honest1 earnest1 fearless words which all remember who ever heard him speak8 ,have not the great bodies of those two young giants of the ,american pulpit1 ,phillips ,brooks and ,joseph ,cook1 proved most valuable accessories to their great brains8 ,is there anything feeble about any of these8 ,put the tape-measure around them anywhere you like1 and see how generous nature has been with them4 ,is it all a mere chance that they happen to have splendid bodies8 ,why is it that we never hear of such as these having ministers' sore throat1 and blue ,mondays1 and having to be sent by their congregations1 every now and then1 away to a foreign land to recruit their health and keep them up to their work8 ,do sound and sturdy bodies1 and due attention daily to keeping them in good repair1 have nothing to do with their ability to cope at all times with the duty lying next to them--and with their attention to it1 too1 in such a way as to make them so much more effective than other men in their great life's work8 ,that the physician himself needs sound health and plentiful strength1 few will question2 and yet1 does he1 from his calling alone1 do anything to insure it8 ,dragged from his bed at all hours of the night1 thrown daily1 almost hourly1 in contact with deadly disease--often so contagious that others shrink from going where he goes1 like the brave man he must be to face such dangers--would not that general toned-up condition of the thoroughly sound and healthy man prove a most valuable boon to him--indeed1 often save his life8 ,and yet1 does his daily occupation insure him that boon1 even though it does enable him to get out-of-doors far more than most men who earn their living by mental labor8 ,witness one of their own number1 ,dr4 ,mitchell1 on this point2 for he says1 ,the doctor1 who is supposed to get a large share of exercise1 in reality gets very little after he grows too busy to walk1 and has then only the incidental exposure to out-door air4 ,would not a sensible course of physical exercise daily pay him--especially when pretty much all the muscular work he gets of any account is for his forearms and a little of his back1 and then only when he drives a hard-bitted horse8 ,and does not a lawyer need a good body1 and one kept in good order8 ,after the first few years1 when his practice is once well established1 he finds that1 unlike men in most other callings1 his evenings are not his own1 and that1 if he is going to read any law1 and to attempt to keep up with the new decisions every year1 even in his own ,state1 what between court work1 the preparation of his cases1 drawing papers1 consultation1 correspondence1 and the other matters which fill up the daily round of the lawyer in active practice1 that reading will have to be done out of office-hours often1 or not done at all4 ,even in his evenings his business is too pressing to allow any time for reading4 ,here1 then1 is a man who is in serious danger of being cut off from that rest and recreation which most other men can have4 ,the long1 steady strain1 day and evening1 often breaks him down1 where an hour's active exercise daily on the road or on the water1 with his business for the time scrupulously forgotten1 together with from a quarter to half an hour1 on rising and retiring1 in strengthening his arms and chest1 would have kept him as tough and fresh as they did ,bryant1 not simply up to sixty1 or even seventy1 but clear up to his eighty-fourth year4 ,every lawyer who has been in active practice in any of our large cities for a dozen years can point to members of his ,bar who have either broken clean down1 and gone to a premature grave from neglecting their bodily health1 or who are now far on the road in that same direction4 ,this happens notwithstanding the fact that in many places the courts do not sit once during the whole summer1 and lawyers can hence get longer vacations and go farther from home than most men4 ,let any one read the life of ,rufus ,choate1 and say whether there was any need of his dying an old man at fifty-five4 ,he started not with a weak body1 but one decidedly strong4 ,so little care did he take of it that1 as he himself well put it1 latterly he hadn't much of any constitution1 but simply lived under the by-laws4 ,did it hinder his distinguished compeer1 ,daniel ,webster1 from magnificent success at the bar because he took many a good play-spell with a fishing-rod in his hand8 because he not only knew but regarded the advantage and wisdom of keeping his body toned-up and hearty1 and so regarded it that he died1 not at fifty-five1 but at the end of the full threescore years and ten8 ,and did grand physical presence1 the most impressive which ever graced ,american forum or senate-chamber--so striking1 in fact1 that1 as he walked the streets of ,liverpool1 the laboring men stopped work and backed their admiring gaze by concluding that he must be a king--did these qualities not contribute to that same magnificent success8 ,daniel ,o',connell was a man of sturdier body even than ,webster1 of whom ,wendell ,phillips says3 ,he was the greatest orator that ever spoke ,english4 ,a little ,o',connell would have been no ,o',connell4 ,every attitude was beauty1 every gesture grace4 ,there was a magnetism that melted every will into his4 ,had not this wonderful man much to thank these same qualities for8 ,had they not something to do with the stretching of his vigorous life1 not merely up to fifty-five1 or even to seventy1 but clear up to seventy-three8 ,how many men has the world ever seen who filled1 and well filled1 more high offices than ,henry ,brougham1 and who1 no matter where he was1 was always a tireless worker8 ,one biographer says that1 as a boy1 he was the fleetest runner in the neighborhood1 and this man1 as an orator1 second in his time only to ,canning2 this man1 who once spoke in ,parliament for seven days consecutively1 who1 even when upward of seventy1 showed his zeal for reform by urging the introduction into ,england of the ,new ,york ,code of ,procedure--this one of ,england's most famous ,lord ,chancellors took such care of his body that he never ceased from his labors until he was eighty-nine4 ,let us look at but one more instance of the way a powerful mind and an uncommonly strong body blend and aid their possessor to his purposes4 ,a recent writer in ,blackwood says of ,bismarck3 ,he is a powerful man4 ,that is what strikes at once every one who sees him for the first time4 ,he is very tall and of enormous weight1 but not ungainly4 ,every part of his gigantic frame is well-proportioned--the large round head1 the massive neck1 the broad shoulders1 and the vigorous limbs4 ,he is now more than sixty-three1 and the burden he has had to bear has been usually heavy2 but though his step has become slow and ponderous1 he carries his head high--looking down1 even1 on those who are as tall as himself--and his figure is still erect4 ,during these latter years he has suffered frequent and severe bodily pain1 but no one could look upon him as an old man1 or as one to be pitied4 ,on the contrary1 everybody who sees him feels that ,prince ,bismarck is still in possession of immense physical power4 ,and what holds good as to professional men in this respect of course will apply with equal force to busy brain-workers in any other line as well4 ,it is nowhere claimed here that there have not been in many callings great men whose bodies were indifferent affairs1 but endeavor has been made to show1 not only that a great mind and a vigorous body can go together1 but that the latter is1 not to the man of unusual mental power alone1 but to every man1 a most valuable acquisition1 and one that he should1 if he does not possess it already1 take prompt steps to secure1 and then1 once acquiring it1 should use the means1 as ,bryant did1 to retain it4 ,in the #ahgg-'gh annual report of ,harvard ,college1 ,president ,eliot1 who has been exceptionally well-placed to observe several thousand young men1 and to know what helps and what hinders their intellectual progress1 adds his valuable testimony to the importance of vigorous health and regular physical exercise to all who have1 or expect to have1 steady and severe mental work to do4 ,busy professional men may well heed his words4 ,speaking of the value of scholarships to poor but deserving young men1 he says3 ,if sound health were one of the requisitions for the enjoyment of scholarships1 parents who expected to need aid in educating their boys would have their attention directed in an effective way to the wise regimen of health2 while young men who had their own education to get would see that it was only prudent for them to secure a wholesome diet1 plenty of fresh air1 and regular exercise4 ,a singular notion prevails1 especially in the country1 that it is the feeble1 sickly children who should be sent to school and college1 since they are apparently unfit for hard work4 ,the fact that1 in the history of literature1 a few cases can be pointed out in which genius was lodged in a weak or diseased body1 is sometimes adduced in support of the strange proposition that physical vigor is not necessary for professional men4 ,but all experience contradicts these notions4 ,to attain success and length of service in any of the learned professions1 including that of teaching1 a vigorous body is well-nigh essential4 ,a busy lawyer1 editor1 minister1 physician1 or teacher has need of greater physical endurance than a farmer1 trader1 manufacturer1 or mechanic4 ,all professional biography teaches that to win lasting distinction in sedentary1 in-door occupations1 which task the brain and the nervous system1 extraordinary toughness of body must accompany extraordinary mental powers4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,home ,,gymnasiums4 ,all that people need for their daily in-door exercises is a few pieces of apparatus which are fortunately so simple and inexpensive as to be within the reach of most persons4 ,buy two pitchfork handles at the agricultural store4 ,cut off enough of one of them to leave the main piece a quarter of an inch shorter than the distance between the jambs of your bedroom door1 and square the ends4 ,on each of these jambs fasten two stout hard-wood cleats1 so slotted that the squared ends of the bar shall fit in snugly enough not to turn4 ,let the two lower cleats be directly opposite each other1 and about as high as your shoulder2 the other two also opposite each other1 and as high above the head as you can comfortably reach4 ,again1 bore into the jamb1 at about the height of your waist1 a hole as large as the bar is thick4 ,now work the auger farther into each hole1 till it reaches the first piece of studding1 and then an inch or so into that4 ,find how many inches it is from the jamb to the end of the bore in the studding1 and cut the second fork handle in halves4 ,pass one half through the hole in the jamb1 and set its end into the hole in the studding4 ,bore a similar hole in the other jamb directly opposite1 and repeat the last-named process with its nearest studding-piece1 and adjust remainder of the fork handle to it4 ,now cut enough off each piece of the handle to leave the distance between the two about eighteen inches4 ,you have then provided yourself with a pair of bars on which you can try one of the exercises usually practised on the parallel bars1 and that one worth almost as much as all the rest4 7,see ,fig4 #c47 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #c4 ,horizontal ,bar and ,chest-bars1 for ,home ,use4 ,on the following page is a sketch of a pair of pulley-weights recently made1 designed by ,dr4 ,sargent1 which are excellent4 ,their merits will be seen at a glance4 ,instead of the weights swaying sideways and banging against the boxes1 as they are liable to do in the ordinary old-fashioned pulley-weight boxes1 they travel in boxes1 ,a ,a1 between the rods ,b ,b4 ,a rubber bed also prevents the weight from making a noise as it strikes the floor1 while another capital feature is the arrangement of boxes1 in which you may graduate the weight desired by adding little plates of a pound each1 instead of the unchanging weight of the old plan4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #d4 ,noiseless ,pulley-weights4 ,one of these boxes1 with its load1 can easily be used as a rowing-weight1 by rigging a pulley-wheel a few inches above the floor1 and directly in front of the weight box1 and then making the rope long enough to also pass under this pulley4 ,a stick of the thickness of an oar handle can then be attached to the end of the rope4 ,if the old-fashioned pulley-weights are preferred1 as they are cheaper1 long boxes take the place of these iron rods1 and a common iron weight travels up and down in the boxes4 ,at some of the gymnasiums--that of the ,young ,men's ,christian ,association in ,new ,york1 for example--these weights1 of various sizes1 snaffles1 ropes1 and handles1 can all be had1 of approved pattern and at reasonable rates4 ,here1 then1 we have a horizontal bar fitted for most of the uses of that valuable appliance1 a pair of parallel bars1 or their equivalent for certain purposes1 a pair of pulling-weights1 and a rowing-weight4 ,now1 with the addition of a pair of dumb-bells1 weighing at first about one twenty-fifth of the user's own weight1 we have a gymnasium more comprehensive than most persons would imagine4 ,mr4 ,bryant was contented for forty years with less apparatus even than this1 and yet look at the benefit he derived from it6,d ,the bar1 cleats1 and parallels ought to be made and put up for not over two dollars1 and four or five dollars more will cover the cost of pulling-weights and gear on the old plan1 unless a heavy rowing-weight is added1 which can be had at five cents a pound1 which is also the price of well-shaped dumb-bells4 ,here is a gymnasium1 then1 under cover1 rent free1 exactly at hand1 when one is lightly clad on rising or just before retiring1 which takes up but little room1 can hardly get out of order1 which will last a dozen years4 ,with these few bits of apparatus every muscle of the trunk1 nearly all those of the legs1 and all those of the arms1 can1 by a few exercises so simple that they can be learned at a single trying1 be brought into active play4 ,the bar in the upper place will be useful mainly for grasping1 hanging1 or swinging on by the hands1 or for pulling one's self up until the chin touches it4 ,in the lower place it enables one to perform very many of the exercises usual on the horizontal bar4 ,the short bars or handles have scarcely more than one office1 but that is one of the most important of all exercises for the weak-armed and the weak-chested4 ,this exercise is the one called dipping4 ,the bars are grasped with the hands1 the feet being held up off the floor2 then1 starting with the elbows straight1 gradually lowering until the elbows are bent as far as possible1 then rising till they are straight again1 and so continuing4 ,the pulley-weights admit of a great variety of uses1 reaching directly every muscle of the hand1 wrist1 arm1 shoulder1 chest1 abdomen1 the entire back and neck2 while1 by placing one foot in the handle and pulling the weight with it1 several of the leg muscles soon have plenty to do1 as is also the case with the rowing-weight4 ,the field of the dumb-bells is hardly less extensive4 ,if but one of these pieces of apparatus can be had1 the pulley-weights are the most comprehensive1 and so the most important1 though it is astonishing how closely the dumb-bells follow2 and then they have the great advantage of being portable4 ,combine with the exercises you can get from all this apparatus those which need none at all1 such as rising on the toes1 hopping1 stooping low1 walking1 running1 leaping1 and no more tools are needed to develop whatever muscles one likes4 ,what special work will employ any particular muscle will be indicated later4 ,if the apparatus is only to be used by a man or boy1 a striking-bag can be made of seven or eight pieces of soft calf-skin1 so that the whole1 when full of sawdust1 shall be either round like a ball or pear-shaped1 and shall be about fifteen inches in horizontal diameter4 ,this should be hung on a rope from a hook screwed into one of the beams of the ceiling4 ,this makes a valuable acquisition to the snug little home-gymnasium4 ,for a person having a weak chest1 and who aims to broaden and deepen that important region1 perhaps no better and safer contrivance can be had than the one sketched in ,fig4 #h1 on page #bdh4 ,the fact of having a few bits of apparatus close at hand1 when one is lightly clad1 will tend to tempt any one to get at them a little while morning and evening4 ,if a parent wants children to use them1 instead of placing the apparatus in his own room1 the nursery1 or an empty room where all can have ready access1 would be better4 ,of course1 in such case there should be additional weights1 and dumb-bells suited to the age and strength of those who are to use them4,e ,indeed1 by providing children at home with articles which they like to use1 and the use of which brings much direct good1 the nursery has a new value--greater1 perhaps1 when made the most of1 than it ever had before4 ,all the exercises needed to make children strong can be readily learned1 as all of them are exceedingly simple4 ,in another place these exercises will be indicated4 ,the parent can then select those exercises he sees the child needs1 and teach them in a few minutes1 so arranging it as to get the children to exercise a certain time every day4 ,as has been shown1 the cost of all these appliances will not be nearly as much as a moderate doctor's bill1 and quite as little as the patent gymnastic articles1 which are so often praised1 mostly by people who know little or nothing of other forms of exercise than those fitted to their own apparatus4 ,a large beam1 for instance1 has been devised1 with handles fastened by a contrivance above it1 which is meant to restore the spine 7when out of place7 to its proper position4 ,but there is scarcely anything it can accomplish which cannot readily be done on some one of these simple1 old-fashioned1 and far less cumbrous pieces of apparatus4 ,again1 in the large cities there are establishments where the chief and almost the sole exercise is with the lifting-machine4 ,a person1 standing nearly erect1 is made to lift heavy weights often of several hundred1 and even a thousand or more pounds4 ,the writer1 when a lad of seventeen1 worked a few minutes nearly every day for six months on a machine of this kind2 and while it seemed a fine thing to lift six hundred pounds at first1 and over a thousand toward the end1 there came an unquestioned stiffening of the back1 as though the vertebrae were packed so closely together as to prevent their free action4 ,there came also a very noticeable and abnormal development of three sets of muscles3 those of the inner side of the forearm1 the lower and inner end of the front thigh just above the knee1 and those highest up on the back1 branching outward from the base of the neck4 ,with considerable other vigorous exercise taken at the same time1 this heavy lifting still produced the most marked effect1 so that the development caused by it was soon large1 out of all proportion compared with that resulting from the other work4 ,now1 if it is the fact that they who practice on the health lift ordinarily take little or no other vigorous exercise1 why is not this same partial development going to result8 ,and if this is the case1 is it not rather a questionable exercise1 especially for those to whom it is so highly recommended--the sedentary--and even worse for those who stand at desks all day8 ,we have seen it make one very stiff and ungainly in his movements1 and it is natural that it should2 for he who does work of the grade suited to a truck-horse is far more likely to acquire the heavy and ponderous ways of that worthy animal than he who spreads his exercise over all1 or nearly all1 his muscles1 instead of confining it to a few1 and who makes many vigorous and less hazardous efforts instead of a single mighty one4 ,all the muscles of the arm1 for instance1 which are used in striking out1 putting up a dumb-bell1 or any sort of pushing1 are wholly idle in this severe pulling--more so1 even1 than they are in the oarsman when rowing4 ,hence1 unless they get even work1 there will be loss of symmetry1 one-sided development1 and only partial strength4 ,another popular piece of apparatus is the parlor gymnasium2 and1 though needlessly expensive1 it is a surprisingly useful affair1 if once one knows how to use it to the best effect4 ,but it has some disadvantages which1 while not conceded by its inventor1 it is yet well enough to know4 ,in its more elaborate and complete form it is called the ,parlor ,rowing ,apparatus1 and is also described as the most complete rowing apparatus in the world4 ,in reality it is very poorly adapted to the oarsman's wants1 and tends to get him into habits he should1 if he wishes to be a good oar1 be careful to refrain from4 ,it is a matter of supreme importance in rowing to get a strong grip at the beginning of the stroke1 and to put the weight on heavily then2 while it is a glaring fault to do anything like jerking toward the end of the stroke4 ,but with this parlor rowing-machine1 instead of lifting a solid weight1 as in the ordinary rowing-weight1 a rubber strap1 or1 rather1 two rubber straps1 are simply stretched while the stroke is pulled1 and then slackened to begin the next4 ,the trouble is that the straps have to be pulled nearly half the length of the stroke before it begins to grow hard to pull1 so that throwing one's weight on heavily at the beginning causes the rower to feel somewhat as he would if1 in taking a stroke in a boat1 his oar-blade had missed the water entirely1 or as a boxer who unexpectedly beats the air4 ,the better the beginning of a stroke is caught in the water1 the more the fulcrum of water itself solidifies1 and by so much more can the rower throw his weight on then1 and at just the right time4 ,the effect with the rubber straps is the very reverse2 for1 in throwing the weight on at the beginning1 the straps do not offer enough resistance to have the desired effect1 while they offer too much at the finish of the stroke4 ,this same defect stands out plainly in some of the pushing exercises done with it1 as well as in using it as a lifting-machine1 making it necessary1 for the latter purpose1 not to catch hold of the handles at all1 but1 as we have seen the inventor himself do1 somewhere toward the middle of the straps1 else the knees would get entirely straightened before the tension became great1 which would force the bulk of the work to be done with the hands4 ,great care must be taken1 also1 to have the bolts at the farther ends of these straps fastened very firmly into the wood-work1 or wherever they are attached2 for if1 under a heavy pull1 one of these bolts should work out1 it would be in great danger of striking the performer in the eye or elsewhere with terrific force4 ,still1 with these few defects1 this parlor rowing apparatus is an excellent contrivance1 and1 used intelligently and assiduously1 ought to bring almost any development a person might reasonably hope for1 though its range is hardly as wide as that of these few bits of house apparatus before named1 when taken together4 ,there is nothing novel about the latter1 excepting ,dr4 ,sargent's apparatus for the chest4 ,all have been known for a generation or more4 ,but the many uses of them are but little known1 and their introduction into our homes and schools has hardly yet begun4 ,yet1 so wide is the range of exercise one can have with them1 and of exercise of the very sort so many people need2 and so simple is the method of working them1 so free1 too1 from danger or anything which induces one to overwork1 and so inexpensive are they and easy to make1 that they ought to be as common in our homes as are warm carpets and bright firesides4 ,every member of the family1 both old and young1 should use them daily1 enough to keep both the home-gymnasium and its users in good working order4 ,,footnotes3 ,d ,see page #afi4 ,e ,see page #bff4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,school ,,the ,,true ,,place ,,for ,,children',s ,,physical ,,culture4 ,but1 well adapted as our homes are in many ways for the proper care and development of the body1 there is one place which1 in almost every particular1 surpasses them in this direction1 if its advantages are understood and fully appreciated1 and that is the school4 ,a father may so arrange his time that a brief portion of it daily can be regularly allotted to the physical improvement of the children1 as ,john ,stuart ,mill's father did his for his son's mental improvement1 and with such remarkable results4 ,but most fathers1 from never having formed the habit1 will be slow to learn it1 and their time is already so taken up that it will seem impossible to spare any4 ,the mother1 being more with the child1 feels its needs and lacks the more keenly1 and would gladly deny herself much could she assure her children ruddy health4 ,but her day is also by no means an idle one1 and1 just when she could best spare half an hour1 it is hardest to have them with her4 ,besides1 in too many instances she is herself far from strong1 and needs some one to point out to her the way to physical improvement more1 even1 than do her children4 ,there is a feeling that the child is sent to school to be educated1 and that certain trained persons are paid to devote their time to that education4 ,as they are supposed to bring the children forward in certain directions1 this leads easily to the conclusion that they would be the proper persons to care for other parts of that education as well4 ,nor is this view so wide of the mark4 ,the teacher has always a considerable number of scholars4 ,he can encourage the slower by the example of the quicker2 he can arouse the emulation1 he can get work easily out of a number together1 where one or two would be hard to move4 ,if he rightly understood his power2 if he knew how easy it is1 by a little judicious daily work1 to prevent or remove incipient deformity1 to strengthen the weak1 to form in the pupil the habit of sitting and standing erect1 to add to the general strength1 to freshen the spirits1 and do good in other ways1 he would gladly give whatever time daily would be necessary to the work1 while1 like most persons who try to benefit others1 he would find that he himself would gain much by it as well4 ,he has not a class of pupils stiffened by long years of hard overwork of some muscles1 and with others dormant and undeveloped4 ,the time when children are with him is almost the best time in their whole lives to shape them as he chooses1 not morally or mentally only1 but physically as well4 ,the one shoulder1 a little higher than its mate1 will not be half so hard to restore to place now as when confirmed in its position by long years of a bad habit1 which should never have been tolerated a day4 ,if the chest is weak and flat1 or pigeon-breasted1 now is the time to remove the defect4 ,build up the arms to be strong and comely now2 accustom the chest and shoulders to their proper place1 whatever their owner is at2 cover the back with full and shapely muscles2 get the feet used to the work which comes so easy and natural to them1 once they are trained aright2 and the same boy who would have grown up half-built1 ungraceful1 and far from strong1 will now ripen into a manly1 vigorous1 well-knit man1 of sound mind and body1 familiar with the possibilities of that body1 with what is the right use and what the abuse of it1 and knowing well how to keep it in that condition which shall enable him to accomplish the best day's mental labor4 ,and he will be far fitter to face the privations1 anxieties1 and troubles of life in the most successful way4 ,nor is the rule at all difficult to follow4 ,little by little the boy's mind is led along1 until the difficult problem in arithmetic seems no harder to him than did the adding of two and two at first4 ,for hundreds of years the mental training of youth has been a matter of careful thought and study1 and no effort is spared to secure the best advantages of all the teaching of the past4 ,but with that past before him2 with its many great men--not always1 to be sure1 but so often--men whose bodies were sturdy1 and equal to the tremendous tasks which their great activity of mind led them willingly to assume1 he is encouraged and urged to keep his mind under continual pressure for many hours daily1 and every incentive is brought to make the most of him in this direction4 ,and yet that which would have helped him in almost every step he took1 which would have fitted him to stand with ease what now in a few years so often breaks him down1 is totally ignored and left quite out of sight4 ,it is plainly no fault of his4 ,the blame lies with the system which1 for generations together1 has gone along so blindly4 ,the life a farmer's son leads makes him strong and hearty1 and when his school-days are over his work is of such a sort as to maintain all his vigor4 ,the city lad who plays on the brick sidewalks1 born often of half-developed parents1 has no daily tasks which bring his muscles into vigorous play1 strengthening his digestion4 ,is there any possible reason why the city lad should be favored physically like the country boy8 ,the first has every incentive for daily exercise1 the latter none at all4 ,there ought to be no more delay in this matter of physical education in the schools4 ,prompt and vigorous steps should be taken to acquaint every school-teacher in this country with such exercises as would quickly restore the misshapen1 insure an erect carriage1 encourage habits of full breathing1 and strengthen the entire trunk and every limb4 ,if the teachers have not the requisite knowledge now1 let it at once be acquired4 ,they1 of all persons1 are expected to know how to acquire knowledge1 and to aid others in doing the same4 ,as soon as they have gained even partial knowledge of how to effect these things1 let them lose no time in imparting that knowledge to the pupil4 ,physical education ought to be made compulsory in every school in this land4 ,have it directly under the eye and guidance of the teacher1 and have that teacher know that1 at the quarterly or semi-annual examinations1 reasonable progress will be expected in this department just as certainly as in any other1 and if he is not up to his work1 that some one who is will be put in his place4 ,then that progress will surely come4 ,it has come already1 where the means have been understood and used1 as witness ,maclaren abroad and ,sargent here2 and it brings such a benefit to the pupil that no pains should be spared to insure it4 ,scarcely a week passes but the press of our larger cities repeats the story of some overworked man or woman breaking completely down with general debility1 the body not only a wreck1 but too often the mind as well4 ,had that body been early shaped1 and hardened1 and made vigorous--as1 for instance1 ,chief-justice ,marshall's father looked to it that his great son's was--and the habit formed of taking daily work1 and of the right sort to keep it so1 and had the importance of that care been impressed on the mind till it had fixed itself as firmly as the sense of decency or the need of being clean1 is it likely that the person would have allowed himself to get so run down1 or1 if he did1 to remain so8 ,the trouble usually is that the man does not know what to do to tone himself up and keep himself equal to his tasks1 or that it needs but a little to effect this4 ,he will spend money like water2 he will travel fast and far2 he will do almost anything1 but he knows no certain cure4 ,is it not as important to have good health and strength as to figure or write correctly1 to read the ,a,eneids or ,homer1 to pick up a smattering of ,french or ,german8 ,who is the more likely1 if his life be in-door and sedentary1 not to live half his days--he who has never learned to build and strengthen his body1 and keep it regulated and healthy1 and to know the value of that health1 or he who has8 ,is not work which will almost surely lengthen one's life1 and increase his usefulness1 worth doing1 especially when it takes but a very little while daily to do it1 and less yet when the habit commenced in childhood8 ,go through our public and private schools1 and see how few thoroughly well-built boys and girls there are4 ,good points are not scarce1 but how small the proportion of the deep-chested1 the well-made and robust1 who give good promise of making strong and healthy men and women6 ,fortunately there is nothing really difficult in the work of strengthening the weak1 making the somewhat crooked straight1 of symmetrizing the partially developed2 indeed1 on the other hand1 it is1 when once understood1 simple1 inexpensive1 and easy4 ,more than all this1 it is a work which the teacher will find that almost every scholar will take hold of1 not1 as in many other branches1 with reluctance1 but with alacrity2 and it is always pleasant teaching those who are eager to learn4 ,but a little time each day is needed1 never over half an hour of actual work in-doors and an hour out-of-doors4 ,suppose a teacher has forty pupils1 and that thirty of them have either weak or indifferent chests4 ,let her form a chest-class out of the thirty1 and1 for ten minutes a day1 let them practice exercises aimed exclusively to enlarge and develop the chest4 ,some of such exercises will be pointed out on page #bde4 ,begin very gradually1 so mildly that the weakest chest there shall have no ache or pain from the exercise4 ,for the first week do that same work1 and that much of it daily1 and no more2 but do it carefully1 and do not miss a stroke4 ,let this exercise come at the appointed hour1 as certainly as any other study4 ,the second week make the work a trifle harder1 or longer1 or both4 ,in this1 and in every exercise1 insist1 as far as possible1 on an erect carriage of the head and neck1 and frequently point out their value4 ,insist1 further1 on the pupil's always inhaling as large1 and full1 and slow breaths as he can1 seeing to it that every air-cell is brought into vigorous play4 ,be careful that he or she does not1 without your knowledge1 get hold of heavier apparatus1 or try more difficult exercise in the same direction1 before the muscles are trained to take it4 ,overdoing is not only useless1 and sure to bring stiffness and aches1 but it is in it that any danger lies1 never in light