WHAT EXERCISE TO TAKE DAILY.
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 play, and, again, how local and circumscribed is
that action even among those who are engaged in most kinds of manual
labor. Various simple exercises have been described which, if followed
steadily and persistently, will bring size, shape, and strength to any
desired muscles. 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 daily. Special endeavor will be made to single out
such movements as will call for no expensive apparatus. Indeed, most of
these want no apparatus at all, and hence will be within the reach of
all. 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 need,
a few exercises will first be suggested which any teacher can learn
almost at once, but which yet, if faithfully taught to pupils, will
soon be found to take so little time that, instead of interfering with
other lessons, they will prove a positive aid. Though perhaps
imperceptible at the outset, in a few years, with advancing
development, the gain made will be found not only to be decided, but
of the most gratifying character.
_Daily Work for Children._
Suppose the teacher has a class of fifty. If the aisles of the
school-room are, as they should be, at least two feet wide, let the
children at about the middle of the morning, and again of the afternoon
session, stand in these aisles in rows, so that each two of the children
shall be about six feet apart. Let the first order be, that all heads
and necks be held erect. Once these are placed in their right position,
all other parts of their bodies at once fall into place. The simplest
way to insure this is to direct that every head and neck be drawn
horizontally back, with the chin held about an inch above the level,
until they are an inch or two back of the vertical. Now raise the hands
directly over the head, and as high as possible, until the thumbs touch,
the palms of the hands facing to the front, and the elbows being kept
straight. Now, without bending the elbows, bring the hands downward in
front toward the feet as far as can comfortably be done, generally at
first about as low as the knee, taking care to keep the knees themselves
absolutely straight; indeed, if possible, bowed even back. Now return
the hands high over the head, and then repeat, say six times. This
number twice a day for the first week will prove enough; and it may be
increased to twelve the second week, and maintained at that number
thereafter, care being taken to assure two things: one, that the knees
are never bent; the other that, after the first week, the hands are
gradually brought lower down, until they touch the toes. Some persons,
familiar with this exercise, can, with the knees perfectly firm and
straight, lay the whole flat of the hands on the floor in front of their
feet. But after the first week, reaching the floor with the finger-tips
is enough for the end sought, which is, namely, to make the pupil stand
straight on his feet, and to remove all tendency toward holding the
knees slightly bent, and so causing that weak, shaky, and sprung look
about the knees, so very common among persons of all ages, to give way
to a proper and graceful position.
Let the pupils now stand erect, this time with backs not bent forward,
but with the body absolutely vertical. Raise the hands above the head as
before, elbows straight, till the thumbs touch. Now, never bending body
or knees a hair's-breadth, and keeping the elbows unbent, bring the
hands slowly down, not in front this time, but at the sides just above
the knees, the little finger and the inner edge of the hand alone
touching the leg, and the palms facing straight in front. Now notice how
difficult it is to warp the shoulders forward even an inch. The chest is
out, the head and neck are erect, the shoulders are held low, the back
vertical and hollowed in a little, and the knees straight. Carry the
hands slowly back through the same line till again high over the head.
Then bring them down to the sides again, and do six of these movements
twice each day the first week, and twelve afterward.
While exercises aimed at any given muscles have been mentioned
elsewhere, any one might follow them all up until every muscle was
shapely and strong, and still carry himself awkwardly, and even in a
slouchy and slovenly manner. This last-named exercise is directly
intended to obviate this. If steadily practised, it is one of the very
best known exercises, as it not only gives strength, but a fine, erect
carriage. The whole frame is so held that every vital organ has free
scope and play-room, and their healthier and more vigorous action is
directly encouraged. This is one part, indeed the chief exercise, in the
West Pointer's "setting-up drill;" 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 mien.
To vary the work a little, and to bring special development to
particular muscles, now let the pupil stand with arms either hanging
easily at the sides, or else held akimbo, the head and neck always
erect, with the heels about four inches apart, and the toes turned
outward. Raise the heels slowly off the floor, the soles and toes
remaining firm on the floor, sustaining the entire weight. When the
heels are as high as possible, hold them there a moment; then lower
slowly till the whole foot is on the floor again; then rise as before,
and so repeat twelve times twice a day the first week, and then
twenty-five for the following week, continuing this. If this is not
vigorous enough when fifty, after the first month, are tried, it will be
found that now this work is telling directly on the size, shape, and
effectiveness of the feet and calves, and on the grace and springiness
of the step itself. If any boy or girl wants to become a good jumper, or
to get decided aid in learning to dance long and easily, he or she will
find this a great help. If they even practice it half an hour a day,
they will be none the worse for it.
