In the course of my inquiries on the subject of muscular Christians,
their works and ways, a fact has forced itself on my attention, which,
for the sake of ingenious youth, ought not to be passed over. I find
then, that, side by side with these muscular Christians, and apparently
claiming some sort of connection with them (the same concern, as the
pirates of trade-marks say) have risen up another set of persons,
against whom I desire to caution my readers. I must call the persons
in question “musclemen,” as distinguished from muscular Christians;
the only point in common between the two being that both hold it to be
a good thing to have strong and well-exercised bodies, ready to be
put at the shortest notice to any work of which bodies are capable,
and to do it well. Here all likeness ends; for the “muscleman” seems
to have no belief whatever as to the purposes for which his body has
been given him, except some hazy idea that it is to go up and down the
world with him, belaboring men and captivating women for his benefit
or pleasure, at once the servant and fomenter of those fierce and
brutal passions which he seems to think it a necessity, and rather
a fine thing than otherwise, to indulge and obey. Whereas, so far
as I know, the least of the muscular Christians has hold of the old
chivalrous and Christian belief, that a man’s body is given him to be
trained and brought into subjection, and then used for the protection
of the weak, the advancement of all righteous causes, and the subduing
of the earth which God has given to the children of men. He does not
hold that mere strength or activity are in themselves worthy of any
respect or worship, or that one man is a bit better than another
because he can knock him down, or carry a bigger sack of potatoes than
he. For mere power, whether of body or intellect, he has (I hope and
believe) no reverence whatever, though, _cæteris paribus_, he would
probably himself, as a matter of taste prefer the man who can lift a
hundred-weight round his head with his little finger to the man who can
construct a string of perfect Sorites.