and simple work1 adapted to the pupil's present strength1 and done under the teacher's eye1 or in heavier work after he has been trained gradually up to it4 ,now1 when a fortnight has gone by1 use a little heavier weights2 stay at the work without weights a little longer1 or draw the pulley-weight a few more strokes daily1 never forgetting to hold the head and neck erect4 ,will dumb-bells and weight-boxes be necessary8 ,yes1 or their equivalents4 ,if the former cannot be had1 flat-irons or cobble-stones of the same weight will do pretty well1 and sand-bags can be used in the weight-boxes when pear-shaped weights or packed-boxes are scarce4 ,it is a very small matter to supply a school with light dumb-bells1 when they cost but five cents a pound1 and when1 if necessary to retrench1 a quarter as many pairs of them as there are scholars will suffice4 ,as will be shown in a later chapter1 there is a very wide variety of exercises which could be practised in a school-room1 which do not need one cent's worth of apparatus4 ,they simply need to be known1 and then faithfully practised1 and most gratifying results are sure4 ,in large cities it would be well to have all the teachers instructed by a competent master in the various exercises which they could so readily teach in school1 and which would prove so beneficial to the scholars4 ,london is already ahead of us in this direction4 ,harper's ,weekly of ,february #hth1 #ahgi1 says3 ,the ,london ,school ,board has appointed ,miss ,lofving1 at a salary of fifteen hundred dollars a year1 as superintendent of 'physical education' in the girls' schools4 ,a man like ,dr4 ,sargent1 of the ,fifth ,avenue ,gymnasium1 in ,new ,york1 could easily1 in a few half-hour lessons1 instruct the two thousand or more teachers of the public schools of that city in the simpler1 and yet very valuable exercises4 ,they would be then well qualified1 in turn1 to instruct all the pupils1 and to so grade their exercises as to adapt the work to all4 ,the ordinary gymnastic instructor1 as years have shown1 in most of our gymnasiums1 lets the pupil do about as he has a mind to4 ,this would be just about as effective as if the same rule was followed out in mental training4 ,but men like ,sargent1 strict disciplinarians1 trained physicians1 and practical gymnasts as well1 are far too scarce among us1 and his is a field which many of our young physicians might enter with prospects of doing very great good in the community in which they live4 ,let the school commissioners of each ,state look to this matter at once4 ,let them insist that each teacher shall forthwith obtain the knowledge requisite to properly instruct and bring forward every pupil in his or her class4 ,a knowledge should be had of the exact kind and amount of work requisite for a class of a certain age4 ,let some suitable person or persons be appointed in the cities to supervise this branch of education1 and see that the teachers are thoroughly qualified4 ,let the scholar understand that his body can be trained exactly as well as his mind1 and that the sound health of both is intimately connected with having it so trained4 ,let the school-hours be so arranged that ten minutes in the middle of the morning session1 and again in the afternoon1 shall be allotted to this branch4 ,see what ,maclaren,f did for the ,radley and ,magdalen boys in one hour a week6 see what ,sargent,g did in our country for two hundred youth in two hours a week1 and with wooden dumb-bells1 very light clubs1 and a few pulley-weights at that6 ,let people at once and forever get rid of the notion that this exercise is a mere play-spell1 or that it is only good to make athletes or acrobats4 ,it is as much a branch of education as any taught in our schools to-day2 and who will question that1 if such uniform and splendid progress was made in each school as was made in the cases just cited1 and in different instances1 with at first such unpromising pupils1 the brief twenty minutes daily so spent would be as well spent and as valuable to each pupil as any other twenty or thirty minutes of his day8 ,it should no more be allowed to interfere with their usual play than any other branch is4 ,it is a matter of progress and development1 in a way highly important to every scholar1 and should be so treated1 and the child's play-hours should be in no way curtailed to accomplish it4 ,superintendent ,philbrick1 of the ,boston schools1 is a man of long experience in most matters connected with schools1 their management1 and wants4 ,this gentlemen has lately received1 at the ,paris ,exposition1 high honor for his accomplishments in this direction4 ,but are the schools of ,boston to-day taking the care they ought to and could so easily take to make the children healthy and vigorous8 ,let ,mr4 ,philbrick set about introducing into every public school in that city such a system of physical education as shall effect1 for example1 simply what ,maclaren effected1 what ,sargent effected and is now effecting1 and no more4 ,let him stick to his task as persistently1 if need be1 as ,stanley stayed at his infinitely harder one1 until every boy or girl who is graduated from a ,boston school has a strong1 shapely1 and healthy body1 and knows what did much to make it so1 and what will keep it so4 ,then the east wind may blow over that good city1 even until no gilding remains on the ,state-house dome1 and the formerly weak throats and lungs will not mind it any more than they do the gentlest southern zephyr2 ,mr4 ,philbrick can feel1 when he looks over his life's work1 that he has accomplished a thing for the scholars of his charge1 and introduced a public benefit1 which will redound to his credit as long as the city stands4 ,there is no more need of ,americans having poor legs than ,englishmen4 ,there is no more need of a boy's chest remaining a slim and half-built affair at the ,brimmer ,school1 or the ,boston ,latin ,school1 than there was at ,radley4 ,when the good work is commenced1 when other cities begin to send their delegates and committees to watch methods1 progress1 and results1 to take steps to secure the same benefits for their own schools1 then the admirable example ,boston has set in leading off in this direction will be better understood4 ,then all will wonder why so simple1 so sensible1 so effective a course1 conducive to present and future health and well-being1 had not been thought of and been carried out long ago4 ,,footnotes3 ,f ,see page #adj4 ,g ,see pages #bia1 #bib4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,what ,a ,,gymnasium ,,might ,,be ,,and ,,do4 ,few colleges of any pretension have not some sort of a gymnasium--indeed1 hold it out to parents as one of the attractions4 ,there is a building1 and it has apparatus in it4 ,the former often costs twice as much as needs be2 the latter may be well made1 and well suited to its purpose1 or may not--in fact1 more frequently is not4 ,instead of having apparatus graded1 so as to have some for the slim and weak1 some for the stout and broad1 too often one pair of parallel bars or one size of rowing-weight must suffice for all4 ,frequently the apparatus getting loose1 or worn1 or out of repair1 remains so4 ,the director is little more than a janitor1 and is so regarded4 ,in many instances he does so little as to render this opinion a just one4 ,imperfect ventilation1 and in winter lack of proper warmth1 help to make it unattractive4 ,the newly-arrived ,freshman is generally run down and thin from overwork in preparing himself for college4 ,many a time1 when much work was telling on him1 he consoled himself with the thought that in the college-gymnasium1 with his fellow-students about him all eagerly at work1 he would soon pick up the strength he had lost1 and perhaps come to be1 in time1 as strong as this or that fellow1 a few years his senior1 the fame of whose athletic exploits was more than local4 ,as a rule1 the ,american student is not very strong on entering college4 ,president ,eliot1 of ,harvard1 said1 a few years ago1 of a majority of those coming into that university1 for instance1 that they had undeveloped muscles1 a bad carriage1 and an impaired digestion1 without skill in out-of-door games1 and unable to ride1 row1 swim1 or shoot4 ,the student is usually inerect1 and really needs setting up quite as much as the newly-arrived pleb at ,west ,point4 ,but does he get it8 ,no4 ,if coming from good stock1 stronger than the average1 and it happens to be a year when there is much interest in athletics1 the rowing-men or the base-ball or foot-ball fellows will be after him4 ,if they capture him1 he will get plenty of work--more than enough--but in one single rut4 ,if he knows something of the allurements of these sports1 and desires to steer clear of them and be a reading man1 still not to neglect his body1 he is at a loss how to go to work4 ,he finds a house full of apparatus1 and does not know how to use it4 ,he sees the boating and ball men hard at it1 but on their hobbies1 and looks about for something else to do4 ,he finds no other class of fellows working with any vim1 save those eager to show well as gymnasts4 ,he falls in with these1 takes nearly as much work the first day as they do1 which is ten times too much for him1 quite out of condition as he is4 ,he becomes sore all over for two or three days1 has no special ambition1 after all1 to be a gymnast1 and1 ten to one1 throws up the whole business disgusted4 ,in the warmer months even the oarsmen and ball-players work out-of-doors1 and1 except a little brush by the new-comers during the first month or so1 he finds the place deserted4 ,at the start there was nobody to receive him1 place him1 and to encourage and invite him on4 ,if naturally persistent1 and he sticks to it awhile1 he gropes about in a desultory way1 now trying this and now that1 until1 neither increasing in size nor strength so fast as he had expected1 he prefers to spend his spare hours in more attractive fields1 and so drops the gymnasium1 as many have done before him4 ,he has no more given it a fair trial than he would have his chemistry had he treated it in the same way4 ,it is not his fault1 for he knew no better4 ,the whole method of bringing up most ,american boys does almost nothing to fit the average boy for even the simpler work of the gymnasium1 let alone its more advanced steps4 ,often1 in the university gymnasium1 you will see fellows actually so weak in the arms that they can hardly get up in the parallel bars and rest their weight on their hands alone1 much less go through them clear to the other end4 ,it is a pretty suggestive commentary on the way these establishments are conducted that the men so lamentably deficient are by no means all from the new-comers1 but often those who have nearly completed their course4 ,yet here is a school which1 rightly used1 would do the average student more good1 and would fit him better for his life's duties1 than any other one branch in the whole curriculum4 ,but a few years since a son of a lawyer of national reputation1 a highly gifted youth1 made a most brilliant record at one of our best known colleges4 ,all who knew him conceded him a distinguished future2 and yet he was hardly well out of college when he took away his life4 ,had there been a reasonable1 sensible allowance of daily muscular work1 had the overtaxed brain been let rest awhile1 and vigor cultivated in other directions1 the rank1 the general average1 might have been a trifle lower1 but a most efficient man saved for a long and honorable life4 ,and yet every college has men who are practically following this one's plan1 overworking their brains1 cutting off both ends of the night1 forcing their mental pace1 till even the casual observer sees that they cannot stand it long1 and must break down before their real life's race is well begun4 ,now1 however exceptional may be the talents such a man has1 does not his course show either dense ignorance of how to take care of himself1 or a lack of something which would be worth far more than brilliant talents--namely1 common-sense8 ,ought there not to be some department in a college designed to bring round mental development1 where the authorities would step in and prevent this suicidal course8 ,oh1 but there are such and such lectures on health4 ,yes1 and in most instances you might as well try and teach a boy to write by merely talking to him1 taking care all the time that he have no pen or pencil in his hand4 ,it is a matter of surprise that college faculties are not more alive to the defects of the gymnasium conducted right under their very eyes4 ,in every other branch they require a definite and specific progress during a given time1 an ability to pass successfully periodical examinations which shall show that progress1 and1 if the pupil fails1 it tells on his general standing1 and is an element which determines whether he is to remain in college4 ,but in the gymnasium there is nothing of the sort1 and in many cases the young man need not step into it once during the four years unless he likes4 ,this state of things is partly accounted for by the fact that too many of the professors in our colleges do not know anything about a gymnasium1 and what it can do for a man4 ,indeed1 often1 if from practical experience they were better up in this knowledge1 it would beneficially affect the reputation of their college as a live institution4 ,nor is the director1 with very few exceptions1 the right sort of man for his place4 ,either the faculty have no conception what they do need here1 or they effectually drive off the man they ought to have by starving him4 ,professors' salaries are generally small enough1 but the director of the gymnasium seldom gets half so much as the poorest paid of his brother professors4 ,indeed1 the latter do not regard him as an equal at all1 and until they do so with good reason1 there is little prospect of improvement in this direction4 ,a doctor as ill up to his work as the average college gymnasium director would soon be without a patient4 ,nor are the gymnasiums of our cities and towns much better off4 ,new ,york city to-day1 with one or two exceptions1 is utterly without a gymnasium worthy of her4 ,two of the best known are situated1 one far below the street level1 the other directly over a stable1 and formerly at least1 if not still1 a very redolent stable at that4 ,there is generally plenty of apparatus1 most of which is good enough2 but the boy or man who comes to use it finds at once the same things wanting as does the student in the college gymnasium4 ,if he can already raise a heavy dumb-bell over his head with his right hand1 he may1 and often does1 go on increasing his power in this single direction1 but in years actually gains little or no size or strength in his other arm1 his legs1 or any other part of his body4 ,no one stops him1 or even gives him an idea of the folly of his course2 indeed1 no one has the power to do so4 ,ordinarily the place is kept by a man simply to make a living4 ,this secured1 his ambition dies4 ,he may be a boxer or an acrobat1 or even a fair general gymnast4 ,with one or two exceptions1 we have yet to hear of an instance where the instructor has either devised a plan of class exercise which has proved attractive1 or in a given time has brought about a decided increase in size and strength to a majority of his pupils in a specific and needed direction4 ,college rowing and base-ball1 while often unquestionably benefiting those who took part in them1 have been found to work detrimentally1 but in a way1 as will be shown in a moment1 certainly not expected by the public4 ,the colleges in this country which pay most attention to rowing are ,harvard1 ,yale1 ,cornell1 and ,columbia4 ,it is well known that in both ,oxford and ,cambridge universities the men who row are numbered by hundreds2 that over twenty eight-oared crews alone1 to say nothing of other classes1 are sometimes on the river at once1 and that the problem for the ',varsity captain is not1 as here1 to find eight men all fitted for places in the boat1 but1 out of many fit1 to tell which to take4 ,for years the ,american press has reported the performances of our student oarsmen even oftener and more fully than the ,english non-sporting papers those of their own oarsmen1 so that they have filled a larger space in the public eye4 ,men naturally thought that the interest among the students themselves was well-nigh universal1 and many fathers expressed misgivings about sending sons to institutions where the regular curriculum seemed a secondary matter1 and performance in athletic contests the chief thing4 ,yet1 strange as it may seem1 this whole idea is an egregious mistake4 ,most of the students do take some interest in these contests1 but it goes no farther than talking somewhat about them1 and viewing them when they come off1 and perhaps betting the amount of their term-bills on them4 ,the number who actually take part1 either in the racing or the ball matches1 or in trying for a chance in them1 is ridiculously small4 ,dr4 ,sargent says that at ,yale ,college1 where he has been for six years instructor in physical culture1 they actually do not exceed three per cent4 of the whole number of students1 while five per cent4 will include every man in college who takes active work at the gymnasium1 on the river1 or the ball-field6 ,any one familiar with ,american college athletics knows that the proportion of students who either play ball or row is probably1 taking year and year together1 about as great at ,yale as anywhere in the country4 ,surprising as these figures are1 they prove conclusively that the present system of college athletics1 so far as it assumes to benefit the students at large1 or even a tithe of them1 is an utter failure4 ,here1 then1 instead of the supposed advance in the general physical culture over that of years ago1 there has been almost no advance4 ,there are a few men who devote much time and attention to severe athletics1 more than there is any need of1 and become skilled and famous at them1 but the great majority do little or nothing4 ,better ideas they doubtless have of what is and what is not creditable performance among the athletes1 and also as to the progress that can be made in muscular development by direct and steady work4 ,but that progress and that work they have no share in4 ,the very natural result follows1 that the great majority of students1 at graduation1 average no better in size1 strength1 health1 vigor1 endurance1 or stamina than those of a generation ago1 or are any fitter to stand successfully the wear and tear of their life's work4 ,indeed1 it is very doubtful if they are physically as well fitted for what is before them as the previous generation were1 for in the latter case probably more came from farms and homes where much manual labor was necessary1 while now a greater fraction are from the cities1 or are the sons of parents whose occupation is mainly sedentary4 ,yet in that day gymnasiums at the colleges were almost unknown1 while now they are general4 ,does the gymnasium1 then1 pay8 ,yes1 like a bath-tub--if used1 and used sensibly2 but if not1 not4 ,then1 as it is used so little1 is it worth having8 ,at ,harvard1 for instance1 to-day there is in process of erection1 at great expense1 a gymnasium which1 when finished1 will doubtless be the most costly building of the sort in this country1 and very possibly the best appointed as well4 ,but unless there is introduced some sensible and vigorous system of bringing the students regularly there1 and working them while they are there1 it will almost surely prove a failure1 and accomplish little or no more good than did the old one4 ,now1 suppose1 first that this new institution is to be carried on with no more vigor or good sense than its predecessors4 ,next1 suppose that1 opposite this expensive affair1 on some neighboring field1 there were built a commodious shed1 costing perhaps one-tenth as much as its more pretentious rival1 strongly framed1 weather-tight1 sensibly arranged1 well lit1 and comfortably warmed1 large enough1 too1 to admit1 at the edge of the main room1 of a running track of say twenty laps to the mile4 ,in an ,l adjoining let there be ample and well-ventilated dressing-rooms1 a locker for each student1 and sufficient washing facilities to meet the demand4 ,suppose the ordinary sorts of apparatus were there1 but made with great care1 and of the proportions skilled gymnasts have found most suitable4 ,let there be1 besides1 all newly-invented appliances which have proved valuable1 such as the twenty or more ,dr4 ,sargent has introduced1 and any other good ones as well4 ,suppose1 too1 that heavy weights for lifting1 and all heavy clubs and dumb-bells1 were carefully excluded4 ,on the walls there should be casts and drawings1 showing well-proportioned and well-developed arms1 legs1 and trunks1 and a brief statement with each of the various measurements and proportions1 and the ages of the men from whom they were taken1 and1 if possible1 the sort and amount of work done by each in their progress4 ,these need by no means be all modern4 ,greece and ,rome1 ,troy and ,pompeii1 could furnish their quota4 ,suppose the director at once1 on the joining of a pupil1 recorded1 on a page set apart specially in his register1 the age1 height1 general physical characteristics1 weight1 girth of calf1 thigh1 hips1 waist1 lower chest1 upper chest--both at rest and inflated--neck1 upper arm--extended and drawn up--and the forearm1 hand1 and wrist1 taking care to note the time of day the measurements were made1 and also obtaining a photograph of the man as he then appeared in exercising costume4 ,suppose that1 outside of the ordinary requirements as to method1 decorum1 order of using apparatus1 and so on1 the director refused to take any pupil who would not expressly agree to two things3 first1 to be at the gymnasium1 stripped and ready for work1 exactly at such a moment1 four days out of the seven2 second1 to obey implicitly the director's orders1 both as to what work he should do1 and what omit4 ,suppose the director's training had been such that he could tell at once1 both from the looks and measurements of the man1 where he was physically lacking1 and that he so arranged his classes that all whose left hands were weaker than their right had left-handed work only until they were equalized up2 that weak thighs1 calves1 abdominal muscles1 chests1 and backs had special work given them1 bringing the desired parts directly into play1 lightly as each needed at first1 and then gradually working upward1 the stronger parts1 meanwhile1 being at rest4 ,suppose this were continued until1 at the end of the year1 or often long before it1 it is found that one arm is now as strong as the other1 that the gain in girth at almost every measurement is nearly or all of an inch1 and at some even two or more inches4 ,suppose a series of exercises1 aimed directly to enlarge and strengthen the respiratory power1 were given to all1 and every one1 also1 had a few minutes each day of setting up1 and other work aimed not so much to add size and strength as to make the crooked straight1 to point out and insist on a proper carriage of the head1 the neck1 the shoulders1 the arms1 the whole trunk1 and the knees1 and to show each pupil what length of step best suited him1 and which he ought to take4 ,suppose that the director showed at once that he not only knew what to do all through1 but how to do it1 and so promptly won the confidence of those he sought to instruct and benefit4 ,is there any question in which of these two institutions the young man would make the most desirable progress8 ,the first building and apparatus might be grand1 fitted up with nearly all that could be desired1 but the gymnasium lacked a masterhead who should show its possibilities4 ,gymnasium and apparatus were like an engine without steam4 ,the second building was not of much account as a building1 but quite all that was needed for the real end in view4 ,the ,london ,rowing-club boat-houses were for a long time mere sheds1 not to be named in the same day with the tasteful stone boat-houses along the ,schuylkill1 for instance2 but those same plain sheds have for many years turned out amateur oarsmen who could row down any in the world4 ,and what a benefit a gymnasium conducted on some plan similar to that above suggested would be to any college or university6 ,and yet almost any college1 even of limited means1 could afford it4 ,change the plan a little1 and make the attendance by all students just as it is in other branches--just as it is at ,west ,point in horseback practice--compulsory4 ,give the director a salary adequate to secure a first-class man in his calling--not merely an accomplished gymnast1 acrobat1 boxer1 or fencer1 but an educated physician1 the peer of any of his brother-members of the faculty1 fond of his calling1 fond of the field before him1 thoroughly acquainted with the plainer kinds of gymnastics and of acrobatic work1 and a good boxer1 an instructor especially quick in detecting the physical defects in his pupil1 in knowing what exercise will cure them1 zealous in interesting him1 in encouraging him on1 what incalculable good he could do6 ,every student in that college would practically have to be made over4 ,long before the four years1 or even one of them1 were through1 that instructor would have made all the men erect 7as is daily being done with the ,west ,pointer74 ,but his pupils1 instead of being like the latter1 developed simply in those muscles which his business called into play1 would each be well developed all over1 would each be up to what a well-built man of his years and size ought to be in the way of strength1 and skill1 and staying powers1 and--a most important thing--would know what he could do1 and what he could not2 and so would not1 as is now every day the case with many1 attempt physical efforts long before he was fitted for them4 ,if he wanted to go into racing1 the director would be his best friend1 and would point out to him that the only safe way to get one's heart and lungs used to the violent action which they must undergo in racing1 especially after the racer gets tired1 would be by gradually increasing his speed from slow up to the desired pace1 instead of1 as too often happens1 getting up to racing pace before he is half fit for it4 ,but he would also show him how one-sided it would make him1 developing some parts1 and letting others remain idle and fall behind in development1 and--more important still--how brief and ephemeral was the fame which he was working for1 and the risks of overdoing which it entailed4 ,let one college in this land graduate each year a class of which every man has an erect carriage and mien1 has the legs and arms1 the back and chest1 not of a ,hercules1 not of a prize racer or fighter1 but of a hale1 comely1 strong1 and well-proportioned man1 and see how well it would pay4 ,bear in mind that an hour a day put in in the right way and at the right work will effect all this in far less time than four years of trying4 ,the hardest-reading man can readily spare the time for it1 especially if he must4 ,what6 would it take him from the thin1 cadaverous fellow he too often is1 and do all that for him8 ,beyond all doubt it would4 ,such vigorous work would soon sharpen his appetite1 and he would find that1 eat all he liked1 he could digest it promptly1 and would feel all the better for his generous living4 ,the generous living has fed muscles now vigorously used2 they have been enlarged and strengthened3 the legs1 which never used to try to jump a cubit high1 even1 once in the whole year1 now carry their owner safely over a four-rail fence1 and perhaps another rail1 or even two of them4 ,the lungs1 which were scarcely half expanded1 now have every air-cell thoroughly filled for at least one entire hour daily--an excellent thing for weak lungs4 ,correct positions of standing1 sitting1 walking1 and running being now well known and understood1 the lungs get more air into them than formerly1 even when their owner is at rest4 ,another effect of it all is shown in a decidedly more vigorous circulation1 and the consequent exhilaration and buoyancy of spirits1 no matter whether the work in hand is mental or physical4 ,but will not this hour's work dull him mentally8 ,it may be proper to digress for a moment and see if it will4 ,of men who have done just this kind and amount of work1 this work aimed at every part of the body1 we find no record1 simply because1 as we have already shown1 considerable as the increased interest is in physical culture and development1 this plan of reaching all the parts and being just to all1 has scarcely been tried4 ,but abundant proof that some physical exercise will not dull the man1 but even brighten him1 can be had without difficulty4 ,a moment's reflection will show that a mind ever on the stretch must1 like a bow so kept1 be the worse for it1 and that the strain must be occasionally slacked4 ,there are two ways of slacking it4 ,both the physician and experience tell us that nothing rests a tired brain like sensible1 physical exercise1 except1 of course1 sleep4 ,when in active use1 says ,mitchell1 the thinking organs become full of blood1 and1 as ,dr4 ,lombard has shown1 rise in temperature1 while the feet and hands become cold4 ,nature meant that for their work they should be1 in the first place1 supplied with food2 next1 that they should have certain intervals of rest to rid themselves of the excess of blood accumulated during their periods of activity2 and this is to be done by sleep1 and also by bringing into play the physical machinery of the body1 such as the muscles--that is to say1 by exercise which flushes the parts engaged in it1 and so depletes the brain4,h ,here1 then1 some physical exercise will rest his brain1 and fit it for more and better work4 ,but this does not necessarily imply so much as is called for in the hour4 ,happily1 however1 there is no lack of instances where work1 quite as vigorous1 though not as well directed1 has accompanied mental work of a very high order1 and to all appearances has been a help rather than a hinderance4 ,instead of one hour a day1 ,napoleon for years was in the saddle several hours almost daily1 but we never heard that it clogged his mind4 ,charles ,o',conor1 always fond of long walks1 is good at them to-day1 and noticeably erect and quick of movement1 though for weeks he once lay at death's door1 and though he was born in #ahjd4 ,james ,russell ,lowell1 sturdy1 broad1 and ruddy1 is said to never ride when he can walk1 and he is nearly sixty4 ,gladstone's reputation as an axeman among the ,hawarden oaks has reached our shores4 ,indeed1 it is doubtful if there are many better fellers of his age in ,europe1 and he was born in #ahji4 ,mr4 ,m4,h4 ,beebee1 the present senior tutor at ,cambridge ,university in ,england1 who rowed at number two in the ',varsity eight against ,oxford in '#fe1 not only took the very highest university honor--a double-first--but a much higher double-first than even ,gladstone had taken years before4 ,the fencing1 duelling1 and hard riding of ,bismarck's youth do not seem to have perceptibly dimmed his intellect1 or to have unfitted it for enormous and very important work in later life4 ,and while the in-door work equalizes the strength1 and takes care of the arms and chest1 the hour's constitutional daily out-of-doors has an especial advantage1 in that it insures at least that much out-of-door life and air4 ,dr4 ,mitchell says1 ,when exposure to out-of-door air is associated with a fair share of physical exertion1 it is an immense safeguard against the ills of anxiety and too much brain-work4 ,i presume that very few of our generals could have gone through with their terrible task if it had not been that they lived in the open air and exercised freely4 ,for these reasons ,i do not doubt that the effects of our great contest were far more severely felt by the ,secretary of ,war and the late ,president than by ,grant or ,sherman4 ,a recent1 interesting1 and wonderfully apt instance1 more so than any of these1 one going straight to the point1 and as nearly as possible the equivalent of what we propose to urge later on all sedentary men1 one where the proof comes directly from the gentleman's own pen1 is that of the late ,mr4 ,bryant1 whose letter on the subject1 written to a friend in #ahga1 will be found on page #afi4 ,with characteristic sturdiness1 with no one to aid or guide him1 he hit on a plan of work to be done1 partly in his little home-gymnasium1 and partly on the road1 and stuck faithfully to it till well over fourscore1 and at eighty-two he told the writer that he continued his exercise simply because it paid4 ,his aim was to keep all his machinery in working order1 and to prolong his life2 and when he did die1 at eighty-four1 it was not from old age1 not because his functions were worn out4 ,with his usual vigor and energy when any writing was to be done1 he had thrown himself into his work of preparing his address at the ,mazzini celebration1 till1 tired and exhausted1 the undue exposure to the hot sun and the resulting fall were too much for him1 and these were what took him away4 ,but the plan here suggested will not only cover all he did1 but more4 ,bryant does not seem to have cared for erectness1 nor for a harmonious development of all the muscles4 ,but had the amount of work he took been so directed1 he might in youth have attained that harmony1 and maintained it through life1 as ,vanderbilt maintained his erectness4 ,there need be little fear1 then1 that a right use of the gymnasium will overdo4 ,no better safeguard against that could be had than a wise director1 familiar with the capacities of his pupil1 watching him daily1 instilling sound principles1 and giving him the very work he needs4 ,under such a tutor a young man who went to college1 on receiving his degree1 would1 if his moral and mental duties were attended to1 be graduated1 not with an educated mind alone1 but an educated body as well2 not with merely a bright head1 and a body and legs like a pair of tongs4 ,if the history of brave1 independent1 earnest1 pure men goes for anything1 it will be found that as the body was healthy and strong1 it has in many a pass in life directly aided moral culture and strength1 and has kept the man from defiling that body which was meant to be kept sacred4 ,,footnotes3 ,h ,wear and ,tear1 p4 #ed4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,some ,,results ,,of ,,brief ,,systematic ,,exercise4 ,in a country like ours1 where the masses are so intelligent1 where so much care is