All the work thus far recommended here can readily be done in two
minutes. Standing erect, with the arms still akimbo, and the feet as
before, now bend the knees so as to stoop six or eight inches, then rise
to the perpendicular, stoop again, and continue this six times, the feet
never leaving the floor. This strengthens the knees, while the front of
the thighs get the heaviest part of the work, though the leg below the
knee is doing a good share. (It is not unlike the exercise practised so
assiduously by Rowell on the tread-mill, and which brought him such
magnificent legs that he became champion pedestrian of the world.) By
the third week the number may be made twenty-five. If among the scholars
there are some who are decidedly weak, twenty-five of these exercises
is about the limit. For strong, hearty boys, twice as many will prove
nearer the mark. After two or three months of twenty-five movements
as described for every day, fifty might be tried once by all the
pupils, to see whether it is too severe, and if not, then maintained
daily at the maximum.
Thus far the feet have not left their particular position on the floor.
Now let the pupil stand with the right foot advanced about twelve or
fifteen inches, suddenly rising on the toes, give a slight spring, and
throw the left foot to the front, and the right back; then spring back
as before, and do this six times twice a day the first week, to twelve
the second, and twice as many by the end of the month. This calls the
same muscles into play as the last exercise, and brings the same
development, but is a little more severe and vigorous.
If still harder thigh-work is wanted, starting again, with the feet not
over four inches apart, this time do not raise the heels at all, but
stoop down slowly, as low as possible, bending the knees greatly, of
course, the back, however, being held straight all the while. Then rise
to an erect position, then go down again. Practising this three times
each morning and afternoon at first, may be followed up with six a week
later; and twelve by the end of the month. Better work than this for
quickly giving size and strength to the thighs could hardly be devised;
while, as has been already noted, scarcely any muscles on the whole body
are more needed or used for ordinary walking.
Still standing erect, with arms akimbo, raise the right foot in front
about as high as the left knee, keeping the right knee unbent. Hold the
right foot there ten seconds; then drop it; then raise it again, fully
six times. Then, standing, do the same thing with the left foot. This
calls at once on the muscles across the abdomen, aiding the stomach and
other vital organs there directly in their work.
This time raise the foot equally high behind; then return it to the
floor and so continue, giving each foot equal work to do. The under
thigh, hip, and loin are now in action; and when, later on, they
become strong, their owner will find how much easier it is to run
than it used to be, and also that it has become more natural to stand
erect. The rate of increase of these last two exercises may be about
the same as the others.
There is not much left now of the ten minutes. Still, if the work has
been pushed promptly forward, there may still be a little time. However,
all three of the kinds of work suggested for the front thigh need not be
practised at the one recess, any one sufficing at first.
With head and neck again erect, and knees firm, hold the hands out at
the sides and at arm's-length, and clasp the hands firmly together, as
though trying to squeeze a rubber ball or other elastic substance.
Beginning with twenty of these movements, fifty may be accomplished by
the end of the fortnight; and by their continuance both the grip and the
shape of the hand will be found steadily improving.
Clasp the hands together over the head. Now turn them over until the
palms are upward, or turned toward the ceiling, and straighten the
elbows until the hands are as high over the head as you can reach. While
holding them in this position, be careful that they are not allowed to
drop at all. Let the scholar march three or four times around the room
in this position. It will soon be found that no apparatus whatever is
necessary to get quite a large amount of exercise for the corners of the
shoulders. In this way, while there is an unwonted stretching apart of
the ribs, and opening up of the chest, the drawing in of the stomach and
abdomen will be found to correct incipient chest weakness,
half-breathing, and any tendency toward indigestion.
Following up the method, now let the class form around the side of the
room, standing three feet apart, and about two feet from the wall. Place
the hands against the wall, just at a level with and opposite to the
shoulders. Now, keeping the heels all the time on the floor, let the
body settle gradually forward until the chest touches the wall, keeping
the elbows pretty near to the sides, the knees never bending a particle,
and the face held upturned, the eyes looking at the ceiling directly
overhead. Now push sharply off from the wall until the elbows are again
straight, and the body back at vertical. Then repeat this, and continue
six times for each half of the day for the first week. Keep on until you
reach fifteen by the third week, and twenty-five by the second month.
For expanding and deepening the chest, 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 do, this will prove a capital exercise.
Whoever will make a specialty of this one form of exercise until they
daily take two or even three hundred such pushes, will find that any
tendency he or she may have to flatness or hollowness of chest will soon
begin to decrease, and will very likely disappear altogether.