taken to secure what is called a good education1 the ignorance as to what can be done to the body by a little systematic physical education is simply marvellous4 ,few persons seem to be aware that any limb1 or any part of it1 can be developed from a state of weakness and deficiency to one of fulness1 strength1 and beauty1 and that equal attention to all the limbs1 and to the body as well1 will work like result throughout4 ,a man spends three or four weeks at the hay and grain harvest1 and is surprised at the increased grip of his hands1 and the new power of arm and back4 ,he tramps through forests1 and paddles up streams and lakes after game1 and returns wondering how three or four miles on a level sidewalk could ever have tired him4 ,an acquaintance of ours1 an active and skilled journalist1 says that he once set out to saw twenty cords of wood1 he was a slight1 weak youth4 ,he found he had not enough strength or wind to get through one cut of a log--that he had to constantly sit down and rest4 ,people laughed at him1 and at his thinking he could go through that mighty pile4 ,but they did not know what was in him2 for1 sticking gamely to his self-imposed task1 he says that in a very few days he found his stay improving rapidly1 that he did not tire half so easily1 and1 more than that1 that there began to come a feeling over him--a most welcome one--of new strength in his arms and across his chest2 and that what had at first looked almost an impossibility had now become very possible1 and was before long accomplished4 ,now1 what he1 by his manliness1 found was fast doing so much for his arms and chest1 was but a sample of what equally steady1 systematic work might have done for his whole body4 ,indeed1 a later experience of this same gentleman will be in place here2 for at ,dr4 ,sargent's gymnasium in ,new ,york1 in the winter of #ahgh-'gi1 he1 though a middle-aged man1 increased the girth of his chest two inches and five-eighths in six weeks6 and this working but one hour a day2 and he found that he could not only do more work daily afterward at his profession1 but better work as well4 ,the youth who works daily in a given line at the gymnasium as much expects that1 before the year is over1 not only will the muscles used decidedly increase in strength1 but in size and shapeliness as well1 as he does that the year's reading will improve his mind1 or a year's labor bring him his salary4 ,it is an every-day expression with him that such a fellow got his arm up to fifteen1 or his chest to forty-odd inches1 and so on4 ,he sees nothing singular in this4 ,he knows this one1 who in a short time put half an inch on his forearm1 or an inch2 that one1 whose thigh1 or chest1 or waist1 or calf made equal progress4 ,group and classify these gains in many cases1 and note the amount of work and the time taken in each1 and soon one can tell pretty well what can be done in this direction4 ,few of our gymnasiums are so kept that their records will aid much in this inquiry1 simply because the instructor either has no conception of the field before him1 or1 if he has1 for some reason fails to improve the opportunity4 ,look at what ,maclaren effected 7as described by him in his admirable ,physical ,education71 not with here and there an isolated case1 but with both boys and men turned in on him by the hundred1 and in all stages of imperfect development6 ,take it first among the boys4 ,under systematic exercise1 ,w----1 a boy at ,radley ,college1 ten years old in ,june1 #ahfa1 had1 seven years later1 increased in height from #d feet #f-c_/d inches to #e feet #aj-c_/d inches1 or a gain of #af inches in all2 in weight from #ff pounds--light weight for a ten-year-old boy--to #aef pounds2 far heavier than most boys at seventeen2 showing an advance of #ij pounds4 ,his forearm went from #g-a_/d to #aa-c_/d inches--very large for a boy of seventeen1 and decidedly above the average of that of most men2 his upper arm from #g-a_/b inches to #ac-c_/h--;also far above the average at that age2 while his chest had actually increased in girth from #bf inches--which was almost slender1 even for a ten-year-old--to #ci-a_/b inches1 which is all of two inches larger than the average man's4 ,his description of this boy was3 ,height above average2 other measurements average4 ,from commencement1 growth rapid1 and sustained with regular and uniform development4 ,the whole frame advancing to great physical power4 ,another boy1 ,h----1 starting in ,june1 #ahfj1 when ten years old1 #d feet #f-a_/d inches high1 and weighing #gc pounds--much heavier than the other at the start--in eight years gained #ac-a_/b inches1 making him #e feet #g-c_/d inches--of medium height for that age4 ,he gained #ga pounds in the eight years1 and at #add pounds was better built than ,w---- at #aef2 for1 though his forearm1 starting at #h inches1 had become #aa-a_/b1 a quarter of an inch less than ,w----'s1 yet his upper arm had gone from #h-c_/d to #ac-a_/b inches1 or one-eighth of an inch larger1 while his chest rose from #bh-a_/d to #ci inches--within half an inch of the other's1 though the latter was #c inches taller4 ,he is described3 ,height slightly above average2 other measurements considerably above average4 ,from commencement1 growth and development regular and continuous4 ,the whole frame perfectly developed for this period of life4 ,s----'s case is far more remarkable4 ,he was evidently very small and undersized4 ,height and all other measurements greatly below average2 the whole frame stunted and dwarfish4 ,advancement at first slight1 and very irregular4 ,afterward rapid1 and comparatively regular4 ,he only gained in height three-quarters of an inch from thirteen to fourteen1 where ,w---- had gained #c-e_/h inches1 and ,h---- #c-a_/h inches4 ,yet1 from fifteen to sixteen1 where ,w---- only went ahead half an inch1 and ,h---- five-eighths of an inch1 ,s---- actually gained #d inches1 which must have been most gratifying4 ,his weight changes were even more noticeable4 ,from twelve to fifteen ,w---- gained #eh pounds1 and ,h---- #ci1 while all ,s---- could show was #ab4 ,but from fifteen to sixteen see how he caught up6 ,where ,w----made #aa pounds1 and ,h---- #aj1 ,s---- made #bb4 ,where ,w----'s chest went up #a inch1 and ,h----'s #a-a_/b inches1 ,s----'s went up #c inches4 ,now1 how long did these boys work8 ,as ,maclaren says ,just one hour per week6 ,what parent believes that any hour in that week was better spent--better for the comfort1 for the welfare of the boy1 or better in fitting him for future usefulness--or what nearly so well8 ,most boys waste that much time nearly every day4 ,look1 too1 at the benefit to the boy in all his after-life4 ,indeed1 does not this hour a week1 in some instances1 insure an after-life1 and snatch not a few from an early grave8 ,had every slim1 thin-chested man in ,america1 and every slim1 thin-chested boy who never lived to be a man1 spent an hour weekly under such tutoring1 from the age of ten to eighteen1 would not the benefit to our land in working-power1 in vigor and force1 and comfort as well1 have been incalculable8 ,and had it1 instead of one hour a week1 been two or three1 or even an hour a day1 might not the results have been even more gratifying8 ,professor ,maclaren may well congratulate himself on such good results among the boys4 ,but what has he done with men8 ,some years ago twelve non-commissioned officers1 selected from all branches of the service1 were sent to him to qualify as instructors for the ,british army4 ,he says3 ,they ranged between nineteen and twenty-nine years of age1 between five feet five inches and six feet in height1 between nine stone two #abh pounds and twelve stone six #agd pounds in weight1 and had seen from ten to twelve years' service4 ,he carefully registered the measurements of each at the start1 and at different times throughout their progress4 ,he says3 ,the muscular additions to the arms and shoulders1 and the expansion of the chest1 were so great as to have absolutely a ludicrous and embarrassing result1 for1 before the fourth month1 several of the men could not get into their uniforms1 jackets1 and tunics1 without assistance1 and when they had got them on they could not get them to meet down the middle by a hand's-breadth4 ,in a month more they could not get into them at all1 and new clothing had to be procured1 pending the arrival of which the men had to go to and from the gymnasium in their great-coats4 ,one of these men gained five inches in actual girth of chest4 ,and he well adds3 ,now who shall tell the value of these five inches of chest1 five inches of additional space for the heart and lungs to work in8 ,hardly five inches more of heart and lung room1 though part of the gain must have been of course from the enlargement of the muscles on the side of the chest4 ,he also hit upon another plan of showing the change2 for he says he had them photographed1 stripped to the waist1 both at first and when the four months were over1 and the change even in these portraits was very distinct1 and most notably in the youngest1 who was nineteen1 for1 besides the acquisition of muscle1 there was in his case a readjustment and expansion of the osseous framework upon which the muscles are distributed4 ,now let us look a little at the measurements and the actual changes wrought4 ,in the first place1 this last instance settles conclusively one matter most important to flat-chested youth1 namely1 whether the shape of the chest itself can be changed2 for here it was done1 and in a very short time at that4 ,again1 of these twelve men1 in less than eight months every one gained perceptibly in height2 indeed1 there was an average gain of five-twelfths of an inch in height1 though all1 save one1 were over twenty2 and one man who gained half an inch was twenty-eight years old1 while one twenty-six gained five-eighths of an inch6 7,most people suppose they can get no taller after twenty-one47 ,all increased decidedly in weight--the smallest gain being #e pounds1 the average #aj pounds2 and one1 and he twenty-eight1 and a five-feet-eleven man1 actually went up from #adi pounds at the beginning1 to #afe pounds in less than four months4 ,it is not likely there was much fat about them1 as they had so much vigorous muscular exercise4 ,every man's chest enlarged decidedly1 the smallest gain being a whole inch in the four months1 the average being #b-g_/h inches1 and one1 though twenty-four years old1 actually gaining #e inches1 or over an inch a month4 ,every upper arm increased #a inch1 most of them more than that1 and one #a-c_/d inches4 ,as the work was aimed to develop the whole body1 there is little doubt that there was a proportional increase in the girth of hips and thigh and calf4 ,again1 from the ,royal ,academy at ,woolwich1 ,professor ,maclaren took twenty-one youths whose average age was about eighteen1 and in the brief period of four months and a half obtained an average advance of #a-c_/d pounds in weight1 of #b-a_/b inches in chest1 and of #a inch on the upper arm2 while one fellow1 nineteen1 and slender at that1 gained #h pounds in weight1 and #e-a_/d inches about the chest6 ,think what a difference that would make in the chest of any man1 and a difference all in the right direction at that6 ,but the most satisfactory statistics offered were those of two articled pupils1 one sixteen1 the other twenty4 ,in exactly one year's work the younger grew from #e feet #b-c_/d inches in height to #e feet #d-c_/d inches4 ,he weighed #ajh pounds on his sixteenth birthday2 on his seventeenth1 #abi6 ,at the start his chest girthed #ca inches2 twelve months later1 just #cf6 ,his forearm went up from #h inches to #aj inches1 and his upper arm from #i-a_/d inches to #aa-a_/d4 ,while the older gained but three-eighths of an inch in height1 his weight went up from #aec pounds to #afa-a_/b1 his forearm from #aa-a_/d inches to #ab-a_/b--;an unusually large forearm for any man--and his upper arm from #aa-c_/d inches to #ac-a_/d1 while his chest actually made the astonishing stride of from #cd inches to #dj4 ,not yet a large arm1 save below the elbow1 not yet a great chest2 five inches smaller1 for instance1 than ,daniel ,webster's1 but greatly ahead of what they were a year earlier4 ,there is no mystery about the ,maclaren method4 ,others might do it1 perhaps not as well as he1 for ,maclaren's has been a very exceptional experience2 still1 well enough4 ,look what ,sargent did with a ,bowdoin student of nineteen1 as shown in ,appendix ,,iv4 ,in four hours' work a week this student's upper arm went up #a-a_/b inches--just the same amount as did ,maclaren's student of twenty2 his chest went up from #cf-a_/b inches to #dj1 while that of ,maclaren's man went from #cd to #dj2 but it should be borne in mind that #cf-a_/b is harder to add #f inches to in this kind of work than #cd4 ,in height the ,englishman made three-eighths of an inch in the year1 while the ,american made a whole inch4 ,but the latter also led easily in another direction1 and a very important one too2 for1 while the ,briton1 though but a year older1 and of almost exactly the same height1 gained but #h-a_/b pounds in the year1 the ,american made #ae6 ,his case is further valuable in that it shows1 beside this advance above the waist1 splendid increase in girth of hips1 thigh1 and calf as well4 ,with us ,americans fond of results1 many of whose chests1 by-the-way1 do not increase a hair's-breadth in twenty years1 better proof could not be sought than these figures offer of the value of a system of exercise which would work such rapid and decided changes4 ,had they all been with boys1 there might have been difficulty in separating what natural growth did1 in the years they change so fast1 from what was the result of development4 ,but most of the cases cited are of men who had their growth1 and had apparently1 to a large extent1 taken their form and set for life4 ,to take a man twenty-eight years old1 tall and rather slim1 and whose height had probably not increased a single hairs-breadth in seven years1 and in a few short months increase that height by a good half inch2 to take another1 also twenty-eight1 and suddenly1 in the short period between ,september #aath and the #cjth of the next ,april1 add sixteen pounds to his weight1 and every pound of excellent stuff1 was in itself no light thing2 and there are thousands of men in our land to-day who would be delighted to make an equally great addition to their general size and strength1 even in twice the period4 ,to add five whole inches of chest1 and nearly that much of lung and heart room and stomach room1 and the consequent greater capacity for all the vital organs1 is a matter1 to many men1 of almost immeasurable value4 ,hear ,dr4 ,morgan1 in his ,english ,university ,oars1 on this point3 ,an addition of three inches to the circumference of the chest implies that the lungs1 instead of containing #bej cubic inches of air1 as they did before their functional activity was exalted1 are now capable of receiving #cjj cubic inches within their cells3 the value of this augmented lung accommodation will readily be admitted4 ,suppose1 for example1 that a man is attacked by inflammation of the lungs1 by pleurisy1 or some one of the varied forms of consumption1 it may readily be conceived that1 in such an emergency1 the possession of enough lung tissue to admit forty or fifty additional cubic inches of air will amply suffice to turn the scale on the side of recovery4 ,it assists a patient successfully to tide over the critical stage of his disease4 ,a man1 then1 of feeble lungs--the consumptive1 for instance--taken early in hand1 with the care which ,maclaren or ,sargent could so well give1 gradually advanced in every direction1 would suddenly find that his narrow1 thin1 and hollow chest had departed1 had given way to one round1 full1 deep1 and roomy2 that the feeble lungs and heart which1 in cooler weather1 were formerly hardly up to keeping the extremities warm1 are now strong and vigorous2 that the old tendency to lean his head forward when standing or walking1 and to sit stooping1 with most of his vital organs cramped1 has all gone4 ,in their place had come an erect carriage1 a firm tread1 a strong1 well-knit trunk1 a manly voice1 and a buoyancy and exhilaration of spirits worth untold wealth4 ,who will say that all these have not assured him years of life8 ,well1 but did all this increase of weight and size actually change the shape of the chest1 for instance1 and take the hollowness out of it8 ,that is exactly what it did2 and ,maclaren has a drawing of the same chest at the beginning and end of the year1 showing an increase in the breadth1 depth1 and fulness of the lower chest which makes it seem almost impossible that it could have belonged to the same person4 ,it will be remembered that ,maclaren claimed,i that just such a readjustment of the osseous framework would result4 ,is not this1 then1 remaking a man8 ,instead of a cramped stomach1 half-used lungs1 a thin1 scrawny1 caved-in make1 poor pipe-stems of legs1 with arms to match1 almost every one under forty1 at least1 can in a very few months1 by means of a series of exercises1 change those same slender legs1 those puny arms1 that flat chest1 that slim neck1 and metamorphose their owner into a well-built1 self-sufficient1 vigorous man1 fitter a hundred times for severe in-door or out-door life1 for the quiet plodding at the desk1 or the stormy days and nights of the ocean or the bivouac4 ,who is going to do better brain-work3 he whose brain is steadily fed with vigorous1 rich blood1 made by machinery kept constantly in excellent order1 never cramped1 aided daily by judicious and vigorous exercise1 tending directly to rest and build him up8 or he who overworks his brain1 gets it once clogged with blood1 and1 for many hours of the day1 keeps it clogged1 who does nothing to draw the blood out of his brain for awhile and put more of it in the muscles1 who1 perhaps1 in the very midst of his work1 rushes out1 dashes down a full meal1 and hurries back to work1 and at once sets his brain to doing well-nigh its utmost8 ,well1 but is not the work which will effect such swift changes very severe1 and so a hazardous one to attempt8 ,that is just what it is not4 ,is there anything very formidable in wooden dumb-bells weighing only two and a half pounds each1 or clubs of three and a half-pounds1 or pulley-weights of from ten to fifteen pounds8 or is any great danger likely to result from their use8 ,and yet they were ,sargent's weapons with his ,bowdoin two hundred4,j ,nothing in ,maclaren's work1 so far as he points out what it is1 is nearly so dangerous as a sudden run to boat or train1 taken by one all out of the way of running1 perhaps who has never learned4 ,there a heart unused to swift work is suddenly forced to beat at a tremendous rate1 lungs ordinarily half-used are strained to their utmost1 and all without one jot of preparation4 ,but here1 by the most careful and judicious system1 the result of long study and much practical application1 a person is taken1 and1 by work exactly suited to his weak state1 is gradually hardened and strengthened4 ,then still more is given him to do1 and so on1 at the rate that is plainly seen to best suit him4 ,develop every man's body by such a method1 teach every ,american school-boy the erect carriage of the ,west ,pointer1 and how many men among us would there be built after the pattern of the typical brother ,jonathan1 or of the thin-chested1 round-shouldered1 inerect1 and generally weak make1 so common in nearly every city1 town1 and village in our land8 ,look1 too1 at the knowledge such a course brings of the workings of one's own body1 of its general structure1 of its possibilities6 ,what a lecture on the human body it must prove1 and how it must fit the man to keep his strength up1 and1 if lost1 to recover it2 for it has uniformly been found that a man once strong needs but little work daily to keep him so4 ,a little reflection on facts like the foregoing must point strongly to the conclusion that the body--at least of any one not yet middle-aged--admits of a variety and degree of culture almost as great as could be desired1 certainly sufficient to make reasonably sure of a great accession of strength and health to a person formerly weak1 and that with but a little time given each day to the work4 ,,footnotes3 ,i ,see page #ade4 ,j ,see ,appendix ,,ii4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,work ,,for ,,the ,,fleshy1 ,,the ,,thin1 ,,the ,,old4 ,while the endeavor has been made to point out the value of plain and simple exercise--for1 in a later chapter1 particular work will be designated which1 if followed systematically and persistently1 will correct many physical defects1 substituting good working health and vigor for weakness--the reply may be made1 ,yes1 these are well enough for the young and active1 but they will not avail a fleshy person1 or a slim one1 or one well up in years4 ,let us see about this4 ,take1 first1 those burdened with flesh which seems to do them little or no good1 and which is often a hinderance1 dulling and slackening their energies1 preventing them from doing much which they could1 and which they believe they would do with alacrity were they once freed from this unwelcome burden4 ,there are some persons with whom the reduction of flesh becomes a necessity4 ,they have a certain physical task to perform1 and they know they cannot have either the strength or the wind to get through with it creditably1 unless they first rid themselves of considerable superfluous flesh4 ,take the man1 for instance1 who wants to walk a race of several miles1 or to run or row one4 ,he has often heard of men getting their weight down to a certain figure for a similar purpose4 ,he has seen some one who did it1 and he is confident that he can do it4 ,he sets about it1 takes much and severe physical work daily1 warmly clad1 perspiring freely1 while he subjects his skin to much friction from coarse towels4 ,he does without certain food which he understands makes fat1 and only eats that which he believes makes mainly bone and muscle4 ,he sticks to his work1 and gradually makes that work harder and faster4 ,to his gratification1 he finds that not only has his wind improved1 so that1 in the place of the old panting after a slight effort--walking briskly up an ordinary flight of stairs1 for instance--he can now breathe as easily and quietly1 and can stick to it as long1 as any of his leaner companions4 ,by race-day he is down ten1 fifteen1 or twenty pounds1 or even more1 as the case may be4 ,while he has thus reduced himself1 and is far stronger and more enduring than he was before1 he is not the only one who has lost flesh1 if there have been a number working with him1 as in a boat-crew4 ,notice the lists of our university crews and their weights1 published when they commence strict training1 say a month before the race1 and compare them with those of the same men on race-day1 particularly in hot weather4 ,the reduction is very marked all through the crew4 ,in the ,english university eights it is even more striking1 the large and stalwart fellows1 who fill their thwarts1 often coming down in a month an average of over a dozen pounds per man4 ,we have seen a student1 after weighing himself on scales in the gymnasium1 sit down at a fifty-five pound rowing weight1 pull forty-five full strokes a minute for twenty minutes1 then1 clad exactly as before1 weigh again on the same scales1 and find he was just one pound lighter than he was twenty minutes earlier4 ,but the difference is more marked in more matured men1 who naturally run to flesh1 than in students4 ,a prize-fighter1 for instance1 in changing from a life of indulgence and immoderate drinking1 will often come down as much as thirty1 or even forty pounds1 in preparing for his contest4 ,it should be remembered that1 besides other advantages of his being thin1 it is of great importance that his face should be so lean that a blow on his cheek shall not puff it up1 and swell it so as to shut up his eye1 and put him at his enemy's mercy4 ,but most people do not care to take such severe and arduous work as either the amateur athlete or the prize-fighter4 ,if they could hit on some comparatively light and easy way of restoring themselves physically to a hard-muscle basis1 and could so shake off their burden of flesh without interfering seriously with their business1 they would be glad to try it4 ,let us see if this can be done4 ,in the summer of #ahgg the writer met a gentleman of middle age1 whom he had known for years1 and who has been long connected with one of the ,united ,states departments in ,new ,york city4 ,a very steady1 hard-working officer1 his occupation was a sedentary one4 ,remembering him as a man1 till recently1 of immense bulk1 and being struck with his evident and great shrinkage1 we inquired if he had been ill4 ,he replied that he had not been ill1 that for years he had not enjoyed better health4 ,questioning him as to his altered appearance1 he said that1 on the eighteenth day of ,january1 #ahgg1 he weighed three hundred and five pounds2 that1 having become so unwieldy1 his flesh was a source of great hinderance and annoyance to him4 ,then he had determined1 if possible1 to get rid of some of it4 ,having to be at work all day1 he could only effect his purpose in the evenings1 or not at all4 ,so1 making no especial change in his diet1 he took to walking1 and soon began to average from three to five miles an evening1 and at the best pace he could make4 ,in the cold months he says that he often perspired so that small icicles would form on the ends of his hair4 ,asking if it did not come a little stiff sometimes1 on stormy nights or when he was very tired1 and whether he did not omit his exercise at such times1 he said no1 but1 on the contrary1 added two miles1 which shows the timber the man was made of4 ,on the eighteenth of ,june of the same year1 just five months from the start1 he weighed but two hundred and fifteen pounds1 having actually taken off ninety pounds1 and had so altered that his former clothes would not fit him at all4 ,since that time we have again seen him1 and he says he is now down to two hundred1 and that he has taken to horseback-riding1 as he is fond of that4 ,he looks to-day a large1 strong1 hearty man of about five feet ten1 of rather phlegmatic temperament1 but no one would ever think of him as a fat man4 ,now here is a man well known to hundreds of the lawyers of the ,new ,york ,bar1 a living example of what a little energy and determination will accomplish for a person who sets about his task as if he meant to perform it4 ,during the war1 ,m----1 a member of the ,boston ,police force1 known to the writer1 was said to weigh three hundred and fifteen pounds1 and was certainly an enormously large man4 ,he went ,south1 served for some time as stoker on a gunboat1 and an intimate friend of his informed us that he had reduced his weight to one hundred and eighty-four4 ,a girl of fifteen or sixteen1 and inclined to be fleshy1 found that1 by a good deal of horseback-riding daily1 she lost twenty-five pounds in one year--so a physician familiar with her case informed us4 ,brisk walking1 and being on the feet much of the day--as ,americans1 for instance1 find it necessary to do when they try to see the ,parisian galleries and many other of ,europe's attractions all in a very few weeks--will tell decidedly on the weight of fleshy people1 and dispose them to move more quickly4 ,when you can do it1 this is perhaps not such a bad way to reduce yourself4 ,now1 if so many have found that vigorous muscular exercise1 taken daily and assiduously1 accomplished the desired end for them1 does it not look as if a similar course1 combined with a little strength of purpose1 would bring similar benefit to others8 ,in any case1 such a course has this advantage3 begun easily1 and followed up with gradually increasing vigor1 it will be sure to tone up and strengthen one1 and add to the spring and quickness of movement1 whether it reduces one's flesh or not4 ,but it is a sort of work where free perspiration must be encouraged1 not hindered1 for this is plainly a prominent element in effecting the desired purpose4 ,but1 while many of us know instances where fat people have1 by exercise1 been reduced to a normal weight1 is it possible for a thin person to become stouter8 ,a thin person may have a large frame or a slender one4 ,is there any work which will increase the weight of each1 and bring desirable roundness and plumpness of trunk and limb8 ,take1 first1 the slim man4 ,follow him for a day1 or even an hour1 and you will usually find that1 while often active--indeed1 too active--still he does no work which a person of his height need be really strong to do4 ,put him beside such a person who is not merely large1 but really strong and in equally good condition1 and correspondingly skilful1 and let the two train for an athletic feat of some sort--row together1 for instance1 or some other work where each must carry other weight in addition to his own4 ,the first mile they can go well together1 and one will do about as much as the other4 ,but as the second wears along1 the good strength begins to tell2 and the slim man1 while1 perhaps1 sustaining his form pretty well1 and going through the motions1 is not quite doing the work1 and his friend is gradually drawing away from him4 ,at the third mile the disparity grows very marked1 and the stronger fellow has it all his own way1 while at the end he also finds that he has not taken as much out of him as his slender rival4 ,he has had more to carry1 both in his boat's greater weight1 and especially in his own1 but his carrying power was more than enough to make up for the difference4 ,measure the slim man where you will1 about his arm or shoulders1 chest or thigh or calf1 and the other outmeasures him2 the only girth where he is up1 and perhaps ahead1 is that of his head--for thin fellows often have big heads4 ,the muscles of the stronger youth are larger as well as stronger4 ,now1 take the slim fellow1 and set him to making so many efforts a day with any given muscle or muscles1 say those of his upper left arm1 for instance4 ,put some reward before him which he would like greatly to have--say a hundred thousand dollars--if in one year from date he will increase the girth of that same upper left arm two honest inches4 ,now1 watch him1 if he has any spirit and stuff1 as thin fellows very often have1 and see what he does4 ,insist1 too1 that whatever he does shall in no way interfere with his business or regular duties1 whatever they may be1 but that he must find other time for it4 ,and what will he do8 ,why1 he will leave no stone unturned to find just what work uses the muscles in question1 and at that work he will go1 with a resolution which no obstacle will balk4 ,he is simply showing the truth of ,emerson's broad rule1 that in all human action those faculties will be strong which are used2 and of ,maclaren's1 ,where the activity is1 there will be the development4 ,the new work flushes the muscles in question with far more blood than before1 while the wear and tear being greater1 the call for new material corresponds1 and more and more hearty food is eaten and assimilated4 ,the quarter-inch or more of gain the first fortnight often becomes the whole inch in less than two months1 and long before the year is out the coveted two inches have come4 ,and1 in acquiring them1 his whole left arm and shoulder have had correspondingly new strength added1 quite going past his right1 though it was the larger at first1 if meanwhile he has practically let it alone4 ,there are some men1 either at the college or city gymnasiums1 every year1 who are practically getting to themselves such an increase in the strength and size of some particular muscles4 ,we knew one at college who1 on entering1 stood hardly five feet four1 weighed but about one hundred and fifteen pounds1 and was small and rather spare4 ,for four years he worked with great steadiness in the gymnasium1 afoot and on the water1 and he graduated a five-foot-eight man1 splendidly built1 and weighing a hundred and sixty-eight pounds--every pound a good one1 for he was one of the best bow-oarsmen his university ever saw4 ,another1 tall and very slender1 but with a large head and a very bright mind1 was an habitual fault-finder at everything on the table1 no matter if it was fit for a prince4 ,a friend got him1 for awhile1 into a little athletic work--walking1 running1 and sparring--until he could trot three miles fairly1 and till one day he walked forty-five--pretty well used up1 to be sure1 but he walked it4 ,well1 his appetite went up like a rocket4 ,where the daintiest food would not tempt him before1 he would now promptly hide a beefsteak weighing a clean pound at a meal1 and that no matter if cooked in some roadside eating-house1 where nothing was neat or tidy1 and flies abounded almost as they did once in ,egypt in ,pharaoh's day4 ,his friends frequently spoke of his improved temper1 and how much easier it was to get on with him4 ,but after a while his efforts slackened1 and his poor stomach returned to its old vices1 at least in part4 ,had he kept at what was doing so much for him1 it would have continued to prove a many-sided blessing4 ,if steady and vigorous use of one set of muscles gradually increases their size1 why should not a similar allowance1 distributed to each1 do the same for all8 ,see 7,appendix ,v47 what it did in four months and twelve days for ,maclaren's pupil of nineteen1 whose upper arm not only gained a whole inch and a half 7think how that would add to the beauty alone of many a woman's arm1 to say nothing of its strength71 and whose chest enlarged five inches and a quarter1 but whose weight went up eight pounds6 ,or what it did 7see ,appendix ,,iv47 for ,sargent's pupil of nineteen1 who in just one year1 besides making an inch and a half of upper arm1 and three and a half of chest1 went up from a hundred and forty-five pounds to a hundred and sixty1 or a clean gain of fifteen pounds4 ,or 7see ,appendix ,,vi47 for ,maclaren's man1 fully twenty-eight years old1 who1 in seven months and nineteen days1 made sixteen pounds2 or 7,appendix ,,vii47 for his youth of sixteen1 who in just one year increased his weight full twenty-one pounds6 ,these facts certainly show pretty clearly whether sensible bodily exercise1 taken regularly1 and aimed at the weak spots1 will not tell1 and tell pretty rapidly1 on the thin man wanting to stouten1 and tell1 too1 in the way he wants4 ,it will make one eat heartily1 it will make him sleep hard and long4 ,every ounce of the food is now digested1 and the long sleep is just what he needed4 ,indeed1 if1 after a hearty dinner1 a man would daily take a nap1 and later in the day enough hard work to make sure of being thoroughly tired when bedtime came1 he would doubtless find the flesh coming in a way to which he was a stranger4 ,many thin persons do not rest enough4 ,they are constantly on the go1 and the lack of phlegm in their make-up rather increases this activity1 though they do not necessarily accomplish more than those who take care to sit and lie still more4 ,the writer1 at nineteen1 spent four weeks on a farm behind the ,catskills1 in ,delaware ,county1 ,new ,york4 ,it was harvest-time1 and1 full of athletic ardor1 and eager to return to college the better for the visit1 we took a hand with the men4 ,all the farm-hands were uniformly on the field at six o'clock in the morning1 and it would average nearly or quite eight at night before the last load was snugly housed away in the mow4 ,it was sharp1 hard work all day long1 with a tough1 wiry1 square-loined fellow in the leading swath all the morning4 ,but to follow him we were bound to or drop1 while the pitchfork or rake never rested from noon till sunset4 ,breakfast was served at five-thirty2 dinner at eleven2 supper at four2 and a generous bowl of bread-and-milk--or two bowls1 if you wanted them--at nine o'clock1 just before bedtime1 with plenty of spring-water between meals2 while the fare itself was good and substantial1 just what you would find on any well-to-do farmer's table4 ,and such an appetite1 and such sleep6 ,solomon must have tried some similar adventure when he wrote that the sleep of the laboring man is sweet1 whether he eat little or much4 ,well1 when we returned to college and got on the scales again1 the one hundred and forty-three pounds at starting had somehow become a hundred and fifty-six6 ,and with them such a grip1 and such a splendid feeling6 ,we have rowed many a race since1 but there was as hard work done by some of that little squad on that old mountain farm as any man in our boat ever did1 and there was not much attention paid to any one's training rules either4 ,it is notorious1 among those used to training for athletic contests1 that thin men1 if judiciously held in1 and not allowed to do too much work1 generally train up1 or gain decidedly in weight1 almost as much1 in fact1 as the fleshy ones lose4 ,now1 were the object simply to train up as much as possible1 unusual care could be taken to insure careful and deliberate eating1 with a generous share of the fat and flesh making sorts of food1 and quiet rest always for awhile after each meal1 to aid the digestive organs at their work4 ,slow1 deep1 abdominal breathing is a great ally to this latter process2 indeed1 works direct benefit to many of the vital organs1 and so to the whole man4 ,all the sleep the man can possibly take at night would also tell in the right way4 ,so would everything that would tend to prevent fret and worry1 or which would cultivate the ability to bear them philosophically4 ,but most thin people do not keep still enough1 do not take matters leisurely1 and do not rest enough2 while1 if their work is muscular1 they do too much daily in proportion to their strength4 ,they are very likely also to be inerect1 with flat1 thin chests1 and contracted stomach and abdomen4 ,now the habit of constantly keeping erect1 whether sitting1 standing1 or walking1 combined with this same deep1 abdominal breathing1 soon tends to expand not only the lower ribs and lower part of the lungs1 but the waist as well1 so giving the digestive organs more room and freer play4 ,like the lungs1 or any other organ1 they do their work best when in no way constrained4 ,better yet1 if the person will also habituate himself1 no matter what he is at1 whether in motion or sitting still1 to not only breathing the lower half of the lungs full1 but the whole lungs as well1 and at each inspiration hold the air in his chest as long as he comfortably can1 he will speedily find a quickened and more vigorous circulation1 which will be shown1 for instance1 by the veins in his hands becoming larger1 and the hands themselves growing warmer if the air be cold2 he will also feel a mild and agreeable exhilaration such as he has seldom before experienced4 ,some of these are little things1 and for that reason they are the easier to do2 but in this business1 as in many others1 little things often turn the scale4 ,of two brothers1 equally thin1 equally over-active1 as much alike as possible--if one early formed these simple habits of slow and thorough mastication1 deep and full breathing1 resting awhile after meals1 carrying his body uniformly erect1 and sleeping plentifully1 and his brother all the while cared for none of these things1 it is highly probable that these little attentions would1 in a few years1 tell very decidedly in favor of him who practised them1 and gradually bring to him that greater breadth1 depth1 and serenity1 and the accompanying greater weight of the broad1 full1 and hearty man4 ,and what about the old people8 ,take a person of sixty4 ,you don't want him to turn gymnast1 surely4 ,no2 not to turn gymnast1 but to set aside a small portion of each day for taking such body as he or she now has1 and making the best of it4 ,but how can that be done8 and is it practicable at all for a person sixty years old1 or more8 ,well1 let us see what one1 not merely sixty1 but eighty1 and more too1 had to say on this point4 ,shortly after the death of the late ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 the ,new ,york ,evening ,post1 of which he had long been editor1 published in its semi-weekly issue of ,june #adth1 #ahgh1 the following letter3 ,,mr4 ,,bryant',s ,,mode ,,of ,,life4 ,the following letter1 written by ,mr4 ,bryant several years ago1 describing the habits of his life1 to which he partly ascribed the wonderful preservation of his physical and mental vigor1 will be read with interest now3 ',new ,york1 ,march #cj1 #ahga4 ',to ,joseph ,h4 ,richards1 ,esq43 ',,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,i promised some time since to give you some account of my habits of life1 so far at least as regards diet1 exercise1 and occupations4 ,i am not sure that it will be of any use to you1 although the system which ,i have for many years observed seems to answer my purpose very well4 ,i have reached a pretty advanced period of life1 without the usual infirmities of old age1 and with my strength1 activity1 and bodily faculties generally1 in pretty good preservation4 ,how far this may be the effect of my way of life1 adopted long ago and steadily adhered to1 is perhaps uncertain4 ',i rise early2 at this time of the year about half-past five2 in summer1 half an hour or even an hour earlier4 ,immediately1 with very little encumbrance of clothing1 ,i begin a series of exercises1 for the most part designed to expand the chest1 and at the same time call into action all the muscles and articulations of the body4 ,these are performed with dumb-bells1 the very lightest1 covered with flannel1 with a pole1 a horizontal bar1 and a light chair swung around my head4 ,after a full hour1 and sometimes more1 passed in this manner1 ,i bathe from head to foot4 ,when at my place in the country1 ,i sometimes shorten my exercises in the chamber1 and1 going out1 occupy myself for half an hour or more in some work which requires brisk exercise4 ,after my bath1 if breakfast be not ready1 ,i sit down to my studies till ,i am called4 99 99 99 99 99 ',after breakfast ,i occupy myself for awhile with my studies1 and then1 when in town1 ,i walk down to the office of the ,evening ,post1 nearly three miles distant1 and1 after about three hours1 return1 always walking1 whatever be the weather or the state of the streets4 ,in the country1 ,i am engaged in my literary tasks till a feeling of weariness drives me out into the open air1 and ,i go upon my farm or into the garden and prune the fruit-trees1 or perform some other work about them which they need1 and then go back to my books4 ,i do not often drive out1 preferring to walk4 99 99 99 99 99 ',i am1 sir1 truly yours1 ',w4,c4 ,,bryant4' ,the same paper also contained the following3 ,,reminiscences ,,of ,a ,,former ,,business ,,associate4 ,mr4 ,william ,g4 ,boggs1 who knew ,mr4 ,bryant intimately for many years1 has given the following reminiscences to a representative of the ,evening ,post3 ',during the forty years that ,i have known him1 ,mr4 ,bryant has never been ill--never been confined to his bed1 except on the occasion of his last accident4 ,his health has always been good4 ',mr4 ,bryant was a great walker4 ,in earlier years he would think nothing of walking to ,paterson ,falls and back1 with ,alfred ,pell and ,james ,lawson1 after office hours4 ,he always walked from his home to his place of business1 even in his eighty-fourth year4 ,at first he wouldn't ride in the elevator4 ,he would never wait for it1 if it was not ready for the ascent immediately on his arrival in the building4 ,of gymnastic exercises he was very fond4 ,every morning1 for half an hour1 he would go through a series of evolutions on the backs of two chairs placed side by side4 ,he would hang on the door of his bedroom1 pulling himself up and down an indefinite number of times4 ,he would skirmish around the apartment after all fashions1 and once he told me even under the table4 ,breakfast followed1 then a walk down town2 and then he was in the best of spirits for the writing of his editorial article for that day4 99 99 99 99 99 ',he was a constant student4 ,his daily leading editorial constituted1 and was for many years1 the ,evening ,post4 ,sometimes he would not get it written until one o'clock4 ,can't ,i have it earlier8 ,i asked him one day4 ,why not write it the evening before8 ,ah1 he replied1 if ,i should empty out the keg in that way1 it would soon be exhausted4 ,he wanted his evenings for study4 ,well1 then1 can't you get down earlier in the morning8 ,he said1 ,oh yes4 ,a few months afterward he exclaimed1 with reference to the change3 ,i like it4 ,i go through my gymnastics1 walk all the way down1 and when ,i get here ,i feel like work4 ,i like it4' ,mr4 ,boggs also tells us that ,mr4 ,bryant's sight and hearing were scarcely impaired even up to his death4 ,how remarkable these facts seem6 ,here a man1 known to the whole civilized world1 says at seventy-seven that he has reached a pretty advanced period of life without the usual infirmities of old age1 and with his strength1 activity1 and bodily faculties generally in pretty good preservation4 ,wouldn't most of us like to do that8 ,are there not men who would promptly give millions1 not for an inch of time1 but to be able to reach seventy-seven1 and to say of themselves what ,mr4 ,bryant could say of himself at that age8 ,nor at seventy-seven only1 but at eighty-four1 for his friend tells the same thing of him then4 ,and notice what he did3 ,every morning1 not for two or three minutes only1 but for half an hour1 he would go through a series of evolutions on the backs of two chairs placed side by side4 ,the dips which have been recommended in another place1,k and which are so excellent for making the chest strong and keeping it so1 are doubtless the evolutions meant2 and as the great majority of men1 whether young or old1 have not strength of triceps and pectorals enough to even struggle through one of them1 some conception can be formed of how wonderfully wiry and strong this large-headed1 spare-bodied1 illustrious old man was1 to say nothing of the strength of purpose which would keep him so rigidly up to his work at an age when most men would have thought it their unquestionable duty to coddle themselves4 ,just think of a man over eighty pulling himself up and down--evidently on the horizontal bar he mentions--an indefinite number of times6 ,or always walking down to the office of the ,evening ,post1 nearly three miles distant1 and1 after three hours1 return1 always walking1 whatever be the weather or the state of the streets6 ,or of never waiting for the elevator if it was not ready1 but always walking up the nine flights from the street to his office6 ,and the writer has often seen him going up the top flight1 and1 instead of his step being faltering and feeble1 it was uniformly a trot6 ,see what two other old men did--in some ways even a more remarkable thing than ,mr4 ,bryant's great activity4 ,the following despatch is from the ,new ,york ,herald of ,february #bc;d1 #ahgi3 ,,the ,,old ,,men',s ,,walk4 ,new ,haven1 ,conn41 ,feb4 #bb1 #ahgi4 ,the walk between ,thomas ,carey1 of the ,new ,york ,cotton ,exchange1 and ,joseph ,y4 ,marsh1 of this city1 terminated to-night at a quarter of an hour before the appointed time1 ,marsh withdrawing4 ,carey had walked #baa miles and a fraction1 to #bji miles and a corresponding fraction for ,marsh4 ,after the walk ,marsh said that he was convinced that he had been beaten1 and ,carey made a speech expressing satisfaction with the manner in which he had been treated4 ,the walk began on ,wednesday of the present week1 at eleven o'clock1 and terminated at forty-five minutes past ten to-night4 ,carey is a great-grandfather1 and is sixty-four years old1 and ,marsh sixty-three4 ,both had trained for the walk4 ,it is understood that they will walk again in ,new ,york4 ,sixty miles a day for three days and a half1 and by a great-grandfather at that6 ,any man1 or any horse1 might well hold that a good day's work4 ,this activity among men so far on in years seems surprising4 ,and why8 ,because1 as people get past middle-life1 often from becoming engrossed in business1 and out of the way of anything to induce them to continue their muscular activity1 oftener from increasing caution1 and fear that some effort1 formerly easy1 may now prove hazardous to them1 they purposely avoid even ordinary exercise--riding when they might1 and indeed ought to1 walk1 and1 instead of walking their six miles a day1 and looking after their arms and chests besides1 as ,bryant did1 gradually come to do nothing each day worthy of the name of exercise4 ,then the joints grow dry and stiff1 and snap and crack as they work4 ,the old ease of action is gone1 and disinclination takes its place4 ,the man makes up his mind that he is growing old and stiff--often before he is sixty--and that there is no help for that stiffness4 ,well1 letting the machinery alone works a good deal the same whether it is made of iron and steel1 and driven by steam1 or of flesh and blood and bones1 and driven by the human heart4 ,maclaren cleverly compares this stiffening of the joints to the working of hinges1 which1 when left unused and unoiled for any length of time1 grate and creak1 and move stiffly4 ,the hinges of the human body do just the same thing1 and from the same cause2 and they not only require frequent oiling to enable them to move easily1 but they are oiled every time they are put in motion1 and when they are put in motion only4 ,the membrane which secretes this oil1 and pours it forth over the opposing surfaces of the bones and the overlying ligaments1 is stimulated to activity only by the motion of the joint itself4 ,had ,bryant spared himself as most men do1 would he have been such a springy1 easy walker1 and so strong and handy at eighty-four8 ,does it not look as if the half-hour at the dumb-bells1 and chairs1 and horizontal bar1 and the twelve or fifteen thousand steps which he took each day1 had much to do with this spring and activity in such a green old age8 ,does it not look almost as if he had1 half a century ago1 read something not unlike the following from ,maclaren3 ,the first course of the system may be freely and almost unconditionally recommended to men throughout what may be called middle life1 care being taken to use a bell and bar well within the physical capacity4 ,the best time for this practice is in the early morning1 immediately after the bath1 and1 when regularly taken1 it need not extend over more than a few minutes4 ,whether ,bryant had ever seen these rules or not1 the bell1 the bar1 and the morning-time for exercise make a noticeable coincidence4 ,looking at the benefit daily exercise brought in the instances mentioned1 would it not be well for every man who begins to feel his age to at once adopt some equally moderate and sensible course of daily exercise1 and to enter on it with a good share of his own former energy and vigor8 ,he does not need to live in the country to effect it1 nor in the city4 ,he can readily secure the few bits of apparatus suggested elsewhere,l for his own home1 wherever that home is1 and so take care of his arms and chest4 ,for foot-work there is always the road4 ,is it not worth while to make the effort8 ,he can begin very mildly1 and yet in a month reach quite a creditable degree of activity1 and then keep that up4 ,and if1 as ,mr4 ,bryant did1 he should last till well past eighty1 and1 like him1 keep free from deafness and dimness of vision1 from stiffness and shortness of breath1 from gout1 rheumatism1 paralysis1 and other senile ailments1 as he put it himself1 without the usual infirmities of old age--indeed1 with his strength1 activity1 and bodily faculties generally in pretty good preservation1 and all that time could attend promptly to all the daily duties of an active business as he did1 as ,vanderbilt did1 as ,palmerston did1 as ,thiers did--is not the effort truly worth the making8 ,and who knows what he can do till he tries8 ,,footnotes3 ,k ,see page #bdj4 ,l ,see page #ia4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,half-,,trained ,,firemen ,,and ,,police4 ,there are two classes of men in our cities and larger towns who1 more than almost any others1 need daily and systematic bodily exercise1 in order to make them efficient for their duties1 and something like what men in their lines ought to be4 ,in times of peace they do in many ways what the army does for the whole country in war-time--they protect life and property4 ,these are the police and firemen4 ,the work of some of the firemen before they reach a fire is even more dangerous than when actually among the flames4 ,the examining physician of one of our largest life insurance companies told the writer that he frequently had to reject firemen applying for insurance1 because they had seriously injured their hearts by running hard to fires when quite untrained and unfit for such sudden and severe strain on the heart and lungs1 imposed1 as it usually is1 under much excitement4 ,the introduction of steam fire-engines has in part done away with this1 though even they often have a man to run before and clear the way2 but in smaller places1 of course1 the old danger exists4 ,thorough and efficient as this steam-service is in many ways1 and trained as the men are to their duties1 they are1 very many of them1 not nearly so effective as they might easily be1 and as1 considering the fact that the fireman's work is their sole occupation1 they ought to be4 ,men of pluck and daring1 and naturally strong1 often for days together they have no fire to go to1 and so sit and stand around the engine-house for hours and hours4 ,soon they begin to fatten1 until often they weigh thirty or forty pounds more than they would in good condition for enduring work4 ,having no daily exercise which gives all parts of the body increased life and strength1 neither the stout nor thin ones begin to be so strong1 so quick of movement1 or enduring as they would be if kept in good condition4 ,to carry from an upper story of a high building a person in a swoon or half suffocated1 and to get such a burden safely down a long narrow ladder through stifling smoke and terrible flame1 is a feat requiring1 beside great nerve and courage1 decided strength and endurance4 ,exposure during long periods1 perhaps drenched through1 perhaps holding up a heavy hose in the winter's cold1 or in many another duty all firemen well know1 often without food or drink for many hours1 taxes very severely even the strongest man4 ,and what training have these men for this trying work outside of what the fire itself actually gives8 ,practically1 none4 ,suppose every man on the force was required to spend an hour1 or even half an hour1 daily in work which would call into play not all their muscles1 but simply those likely to be most needed when the real work came4 ,suppose each of them a wiry1 hard-muscled1 very enduring man1 good any day for a three or five mile run at a respectable pace1 and without detriment to himself1 or to go1 if need be1 hand over hand up the entire length of one of their long ladders--to be1 in short1 as strong1 as handy1 as enduring1 as even a second-rate athlete4 ,is there any question that a force made up of such men would be far better qualified for their work1 and far more efficient at it1 than the firemen of any of our cities are now8 ,and if they think they at present have considerable daily exercise1 so does a ,british soldier decidedly more1 in his daily drilling1 and the whole round of his duties2 and yet1 after ,maclaren had one of them exercising for but a brief period1 but in a way to bring up his general strength1 the soldier said1 ,i feel twice the man ,i did for anything a man could be set to do4 ,would it hurt a fireman or a policeman any to have that feeling8 ,would the latter not be more inclined to rely on his own strength1 and less on his club8 ,if the training suggested seems too hard1 look at the younger men in blacksmithing1 for instance1 and many other kinds of iron-work1 swinging1 as they often do1 a heavy sledge for the whole day together2 at the postmen1 walking from morning to evening1 often up many flights of stairs1 and all the year round1 and in all weathers2 at the iron-puddler1 the hod-carrier1 the 'longshoreman--all at work nearly or quite as hard1 not for one short hour only1 but through all the burden and heat of the day4 ,many of these men are not nearly as well paid as the firemen1 and none of them begin to have as great responsibility1 or are at any moment likely to be called on to take their lives in their hands1 and perhaps to save other lives as well4 ,let us look at the policeman4 ,what exercise has he8 ,standing around1 and considerable slow walking1 for six hours out of each twelve4 ,is there anything to make him swift of foot8 ,no4 ,anything to build up his arms and expand his chest1 to make those arms help him in his business1 and those hands twice as skilful for his purposes as before8 ,very little4 ,taught to use his hands he is1 but never empty2 there must be something in them--a club or a revolver4 ,and so comes what legitimate result8 ,why is it that in a conflict1 or even a threatened one--or1 too often1 not even then--and when the culprit1 while drunk1 is wholly unresisting1 we constantly hear of these dangerous weapons being drawn and freely used8 ,some of the very men set to preserve the peace are themselves every now and then making assaults wholly uncalled for1 always cowardly1 and often brutal1 and such as an athletic man1 proud of his strength1 would have scorned the idea of making1 but1 instead1 would have so quickly displayed his skill and strength that the average offender1 especially when he recalled the fact that the officer had the law on his side1 would have soon ceased resisting4 ,every intelligent ,new ,yorker will at one recognize that there is far too frequently good ground for such editorial comment1 grim as is its satire1 as the following from a well-known ,new ,york journal1 of ,september #bjth1 #ahgh3 ,a ,,complicated ,,police ,,case4 ,we have recorded from time to time in the ,t---- various interesting police cases4 ,with all our skill and experience1 however1 we could not prevent a shade of monotony stealing over them4 ,when in nine cases out of ten the picture presented is that of a policeman clubbing a man nearly to death1 by what resource of rhetoric can you avoid monotony8 ,for the sake of variety1 as well as for the public good1 many people wish that a citizen would occasionally kill a brutal policeman2 only that1 in thus ridding the world of a human brute not worthy to live in it1 the mockery that is called justice in ,new ,york and ,brooklyn would probably also send out of the world the inoffensive citizen who had accomplished the good work4 ,in a recent case1 however1 matters have become most ingeniously complicated4 ,one policeman has arrested another4 ,on ,tuesday night two men got into a fight in the ,bowery4 ,detective ,archibald1 who was in plain clothes1 undertook1 it is said1 to arrest them4 ,then1 it is stated1 ,officer ,lefferts arrived1 and arrested the whole party1 detective and all4 ,we say that this is a complicated case2 but so it did not seem to ,justice ,morgan1 of the ,jefferson ,market ,police ,court4 ,if a policeman arrests a citizen1 it is no longer possible for the latter to get justice4 ,he is glad if he can get away with a whole skull and unbroken ribs4 ,but one policeman arresting another6 ,the only way in which this can be set right depends upon which policeman had the most influence at head-quarters4 ,and what sort of man is he who is thus too free with his weapon8 ,take him in ,new ,york city1 for instance4 ,out of nearly twenty-five hundred policemen1 it is entirely safe to say that one-third--and it would probably be much nearer the truth to say that all of two-thirds--are unathletic men1 and that a very large proportion of these are either clumsy1 unwieldy1 and short-winded1 or not possessed of even average bodily strength4 ,even in their uniforms this is quickly apparent2 but the true way to judge is to see them stripped1 either in gymnastic costume or at the swimming-bath4 ,any number of them have indifferent legs2 there are any number of stout1 paunchy fellows2 and old ones1 too1 doubling over with their years2 flat-chested ones1 big-footed and half-built men4 ,try to select some of these men for a physical feat1 say of speed and endurance1 like running or rowing1 and see how few would be fit for the work4 ,pair them off1 give them gloves1 and set them to boxing1 and there would scarce be one hundred good sparrers out of the whole brigade4 ,once1 right in front of ,trinity church-yard1 on ,broadway1 we saw two of the ,broadway squad put up their hands for a little good-natured sparring1 and the way they did it would hardly have been creditable to a ten-year-old4 ,to see two great1 hulking six-footers1 ignorant of the first rudiments of good sparring1 actually whirling their fists round and round each other as if winding yarn1 and with no sort of idea how to use even one hand1 let alone two1 was positively ridiculous4 ,a hundred-pound thief1 handy with his fists and quick of foot1 could have slapped their faces1 and1 if they could run no better than they sparred1 could have been at the ,battery before either of them was half-way4 ,and what good would their weapons have been8 ,their revolvers they would hardly dare to use in a crowded street at broad noon1 nor would they have been justified in so doing4 ,and their clubs--of what use would they be if the culprit was a block away8 ,the writer once saw a fellow1 apparently a sneak-thief1 cutting across the ,city ,hall ,park1 in front of the ,tribune building1 at a clipping pace1 while some distance behind came one of those majestic but logy guardians of the peace1 making about one foot to the other's two1 and1 finally1 seeing how hopeless was the pursuit1 bringing his club around and throwing it after the escaping thief--and with what result8 ,excellent for the thief1 for1 instead of coming anywhere near him1 it passed dangerously close to the abdomen of a worthy but obese citizen1 who chanced to be passing that way4 ,at a public exhibition1 held early in #ahgh1 under the auspices of these very ,metropolitan ,police1 at the ,hippodrome1 in ,new ,york1 where doubtless the very best boxers on the whole force were on the boards1 and with ten thousand spectators to spur them on to their utmost1 the thoroughly skilful and accomplished workmen could be counted almost on the thumbs2 while1 in the tug of war1 the string of policemen were overhauled and pulled completely down by the ,scottish ,americans1 who weighed half a hundred weight less per man than their uniformed antagonists2 though it is but just to add that1 later on1 the latter did manage to win1 yet what was that to brag of8 ,the same ,police ,department held a regatta on the ,harlem ,river on the twenty-ninth of ,august1 #ahgh1 for which there were many entries2 yet out of them all with one or two exceptions1 there was no performance which was not of the most commonplace character1 unworthy of an average freshman crew1 and this though many of the rowers were burly1 heavy men4 ,one of the single-scullers actually did not know how to back his boat over some fifty feet of water1 and1 after four ineffectual endeavors1 had to be told how to do so from the referee's boat4 ,now place the whole force abreast on a broad common1 or in half a dozen lines1 and set them to run a mile at no racing pace2 at no such gait even as ,john ,ennis went in ,march1 #ahgi1 when1 after #dgd miles of walking and running in one single week1 he ran his #dgeth mile in six minutes eleven seconds1 but let them go at even a horse-car pace2 and if five hundred get over even half the distance it will be a surprise1 while of those who do1 many stand a good chance to feel the effects for days1 if not for life4 ,we asked the best known police captain in ,new ,york city1 the president of the old ,police ,athletic ,club1 whether he thought one-half of the whole twenty-five hundred could run a mile at any pace which could actually be called a run4 ,after deliberating a little1 he said he did not think they could4 ,one of the most successful athletes on the force1 in reply to the same question1 said3 ,i'll bet my neck against a purse that not one-third of them can do it4 ,another1 a magnificent-looking man1 standing over six feet three in height1 and weighing upward of two hundred and fifty1 not only strongly inclined to the same opinion1 but1 when urged to tell how successful he himself would probably be in such a trial1 he gave1 with a little sudden color in his cheeks1 substantially as follows1 this most interesting incident from his own experience3 ,standing in a rear room on the main floor of the station-house of the ---- ,precinct1 he heard a scream4 ,going quickly to the street1 a lady told him that she had been robbed of her pocket-book1 while a young person gliding gracefully1 and1 as the sequel proved1 quite fleetly1 around the corner1 lent force to the statement4 ,away went the engine of the law1 his mighty form bending to the work1 with his best foot foremost4 ,turning up one of the broad avenues1 the one hundred and twenty-five feet or so of the thief's start had now shrunk to seventy-five1 and1 as the two sped on at a grand pace1 ,all and each that passed that way ,enjoyed the swift 'pursuit4' ,block after block was passed1 but the gap would not close4 ,go as he would1 do his mightiest and his best1 it was of no use2 that lawless young man would somehow all the time manage to keep just seventy-five feet to the fore4 ,four blocks are now done1 and so is the policeman2 and bringing up all-standing--blown1 gasping1 exhausted--he cannot even muster breath enough to shout1 but1 reaching his big hand out in front of him1 and looking at the young person gently fleeting1 with seemingly unabated vigor1 into the dim distance1 he sadly points to him1 for that is all he is just now equal to4 ,fortunately for the interests of justice and good order1 that point is well taken1 for a brother officer sees it1 and1 rising to the occasion1 dashes off after the misguided young person up the avenue4 ,life is earnest now1 surely1 for the latter4 ,still he has nearly a hundred feet start1 and maybe this second guardian of the peace will not stay any better than did his illustrious predecessor4 ,so down to it he settles again1 and the street enjoys the fun4 ,block after block slips away1 and so does the official wind1 for1 at the end of four blocks more1 no perceptible decrease of the gap having yet been made1 patrolman number two shuts up4 ,yes1 literally1 for he too cannot even yell1 but1 like the first1 striking a tragic position1 he points to the flying culprit4 ,and is justice to be cheated out of her victim after all1 even now1 when she a second time is sure that she has reached the point8 ,and is this light-fingered and light-heeled young person to escape the minions of the law--and all this in broad daylight too1 and right on ,sixth ,avenue8 ,so it certainly seems4 ,but stop6 ,justice1 after all1 is to prevail1 for lo6 a third pursuer has now caught the trail1 and is off like a fast mail-train4 ,have a care now1 young man6 ,no brass buttons adorn your pursuer this time2 but the self-appointed private citizen1 now in your wake1 runs as the wicked flee4 ,there is no cart-horse pace about his work2 but with one clean1 business-like spurt1 he swoops down on the now disturbed young man1 and1 clutching his upper garments1 holds him neatly until the reserves come up1 and then hands him over for his six months on the island4 ,one more illustration may suffice4 ,the ,new ,york ,herald of ,december #bjth1 #ahgh1 referring to a burglary which had been committed in the #bhth ,precinct1 said that suspicion fastened on a young man known as ,sleepy ,dick4 ,detective ,wilson got on the supposed offender's trail1 and the nearer he got to him the worse grew his character for strength1 daring1 and ferocity4 ,at last he came up with ,sleepy ,dick on ,second ,avenue yesterday4 ',the jig's up1 ,sleepy1' said the detective2 'you're wanted4' ',what for8' calmly inquired the other1 straightening upon the coal-box4 ',cracking a crib4' ',how long a stretch8' ',a fiver1 sure4' ',i'm not your meat then1 cully1' and ,dick bolted for the corner with no sleepiness about him4 ,wilson grabbed him firmly by the collar1 though1 and there was a scene of plunging and tearing witnessed by the crowd around them that eclipsed ,cornwall or ,graeco-,roman wrestling4 ,suddenly a revolver came flashing out of ,wilson's pocket4 ',i'm taking this pot1' said he1 coolly4 ',show your hand1' growled ',sleepy4' ',a straight flush2' and ,wilson levelled the pistol at his head4 ',that takes this pile1' ,dick sullenly assented1 and he moved on quietly as far as ,sixty-first ,street4 ,once at the corner1 he plunged backward and broke loose4 ,the detective's revolver came down on his head with a thud1 but he rallied under the blow1 sprung aside1 and made for the river4 ,he was fleet of foot1 and1 as he flew down the street1 he kept looking over his shoulder1 evidently in fear of a passing bullet4 ,but the detective was coming on after him1 bound to run him down1 and as they passed ,first ,avenue the hue and cry was taken up by two other policemen1 who joined in the pursuit4 ,there was fully a block between ',sleepy' and his pursuers when he neared the river4 ,he saw his advantage1 turned into a stone-yard1 dodged among the bowlders1 scaled a fence1 and made off4 ,dick has been in the hands of the police before this week1 but managed to get away4 ,is there no lesson for our city rulers in such facts as these8 ,if our police are men of only four block power2 if they are so blown in that little distance that they are utterly helpless1 and all they can do is1 one after another to point to the escaping felon and indulge in these brilliant flashes of silence1 inwardly imploring some good civilian to kindly catch that thief2 if a youngster can first indulge in a tough wrestle with a detective1 and then1 taking a heavy blow on his head from the butt of a revolver1 not only empty-handed get away from his would-be captor1 but1 although the latter is joined by two policemen1 soon put a whole block between him and them1 and springing over a fence1 go1 after all1 unwhipt of justice1 does it not strike the reader that a little improvement in the speed and stay of our policemen might do no harm8 ,had it not better be conceded that it is hopeless for many of the ,broadway squad1 for instance1 in their present condition1 to attempt to catch a thief by running2 after him1 and would it not be well to provide each of them with a lasso1 for short-range work1 and initiate them in its uses at once8 ,in this way they could certainly make sure of one of those light-heeled gentry once in a while1 perhaps--for example1 one fond of lady's ear-rings4 ,and who believes that officers always report their failures to catch thieves1 or that the public ever hears of one-half of such cases8 ,let us see1 too1 where this physical incapacity may lead to graver consequences than the mere allowing a detected thief to run at large4 ,in the great cities there have sprung up within a few years back storehouses for the safe-keeping of securities1 plate1 important papers1 and other valuables4 ,hedged around with plates of steel1 chronometer-locks1 massive bolts1 and several watchmen1 and connected with the nearest police station by wires so arranged that the doors cannot be opened without sounding the alarm at the station-house1 the public naturally put their trust in them1 and their property too4 ,within recent years we also hear far more than formerly of burglars going not in pairs or threes1 but in gangs of half a dozen or more1 and of cracking safes always thought impenetrable4 ,now1 suppose that a descent were made on the largest one of these safe depositories in ,america1 the one under the ,new ,york ,stock ,exchange1 and by a dozen first-class cracksmen4 ,their business hours are generally between one and four in the morning4 ,that they work with wonderful sagacity1 daring1 and despatch1 is attested by such brilliant performance as that at the ,northampton ,bank robbery1 or when they in a little time1 one morning1 relieved the ,manhattan ,bank of a few millions1 and that right within a block of police head-quarters in ,new ,york city4 ,suppose that1 by collusion or otherwise1 the robbers get through the outer door4 ,unlike the ,bank of ,england1 there is no platoon of soldiers on guard4 ,they silence the three or four who oppose them4 ,they come to the inner doors1 the opening of which alarms the police4 ,at the station-house1 when that alarm sounds1 three or four1 or maybe more1 more or less drowsy officers start and run for the ,stock ,exchange1 some eight hundred feet away4 ,is there any especial reason why they should be any less exhausted when they get there than the two policemen who failed to catch the ,sixth ,avenue thief1 or the two who let another on ,first ,avenue run clear out of their sight8 ,the four blocks the former two policemen ran do not make much over eight hundred feet4 ,suppose that three or four1 not half-grown fellows like sleepy ,dick1 but stalwart desperadoes1 used to rough work1 quietly await the arrival of these worthy1 but well-blown patrolmen4 ,how long would it take the thieves to at least check the advance1 if not also considerably impair the usefulness of men so nearly gone that they could not speak1 and whose hands shook so that aiming a revolver effectively would be practically out of the question8 ,and might not the ,press justly have some pretty plain comment to make1 then1 on the physical inefficiency of our police force1 and wonder why it had not been insisted on long ago that they be trained as men have to be in other callings1 until they are fit for their work8 ,hear ,dr4 ,morgan1 in ,university ,oars1 on fat and unwieldy men1 and their unfitness for emergencies calling for strong and quick work3 ,when1 therefore1 we hear of a man who1 at twenty years of age1 weighed #ab stone 7#afh pounds71 and in after-life inclining to corpulency1 has reached the abnormal weight of #ag or #ah stone 7#bch or #beb pounds71 we must not consider him proportionately stronger3 on the contrary1 he should rather excite our pity and commiseration--the five or six stone distributed over his body being composed wholly of adipose tissue4 ,he is thus as completely enveloped in blubber as though he were a whale or a seal4 ,his muscles being heavily weighted1 his powers of locomotion are necessarily limited2 and1 handicapped in this manner1 it is no easy task for him to drag his unwieldy frame on some sweltering #abth of ,august over the trying inequalities of a ,highland moor4 ,the broken-winded man1 or a man out of wind1 is almost as useless in an emergency calling for sharp and sudden work as a broken-winded horse4 ,the standing around of the policeman1 heavily shod and heavily clad1 and the lazy1 aimless walking1 will never make him hardy1 tough1 and difficult to face1 or likely not to use his club where a strong1 quick man would never need it4 ,swollen hands and feet1 and soft1 flabby flesh will be the result2 and for the variety of sudden and dangerous work which he may be called upon to do at any moment he is not half fitted2 and if he trains no more for his work than he does now1 he never will be4 ,again1 in the matter of looks--not the least important1 by any means1 of the qualifications of a police-officer--are they all that they might be1 and that they really ought to be8 ,when a thousand of them1 averaging two hundred pounds apiece1 parade down ,broadway1 with brass buttons gleaming1 and every belt well filled1 it is easy enough for ,press or citizen to say1 ,what a fine-looking body of men6 ,but now1 notice them closely1 and most of them are inerect1 many are round-shouldered1 and few are at once thoroughly well-built men and in good condition1 being either loose-jointed1 too fat1 or too thin4 ,contrast their marching and bearing with that of the little ,west ,point battalion on parade1 every man erect1 clean-cut1 precise1 wiry1 and athletic2 light and young1 to be sure1 but most hardy1 quick1 and manly4 ,now1 we know what it is to be erect4 ,we soon discover that the bulk1 the sunburn1 and the uniforms have gone far toward making the favorable impression1 which ought to have been better based1 and that almost every one of these policemen is plainly faulty4 ,now1 suppose every one of these twenty-five hundred men1 besides being1 as most of them already are1 both courageous and faithful in the performance of duty1 was a skilful and hard-hitting boxer1 a good1 steady1 long-distance runner1 a fair wrestler1 a strong swimmer1 a sound1 hale1 thoroughly well-made man4 ,let the vicious classes once know--and how long would it take them to learn8--that in a race between them and the policeman the latter would be pretty sure to win2 let it be known that1 when he once caught his man1 the odds would be decidedly in his favor1 and that that man would not get away2 let every member of the force be justly known as a formidable man to face1 and one whom the offender had better avoid--and what an advance it would be in both the moral and physical efficiency of the force6 ,now let the riot come1 and see what that little band of twenty-five hundred trained men could do against ten times their number4 ,to-day they have nothing which makes them enduring at quick1 hard work1 and that is what is wanted for mobs4 ,if they had an abundance of that which would make them so1 the plying of a locust for an hour or two among a lot of unorganized roughs would be almost a diversion1 and a game they could continue at by the week if need be4 ,and why should not every city in our land have1 instead of men very many of them too often far out of condition1 these same well-trained men1 educated1 as men have to be in nearly every other calling1 directly for their work1 and all dexterous and able8 ,is it asking too much8 ,the preparation necessary to it will not compare in its exhausting effects with what the war-policeman--the soldier1 who is not paid a quarter as much--must do without a murmur3 the long forced marching1 weighted like a pack-horse1 the broken sleep1 the stinted food1 the bad shoes1 the long absence from home1 and the lack of all comforts4 ,why not insist on a regime which1 if the fat man could go through and retain his corporosity1 would make him welcome to retain it2 if the thin man could be up to every day's work in it1 then he could stand far more than he looked equal to8 ,but if either failed1 out with him4 ,there need be no fear that good substitutes could not be had in abundance4 ,this is no question of mere health1 and symmetry of make1 and reasonable strength1 as with the ordinary citizen4 ,it is a matter of fitness for ordinary duties--duties often of very great importance to the public weal1 which may spring up at any moment1 and which call for unusual physical resources4 ,it is a matter of substituting for dangerous weapons1 rashly wielded1 and when that wielding is often wholly uncalled for1 men who1 in any ordinary street-brawl1 need no weapon1 and would scarcely think of using one1 any more than would a ,morrissey1 a ,heenan1 or a ,hyer4 ,as nearly as possible in the centre of each four precincts in the larger cities hire a hall1 say about eighty feet by forty1 and the higher the better1 well lighted and ventilated1 and easily heated4 ,two hundred dollars1 carefully spent1 would buy all needed apparatus1 and as much more would keep it swept and dusted1 lighted and warmed4 ,twenty-five cents a month from each of four hundred policemen would be twelve hundred dollars a year1 which would cover1 beside these items1 rent and salary of teacher as well4 ,for the teacher need be with them but a little while daily2 for1 in about all the exercises necessary to make men good ordinary runners and boxers1 a teacher up to his work can drill the men in squads4 ,what they want is not intricate and technical knowledge1 but plain1 straightforward1 swift1 hard work1 and plenty of it1 and the condition which keeps them easily up to it4 ,or1 better yet1 put these gymnasiums in charge of the department1 if equally rigid economy could be insured4 ,then require each man to spend fifteen minutes there every other day1 sparring--after he had the rudiments--with some companion who can give him all the exercise he wants1 and on the alternate days let an equal period of time be spent in running1 not at racing pace1 but still good lively work of the kind which brings good lungs and good legs4 ,now1 at the annual or semi-annual athletic meeting1 let picked men from each precinct contend in foot-races1 both for short and long distances2 and1 to give their work an even more practical turn1 give some sneak-thief a reasonable start in such contests1 and let the officers1 in full uniform of course1 catch him if they can4 ,now the waistbands will begin to lessen1 and a considerably smaller measure of cloth will cover the man1 but it will clothe a man who1 unarmed and unaided1 can whip almost half a dozen such flabby1 untrained1 unskilful fellows as he used to be4 ,for every duty which may at any moment become his1 whether light or heavy1 mild or violent1 he will be far better qualified in almost every respect than before1 yet no better in his line than any good business man requires each person in his employ to be in his1 no matter what their particular duties may be4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,special ,,exercise ,,for ,,any ,,given ,,muscles4 ,while symmetrical and thorough physical development are not at all common among ,americans1 and undeveloped1 inerect1 and weak bodies almost outnumber any other kind1 the general want of familiarity with what will develop any given muscles1 and bring them up to the fulness and strength which ought to be theirs1 is even more surprising4 ,if proof is wanted of this1 let the reader ask himself what special work he would choose to develop any given part2 the muscles of the forearm1 for instance1 or those of the front of the chest4 ,if he has ever paid any attention to his physical development--and thousands and tens of thousands have not--he may know one or two things which will bring about the desired result2 but even if he has attended the gymnasium a good deal1 he will often be surprised to find that his time there was mainly spent in accomplishing some particular feat or amount of work1 rather than in bringing about the special development of any given part1 or general development of the whole body4 ,now1 while the exercises which bring any given set of muscles into play are very numerous1 if a few can be grouped together which shall be at once simple and plain1 and shall call either for inexpensive apparatus or none at all1 which will also enable almost any one1 by a little energy and determination1 to bring up any limb or muscles now weak1 they may prove of value4 ,to develop the ,leg below the ,knee4 ,the main part of the leg below the knee1 for instance1 is composed of muscles which raise the heel4 ,stand erect1 with the head high1 chest out1 and shoulders down1 keeping the knees all the time well sprung back1 having the feet about three inches apart1 with the toes turned slightly outward4 ,now slowly raise the heels until they are high off the floor1 and the whole weight rests on the soles and toes4 ,now drop slowly down4 ,then repeat4 ,next place the hand on the muscles of the calf1 and while at first not firm1 feel them harden as you rise1 and all doubt as to whether the exercise in question uses these muscles will speedily vanish4 ,continue this exercise at the same rate1 keeping at it until you have risen fifty times4 ,now1 it will not be necessary1 with most persons1 to have to place the hand on these muscles to learn if they are brought into play1 for already that is becoming very plain in another way1 one that is bringing most conclusive proof to the mind--internal evidence it might well be called4 ,unless the calves are unusually strong1 long before the one hundredth effort there is an unmistakable ache in them1 which1 in the majority of instances1 will cause the person to stop outright from sheer inability to proceed4 ,it has not taken much time to get a pretty thorough measure of about what power there is in one set of muscles at least4 ,all doubts are gone from his mind now as to whether one exercise he knows will call into play the muscles of his leg below the knee or not4 ,it is equally plain that it is not his forearm1 or upper arm1 or the back or front of his chest which has been in action1 for none of these have felt fatigue1 the tire being all confined to the muscles in question4 ,again1 had there been beside him two men of nearly the same weight1 but one of small and feeble calves1 the other having them shapely and well-developed1 is there any doubt which of the two could have kept at the exercise the longer1 yet with the less fatigue8 ,few men need be told that a muscle1 unused to work at first1 can gradually1 by direct and systematic exercise1 be strengthened2 but not a few there are who are unaware that with the new strength comes increased size as well4 ,yet1 to those familiar with athletic work1 it is as plain as that you must have your eyes open if you want to see4 ,a gentleman of our acquaintance1 of magnificent muscular and vital development1 was not satisfied with the girth of his calves1 which was #ad-a_/d inches4 ,at our suggestion he began practising this simple raising and lowering of the heels4 ,in less than four months he had increased the girth of each calf one whole inch4 ,when asked how many strokes a day he averaged1 he said1 ,from fifteen hundred to two thousand2 varied some days by his holding in each hand during the process a twelve-pound dumb-bell1 and then only doing one thousand or thereabouts4 ,the time he found most convenient was in the morning on rising1 and just before retiring at night4 ,instead of the work taking much time1 seventy a minute was found a good ordinary rate1 so that fifteen minutes at each end of the day was all he needed4 ,but this was a great and very rapid increase1 especially for a man of thirty-five2 far more than most persons would naturally be contented with1 yet suggestive of the stuff and perseverance of the man who accomplished it4 ,here1 then1 one of the most effective exercises which could be desired for the strengthening of these muscles is accomplished actually without apparatus1 without one cent of expense--one which can be practised anywhere1 in the largest or the smallest room1 in-doors or out1 on land or while at sea4 ,but there are many other exercises which will bring this same development4 ,now stand erect again1 with head and chest high1 shoulders low1 and knees sprung back4 ,start off at an ordinary pace1 and walk4 ,but1 instead of1 as usual1 putting the foot down and lifting it without thinking about it1 this time1 just as it leaves the ground1 press hard with the soles and toes4 ,go on for a block or two1 and you will suddenly find that your calves are having new and unwonted duties--indeed1 a very generous share of work4 ,keep on for a mile--if you can4 ,good a walker as you thought yourself before1 a mile of this sort will be a mile to be remembered--certainly for a few days1 till the ache gets out of your calves4 ,if walking with this new push is not hard enough on flat ground1 try it up-hill4 ,it will not be long before these muscles will ache till it will seem as if you must have a whole gymnasium concealed in them somewhere4 ,another exercise for the same muscles1 which can also be learned in a moment1 and a little of which will suffice at first1 is running on the toes1 or1 rather1 on the soles and toes4 ,here the whole weight is held by1 and pushed from1 first the muscles of one calf1 then of the other4 ,one will not go far at this without convincing proof of the value of this work to the parts in question4 ,of two brothers of our acquaintance--one a boy of thirteen1 the other a little fellow of four--the former walks with no especial spring1 and performs his running flat-footed4 ,but the little fellow1 whether walking1 standing1 or running1 is forever on his toes1 and with his knees sprung well back4 ,the former has rather slim legs and no great calf2 the latter beautifully developed calves1 round1 full1 and symmetrical1 noticeably large for a boy of his size and age4 ,again1 work1 harder1 and telling more directly on the calves1 and hence calculated to increase their size and strength faster even than any of these1 is hopping on one foot--a really grand exercise1 and one of the speediest for bringing strong legs and a springy step4 ,there is not the relief in it that there is in walking or running4 ,there the rest is nearly twice as long as here4 ,here the work is almost continuous1 and soon tires the strongest muscles4 ,jumping also exercises these muscles powerfully1 and1 practised steadily1 soon brings them up4 ,well developed and strong1 these muscles are of great value in dancing1 adding astonishingly to the ease and grace so valued in this accomplishment1 and to endurance as well4 ,horseback-riding1 where the foot is pushed but a little way into the stirrup1 and the whole weight thus thrown on the toes2 rowing1 especially with the sliding seat1 where the feet press hard against the stretcher2 leaping2 ordinary walking uphill1 and walking on the toes alone--these all call these muscles into most vigorous play1 and1 when practised steadily and with energy1 are among the most rapid means known for increasing1 not the strength of the calves alone1 but their girth as well4 ,try a summer of mountain climbing4 ,look at the men who spend their lives at it4 ,notice the best stayers in the ,alpine clubs1 and almost invariably they are found to have large and powerful calves1 especially where their knees are not bent much in stepping4 ,in a personal sketch of ,bendigo1 the once celebrated ,british prize-fighter 7now a quiet ,christian man71 much stress was laid on the fact that his calves measured a clean sixteen inches about4 ,yet1 to show that gentlemen are sometimes quite as strong in given directions as prize-fighters1 look at ,professor ,maclaren's own memorandum of not only what a splendid pair of legs he himself had at the start1 but what a little mountain climbing did for them2 for he says that in four months of ,alpine walking1 averaging nine hours a day1 his calves went up from sixteen inches to seventeen and a quarter6 and his thighs from twenty-three and a half inches to twenty-five4 ,if instances nearer home are sought1 and yet where neither anything like the time ,maclaren took was given to it1 nor any of the very severe work of the gentleman referred to a little earlier1 look at what ,dr4 ,sargent accomplished1 not with one solitary man but with two hundred1 at ,bowdoin ,college2 not giving nine hours a day to it1 but only half an hour a day1 four times a week1 for a period of six months4 ,in this very brief time1 and by moderate exercises1 he increased the average girth of the calf of these whole two hundred men from twelve and a half inches to thirteen and a quarter4 ,there was one pupil1 working four hours a week instead of four half-hours1 and for one year instead of six months1 who increased his calves from thirteen and a half inches to fifteen--an actual gain of a quarter of an inch more in two hundred and eight hours of exercise1 much of which was given to other muscles1 and did not tell on the calves1 than ,maclaren made in nine hundred hours of work1 most of which kept these muscles in very active play4 ,in all exercises for these muscles1 indeed in all foot-work1 shoes should be worn with soles broad enough to prevent the slightest cramping of the foot1 and so giving every part of it its natural play4 ,there remains one other prominent muscle below the knee1 that in front1 running down along the outer side of the shin-bone4 ,develop the calf fully1 as is often done1 and omit this little muscle and the work which calls it into play1 and there is something wanting1 something the lack of which causes a lack of symmetry4 ,fast walking1 when one is unused to it1 especially when the knees are held pretty straight1 will work this muscle so vigorously as to make it sore4 ,but a plain1 safe1 and simple exercise for it1 yet one which1 if protracted1 will soon swell it into notice1 and give it unwonted strength and beauty1 is effected by stooping down as low as possible1 the feet being but a few inches apart1 and the heels never being allowed to rise even a quarter of an inch off the floor4 ,lift the heels1 and this muscle is at once relieved4 ,laying any weight on the foot1 and lifting it clear from the ground1 will also call on this muscle4 ,so will fastening the feet into straps1 like those on a boat-stretcher or rowing-weight1 and swaying the body of the sitter back and forth2 for these muscles have heavy work to do to aid in pulling the body forward1 so that the rower may reach his hands out over his toes for a new stroke4 ,simply standing on one foot1 first holding the other clear of the floor1 and then drawing it up as near as possible to the front of its own ankle1 and then opening it as wide as you can1 will be found a safe and reasonably effective way of bringing forward this small but useful muscle2 while walking on the heels1 with the toes drawn up high1 is simpler yet4 ,for those who want to run heavy risks1 and are not contented with any exercise which does not threaten their necks1 hanging by the toes from a horizontal or trapeze bar will be found to just fill the bill4 ,work for the ,front of the ,thigh4 ,the muscles of the front thigh have a most intimate connection with those already mentioned1 and1 for ordinary purposes1 a fair development of them is more necessary than of those below the knee4 ,in common walking1 for instance1 while the calf gets something to do1 the thigh gets far more1 especially when the step is low and flat1 and the heel never raised far from the ground4 ,a man will often have large and strong thighs1 and yet but indifferent calves4 ,a prominent ,harvard oarsman1 a strong and fast walker1 and a man of magnificent development in most points1 was once examined carefully by ,greenough1 the sculptor4 ,i should know you were an ,american1 said he1 because you have no calves2 and1 indeed1 his mistake in developing splendid arms1 and trunk1 and thighs1 and forgetting all about the calves1 is far too common a one among our athletes to-day2 though the prominence they are beginning to give to running helps mend matters in this respect4 ,scarcely any muscles are easier brought into action than these of the upper or front thigh4 ,stand erect1 with head and chest high1 and the feet about six inches apart4 ,now1 bend the knees a little1 say until the head has dropped vertically six inches4 ,then rise to the perpendicular again4 ,repeat a few times1 and it will not be long till these muscles will be felt to be in lively action1 and this exercise prolonged will make them ache4 ,but this movement is very much akin to that in dancing1 the latter being the harder of the two1 because the weight is first on one foot1 then on the other1 while in the former it is always on both4 ,again1 instead of stooping for a few inches only1 start as before1 with head and neck rigidly erect1 and now stoop all the way down2 then rise again4 ,continue this movement several times1 and generally at first a few repetitions will be found to be quite enough4 ,by-and-by1 as the strength increases1 so should the number2 and1 if time is to be saved and the work condensed1 keep dumb-bells1 say of a tenth of your own weight1 in the hands during the operation4 ,a more severe tax yet is had by holding one foot far out1 either in front or back1 and then stooping down wholly on the other foot4 ,few can do this many times1 and most persons cannot do it at all4 ,for swiftly bringing up a thigh at present weaker than its mate1 and so restoring the symmetry which should always have been there1 this work is almost unparalleled4 ,jumping itself1 either high or flat1 is admirable for the thighs4 ,charles ,astor ,bristed1 in his ,five ,years in an ,english ,university1 says that he at one time took to jumping1 and was astounded at the rapid progress he made in a branch of athletics at which before he had been no good4 ,maclaren says that hardly any work will quicker bring up the whole legs2 but this will probably prove truer where a large number of moderate jumps are taken daily1 than where a few extreme efforts are made4 ,both fast walking and running bring vigorous action to these muscles2 slow walking does little for them1 hence the number of weak1 undeveloped thighs among men who do little or no quick foot-work4 ,a man1 too1 whose body is light and thin1 may do a deal of fast walking without greatly enlarging his thighs1 because they have comparatively little to carry4 ,but let him1 after first getting thoroughly used to fast and continued walking1 carry weight awhile1 say a twenty-five-pound bag of shot or sand1 or a small boy1 on his back1 or dumb-bells in his hands--of course1 on a gymnasium track1 or some other course where his action will be understood--and he will find that the new work will soon tell1 as would1 also1 long-distance running1 even though not weighted1 as ,rowell so eminently shows4 ,good1 stiff long-distance walking is excellent for the front thigh2 but running is better1 especially when done as it ought to be1 namely1 not flat-footed1 but with the heel never touching the ground4 ,any sort of running or walking1 at any pace protracted enough to bring moderately tired muscles1 will tell1 especially on these in question2 while severe work over a long distance will give them a great task1 and the consequent ability and size4 ,many a man may do a little desultory running daily1 perhaps for a week or two together once a year1 and not find his thighs enlarge or toughen materially4 ,but let him put in a few minutes each day1 for several months together1 at steady smart running1 as far as he can1 and go comfortably1 and now1 besides the work becoming easy1 comes the desired size and strength as well4 ,the hopping1 which was so good for the calves1 is hardly less so for these muscles1 and is one of the best possible movements to develop them in the shortest time4 ,dancing1 long continued1 also tells here1 as an acquaintance of ours found1 who used to lead the ,german frequently at ,newport2 for1 though far from being an athlete1 he said that he daily ran a mile during the season1 just to keep his legs in good order for the duties his position demanded4 ,a more moderate exercise than the running1 though not always so available1 is walking uphill4 ,this1 besides1 as already mentioned1 doing so much for the calves1 tells directly and markedly on the thighs as well4 ,skating makes a pleasant substitute for walking during a part of the colder months1 and1 when much distance is covered daily1 brings strong and shapely thighs4 ,the farmer and the laboring man1 in all their heavier work done stooping over their tasks--such as lifting1 shovelling1 picking1 and mowing--use the thighs much1 but keep them so long fixed in one position1 with little or no varying exercise to supple and limber them and the joints1 that both gradually stiffen1 and their instep soon begins to lack elasticity1 which tendency is too often increased by heavy1 stiff1 and unwieldy boots4 ,swinging forward when rowing1 either in a boat or at the toe-straps1 after first swinging far back1 takes these upper muscles in a way quite the reverse of their ordinary use1 they now aiding to pull the whole trunk forward1 and so acting like two long hooks4 ,all lifting of heavy objects from the ground1 standing in almost any position1 tells heavily on these muscles1 being about the severest momentary test they can have1 greater even than in jumping4 ,but occasional heavy lifting tends rather to harden the muscle than to rapidly increase its size1 protracted effort at lighter but good-sized weights doing the latter to better advantage4 ,brisk horseback-riding keeps these muscles very actively employed4 ,every sort of work which calls for frequent stooping down does the same4 ,persons who take short steps1 and many of them1 if they walk with vigor1 are likely to have legs thicker and stouter everywhere than they who stride out far1 but make the whole step as easy for themselves as possible4 ,hardly any of the muscles are so useful and valuable as these4 ,one may have weak arms and trunk1 yet with strong thighs he can walk a long distance daily1 and not be nearly so fatigued as those much stronger elsewhere and weaker here1 and1 as many men have little or no other exercise than walking1 they are often contented with fair development here1 and practically none of any account elsewhere4 ,it is astonishing1 too1 to notice how a man accustomed for years to a poor shambling sort of a gait will1 with strict attention to taking a clean and strong step over a certain distance daily1 with a determination to take no other sort of gait1 soon improve the strength and shape of his thighs4 ,as hopping on one foot is a swift way to develop the calf1 so frequent stooping down as low as possible and rising again1 daily1 at first without weights1 but eventually with them1 is the sure way to speedily enlarge and strengthen the thighs4 ,to ,enlarge the ,under ,thigh4 ,the muscles of the under thigh do not get nearly so much to do as those in front1 in many persons seeming almost not to exist4 ,a bad walk1 with the knees always slightly bent1 is partly accountable for this2 and a man accustomed to such a walk1 and trying suddenly to walk erect1 with his knees firmly knit1 and bowed slightly back1 soon tires and aches at the operation1 which1 to one in the habit of walking erect1 long ago became natural4 ,the exercise already recommended1 of pressing the sole of the foot hard on the ground just as it leaves it1 is scarcely more beneficial to the muscles of the calf than to these2 likewise walking uphill1 that telling finely on them4 ,standing1 as does the ,west ,pointer in his setting-up drill1 and1 with knees unbent1 trying to touch the floor with the hands1 tells in this region4 ,fastening a weight of any sort1 a dumb-bell or flat-iron1 to the ankle1 say with strap or towel1 and raising the foot as high up backward and outward as possible1 and repeating till tired2 putting the foot in the handle of the pulling-weight1 and frequently drawing it far down2 or1 standing with back to the wall1 and placing the heel against the base-board of the room1 or any solid vertical surface1 and pressing hard many times--these all tell on this hidden under muscle1 which1 small as it is1 is a most essential one1 and especially in looks1 while running with the foot thrown high behind1 excels them all4 ,to ,strengthen the ,sides of the ,waist4 ,but while the legs have been so actively engaged1 there are other parts which have not been idle1 so that the same work brings other strength as well4 ,in every step taken1 and especially every vigorous one1 as in fast walking or in running1 the muscles at the sides of the waist have been all the time at work1 a prominent duty of theirs being to aid in holding the body erect4 ,notice a man weak just here1 and see his body sway a little from side to side as he walks1 seeming to give at the waist4 ,were such a one to practise daily hopping straight ahead1 on one foot1 and then on the other1 until he could by-and-by so cover half a mile without fatigue1 he would find his swaying propensity fast disappearing2 and if he has been troubled with a feeble or unshapely waist1 that also will have gradually changed1 until at the end it has become firm and well-set4 ,take the long balancing-pole of the tight-rope walker1 and try to walk a rope awhile1 or try the more simple expedient of walking on the railroad rail1 and these muscles are at once uncommonly busy4 ,notice the professional tight-rope man1 and see how strong he is here1 especially when to the weight of his own body he adds another1 as did ,farini when he carried a man on his shoulders across the ,niagara ,river2 or as the ,eastern porter1 with his huge weight of luggage2 or the carrier at the meat-market1 who shoulders a whole side or more of beef and marches off with it4 ,these men soon get great and unusual power in these side muscles4 ,wrestling also1 whether ,cornish or ,graeco-,roman1 or indeed almost any sort1 tells directly and severely here4 ,if one prefers to use apparatus made specially1 the opposite cut shows a simple device of ,dr4 ,sargent's1 which he made purposely to bring up and strengthen these muscles4 ,standing in front of it1 with head and neck erect and chest out1 and grasping the ends of the bar ,a ,a'1 the operator simply turns it1 first well up to the right1 then to the left1 and then repeats the movements until he has enough4 ,as he turns1 the rubber straps ,b ,b stretch more and more1 of course getting stiffer the farther the bar is turned4 ,it would scarcely be possible to hit upon a better appliance for improving these valuable side muscles1 and yet without fear of overdoing them4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #e4 ,appliance for developing the ,sides of the ,waist4 ,the ,abdominal ,muscles4 ,nor do these include all the muscles which the foot-work arouses to action4 ,take the horizontal bands or layers of muscle across the abdomen4 ,every step forward moves them1 and the higher and more energetic the step1 the more they have to do4 ,a man who is not strong in these muscles will usually have a feeble walk1 and very often will double forward a little1 until he is in about the position of the two hands of a clock at two minutes past six1 giving him the appearance of being weak here4 ,but the strong1 high step tilts the body slightly back1 and gives these muscles so much to do that they soon grow good at it1 and shapely and powerful accordingly4 ,another advantage comes from having these muscles strong1 and from forming the habit of stepping as he does who has them so4 ,by walking thus erect1 the shoulders1 instead of pressing over on the chest as the man tires1 and so cramping his breathing1 are so habitually held back that it is easier to keep them there1 and the consequent fuller respiration keeps him longer fresh4 ,this is very conspicuous in the case of one of the most famous pedestrians in the world to-day1 its ex-champion long-distance walker1 ,daniel ,o',leary4 ,take him when in good condition1 and in one of his long tramps2 on the first mile or the four hundredth1 it is always the same3 there he is1 with head up1 shoulders well back1 and working busily1 and--the most noticeable thing--the whole centre of the body1 from the waist to the knees1 thrown1 if anything1 actually forward of a vertical line1 instead of as far1 or often much farther1 back of it2 indeed1 the point farthest forward is about two inches below his belt4 ,a fair though not clear idea of what is meant can be had from the following sketch of him1 taken at the time1 on the latter part of his five-hundred-mile walk with ,hughes1 the ,lepper1 on the track in the ,hippodrome1 in ,new ,york city1 during the first week of ,october1 #ahgh4 ,hughes1 while proving himself a very tough and determined man1 showed1 as is too often the case with professional athletes1 great ignorance of many things which would have helped him much had he known and followed them1 and none more1 perhaps1 than this very matter of correct position4 ,o',leary's freshness1 no matter how many hundred miles he has just walked1 is remarkable4 ,this rational way of carrying the body during a difficult feat1 besides giving the heart and lungs full room for vigorous action1 also gives the stomach and other vital organs ample play2 for a glance at the sketch shows none of the thinness of flank and general sunken-in look at the waist in ,o',leary so plain in ,hughes1 and so common among walkers in the later miles of the race4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #f4 ,a ,correct ,position for ,fast ,walking4 ,singularly enough1 a little boy1 only eleven years old1 and but three feet nine inches high1 has copied1 or rather acquired--for it seems he had never seen this sensible step and carriage of ,o',leary--with astonishing success1 as witness the following sketch of his performance from the ,new ,york ,herald of ,october #aath1 #ahgh4 ,foolish in the extreme as it is to allow such half-grown youngsters to attempt such feats1 it is doubtful if the annals of the cinder-path can match such prodigious stay and skill in one so young3 ,,an ,,embryo ,o',,leary ,between the ,grand ,central ,depot and ,madison ,avenue and ,forty-second and ,forty-fourth streets is a vacant square1 which the boys of the neighborhood have been utilizing as a race-track4 ,every day dozens of them may be seen scurrying round the track1 intent on making the best time ever known4 ,yesterday afternoon a five-mile walk was in progress1 which was headed by a very small boy1 who at once attracted the attention of the by-standers by his peculiarly rapid and easy gait4 ,he kept ahead of the other contestants1 and finally distanced them by two laps1 and won in the time of #dhm4 #bs4 ,after this race1 at the request of the lookers-on1 he travelled around the track once 7which is one-seventh of a mile7 in #am4 and #aes4 ,he walks very erect1 steps like ,o',leary1 and does not seem to be easily fatigued4 ,this time is still more surprising1 considering that he is only eleven years old and but three feet nine inches high1 so that he cannot take a very long step4 ,in a conversation with him it was learned that his name was ,joe ,havey1 residing at ,no4 #add ,east ,forty-third ,street4 ,he has never seen a professional walk1 so that his walking ideas are his own4 ,with a little practice he bids fair to become a ,no4 #a pedestrian4 ,but there are other ways of bringing up these useful abdominal muscles1 equally easy to learn4 ,sit down at the rowing-weights1 placing the feet in the toe-straps4 ,now sway the body back and forth1 and1 placing the hand on the muscles in question1 feel how they harden4 ,an ordinary bit of strap screwed to the base-board of one's room1 so that each foot shall have a loop of it to go into1 and then a stool or cassock some eight inches high to sit on1 save the expense of the rowing-weights1 yet produce the desired result with these muscles4 ,lie flat on the back1 as1 for instance1 just on awaking4 ,taking first a deep1 full breath1 draw the feet upward1 keeping the knees unbent1 until the legs are vertical4 ,lower them slowly till horizontal1 then raise again and continue4 ,it will not take many minutes--or seconds--to bring these muscles enough work for one morning4 ,or this time keep the legs down1 and1 first filling the chest1 now draw the body up until you are sitting erect4 ,then drop slowly back1 and repeat4 ,this will be likely to take even less time than did the other1 but it will tell tremendously on these muscles4 ,indeed1 most people are so weak in them1 that they can hardly do this once4 ,yet men who have them strong and well-trained will lie flat on their backs on the floor or gymnasium mat1 and while some one holds their ankles1 taking a two-hundred-pound man1 lying across their chest at right angles with it1 will raise him several times till they are in erect sitting posture4 ,sitting on one of the parallel bars in the gymnasium1 and placing both feet under the other1 and now dropping the body back until it is horizontal1 then rising to vertical and repeating1 is very hard work for these abdominal muscles1 and should only be practised by those already strong here4 ,these muscles are brought into direct and vigorous play in rowing1 to such an extent that no man who has them weak can be a fast oarsman over any ordinary racing distance4 ,indeed1 this is the very region where young rowers1 otherwise strong1 and seemingly fit for hard1 fast work1 give out first4 ,every time the foot is raised in running1 these muscles are called to active duty far more than in walking1 and the high1 strong1 sharp step works them severely1 so that no man weak here could be a fast runner with good action4 ,jumping1 vaulting1 leaping1 all bring them into sudden1 spasmodic1 almost violent action4 ,let a man mow awhile1 when unused to it1 and see how soon it tells across this region1 the muscles aching next day from the twisting motion4 ,the latest invention purposely for these muscles is also one of ,sargent's1 on the following plan3 ,the pupil lies on the plank ,a ,a'1 or1 rather1 sits on it1 when ,a' is a little back of vertical1 so as1 for instance1 to form with ,a the angle ,a ,b ,a'4 ,with feet in the toe-straps ,c ,c'1 he sways gently forward and back as long as he can without fatigue4 ,from day to day1 as these muscles gain strength1 ,a' is dropped lower and lower1 until finally it is on a level with ,a4 ,or a strap may be placed over the forehead and fastened to ,a'1 and1 with the feet in the toe-straps1 the person may lift his body up till vertical1 drawing the weight ,e with him as he rises4 ,counterwork for the ,abdominal ,muscles4 ,but nearly all the exercises just named for the abdominal muscles1 while they make them strong and handsome1 tend to contract rather than lengthen them2 and for men of sedentary life inclined to stoop a little forward while sitting1 some work is needed which shall stretch these muscles1 and aid in restoring them to their natural length4 ,stand erect4 ,now gradually draw the head and shoulders backward until as far past the vertical as possible4 ,return slowly to erect position4 ,in the drawing back1 these muscles were stretched to a greater length than usual1 and in those who accustom themselves to drawing far back in this way1 like the contortionists of the circus1 these muscles grow wonderfully elastic1 such men being able not only to touch their heads to their heels1 but now and then to go farther yet1 and drink water from a tumbler set between their feet4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #g4 ,device for developing the ,abdominal ,muscles4 ,but while there is no need of such extreme work1 moderate performance in this way directly tends to stretch and lengthen muscles which1 in the great majority of people1 are somewhat cramped and shortened by habitual standing1 sitting1 or lying1 with the back either flat or almost curved outward1 instead of slightly hollowed in1 and with the consequent sinking of the chest4 ,all work above the head1 such as swinging clubs1 or an axe or sledge2 putting up dumb-bells1 especially when both hands go up together2 swinging by the hands from rope or bar1 or pulling the body up till the chin touches the hands2 standing with back to the pulley-weights1 and taking the handles in the hands1 and1 starting with them high over the head1 then pushing the hands far out forward2 standing two or more feet from the wall1 and1 placing the hands side by side against it about as high up as your shoulders1 then throwing the chest as far forward as possible2 the hauling down ropes by the sailor2 the ceiling-work of the plasterer and the painter1 and the like--these all do excellent service in bringing to these important muscles the length and elasticity they ought to have1 and so contributing materially to the erect carriage of the body4 ,all kinds of pushing with the hands1 such as one does in putting them against any heavy substance and trying to push it before him1 striking out in boxing1 in fencing1 or single-stick1 with dumb-bells1 or in swimming1 are capital2 while the drawing of the head and shoulders back swiftly1 as in boxing to avoid a blow1 can hardly be surpassed as an aid in this direction4 ,to enlarge and give ,power to the ,loins4 ,before leaving the waist1 there is one more set of muscles which demand attention2 and if one has them weak1 no matter how strong he may be elsewhere1 he is weak in a place where he can ill afford to be1 and that is in the loins1 or the main muscles in the small of the back1 running up and down at each side of the spine4 ,in many of the heavier grades of manual labor these muscles have a large share of work to do4 ,all stooping over1 when lifting is done with a spade1 or fork1 or bar1 whether the knees are held straight or bent1 or lifting any weight directly in the hands1 horizontal pulling on a pulley-weight1 rope1 or oar--in short1 nearly every sort of work where the back is actively employed1 keeps these muscles thoroughly active4 ,you cannot bend over without using them4 ,weed awhile1 and1 unless already strong in the loins1 they will ache4 ,a laboring man weak here would hardly be worth hiring4 ,a rowing-man weak here could never be a first-rate oar till he had trained away the weakness4 ,heenan1 with all his grand physique1 his tremendous striking-power1 his massive development above the waist1 would not have made nearly as enduring an oar as the sturdier1 barrel-chested ,morrissey1 or as the broad-loined ,renforth did make4 ,strong loins are always desirable4 ,he who has them1 and is called on in any sudden emergency to lift any heavy weight1 as the prostrate form of one who has fallen in a swoon1 for instance1 is far less likely to work himself serious1 if not permanent1 injury here than he who has them untrained and undeveloped4 ,development above the ,waist4 ,little or no work has been suggested1 so far1 aimed purposely to develop any muscles above the waist4 ,indeed1 it is no uncommon thing1 especially among ,englishmen1 to find a man of very strong legs and waist1 yet with but an indifferent chest and shoulders1 and positively poor arms4 ,canon ,kingsley had discovered this when he said to the ,british clergy1 ,i should be ashamed of being weak4 ,i could not do half the little good ,i do here if it were not for that strength and activity which some consider coarse and degrading4 ,many clergymen would half kill themselves if they did what ,i do4 ,and though they might walk about as much1 they would neglect exercise of the arms and chest1 and become dyspeptic or consumptive4 ,let us look at a few things which would have proved useful to the brave canon's pupils4 ,the connection between the arms and the muscles1 both on the front and back of the chest1 is so close that it is practically impossible to have arms thoroughly developed1 and not have all the trunk muscles above the waist equally so4 ,fortunately1 as in foot-work1 the exercises to develop these muscles1 without having to resort to expensive apparatus1 or often to any at all1 are very numerous4 ,with a pair of dumb-bells1 at first weighing not over one-twenty-fifth of what he or she does who uses them1 and gradually1 as the strength increases1 substituting larger ones1 until they weigh1 say1 one-tenth of his or her weight1 there is scarcely a muscle above the belt which cannot1 by steady and systematic work of never over half an hour daily1 be rounded and strengthened up to what it ought to be in a thoroughly developed1 strong1 and efficient person of its owner's sex1 size1 and age4 ,filling out the ,shoulders and ,upper ,back4 ,notice now what these dumb-bells can do for the shoulders and upper back4 ,stand erect again1 with the chin up and chest high 7in all these exercises stand erect where it is possible71 and have the dumb-bells in the hands hanging easily at the sides4 ,now carry them slowly backward and upward1 keeping the arms straight at the elbows1 and parallel1 until the hands are about as high as they can well go4 ,hold them there a moment1 then drop them slowly to the sides4 ,do it again1 and keep on until you begin to feel like stopping4 ,note the spot where you feel it1 and you will find that the under or inner muscles of the part of the back-arm which is above the elbow1 also those on the shoulder-blade1 and the large muscles of the back directly under the arms1 have been the ones in action4 ,laying one dumb-bell down1 now repeat the above exercise with the remaining one1 say in the right hand1 this time placing the left hand on the back just under the right arm1 or on the inner portion of the triceps or upper muscle of that right arm4 ,these muscles will be found vigorously at work1 and hardening more and more the higher the bell is carried or the longer it is held up4 ,a little of this work daily1 begun with the lighter dumb-bells1 and increased gradually by adding to the number of strokes1 or taking larger bells1 or both1 and long before the year is out1 if the person is steady and persevering at it1 decided increase in the strength1 size1 and shapeliness of the upper back will follow4 ,what has been thus done with the dumb-bells could have been done nearly or quite as well with any other small1 compact body of the same weight which could be easily grasped by the hands1 such as a pair of window-weights1 flat-irons1 cobble-stones1 or even chairs1 whichever were convenient4 ,where there's a will there's a way2 and if one really means to get these or any other muscles strong and handsome1 the way is really surprisingly simple and easy4 ,now1 instead of using the dumb-bells1 stand erect1 facing the pulley-weights at the gymnasium1 or at home if you have them1 taking care only that they weigh at least what the dumb-bells would4 ,grasping the handles1 draw them far back and up1 the hands1 in other words1 doing precisely what they did with the bells1 and the same results will follow4 ,rowing1 either at the oar or the rowing-weights1 would have told equally hard on these muscles1 and1 as already pointed out1 on many others besides1 the weight of the body itself aiding the development as it would not with the bells or weights4 ,it would also broaden the shoulders and spread them apart1 more1 perhaps1 than almost any other known exercise4 ,but1 like any other single exercise calling certain muscles into play and leaving others idle1 taken as substantially one's only exercise1 as is too often the case with rowing-men1 it brings a partial and one-sided development1 making the parts used look too large for the rest1 the fact being that the rest have not been brought up as fast as the former4 ,unless one's chest is unusually broad and strong1 and often1 even if it is1 constant rowing warps his shoulders forward1 and tends directly to make him a round-shouldered man1,m while the upper arm1 or that part above the elbow1 has had practically no development1 the inner part of the triceps or back-arm alone being called to severe duty1 but the bulk being almost idle4 ,courtney1 the greatest sculler the ,united ,states has yet produced--a large man1 standing six feet and half an inch in height1 strongly made in most parts1 and weighing ordinarily nearly a hundred and ninety--is a good instance of how rowing does little for the upper arm2 for while his forearm is almost massive1 measuring exactly thirteen inches in girth1 the upper arm1 doubled up1 barely reaches fourteen4 ,a well-proportioned arm1 of which the forearm girths thirteen1 should measure above all fifteen and a quarter4 ,again1 while ,courtney's forearm feels sinewy and hard1 the upper is not nearly so hard1 and does not give the impression of having seen very stiff service4 ,his chest1 too1 is not so large by over two inches as ought to go with a thirteen-inch forearm4 ,beside these exercises with the dumb-bells1 the weights1 and the oar1 all the vocations which cause one to stoop over much and lift--such as most of those of the farmer1 the laborer1 and of the artisan in the heavier kinds of work--tell on these same muscles of the upper back and the inner side of the triceps1 too often bringing1 as already pointed out1 a far better back than front1 and so injuring the form and carriage4 ,lifting heavy weights where one stands nearly erect1 as when practising on the lifting-machine1 pulls very heavily on the extreme upper muscles of the back1 those sloping off downward from the back of the neck to the shoulders4 ,to obtain a good ,biceps4 ,starting with the dumb-bells down at the sides1 as before1 raise them slowly and steadily in front until they nearly touch the shoulder--technically1 curl them--holding the head up1 the neck rigidly erect1 and the chest expanded to its very utmost4 ,now lower the bells slowly to the sides again1 and repeat1 and so continue4 ,in a very few minutes1 often less than three1 you will want to stop4 ,the biceps muscles1 or those forming the front of the upper arms1 are getting the work this time1 and by applying to that of one arm in action the hand of the other1 it is at once found that this muscle is growing quite hard4 ,if no dumb-bell or other convenient weight is at hand1 place one hand in the other1 and bear down hard with the upper hand1 holding the chest stubbornly out4 ,lift away with the lower hand1 and1 when it reaches the shoulder1 lower it slowly to the side1 and then raise again1 and so continue4 ,this will be found a good thing to know when a person is travelling1 or away from home1 and cannot readily get at such apparatus as he has in his own room4 ,now stand erect in front of and facing the pulley-weights1 and at about arm's-length from them2 draw the hand horizontally in until it is close to the shoulder2 let the weight drop slowly back1 and then draw it to you again1 and so go on4 ,this is splendid work for the biceps1 and will soon begin to swell and strengthen it2 and then either increased weight1 or more strokes daily1 is all that will be needed4 ,fasten a stout hook in a beam overhead1 and hang a pulley to it4 ,run a rope through this1 at one end of which you can attach weights1 and tie the other to the middle of a thick cane or other stick1 taking care to have the rope of such a length in all1 that when the weight is on the floor the stick is about a foot above your head4 ,begin with1 say1 one of your dumb-bells of not over one-tenth of your own weight4 ,grasping the stick with both hands1 with their palms toward you1 draw it downward until level with your chin2 then let it go back2 repeat1 and continue till you begin to tire4 ,if the single bell seems too light1 attach both bells4 ,after a few days with these1 fasten on a basket or coal-hod1 and increase the load until1 say at the month's end1 it weighs over half of what you do4 ,if you can take this up a number of times without ache or ill-feeling1 you are strong enough to take hold of a fixed bar and attempt to haul yourself up1 as ,mr4 ,bryant did1,n until your chin touches your hand4 ,but without this preliminary work1 such pulling up1 frequently as it is attempted1 is a foolish and hazardous experiment1 throwing a great strain on muscles quite unused to such a task1 namely1 on these very biceps muscles4 ,if1 on the other hand1 one has these muscles already strong1 and can with ease pull himself up six or eight times1 he will find this stick and weight an excellent affair for training the biceps of one arm1 until it gets strong enough to pull him up without the other arm at all4 ,for this simple and valuable contrivance the public is also indebted to ,dr4 ,sargent1 who is a regular ,edison in devising simple and sensible gymnastic appliances1 which he freely gives to all without patenting them4 ,mounting a ladder or a rope hand-over-hand2 lifting any weight in front of you1 whether a feather or a barrel of sugar2 picking up anything from the floor2 holding weights out in front1 or at your side1 at arm's-length2 pulling downward on a rope1 as in hauling up a sail2 hammering--in short1 anything which bends the elbow and draws the hand in toward the shoulder1 takes the biceps muscle2 and1 if the work is vigorous and persisted in1 this muscle will ere long become strong and well-shaped4 ,to bring up the ,muscles on the ,front and ,side of the ,shoulder4 ,for the muscles on the front and side of the shoulder1 holding out weights at arm's-length1 either at the side or in front1 will be found just what is wanted1 the arms being horizontal1 or the hands being held rather higher than that1 the elbows remaining unbent4 ,holding the mere weight of the hands1 as in boxing1 but keeping at it awhile1 keeps these parts well occupied2 while the sword1 or foil1 or single-stick1 freely plied1 or the axe or bat1 tell directly here4 ,forearm ,work4 ,very many of these exercises for the biceps and shoulder have also called on the forearm1 while those mentioned for the inner triceps have done the same4 ,very prominent among the latter is rowing1 much of it soon bringing a strong forearm1 especially on the inner and under side4 ,anything which necessitates shutting the hand1 or keeping it partly or wholly shut2 such as holding anything heavy in it1 driving1 chopping1 fencing1 single-stick1 pulling one's self up with one hand or both1 batting1 lacrosse1 polo1 twisting the dumb-bells around when at arm's-length1 or a chair1 or cane1 or foil1 or sword1 or broom-handle1 if the dumb-bells are not convenient1 carrying a weight in the hand1 using any of the heavier mechanical hand-tools--all these1 and more of their sort1 will enlarge and strengthen the forearm1 and will do much also for the hand4 ,probably the hardest work for the forearm1 and that calling for the greatest strength here1 is lifting very heavy weights suspended from a stick1 bar1 or handles which the hands grasp4 ,exercises for the ,triceps ,muscles4 ,one prominent part of the arm remains1 or1 rather1 one which ought to be prominent1 though in most persons1 both men and women1 it is not4 ,in boys and girls it is even less so4 ,we refer to the rest of the triceps1 or the bulk of what remains of the upper arm after leaving out the biceps and the inner side of the triceps4 ,when well developed1 this is one of the handsomest parts of the arm4 ,no arm will look slim which has this muscle fully developed4 ,to bring that development1 push with the hands against almost any heavy or solid thing you want to4 ,if these muscles are small and weak1 push the dumb-bells up over your head as much as you can daily1 till a month's work has given them a start4 ,for two or three minutes each day during that month1 stand facing the wall1 and about two feet from it4 ,now fall against it1 or1 rather1 put your hands on it1 about three feet apart and as high as your ears1 and let your body drop in toward the wall till your chest nearly touches it1 your face being held up and back4 ,then push sharply back till your body is again erect1 and continue the movement4 ,this exercise is as admirable as it is cheap4 ,if the triceps muscles are tolerably strong in the start1 or in any case at the end of the month in which the last two exercises have been practised1 try now a harder thing4 ,place the hands on the floor1 hold the body out at full length and rigid1 or as nearly so as you can1 and push1 raising the body till the elbows are straight4 ,now bend the elbows and lower again1 till the face nearly touches the floor1 keeping the body all the time as stiff and straight as possible1 and then rise on stiff elbows again1 and so on4 ,if this is not hard enough work for the ambitious aspirant for stout triceps1 he can vary it by clapping his hands between the dips1 just as his face is farthest from the floor1 though in such case it is sometimes well to have a nose accustomed to facing difficulty4 ,so far1 in this work for the back-arm the hands at first held merely the weight of the dumb-bells2 then1 as they pressed against the wall1 they had to bear part of the weight of the body1 but not a large part1 as that rested mainly on the feet4 ,in the pushing from the floor the hands bore still more of it1 but yet the feet had quite a share4 ,now try something where the hands and arms carry the entire weight of the body4 ,get up on the parallel bars1 or on the bars in your door-jambs1,o or1 if no bars are convenient1 place two stout chairs back to back1 and then draw them about eighteen or twenty inches apart1 and1 placing one hand on each1 holding the arms straight1 lift the feet off the floor4 ,now lower till the chin is level with the hands1 or nearly so1 and then rise till the arms are straight1 and then dip again1 and so on1 the knees and feet of course never resting on anything4 ,now you have one of the best known exercises for bringing quick development and good strength to the triceps or back-arm4 ,when by steady daily trial you have gradually increased the number until you can do twenty-five fair dips without great effort1 you have strong triceps muscles1 and1 if you have two legs and a reasonably heavy body to lift1 good-sized ones at that4 ,most of your friends cannot manage five dips respectably1 many scarcely one4 ,but1 lest you should feel too elated over your twenty-five1 bear in mind that one gentleman in ,new ,york has accomplished over eighty without stopping1 and this though he weighs upward of one hundred and eighty pounds2 and if a reasonably accurate idea of what sort of back-arms were necessary for this marvellous feat1 it may be had by observing the cut on the cover of this book4 ,with a forty-four inch chest1 his upper arm measures thirteen and a half inches down 7half an inch more than ,heenan's71 and sixteen up1 though he is but five feet ten inches in height1 while ,heenan stood four inches taller4 ,he says that as surely as the ability exists to make many dips1 so surely will there be a large back-arm1 and it was hard work that brought him his4 ,slim arms may push up heavy dumb-bells once or twice1 but it takes thick ones for sustained effort at smaller1 though good-sized ones4 ,to ,strengthen and ,develop the ,hand4 ,very many of the exercises so useful in strengthening the forearm were at the same time improving the grip of the hand4 ,but an evil of so much gripping or drawing the hand together is that1 unless there is an equal amount of work to open and flatten it1 it tends to become hooked4 ,notice the rowing-man's hand1 and the fingers nearly always1 when at rest1 are inclined to be doubled in1 as if half clutching something2 and very often1 where they have seen years of rowing1 their joints get so set that the fingers cannot be bent back nearly as far as other people's4 ,some of the pushing exercises mentioned above for the triceps tend to counteract this1 notably that where the fingers or the flat of the hands are pressed against the wall4 ,an admirable exercise in this direction is1 when you practice the pushing up from the floor for the triceps1 to only touch the floor with the ends of the fingers and thumbs1 never letting the palm of the hand touch it at all4 ,this will soon help to rectify many a hand now rather cramped and contracted1 besides bringing new strength and shape to the fingers4 ,to make any particular finger strong1 attach a strap to the bar referred to on page #bce1 and placing that finger in the strap begin with raising a small weight from the floor until you have drawn your hand down to your chin2 then from day to day gradually increase both the weight and the number1 until1 before a great while1 you may find that you can raise an equivalent of your own weight4 ,now attach the strap to any stationary object as high above your head as you can comfortably reach1 say a horizontal bar1 and pull yourself up till your chin touches your hand4 ,some gymnasts can do this several times with the little finger4 ,just where the thumb joins the palm1 and between it and the forefinger on the back of the hand1 is a muscle which1 while at first usually small1 can be developed and enlarged by any exercise which necessitates pinching the ends of the thumb and forefinger together1 such as carrying a plate of metal or other thin but heavy substance between the finger and thumb4 ,harder work yet1 calling on both this muscle and a number of others of the hand1 consists in catching two two-inch beams running overhead1 as in the ceiling of a cellar1 and about a foot and a half or two feet apart1 and walking along1 sustaining the whole weight by the grip1 first of one hand1 then of the other4 ,he who can do this has very unusual strength of fingers4 ,for improving the ordinary grip of the hand1 simply taking a rubber ball in it1 or a wad of any elastic material1 and even of paper1 and repeatedly squeezing it1 will soon tell4 ,simpler yet is it to just practice opening and shutting the hand firmly many times4 ,an athletic friend of ours says that the man of his whole acquaintance who has the strongest grip got it just by practising this exercise4 ,to ,enlarge and ,strengthen the ,front of the ,chest4 ,every one of the exercises for the biceps tells also on the pectoral muscles1 or those on the front of the upper part of the chest1 for the two work so intimately together that he who has a large biceps is practically sure to have the adjoining pectoral correspondingly large4 ,but there is other work which tells on them besides biceps work4 ,whenever the hands push hard against anything1 and so call the triceps muscles into action1 these muscles at once combine with them4 ,in the more severe triceps work1 such as the dips1 the strain across these chest-muscles is very great1 for they are then a very important factor in helping to hold up the weight of the whole body4 ,this fact suggests the folly of letting any one try so severe a thing as a dip1 when his triceps and pectoral muscles have not been used to any such heavy work4 ,many a person who has rashly attempted this has had to pay for it with a pain for several days at the edge of the pectoral1 where it meets the breastbone1 until he concluded he must have broken something4 ,working with the dumb-bells when the arms are extended at right angles with the body1 like a cross1 and raising them up and down for a foot or so1 is one of the best things for the upper edge of the pectorals1 or that part next to the collar-bone4 ,this brings us to a matter of great importance1 and one often overlooked4 ,whoever knows many gymnasts1 and has seen them1 stripped or in exercising costume1 must occasionally have observed that1 while they had worked at exercises which brought up these pectoral muscles until they were almost huge1 their chests under their muscles had somehow not advanced accordingly4 ,indeed1 in more than one instance which has come under our observation1 the man looked as though1 should you scrape all these great muscles completely off1 leaving the bare framework1 he would have actually a small chest1 much smaller than many a fellow who had not much muscle4 ,there hangs to-day--or did some time since--on the wall of a well-known ,new ,york gymnasium1 a portrait of a gymnast stripped above the waist1 which shows an exact case in point4 ,the face of such a man is often a weak one1 lacking the strength of cheek-bone and jaw so usual in men of great vitality and sturdiness--like ,morrissey1 for instance--and there is a general look about it as if the man lacked vitality4 ,many a gymnast has this appearance1 for he takes so much severe muscular work that it draws from his vitality1 and gives him a stale and exhausted look1 a very common one1 for example1 among men who remain too long in training for contest after contest of an athletic sort4 ,the getting up1 then1 of a large chest1 and of large muscles on the chest1 while often contemporary1 and each aiding the other1 are too frequently wholly different matters4 ,and how is the large chest to be had8 ,to ,broaden and ,deepen the ,chest itself4 ,anything which causes one to frequently fill his lungs to their utmost capacity1 and then hold them full as long as he can1 tends directly to open his ribs1 stretch the intercostal muscles1 and so expand the chest4 ,many kinds of vigorous muscular exercise do this when done correctly1 for they cause the full breathing1 and at the same time directly aid in opening the ribs4 ,it will be observed that frequently throughout these hints about exercising1 endeavor has been made to impress on the reader that1 when exercising1 he should hold the head and neck rigidly erect1 and the chest as high as he can4 ,a moment's thought will show why4 ,he1 for instance1 who curls a heavy dumb-bell1 but does it with his head and shoulders bent over--as many do--while giving his pectorals active work1 is actually tending to cramp his chest instead of expanding it1 the very weight of the dumb-bell all pulling in the wrong direction4 ,now1 had he held himself rigidly erect1 and1 first expanding his chest to its utmost by inhaling all the air he possibly could1 and holding it in during the effort--a most valuable practice1 by-the-way1 in all feats calling for a great effort--he would not only have helped to expand his chest1 but would find1 to his gratification1 that he had hit upon a wrinkle which somehow made the task easier than it ever was before4 ,holding the head and neck back of the vertical1 say six inches1 with the face pointing to the ceiling1 and then working with the dumb-bells at arm's-length1 as above referred to1 is grand for the upper chest1 tending to raise the depressed collar-bones and the whole upper ribs1 and to make a person hitherto flat-chested now shapely and full2 while the benefit to lungs perhaps formerly weak would be hard to over-estimate4 ,steady and protracted running is a great auxiliary in enlarging the lung-room4 ,so is plenty of sparring4 ,so is the practice of drawing air slowly in at the nostrils until every air-cell of the lungs is absolutely full1 then holding it long1 and then expelling it slowly4 ,most public singers and speakers know the value of this and kindred practices in bringing1 with increased diaphragmatic action1 improved power and endurance of voice4 ,spreading the parallel bars until they are nearly three feet apart1 and doing such arm-work on them as you can1 but with your body below and face downward1 helps greatly in expanding the chest4 ,so does swinging from the rings or bar overhead1 or high parallels1 and remaining on them as long as you can4 ,dr4 ,sargent's ingenuity has provided a simple and excellent chest expander4 ,he rigs two ordinary pulleys over blocks some feet above the head1 and from five to six feet apart1 as in ,fig4 #h1 and attaching weights at the floor ends of the ropes1 puts ordinary handles on the other ends1 and has the ropes just long enough so that when the weights are on the floor the handles are about a foot above the head4 ,now stand between and directly under them1 erect1 with the chest as full as you can make it1 and keeping the elbows straight1 and grasping the handles draw your hands slowly downward out at arm's-length1 say about two feet4 ,next1 let the weights drop gradually back1 repeat1 and so go on4 ,this is excellent for enlarging the whole chest1 but especially for widening it4 ,a better present to a consumptive person than one of these appliances could hardly be devised4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #h4 ,a ,chest-widener4 ,again1 to deepen the chest from front to back1 he hangs two bars1 ,b and ,c1 as in ,fig4 #i1 and attaches the weight at the other end1 ,a1 of the rope1 the bar ,b1 when at rest1 being about a foot above the height of the head4 ,standing1 not under ,b1 but about a foot to one side of it1 and facing it1 grasp its ends with both hands1 and keeping the arms and legs straight and stiff1 and breathing the chest brimful1 draw downward until the bar is about level with the waist4 ,let the weight run slowly back1 repeat1 and go on4 ,a great advantage of both these contrivances1 besides their small cost and simplicity1 is that1 as in nearly everything ,dr4 ,sargent has invented1 you can graduate the weight to suit the present requirements of the person1 however weak or strong he or she may be1 and so avoid much risk of overdoing4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #i4 ,a ,chest-deepener4 ,in the exercises above named it will be noticed that there has been a sufficient variety for any given muscles to bring them within the reach of all4 ,after this1 how far any one will go in any desired line of development is a matter he can best settle for himself4 ,what allowance of work to take daily will be treated of in the next chapter4 ,,footnotes3 ,m ,see ,fig4 #a1 on page #cf4 ,n ,see page #agj4 ,o ,see page #ib4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,what ,,exercise ,,to ,,take ,,daily4 ,an endeavor has been made thus far to point out how wide-spread is the lack of general bodily exercise among classes whose vocations do not call the muscles into play1 and1 again1 how local and circumscribed is that action even among those who are engaged in most kinds of manual labor4 ,various simple exercises have been described which1 if followed steadily and persistently1 will bring size1 shape1 and strength to any desired muscles4 ,it may be well to group in one place a few movements which will enable any one to know at once about what amount and sort of work is to be taken daily4 ,special endeavor will be made to single out such movements as will call for no expensive apparatus4 ,indeed1 most of these want no apparatus at all1 and hence will be within the reach of all4 ,as it has been urged that the school is the most suitable place to accustom children to the kind and amount of work they particularly need1 a few exercises will first be suggested which any teacher can learn almost at once1 but which yet1 if faithfully taught to pupils1 will soon be found to take so little time that1 instead of interfering with other lessons1 they will prove a positive aid4 ,though perhaps imperceptible at the outset1 in a few years1 with advancing development1 the gain made will be found not only to be decided1 but of the most gratifying character4 ,daily ,work for ,children4 ,suppose the teacher has a class of fifty4 ,if the aisles of the school-room are1 as they should be1 at least two feet wide1 let the children at about the middle of the morning1 and again of the afternoon session1 stand in these aisles in rows1 so that each two of the children shall be about six feet apart4 ,let the first order be1 that all heads and necks be held erect4 ,once these are placed in their right position1 all other parts of their bodies at once fall into place4 ,the simplest way to insure this is to direct that every head and neck be drawn horizontally back1 with the chin held about an inch above the level1 until they are an inch or two back of the vertical4 ,now raise the hands directly over the head1 and as high as possible1 until the thumbs touch1 the palms of the hands facing to the front1 and the elbows being kept straight4 ,now1 without bending the elbows1 bring the hands downward in front toward the feet as far as can comfortably be done1 generally at first about as low as the knee1 taking care to keep the knees themselves absolutely straight2 indeed1 if possible1 bowed even back4 ,now return the hands high over the head1 and then repeat1 say six times4 ,this number twice a day for the first week will prove enough2 and it may be increased to twelve the second week1 and maintained at that number thereafter1 care being taken to assure two things3 one1 that the knees are never bent2 the other that1 after the first week1 the hands are gradually brought lower down1 until they touch the toes4 ,some persons1 familiar with this exercise1 can1 with the knees perfectly firm and straight1 lay the whole flat of the hands on the floor in front of their feet4 ,but after the first week1 reaching the floor with the finger-tips is enough for the end sought1 which is1 namely1 to make the pupil stand straight on his feet1 and to remove all tendency toward holding the knees slightly bent1 and so causing that weak1 shaky1 and sprung look about the knees1 so very common among persons of all ages1 to give way to a proper and graceful position4 ,let the pupils now stand erect1 this time with backs not bent forward1 but with the body absolutely vertical4 ,raise the hands above the head as before1 elbows straight1 till the thumbs touch4 ,now1 never bending body or knees a hair's-breadth1 and keeping the elbows unbent1 bring the hands slowly down1 not in front this time1 but at the sides just above the knees1 the little finger and the inner edge of the hand alone touching the leg1 and the palms facing straight in front4 ,now notice how difficult it is to warp the shoulders forward even an inch4 ,the chest is out1 the head and neck are erect1 the shoulders are held low1 the back vertical and hollowed in a little1 and the knees straight4 ,carry the hands slowly back through the same line till again high over the head4 ,then bring them down to the sides again1 and do six of these movements twice each day the first week1 and twelve afterward4 ,while exercises aimed at any given muscles have been mentioned elsewhere1 any one might follow them all up until every muscle was shapely and strong1 and still carry himself awkwardly1 and even in a slouchy and slovenly manner4 ,this last-named exercise is directly intended to obviate this4 ,if steadily practised1 it is one of the very best known exercises1 as it not only gives strength1 but a fine1 erect carriage4 ,the whole frame is so held that every vital organ has free scope and play-room1 and their healthier and more vigorous action is directly encouraged4 ,this is one part1 indeed the chief exercise1 in the ,west ,pointer's setting-up drill2 and all who have ever seen the cadets at the ,point will at once recall how admirably they succeed in acquiring and retaining a handsome carriage and manly mien4 ,to vary the work a little1 and to bring special development to particular muscles1 now let the pupil stand with arms either hanging easily at the sides1 or else held akimbo1 the head and neck always erect1 with the heels about four inches apart1 and the toes turned outward4 ,raise the heels slowly off the floor1 the soles and toes remaining firm on the floor1 sustaining the entire weight4 ,when the heels are as high as possible1 hold them there a moment2 then lower slowly till the whole foot is on the floor again2 then rise as before1 and so repeat twelve times twice a day the first week1 and then twenty-five for the following week1 continuing this4 ,if this is not vigorous enough when fifty1 after the first month1 are tried1 it will be found that now this work is telling directly on the size1 shape1 and effectiveness of the feet and calves1 and on the grace and springiness of the step itself4 ,if any boy or girl wants to become a good jumper1 or to get decided aid in learning to dance long and easily1 he or she will find this a great help4 ,if they even practice it half an hour a day1 they will be none the worse for it4 ,all the work thus far recommended here can readily be done in two minutes4 ,standing erect1 with the arms still akimbo1 and the feet as before1 now bend the knees so as to stoop six or eight inches1 then rise to the perpendicular1 stoop again1 and continue this six times1 the feet never leaving the floor4 ,this strengthens the knees1 while the front of the thighs get the heaviest part of the work1 though the leg below the knee is doing a good share4 7,it is not unlike the exercise practised so assiduously by ,rowell on the tread-mill1 and which brought him such magnificent legs that he became champion pedestrian of the world47 ,by the third week the number may be made twenty-five4 ,if among the scholars there are some who are decidedly weak1 twenty-five of these exercises is about the limit4 ,for strong1 hearty boys1 twice as many will prove nearer the mark4 ,after two or three months of twenty-five movements as described for every day1 fifty might be tried once by all the pupils1 to see whether it is too severe1 and if not1 then maintained daily at the maximum4 ,thus far the feet have not left their particular position on the floor4 ,now let the pupil stand with the right foot advanced about twelve or fifteen inches1 suddenly rising on the toes1 give a slight spring1 and throw the left foot to the front1 and the right back2 then spring back as before1 and do this six times twice a day the first week1 to twelve the second1 and twice as many by the end of the month4 ,this calls the same muscles into play as the last exercise1 and brings the same development1 but is a little more severe and vigorous4 ,if still harder thigh-work is wanted1 starting again1 with the feet not over four inches apart1 this time do not raise the heels at all1 but stoop down slowly1 as low as possible1 bending the knees greatly1 of course1 the back1 however1 being held straight all the while4 ,then rise to an erect position1 then go down again4 ,practising this three times each morning and afternoon at first1 may be followed up with six a week later2 and twelve by the end of the month4 ,better work than this for quickly giving size and strength to the thighs could hardly be devised2 while1 as has been already noted1 scarcely any muscles on the whole body are more needed or used for ordinary walking4 ,still standing erect1 with arms akimbo1 raise the right foot in front about as high as the left knee1 keeping the right knee unbent4 ,hold the right foot there ten seconds2 then drop it2 then raise it again1 fully six times4 ,then1 standing1 do the same thing with the left foot4 ,this calls at once on the muscles across the abdomen1 aiding the stomach and other vital organs there directly in their work4 ,this time raise the foot equally high behind2 then return it to the floor and so continue1 giving each foot equal work to do4 ,the under thigh1 hip1 and loin are now in action2 and when1 later on1 they become strong1 their owner will find how much easier it is to run than it used to be1 and also that it has become more natural to stand erect4 ,the rate of increase of these last two exercises may be about the same as the others4 ,there is not much left now of the ten minutes4 ,still1 if the work has been pushed promptly forward1 there may still be a little time4 ,however1 all three of the kinds of work suggested for the front thigh need not be practised at the one recess1 any one sufficing at first4 ,with head and neck again erect1 and knees firm1 hold the hands out at the sides and at arm's-length1 and clasp the hands firmly together1 as though trying to squeeze a rubber ball or other elastic substance4 ,beginning with twenty of these movements1 fifty may be accomplished by the end of the fortnight2 and by their continuance both the grip and the shape of the hand will be found steadily improving4 ,clasp the hands together over the head4 ,now turn them over until the palms are upward1 or turned toward the ceiling1 and straighten the elbows until the hands are as high over the head as you can reach4 ,while holding them in this position1 be careful that they are not allowed to drop at all4 ,let the scholar march three or four times around the room in this position4 ,it will soon be found that no apparatus whatever is necessary to get quite a large amount of exercise for the corners of the shoulders4 ,in this way1 while there is an unwonted stretching apart of the ribs1 and opening up of the chest1 the drawing in of the stomach and abdomen will be found to correct incipient chest weakness1 half-breathing1 and any tendency toward indigestion4 ,following up the method1 now let the class form around the side of the room1 standing three feet apart1 and about two feet from the wall4 ,place the hands against the wall1 just at a level with and opposite to the shoulders4 ,now1 keeping the heels all the time on the floor1 let the body settle gradually forward until the chest touches the wall1 keeping the elbows pretty near to the sides1 the knees never bending a particle1 and the face held upturned1 the eyes looking at the ceiling directly overhead4 ,now push sharply off from the wall until the elbows are again straight1 and the body back at vertical4 ,then repeat this1 and continue six times for each half of the day for the first week4 ,keep on until you reach fifteen by the third week1 and twenty-five by the second month4 ,for expanding and deepening the chest1 helping to poise the head and neck so that they will remain exactly where they belong--in an erect position--and for giving the main part of the upper back-arm quite a difficult piece of work to do1 this will prove a capital exercise4 ,whoever will make a specialty of this one form of exercise until they daily take two or even three hundred such pushes1 will find that any tendency he or she may have to flatness or hollowness of chest will soon begin to decrease1 and will very likely disappear altogether4 ,in this last exercise most of the weight was on the feet1 the hands and arms sustaining the rest4 ,if the aisles are not over two feet and a half wide1 let each pupil stand between two opposite desks and place one hand on each4 ,now1 walking back about three or four feet1 his hands still resting on the two desks1 let him1 keeping his body rigid and knees unbent1 bend his elbows and lower his chest very gradually until it is nearly or quite level with the desk tops1 then slowly straighten up his arms1 and so raise his body again to the original position4 ,three such dips twice a day the first week1 five or six the second1 and by the end of the month ten or twelve1 and that number then maintained steadily1 will open and enlarge the chest materially before the year is out1 while at the same time doing much to increase and strengthen the upper back-arm4 ,this is harder work than pushing against the wall1 because the hands and arms now have to sustain a much greater portion of the weight of the body1 but it is correspondingly better for the chest4 ,thus far exercises have been described calling for no apparatus at all1 nor anything save a floor to stand on1 a wall to push against1 two ordinary school desks1 and a fair degree of resolution4 ,for children under ten1 wooden dumb-bells1 weighing one pound each1 ought to be had of any wood-turner1 and ought not to cost over five cents apiece4 ,there might be one pair of dumb-bells given to each child1 or1 if the class is large1 then a single dumb-bell for each1 and they could be distributed among two classes for dumb-bell exercises4 ,standing in the aisles1 and about five feet apart1 every child taking a dumb-bell in each hand1 keeping the knees unbent and the head and neck erect1 let them raise or curl the bells slowly until they are up to the shoulders1 the finger-nails being held upward4 ,then lower1 then raise again1 and so on ten or twelve times each half-day for the first fortnight1 and double that many thereafter4 ,this tells principally on the biceps or front of the upper arm1 on the front of the shoulder1 and on the pectoral muscles1 or those of the upper front chest4 ,when1 later on1 any pupil endeavors to pull himself up to his chin1 he will find what a large share of the work these muscles have to do4 ,instead of the one-pound dumb-bells then1 his whole body will be the weight to be lifted4 ,again1 let the dumb-bells hang at the sides4 ,raise them slowly1 high up1 behind the back1 keeping the elbows straight and the arms parallel4 ,after holding them there five seconds lower them2 do it again1 and keep on1 ten times twice a day at first1 making it twenty in a fortnight1 and thirty thereafter4 ,this work will enlarge that part of the back of the upper arm next to the body1 and will also tell directly on the whole back of the shoulder1 and on the large muscles on the back just below where the arm joins it4 ,this time1 holding the knuckles upward and the elbows straight1 lift the dumb-bells till level with the shoulders1 the arms being extended sideways as if on a cross4 ,after holding them up five seconds1 lower them2 then raise them but five or six times at the first lesson1 increasing to twenty by the end of the month1 and then maintaining that number4 ,the corners of the shoulders are getting the work now1 and by-and-by not only shapely shoulders will come from it1 but a noticeable increase of the breadth across the shoulders4 ,this work may be varied by raising the arms parallel in front until level with the shoulders1 then lowering1 and so continuing4 ,next raise the two bells to the shoulders2 then1 facing the ceiling1 push both up together until they are as high over the head as possible2 then lower1 push up again1 and continue six times twice a day for the first week2 make the twelve the third week and the twenty of the fifth1 and then keep at that4 ,the outer or more noticeable parts of the upper back1 the arms1 are busiest now2 and this exercise directly tends to enlarge and strengthen them1 and to add materially to the appearance of the arms4 ,but one exercise more need be mentioned here4 ,stand erect2 now draw the head and neck back of the vertical all of eight inches1 until you face the ceiling4 ,starting with the dumb-bells high up over the head1 keeping the elbows straight1 lower the dumb-bells slowly1 until now you are holding them at arm's-length1 with your arms spread1 as on a cross4 ,then lift them up again1 lower1 and continue4 ,if this does not spread the chest open1 it will be hard to find anything which will4 ,do this consecutively twenty times every day for a month4 ,that number will take scarcely a minute to accomplish1 but the little one-pound bells will feel wondrously heavy before the minute is over4 ,here1 then1 have been shown quite a variety of exercises1 not only safe and simple but inexpensive1 which can readily be adopted in any school4 ,if they are followed up as faithfully and steadily as are the other lessons1 they cannot fail to bring decided and very welcome improvement in the shape and capacity of all the muscles1 and hence of the whole body1 while it will go far toward giving to all the scholars an erect and healthy carriage4 ,these results alone would delight many a parent's heart4 ,the making this branch of instruction as compulsory as any other would soon accustom the pupil to look for it as matter of course4 ,if it were conducted with spirit1 it would always be sure to prove interesting1 and very likely to send the children back to their studies much fresher and brighter for the temporary mental rest4 ,besides these exercises1 the teacher1 insisting on the value of an erect position in school hours1 whether the pupil be standing or sitting1 and by inculcating the value of this1 would soon find that these efforts were being rewarded by making many a crooked girl or boy straight1 and so lessening their chance of having either delicate throats or weak lungs4 ,care should be taken that the school chairs have broad and comfortable seats1 and that the pupil never sits on a half of the seat or on the edge of it1 but far back1 and on the whole of it4 ,this apparently small matter will assist marvellously in forming the habit of an erect position while sitting4 ,some twenty years ago a ,mrs4 ,carman1 of ,boston1 devised a chair-back which should just fit the hollow of the back when the back was held erect1 as it should be4 ,this simple contrivance greatly encouraged a good position in sitting1 and could well be made a part of the standard chair in our schools4 ,a pad of the right shape1 hung on the back of the chair1 would effect the same object4 ,the teacher's opportunity to work marked and permanent physical benefit to every pupil under her charge1 by daily and steadily following up most or either of the above exercises1 or of some substantially equivalent1 can scarcely be over-estimated4 ,the exercises strengthen the postures1 whether sitting or standing4 ,when a teacher insists on having her children erect for six hours out of the twenty-four1 and makes plain to each one the value of being straight1 and the self-respect it tends directly to encourage1 there need be no great fear that the remaining waking hours will make any child crooked4 ,it is in school generally that the mischief of warping and crooking is done2 and hence there1 of all places1 would be the most appropriate place for the undoing of it4 ,dumb-bells of but a pound each have been mentioned here so far4 ,such would be fitting for pupils under ten years of age4 ,for all older pupils the same work with two-pound bells will prove generally vigorous enough2 and whoever wishes to judge what these light weights can do in a short time should examine the results of ,dr4 ,sargent's exercises with them and other light apparatus at ,bowdoin ,college 7see ,appendix ,,ii474 ,those who are already decidedly strong can of course try larger bells2 but it is astonishing how soon those of only two pounds seem to grow heavy1 even to those who laugh at them at first4 ,of course1 all the work before described cannot be gone through with in ten minutes in mid-morning1 or even in the twenty of the morning and afternoon sessions combined2 but much of it can3 and an advantage of naming too much is that it enables the teacher to vary the work from day to day1 and so1 while effecting the same results1 prevents anything like monotony4 ,as the months go by1 and it is found that the weaker ones have noticeably improved1 and all are now capable of creditable performances at these various exercises1 they may be carried safely on to the gymnasium--that is1 if the school is fortunate enough to possess one4 ,it is but a partially equipped school which is not provided with a good-sized1 well-ventilated room1 say of forty or fifty feet square 7and one fifty by a hundred would do far better71 fitted up with the simpler gymnastic appliances4 ,now the teacher1 if up to his work1 can render even more valuable assistance than before1 by standing by the pupil1 as he or she attempts the simplest steps on the parallel bars1 or the rings1 or the high bars1 the pulley-weights1 or the horizontal bar2 constant explanations are to be given how to advance1 and setting the example1 detecting defects and correcting them on the spot1 and all the while being ready to catch the pupil and prevent him or her from falling4 ,an instructor soon finds that the pupils progress as rapidly as they did in the lighter preparatory work1 while now they are entering on a field which1 if faithfully cultivated1 though for only the same brief intervals daily1 will later on insure a class of strong1 healthy1 shapely1 and symmetrical boys or girls1 strong of arm and fleet of foot1 familiar with what they can do1 and knowing what is not to be attempted4 ,much1 indeed the greater part1 of the good to be derived from the gymnasium would have come from steadily adhering to the exercises above pointed out1 so that even with no gymnasium excellent progress can be had2 but results come quicker in the gymnasium1 and the place invites greater freedom of action4 ,in ten minutes in the morning1 for instance1 thirty or forty boys or girls could1 following one another promptly1 walk 7on their hands7 through the parallel bars with the elbows unbent1 the head of the line crossing at once to the high bars1 and walk or advance through them1 first holding the weight on one hand and then on the other1 then turning to the horizontal bar and vaulting over it4 ,if the rear of the line is not yet through the forward walk on the parallels1 those at the head could take a swing on the rings4 ,next1 they could walk backward through the parallels1 then through the high bars2 then vault again1 swing again1 and then try the parallels anew--this time jumping forward1 or advancing both hands at once1 the arms of course being held rigidly straight4 ,then turning to the high bars1 they could jump or advance through them1 springing forward with both hands at once1 vault again1 the bar having meanwhile been raised1 and either try the rings again or rest a moment1 and then jump backward through the high bars4 ,a little foot-work1 for a minute or two remaining1 would make a good conclusion4 ,with the hands closed and elbows bent1 the body and arms held almost rigid1 the neck well back1 and the head up1 let the column now start off around the room on an easy trot1 each stepping as noiselessly as possible1 and no heel touching the floor4 ,a minute of this at a lively pace will be abundant at first2 and as the legs gradually get strong1 and the breathing improves1 the run can be either made faster or longer1 or both4 ,as the pupils began to grow steadier1 with their hands on the bars they could next swing their feet back and forth1 and jump with their hands as they swing forward2 then1 later1 could jump forward as the feet are swung backward1 and backward as the feet are swung forward4 ,the vaulting-bar for the boys meanwhile may steadily rise1 peg after peg2 and1 when proficiency is reached with two hands1 one-hand vaulting may be tried1 and the bar gradually raised as before1 the teacher always standing near the vaulter4 ,the swinging on the rings1 instead of being any longer simple straight-arm work1 with the body hanging nearly down1 can now be done with the elbows bent much of the time1 the knees being curled up toward the chin as the swinger goes backward4 ,after two months of straight-arm work on the parallel bars1 even the girls may now try the same exercises they did with their arms when straight1 save that now they should always keep them bent at the elbows4 ,this will come hard even yet1 and must be tried with care4 ,these are the well-known dips1 followed up little by little1 and month after month4 ,by-and-by these exercises will come as easy as was the straight-arm work4 ,to all1 or nearly all1 the high bar work should now be done with bent elbows1 while the vaulting should1 say by the end of the year1 be nearly at shoulder height for each pupil1 and even1 for many of them1 that high with one hand4 ,the running should have improved correspondingly1 so that five minutes of it at a respectable pace1 say at the rate of a mile in seven minutes1 would not trouble the girls1 and even ten minutes of it not distress the boys4 ,now1 what have these few exercises done for the muscles and their owners8 ,well1 the straight-arm work on the parallels1 by throwing the whole weight on the hands1 told directly on the upper back-arm1 while the dips brought the same region into most vigorous action1 and at the same time opened and strengthened the front of the chest very markedly1 tending to set the shoulders back1 and enlarging the chest1 and hence the lung-room as well4 ,the high-bar work told equally upon the biceps muscles1 or those of the front of the upper arm1 and likewise on the front of the shoulders4 ,the vaulting made the vaulter springy1 and strengthened his thighs and calves materially1 and his abdominal muscles somewhat1 while the more advanced work on the rings brought both the biceps and abdominal muscles into most energetic play4 ,the running was excellent for the entire legs and the abdominals1 while as a lung-expander it is difficult to equal4 ,those proficient at these few exercises1 if they have heeded the endeavors made to secure at all times an erect and easy carriage of the body1 need but one more thing4 ,with regular and sensible habits of eating1 sleeping1 dressing1 and bathing1 they would be almost certain to be at once well and strong4 ,the thing wanted is daily constitutional out-of-doors exercise2 whether taken afoot1 on horseback1 or at the oar1 it matters little1 so long as it is vigorously taken and faithfully persisted in1 in all weathers4 ,this guarantees that pure and bracing air shall be had1 breaks up the thread of the day's thoughts1 rests the mind1 and quickly refits it for new work4 ,this alone gives the full deep breathing1 and the healthy tire of the muscles4 ,it furnishes constantly varying scene1 with needed eye and ear gymnastics--in short1 everything which is the reverse of that quiet1 sedentary1 plodding life over books or papers1 read too often in poorly lighted offices4 ,home exercise1 then1 with the out-of-door life1 will combine to tone us up1 to invigorate our persons1 and to keep off either mental or physical exhaustion and disorder4 ,the above work1 followed up assiduously1 ought to bring in its train health1 symmetry1 a good carriage1 buoyant spirits1 and a fair share of nerve and agility4 ,but many a young man is not content with merely these2 he wants to be very strong4 ,he is already at or near his majority4 ,he is quite strong1 perhaps1 in some ways1 but in others is plainly deficient4 ,what ought he to do8 ,daily ,exercise for ,young ,men4 ,on rising1 let him stand erect1 brace his chest firmly out1 and1 breathing deeply1 curl dumb-bells 7each of about one-fifteenth of his own weight7 fifty times without stopping4 ,this is biceps work enough for the early morning4 ,then1 placing the bells on the floor at his feet1 and bending his knees a little1 and his arms none at all1 rise to an upright position with them fifty times4 ,the loins and back have had their turn now4 ,after another minute's rest1 standing erect1 let him lift the bells fifty times as far up and out behind him as he can1 keeping elbows straight1 and taking care1 when the bells reach the highest point behind1 to hold them still there a moment4 ,now the under side of his arms1 and about the whole of the upper back1 have had their work4 ,next1 starting with the bells at the shoulders1 push them up high over the head1 and lower fifty times continuously4 ,now the outer part of the upper arms1 the corners of the shoulders1 and the waist have all had active duty4 ,finally1 after another minute's rest1 start with the bells high over the head1 and lower slowly until the arms are in about the position they would be on a cross1 the elbows being always kept unbent4 ,raise the bells to height again1 then lower1 and so continue until you have done ten1 care being taken to hold the head six or more inches back of the perpendicular1 and to steadily face the ceiling directly overhead1 while the chest is swelled out to its uttermost4 ,rest half a minute after doing ten1 then do ten more1 and so on till you have accomplished fifty4 ,this last exercise is one of the best-known chest-expanders4 ,now that these five sorts of work are over1 few muscles above the waist have not had vigorous and ample work1 the lungs themselves have had a splendid stretch1 and you have not spent over fifteen minutes on the whole operation4 ,if you want to add a little hand and forearm work1 catch a broom-stick or stout cane at or near the middle1 and1 holding it at arm's-length1 twist it rapidly from side to side a hundred times with one hand1 and then with the other4 ,in the late afternoon a five-mile walk on the road1 at a four-mile pace1 with the step inclined to be short1 the knees bent but little1 and the foot pushing harder than usual as it leaves the ground--this will be found to bring the legs and loins no inconsiderable exercise2 all1 in fact1 that they will probably need4 ,if1 shortly before bedtime each evening1 the youth1 after he has been working as above1 say for a month1 will1 in light clothes and any old and easy shoes1 run a mile in about seven minutes and a half1 and1 a little later1 under the seven minutes1 or1 three nights a week1 make the distance two miles each night1 there will soon be a life and vigor in his legs which used to be unknown2 and if six months of this work brings a whole inch more on thigh and calf1 it is only what might have been expected4 ,for still more rapid and decided advance1 an hour at the gymnasium during the latter part of the morning1 half of it at the rowing-weights1 so thickening and stoutening the back1 and the other half at dipping and other half-arm work on the parallel bars--so spreading and enlarging the chest and stoutening the back-arms--these will increase the development rapidly1 and will sharpen the appetite at a corresponding rate4 ,but it must be real work1 and no dawdling or time lost4 ,few young men in any active employment1 however1 can spare this morning hour4 ,still1 without it1 if they will follow up the before-breakfast work1 the walking in the fashion named1 and the running1 they will soon find time enough for this much1 and most satisfactory results in the way of improved health and increased strength as well4 ,indeed1 it will for most young men prove about the right amount to keep them toned up and ready for their day's work4 ,if they desire great development in any special line1 let them select some of the exercises described in the previous chapter1 as aimed to effect such development1 and practice them as assiduously1 if need be1 as ,rowell did his tread-mill work for his legs4 ,daily ,exercise for ,women4 ,and what should the girls and women do each day8 ,with two-pound wooden dumb-bells at first1 let them1 before breakfast1 go through twenty-five movements of each of the five sorts just described for young men4 ,after six weeks or two months they can increase the number to fifty1 and1 if this does not bring the desired increase in size1 and strength of arm and chest and back1 then they can try dumb-bells weighing four or five pounds each4 ,out-of-doors1 either in the latter part of the morning or afternoon1 if they will1 in broad1 easy shoes1 walk for one hour1 not at any listless two-mile pace1 but at first as fast as they comfortably can1 and then gradually increasing until in a fortnight or more they can make sure of three miles and a half at least1 if not of four miles within the hour1 and will observe the way of stepping just suggested to the men1 they will get about walking enough4 ,and if once in awhile1 every ,saturday1 for instance1 they make the walk all of five or six miles1 getting1 if city ladies1 quite out into the suburbs and back1 they will be surprised and gratified at the greater ease with which they can walk now than formerly1 and at their freshness at the end4 ,recent reports from ,india say that ,english ladies there often spend two or three hours daily in the saddle4 ,every ,american lady who can manage to ride that much1 or half of it1 and at a strong1 brisk pace1 will soon have a health and vigor almost unknown among our women and girls to-day4 ,if walking and horseback parties1 instead of being1 as now1 well-nigh unheard of among our girls1 were every-day affairs1 and there was not a point of interest within ten miles which every girl1 and woman too1 did not know well1 it would prove a benefit both to them and to the next generation which would be almost incalculable4 ,girls should also learn to run4 ,few of them are either easy or graceful runners2 but it is an accomplishment quickly learned2 and begun at a short distance and slow jog1 and continued until the girl thinks nothing of running a mile in seven minutes1 and that without once touching a heel to the ground1 it will do more than almost any other known exercise to make her graceful and easy on her feet1 and also to enlarge and strengthen her lungs4 ,a roomy school-yard1 a bit of lawn1 or a gymnasium-track1 either of these is all the place needed in which to learn this now almost obsolete accomplishment4 ,the gymnasium is perhaps the best place1 as there they can wear costumes which do not impede freedom of movement4 ,if besides these things the girl or woman will determine that1 as much as possible of the time each day in which she is sitting down1 she will sit with head and neck up1 trunk erect1 and with shoulders low1 and that whenever she stands or walks she will at all times be upright1 she will shortly find that she is getting to be far straighter than she was1 and1 if she has a larger and finer chest than formerly1 it will be nothing strange1 for she has simply been using one of the means to get it4 ,if a still greater variety of daily work is desired1 she can select it from ,chapter ,,xii42 the exercises on the pulley-weights and on the apparatus sketched in ,fig4 #h being especially desirable4 ,daily ,exercise for ,business ,men4 ,and what daily work shall the business man take8 ,his aim is not to lay on muscle1 not to become equal to this or that athletic feat1 but simply to so exercise as to keep his entire physical and mental machinery in good working order1 and himself equal to all demands likely to be made on him4 ,first he1 like the young man or the woman1 should make sure of the ten or fifteen minutes' work before breakfast4 ,not through the long day again will he be likely to have another good opportunity for physical exercise1 at least until evening1 and then he will plead that he is too tired4 ,but in the early morning1 fresh and rested1 and with a few minutes at his disposal1 he can1 as ,bryant did1 without serious or violent effort1 work himself great benefit1 the good effect of which will stay by him all the day4 ,if he has in his room the few bits of apparatus suggested in the chapter on ,home ,gymnasiums1 he will be better off than ,bryant was1 in that he can have a far wider range of exercise1 and that all ready at hand4 ,let him first devote two or three minutes to the striking-bag4 ,facing it squarely1 with head back and chest well out1 let him strike it a succession of vigorous blows1 with left and right fists alternating1 until he has done a hundred in all4 ,if he has hit hard and with spirit1 he is puffing freely now1 his lungs are fully expanded1 his legs have had a deal of springing about to do1 and his arms and chest have been busiest of all4 ,this bag-work is really superb exercise1 and if once or twice1 later in the day1 say at one's place of business1 or at home again in the evening1 he would take some more of it1 he would find fret1 discomfort1 and indigestion flying to the winds1 and in their place buoyancy and exhilaration of spirits to which too many men have long been strangers4 ,next grasp the handles in ,fig4 #h and bear downward1 as described on page #bdi4 ,repeat this work for about two minutes1 standing all the time thoroughly erect4 ,whether the sparring left any part of your chest unfilled or not1 every air-cell is expanded now1 while you cannot fail to be pleased with the thorough way in which this simple contrivance does its work4 ,care should of course be taken that the air breathed during these exercises is pure and fresh4 ,now use the dumb-bells two or three minutes4 ,let them weigh not over one twenty-fifth of your own weight4 ,first1 with head and neck a trifle back of vertical1 and the chest held out as full as possible1 curl the bells1 or lift them from down at arm's-length until you have drawn them close up to the shoulders1 the finger-nails being turned upward4 ,lower again and repeat until you have done twenty-five1 the chest being always out4 ,the biceps muscles1 or those of the front upper arm1 and of the front of the shoulders and chest1 have been busy now4 ,next1 starting with the bells at your shoulders1 push both at once steadily up over your head as high as you can reach1 and continue till twenty-five are accomplished4 ,the back-arms1 corners of the shoulders1 and the waist have now had their turn4 ,facing the pulley-weights 7,fig4 #d71 and standing about two feet from them1 catch a handle in each hand4 ,keeping the elbows stiff1 draw first one hand and then the other in a horizontal line until your hand is about eighteen inches behind you1 the body and legs being at all times held rigidly erect1 and the chest well out4 ,continue this until you have done fifty strokes with each hand4 ,this is excellent for the back of the shoulders--indeed for nearly the entire back above the waist4 ,again1 with back to the pulley-weights1 hold the handles high over the head1 and leaning forward about a foot1 keeping the elbows unbent1 bear the handles directly downward in front of you1 and so do twenty-five4 ,besides these few things1 or most of them1 put the bar 7,fig4 #c7 in the upper place1 and1 catching it with both hands1 just swing back and forth1 at first for half a minute1 afterward longer1 always holding the head well back4 ,this is capital at stretching the ribs apart and expanding the chest4 ,if the above exercises seem too hard at first1 begin with half as much1 or even less1 and work gradually up until the number named can be easily done4 ,if1 once in mid-morning and again in mid-afternoon1 the man1 right in his store or office1 will turn for two or three minutes to his dumb-bells1 and repeat what he did with his home pair in the morning1 he will find the rest and change most refreshing4 ,but in any case1 whether he does so or not1 every man in this country whose life is in-door ought to so divide his time that1 come what may1 he will make sure of his hour out-of-doors in the late afternoon1 when the day's work is nearly or quite done4 ,if he must get up earlier1 or get to his work earlier1 or work faster while he does work1 no matter4 ,the prize is well worth any such sacrifice1 and even five times it4 ,emerson well says1 ,the first wealth is health1 and no pains should be spared to secure it4 ,lose it awhile and see4 ,exercise vigorously that hour afoot1 or horseback1 or on the water1 making sure that during it you utterly ignore your business and usual thoughts4 ,walk less at first1 but soon do your four miles in the hour1 and then stick to that1 of course having shoes in which it is easy to walk1 and before long the good appetite of boyhood will return1 food taste as it often has not done for years1 sound sleep will be surer1 and new life and zest will be infused into all that you do4 ,let every man in this country who lives by brain-work get this daily constitutional at all hazards1 and it will do more to secure to him future years of health and usefulness than almost anything else he can do4 ,it will be observed that there is nothing severe or violent in any of these exercises suggested for men--nothing that old or young may not take with like advantage4 ,the whole idea is to point out a plain and simple plan of exercise1 which1 followed up faithfully1 will make sound health almost certain1 and which is easily within the reach of all4 ,daily ,exercise for ,consumptives4 ,and what should these people do8 ,if there is one good lung left1 or a goodly portion of two1 there is much which they can do4 ,before breakfast they need to be more careful than others because of their poorer circulation4 ,still1 in a warm and comfortable room they can work to advantage even then4 ,in most instances consumptives have not large enough chests4 ,stripped to the waist1 there is found to be a flatness of the upper chest1 a lack of depth straight through from breastbone to spine2 and the girth about the chest itself1 and especially at the lower part of it1 is often two or more inches less than it is in a well-built person of the same height4 ,now1 to weed out these defects1 to swell up and enlarge the chest1 and bring it proper breadth1 and depth1 and fulness1 this will go far toward insuring healthy and vigorous lungs4 ,and how is this done8 ,standing under the handles in an appliance like that represented in ,fig4 #h1 holding the body rigidly erect1 the chest out1 the knees and elbows unbent1 bear the two handles downward on either side of you until the hands are as if extended on a cross1 using only very light weights at first4 ,lower the weights again1 then bear down again1 and so do ten4 ,just as you bear down each time1 inflate the lungs to their utmost1 and hold the air in them until you have lowered the weights again4 ,rest about a minute1 then do ten more1 and a little later ten more4 ,this will be enough before breakfast work the first week4 ,at breakfast1 and whenever sitting down throughout the day1 determine to do two things--to sit far back on your chair1 and to sit at all times upright4 ,no matter how many times you forget or fail1 even if a thousand1 keep trying until the erect posture becomes habitual4 ,this point once reached1 you have accomplished a great thing--one which may aid not a little to save your life4 ,next1 about an hour after breakfast1 start out for an easy walk4 ,going quietly at first1 the head held1 if anything1 back of the vertical1 and the step short and springy2 quicken later into a lively pace1 and1 holding that as long as you comfortably can1 return to your room4 ,if your skin is moist1 do not hesitate a minute1 but strip at once1 and with coarse towels rub your skin till it is thoroughly red all over1 and then put on dry under-clothing4 ,if you then feel like taking a nap1 take it4 ,when well rested1 do thirty more strokes at the pulley-weights4 ,in the afternoon try more walking1 or some horseback work if you can get a steed with any dash in him4 ,after you are through1 then more weight work4 ,finally1 just before retiring1 take another turn at the weights4 ,after the first week run the weight work up to fifty at a time1 and increase the out-door distance covered both morning and afternoon1 being sure to go in all weathers1 and to eat and sleep all you comfortably can4 ,vary the in-door work also somewhat4 ,in addition to the exercise on ,fig4 #h1 practice now an equal number of strokes daily on the appliance described as ,fig4 #i1 and in the fashion described on page #bdi4 ,after the first fortnight try hanging by the two hands on the horizontal bar and swinging lightly back and forth4 ,before breakfast1 before dinner1 before supper1 and just before retiring1 take a turn at this swinging4 ,of it1 and the work on the two sorts of pulley-weights1 a weak-lunged person can scarcely do enough4 ,these open the ribs apart1 broaden and deepen the chest1 and inflate the lungs--the very things the consumptive needs4 ,the out-door work secures him or her ample good air1 vigorous exercise1 and frequent change of scene4 ,on the value of this good air1 or rather of the danger of bad air1 hear ,langenbeck1 the great ,german anatomist3 ,i am sure now of what ,i suspected long ago1 viz41 that pulmonary diseases have very little to do with intemperance1 99 99 99 and much less with cold weather1 but are nearly exclusively 7if we except tuberculous tendencies inherited from both parents1 ,i say quite exclusively7 produced by the breathing of foul air4 ,this out-door work should also be steadily increased until the half-hour's listless walk at first becomes six or eight miles before dinner1 and as much more before supper4 ,from breakfast to supper one can hardly be exercising out-of-doors too much2 and steadily calling on the heart and lungs in these very favorable ways1 increased vigor and power are only what might have reasonably been looked for4 ,as the months roll on1 and this steady work1 directed right to the weak spots1 has strengthened and toughened you1 now put larger weights on the ,fig4 #h appliance1 and also increase the number of strokes until you do a thousand or even two thousand daily--head and body always being held erect1 and full breathing a constant accompaniment4 ,this making a specialty of these chest-expanding exercises1 none of which are severe or violent1 but which are still vigorous enough1 and the abundance of healthy and active out-door life1 are sure to bring good fruits in this battle where the stake is no less than one's own life4 ,they are rational and vigorous means1 aimed directly at the weak part1 and1 with good air1 good food1 cheerful friends1 and ample sleep1 will often work marvels1 where the filling the stomach with a whole apothecary shop of nauseous oils and other medicines has wholly failed to bring the relief sought4 ,these exercises taken by a man already healthy at once tone him up and invigorate him1 until he begins to have something of the feeling of the sturdy pioneer1 as described by ,dr4 ,mitchell4,p ,and if the delicate person tries the same means1 using them judiciously and carefully1 it is but natural that he should find similar results4 ,some years ago ,dr4 ,g----1 of ,boston1 showed us a photograph of himself taken several years previously4 ,the shoulders were warped forward1 the chest looked flat1 almost hollow1 and the face and general appearance suggested a delicate man4 ,he said he inclined to be consumptive4 ,well1 by practising breathing1 not on an ordinary blowing-machine1 where you empty your lungs of about all that is in them1 but on an inspirometer1 from which instead you inhale every inch of air you can1 and by practising vigorous working of his diaphragm1 he had so expanded his lungs that he could inhale three hundred and eighty cubic inches of air at one breath6 ,certainly the depth of his chest at the later period was something astounding1 it being1 as nearly as we could judge without calipers1 all of fourteen inches through1 directly from breastbone to spine1 while it was a strikingly broad chest as well4 ,but an even more astonishing feature was the tremendous power of his voice4 ,he said that at the end of half an hour's public singing with the opera singers 7for he was skilled at that71 while they would be hot and perspiring he was only just warming up and getting ready for his work4 ,one thing all who ever heard him sing would quickly concede1 namely1 that seldom had they anywhere heard so immense a voice as his4 ,he said that he had also run two blocks in one breath4 ,he looked about the farthest remove from a consumptive--a short1 stout1 fat man1 rather4 ,now the in-door chest work above recommended1 and the steady and vigorous daily out-door work1 all aiming to deepen and strengthen the lungs1 are well-nigh sure to bring decidedly favorable results2 while the doctor's habit of frequent1 deep1 and slow inhaling1 cannot fail to work great good1 and can hardly be practised enough4 ,after he of weak lungs has once built them up again and regained the former vigor1 he should not only be sure of his daily in-door exercise and of his constitutional1 but of a longer outing daily than a stronger man would need4 ,president ,day1 of ,yale1 said to have been a consumptive at seventeen1 by good care of his body lived to be ninety-five1 and it is far from uncommon for delicate persons1 who take good care of the small stock of vigor they have1 to outlive sturdier ones who are more prodigal and careless4 ,,footnotes3 ,p ,see page #gg4 ,,appendix ,i4 ,showing the average state of the development of #bjj men upon entering the ,bowdoin ,college ,gymnasium1 from the classes of '#gc1 '#gd1 '#ge1 '#gf1 and '#gg4 ---------------------------------------- --------- ,age #ah4c years4 ---------------------------------------- -------- ,height #e ft4 #h in4 #fg4igd in4 ,weight #ace lbs4 #acd4iha lbs4 ,chest 7inflated47 #ce in4 #ce4jfg in4 ,chest 7contracted7 #cb-a_/d in4 #cb4bi in4 ,forearm #aj in4 #aj4jc in4 ,upper arm 7flexed7 #aa in4 #aj4ifj in4 ,shoulders 7width7 #ae-a_/b in4 #ae4fjb in4 ,hips #ca-a_/b in4 #ca4dge in4 ,thigh #ai-a_/b in4 #ai4fab in4 ,calf #ab-a_/b in4 #ab4gbi in4 ---------------------------------------- -------- ,,appendix ,,ii4 ,showing the average state of the growth and development of the same number of men 7#bjj7 after having practised in the ,bowdoin ,gymnasium half an hour a day four times a week1 for a period of six months1 under ,dr4 ,sargent4 ---------------------------------------- ------------ ,height #e ft4 #h-a_/d in4 #fh4bed in4 ,weight #acg lbs4 #acg4abc lbs4 ,chest 7inflated7 #cf-c_/d in4 #cf4hbi in4 ,chest 7contracted7 #cc in4 #cc4bjf in4 ,forearm #aj-c_/d in4 #aj4gfj in4 ,upper arm 7flexed7 #ab in4 #aa4ijc in4 ,shoulders 7width7 #af-a_/d in4 #af4bfj in4 ,hips #cc-c_/d in4 #cc4hge in4 ,thigh #ba in4 #bj4ifd in4 ,calf #ac-a_/d in4 #ac4bcb in4 ---------------------------------------- ------------ ,in this case the apparatus used was light dumb-bells1 #b-a_/b lbs42 ,indian clubs1 #c-a_/b lbs42 pulley-weights1 from #aj to #ae lbs4 ,,appendix ,,iii4 ,showing average increase of #bjj students at ,bowdoin ,college1 in various measurements1 after working but half an hour a day four times a week1 for six months1 under ,dr4 ,sargent4 ---------------------------------------- ----------- ,average increase in height #a_/d in4 ,average increase in weight #b lbs4 ,average increase of chest 7contracted7 #c_/d in4 ,average increase of chest 7inflated7 #a-c_/d in4 ,average increase of girth of forearm #c_/d in4 ,average increase of girth of upper arm #a in4 ,average increase of width of shoulders #c_/d in4 ,average increase of girth of hips #b-a_/d in4 ,average increase of girth of thigh #a-a_/b in4 ,average increase of girth of calf #c_/d in4 ---------------------------------------- ----------- ,,appendix ,,iv4 ,showing the effect of four hours' exercise a week for one year upon a youth of #ai1 at ,bowdoin ,college1 under ,dr4 ,sargent's direction4 ,this was two hours' work more each week than was required of the regular classes4 ---------------------------------------- ------------------ ,s----4 ,date ,nov41 '#gc ,nov41 '#gd ,increase ---------------------------------------- ------------------ ,age4 ,yrs4 #ai #bj ,height4 ,ft4 ,in4 #e #h #e #i #a ,weight4 ,lbs4 #ade #afj #ae ,chest 7inflat474 ,in4 #cf-a_/b #dj #c-a_/b ,chest 7cont474 ,in4 #cc-a_/b #cd-a_/d #c_/d ,forearm4 ,in4 #aj-a_/d #aa #c_/d ,upper arm4 ,in4 #ab-a_/d #ac-c_/d #a-a_/b ,shoulders4 ,in4 #ae-c_/d #ag #a-a_/d ,hips4 ,in4 #ce #cf-a_/b #a-a_/b ,thight4 ,in4 #ai-c_/d #bb #b-a_/d ,calf4 ,in4 #ac-a_/b #ae #a-a_/b ---------------------------------------- ------------------ ,,appendix ,v4 ,taken from ,maclaren's ,physical ,education4 ,showing effect of four months and twelve days' exercise1 under his system1 on fifteen youths ranging from #af to #ai years of age4 ,,return ,,of ,,course ,,of ,,gymnastic ,,training ,,at ,,the ,,royal ,,military ,,academy1 ,,woolwich1 ,,from ,,feb4 #aj,,th1 #ahfc1 ,,to ,,june #bb;,d1 #ahfc4 ---------------------------------------- --------------- ,,measurements1 ,,etc4 ---------------------------------------- ---------- ,no4 ,age4 ,height4 ,weight4 ,chest4 ,forearm4 ,upper arm4 ---------------------------------------- ---------- ,yrs4 ,ft4 ,in4 ,st4 ,lbs4 ,in4 ,in4 ,in4 #a #ah #e #a-a_/d #g #h #bi-a_/b #i-a_/b #h-c_/d #e #b-a_/d #g #h #cj #i-a_/b #i-a_/b #b #ai #e #h-a_/b #i #e-a_/b #bh #aa #aj-a_/d #e #h-c_/d #i #aa #ca-a_/b #aa #aa-c_/h #c #ag #e #e-c_/d #i #a #bf-a_/b #h-a_/b #e #f-a_/h #i #a #bi-a_/b #aj-c_/h #aj #d #ah #e #h-a_/d #aj #j #cc #aj-c_/d #aj-a_/d #e #h-a_/b #aj #c #ce #aj-c_/d #aa-a_/b #e #ah #f #j-a_/b #aj #ac #cb #aj-a_/b #i-a_/d #f #a-a_/d #aa #b #cd #aj-a_/b #aj-g_/h #f #ag #e #c-a_/b #h #a #ca #aj-a_/h #i-g_/h #e #d-a_/b #h #g #cc #aj-a_/h #aa #g #ah #e #e-a_/d #g #ac #bf #i-a_/d #g-g_/h #e #e-c_/d #h #b #bi #i-a_/b #i-a_/b #h #af #e #f-c_/d #h #c #bh-a_/b #i #h-a_/b #e #g-a_/d #h #d #ca #i-a_/h #i-a_/b #i #ag #e #h-c_/h #aa #c #ca #aa-a_/d #aj-a_/d #e #i-a_/h #aa #c #cc #aa-a_/d #aa-a_/h #aj #ah #e #aa-c_/h #aa #h #cj #aj-a_/d #aj-a_/b #e #aa-c_/h #aa #h #cc #aj-c_/d #aa #aa #ai #e #g-c_/d #aj #b #cc #aj-a_/b #aj-a_/d #e #h-e_/h #aj #b #cd-a_/b #aj-a_/b #aj-g_/h #ab #ah #e #aj-a_/b #aj #aa #cb #aj-a_/b #aj #e #aa-g_/h #aj #aa #cc-a_/b #aj-a_/b #aa #ac #ai #e #g-g_/h #aa #ac #cc #aa-a_/b #ab #e #i-e_/h #aa #ac #ce-a_/b #aa-a_/b #ab-a_/b #ad #ag #e #f-c_/d #i #ac #bi #aj-e_/h #h-a_/d #e #g-e_/h #aj #c #cb #aj-e_/h #i-a_/b #ae #ai #e #aj-a_/h #aj #a #bg-a_/b #aj-e_/h #i-c_/h #e #aa-g_/h #aj #i #cb-c_/d #aj-e_/h #aj-g_/h ---------------------------------------- ---------- ---------------------------------------- -- ,,increase4 -------------------------------------- ,no4,height4,weight4,chest4,forearm4 ,upper arm4 -------------------------------------- ,in4 ,lbs4 ,in4 ,in4 ,in4 #a #a #a_/b #c_/d #b #a_/d #e-a_/b #c-a_/b #a-a_/h #c #c_/h #c #a-a_/b #d #a_/d #c #b #a-a_/d #e #c_/d #c #b #a-e_/h #f #a #f #b #a-a_/h #g #a_/b #c #c #a_/d #a-e_/h #h #a_/b #a #b-a_/b #a_/h #a #i #c_/d #b #g_/h #aj #c #a_/b #a_/b #aa #g_/h #a-a_/b #e_/h #ab #a-c_/h #a-a_/b #a #ac #a-c_/d #b-a_/b #a_/b #ad #g_/h #d #c #a_/d #ae #a-c_/d #h #e-a_/d #a-a_/b -------------------------------------- ,,appendix ,,vi4 ,taken from ,maclaren's ,physical ,education4 ,showing effect of seven months and nineteen days' exercise1 under his system1 on men ranging from #ai to #bh years of age4 ,,table ,,of ,,measurements ,,of ,,first ,,detachment ,,of ,,non-,,commissioned ,,officers ,,selected ,,to ,,be ,,qualified ,,as ,,military ,,gymnastic ,,instructors4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------- ,,measurements1 ,,etc4 ---------------------------------------- ------- ,date4 ,no4 ,a4 ,b4 ,c4 ,d4 ,e4 ,f4 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ,yrs4 ,ft4 ,in4 ,st4 ,lbs4 ,in4 ,in4 ,in4 ,sept4 #aa4 #a #ai #e #h-a_/b #i #b #cc #i-a_/b #aj ,april #cj4 #e #h-g_/h #aj #a #cg-a_/b #aj-a_/b #aa-c_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #b #ba #e #i #aj #e #cd-c_/d #aj #aa ,april #cj4 #e #i-a_/d #aa #a #ch-a_/b #aa #ab-a_/d ,sept #aa4 #c #bc #e #e #i #g #cd #aj-a_/b #ab ,april #cj4 #e #e-c_/d #aj #b #cg-a_/d #aa-a_/b #ac-a_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #d #bc #e #g-a_/d #i #ac #cg #aj-a_/d #ab ,april #cj4 #e #g-c_/d #aj #h #ch-a_/b #aa-a_/b #ac ,sept4 #aa4 #e #bc #e #h-a_/d #i #aj #cf #aj #aa ,april #cj4 #e #h-a_/b #aj #f #cg #aj-a_/b #ab ,sept4 #aa4 #f #bc #e #i-a_/h #aa #c #cf-a_/b #aa #ab ,april #cj4 #e #i-a_/d #aa #ab #ch-a_/b #aa-a_/b #ac ,sept4 #aa4 #g #bc #e #i #aj #f #cf #aj-c_/d #ab ,april #cj4 #e #i-a_/h #aj #aa #ch-a_/b #aa #ac ,sept4 #aa4 #h #bd #e #h-c_/d #aj #h #ce #aj-c_/d #ab-c_/d ,april #cj4 #e #i-a_/d #aa #f #dj #aa-c_/d #ad ,sept4 #aa4 #i #bf #e #f-a_/d #i #e #cc #aj #aa-a_/b ,april #cj4 #e #f-g_/h #i #aa-a_/b #cf #aj-a_/d #ab-c_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #aj #bf-c_/d #e #aa-c_/h #ab #f #da #aa-a_/b #ac ,april #cj4 #e #aa-c_/d #ac #a #db #aa-a_/b #ad ,sept4 #aa4 #aa #bh #e #g-c_/d #aj #aj #cg #aj-a_/b #ab-a_/b ,april #cj4 #e #h-a_/d #aa #i #dj #aa-c_/d #ac-c_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #ab #bh #e #aj-g_/h #aj #i #cg #aj-a_/b #ac ,april #cj4 #e #aa #aa #aa #dj #aa-c_/d #ad ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- ---------------------------------------- ------------- ,,increase4 --------------------------------- ,date4 ,no4 ,g4 ,h4 ,i4 ,j4 ,k4 ---------------------------------------- --------- ,in4 ,lbs4 ,in4 ,in4 ,in4 ,sept4 #aa4 #a ,april #cj4 #c_/h #ac #d-a_/b #a #a-c_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #b ,april #cj4 #a_/d #aj #c-c_/d #a #a-a_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #c ,april #cj4 #c_/d #i #c-a_/d #a #a-a_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #d ,april #cj4 #a_/b #i #a-a_/b #a-a_/d #a ,sept4 #aa4 #e ,april #cj4 #a_/d #aj #a #a_/b #a ,sept4 #aa4 #f ,april #cj4 #a_/h #i #b #a_/b #a ,sept4 #aa4 #g ,april #cj4 #a_/h #e #b-a_/b #a_/d #a ,sept4 #aa4 #h ,april #cj4 #a_/b #ab #e #a #a-a_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #i ,april #cj4 #e_/h #f-a_/b #c #a_/d #a-a_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #aj ,april #cj4 #c_/h #i #a #a ,sept4 #aa4 #aa ,april #cj4 #a_/b #ac #c #a-a_/d #a-a_/d ,sept4 #aa4 #ab ,april #cj4 #a_/h #af #c #a-a_/d #a ---------------------------------------- --------- ,,key3 ,a4 ,age4 ,b4 ,height4 ,c4 ,weight4 ,d4 ,chest4 ,e4 ,forearm4 ,f4 ,upper arm4 ,g4 ,height4 ,h4 ,weight4 ,i4 ,chest4 ,j4 ,forearm4 ,k4 ,upper arm4 ,the men composing this detachment had been irregularly selected1 the youngest being #ai1 the eldest #bh1 the average age #bd2 and1 after a period of eight months' training1 the increase in the measurements of the men were-- ---------------------------------------- ------------------ ,weight4 ,chest4 ,forearm4 ,upper arm4 --------------------------------------- ,lbs4 ,in4 ,in4 ,in4 ,the smallest gain #e #a #a_/d #a ,the largest gain #af #e #a-a_/d #a-c_/d ,the average gain #aj #b-g_/h #c_/d #a-c_/d ---------------------------------------- ------------------ ,,appendix ,,vii4 ,taken from ,maclaren's ,physical ,education4 ,showing the result of one year's continuous practice4 ,,the ,,following ,,table ,,shows ,,in ,,another ,,form ,,the ,,results ,,of ,,the ,,system2 ,,not ,,by ,,brief ,,courses ,,or ,,periods ,,of ,,voluntary ,,attendance1 ,,but ,,by ,a ,,year',s ,,steady ,,practice ,,from ,,birthday ,,to ,,birthday1 ,,with ,,two ,,articled ,,pupils1 ,,the ,,younger ,,being #af1 ,,the ,,elder #bj3 ---------------------------------------- --------------------- ,,measurements1 ,,etc4 ------------------------------------- ,case4 ,date4 ,a ,b ,c ,d ,e ,f ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,yrs4,ft4 ,in4,st4 ,lbs4,in4 ,in4 ,in4 ,a4 #ahfa1 ,oct4 #ag4 #af #e #b-c_/d #g #aj #ca #h #i-a_/d #ahfb1 ,apr4 #ag4 #e #d #h #ab #cd-a_/b #aj #aa-a_/d ,oct4 #ag4 #ag #e #d-c_/d #i #c #cf #aj #aa-a_/d ,subsequent ,measurement4 #ahfc1 ,mar4 #bc4 #ah #e #f-c_/haj #aj #cg-a_/baa-a_/dac ,b4 #ahfb1 ,feb4 #bd4 #bj #e #h-a_/baj #ac #cd #aa-a_/daa-c_/d ,aug4 #bd4 #e #h-g_/haa #d #ch-a_/bab #ab-c_/d #ahfb1 ,feb4 #bd4 #ba #aa #g-a_/bdj #ab-a_/bac-a_/d ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ---------------------------------------- --------------- ,,increase4 -------------------------------- ,case4 ,date4 ,g ,h ,i ,j ,k ---------------------------------------- ----------- ,in4 ,lbs4 ,in4 ,in4 ,in4 ,a4 #ahfa1 ,oct4 #ag4 #ahfb1 ,apr4 #ag4a-a_/d #af #c-a_/b #b #b ,oct4 #ag4 #c_/d #e #a-a_/b #ahfc1 ,mar4 #bc4a-e_/h #ba #a-a_/b #a-a_/d #a-c_/d ,b4 #ahfb1 ,feb4 #bd4 ,aug4 #bd4 #c_/h #e #d-a_/b #c_/d #a #ahfb1 ,feb4 #bd4 #c-a_/ba-a_/b #a_/b #a_/b ---------------------------------------- ----------- ,,key3 ,a3 ,age4 ,b3 ,height4 ,c3 ,weight4 ,d3 ,chest4 ,e3 ,forearm4 ,f3 ,upper arm4 ,g3 ,height4 ,h3 ,weight4 ,i3 ,chest4 ,j3 ,forearm4 ,k3 ,upper arm4 ,thus in the year's work the increase was-- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,height4,weight4 ,chest4 ,forearm4 ,upper arm4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,in4 ,lbs4 ,in4 ,in4 ,in4 ,with the younger #b #ba #e #b #b ,with the elder #c_/h #h-a_/b #f #a-a_/d #a-a_/b ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,,conclusion4 ,in the first eleven chapters of this little book attempt has been made to call attention both to defects and lacks1 resulting largely from not taking rational daily exercise1 and to what such exercise has accomplished wherever it has been thoroughly tried4 ,in the last two chapters have been suggested not a long and difficult system of gymnastic exercises needing a fully equipped gymnasium1 a trained instructor1 and years of work to master1 but rather a few plain and simple exercises for any given part or for the whole body1 and hints as to how to distribute the little time to be given to them daily4 ,the teacher1 the parent--the child even1 without the aid of either--the young man or woman1 the middle-aged and the old1 will all find variety enough of work1 which1 while free from risk1 will still prove sufficiently vigorous to insure to each a good allowance of daily exercise4 ,all else that is needed is a good degree of the steadiness and perseverance which are generally inseparable from everything worth accomplishing4 ,,the ,,end4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes3 ,passages in italics are indicated by underscore4 ,illustrations have been moved from the middle of a paragraph to the closest paragraph break4 ,the word up-hill and uphill has been retained in both versions4 ,other than the corrections listed below1 printer's inconsistencies in spelling and punctuation have been retained3 changed spent mainly indoors8 into spent mainly in-doors8 page #ci changed his work on ,sleep1 as to into his work on ,sleep1 as to page #dd changed them photographed1 stripped to the waist1 both into them photographed1 stripped to the waist1 both page #add changed the 'longshore-man--all at into the 'longshoreman--all at page #ahj changed bar ,a ,a1 the operator simply into bar ,a ,a'1 the operator simply page #baf changed meets the breast-bone1 until into meets the breastbone1 until page #bdd changed out at arms-length1 say into out at arm's-length1 say page #bdi changed it to the floor4 and so into it to the floor and so page #beh changed and fore-arm work1 catch into and forearm work1 catch page #bgd