In this last exercise most of the weight was on the feet, the hands and
arms sustaining the rest. If the aisles are not over two feet and a half
wide, let each pupil stand between two opposite desks and place one hand
on each. Now, walking back about three or four feet, his hands still
resting on the two desks, let him, keeping his body rigid and knees
unbent, bend his elbows and lower his chest very gradually until it is
nearly or quite level with the desk tops, then slowly straighten up his
arms, and so raise his body again to the original position. Three such
dips twice a day the first week, five or six the second, and by the end
of the month ten or twelve, and that number then maintained steadily,
will open and enlarge the chest materially before the year is out, while
at the same time doing much to increase and strengthen the upper
back-arm. This is harder work than pushing against the wall, because
the hands and arms now have to sustain a much greater portion of the
weight of the body, but it is correspondingly better for the chest.
Thus far exercises have been described calling for no apparatus at all,
nor anything save a floor to stand on, a wall to push against, two
ordinary school desks, and a fair degree of resolution. For children
under ten, wooden dumb-bells, weighing one pound each, ought to be had
of any wood-turner, and ought not to cost over five cents apiece. There
might be one pair of dumb-bells given to each child, or, if the class is
large, then a single dumb-bell for each, and they could be distributed
among two classes for dumb-bell exercises.
Standing in the aisles, and about five feet apart, every child taking a
dumb-bell in each hand, keeping the knees unbent and the head and neck
erect, let them raise or "curl" the bells slowly until they are up to
the shoulders, the finger-nails being held upward. Then lower, then
raise again, and so on ten or twelve times each half-day for the first
fortnight, and double that many thereafter. This tells principally on
the biceps or front of the upper arm, on the front of the shoulder,
and on the pectoral muscles, or those of the upper front chest. When,
later on, any pupil endeavors to pull himself up to his chin, he
will find what a large share of the work these muscles have to do.
Instead of the one-pound dumb-bells then, his whole body will be
the weight to be lifted.
Again, let the dumb-bells hang at the sides. Raise them slowly, high up,
behind the back, keeping the elbows straight and the arms parallel.
After holding them there five seconds lower them; do it again, and keep
on, ten times twice a day at first, making it twenty in a fortnight, and
thirty thereafter. This work will enlarge that part of the back of the
upper arm next to the body, and will also tell directly on the whole
back of the shoulder, and on the large muscles on the back just below
where the arm joins it.
This time, holding the knuckles upward and the elbows straight, lift the
dumb-bells till level with the shoulders, the arms being extended
sideways as if on a cross. After holding them up five seconds, lower
them; then raise them but five or six times at the first lesson,
increasing to twenty by the end of the month, and then maintaining that
number. The corners of the shoulders are getting the work now, and
by-and-by not only shapely shoulders will come from it, but a noticeable
increase of the breadth across the shoulders. This work may be varied by
raising the arms parallel in front until level with the shoulders, then
lowering, and so continuing.
Next raise the two bells to the shoulders; then, facing the ceiling,
push both up together until they are as high over the head as possible;
then lower, push up again, and continue six times twice a day for the
first week; make the twelve the third week and the twenty of the fifth,
and then keep at that. The outer or more noticeable parts of the upper
back, the arms, are busiest now; and this exercise directly tends to
enlarge and strengthen them, and to add materially to the appearance
of the arms.
But one exercise more need be mentioned here. Stand erect; now draw the
head and neck back of the vertical all of eight inches, until you face
the ceiling. Starting with the dumb-bells high up over the head, keeping
the elbows straight, lower the dumb-bells slowly, until now you are
holding them at arm's-length, with your arms spread, as on a cross. Then
lift them up again, lower, and continue. If this does not spread the
chest open, it will be hard to find anything which will. Do this
consecutively twenty times every day for a month. That number will take
scarcely a minute to accomplish, but the little one-pound bells will
feel wondrously heavy before the minute is over.
Here, then, have been shown quite a variety of exercises, not only safe
and simple but inexpensive, which can readily be adopted in any school.
If they are followed up as faithfully and steadily as are the other
lessons, they cannot fail to bring decided and very welcome improvement
in the shape and capacity of all the muscles, and hence of the whole
body, while it will go far toward giving to all the scholars an erect
and healthy carriage. These results alone would delight many a parent's
heart. The making this branch of instruction as compulsory as any other
would soon accustom the pupil to look for it as matter of course. If it
were conducted with spirit, it would always be sure to prove
interesting, and very likely to send the children back to their studies
much fresher and brighter for the temporary mental rest.
Besides these exercises, the teacher, insisting on the value of an erect
position in school hours, whether the pupil be standing or sitting, and
by inculcating the value of this, would soon find that these efforts
were being rewarded by making many a crooked girl or boy straight, and
so lessening their chance of having either delicate throats or weak
lungs. Care should be taken that the school chairs have broad and
comfortable seats, and that the pupil never sits on a half of the seat
or on the edge of it, but far back, and on the whole of it. This
apparently small matter will assist marvellously in forming the habit
of an erect position while sitting. Some twenty years ago a Mrs.
Carman, of Boston, devised a chair-back which should just fit the
hollow of the back when the back was held erect, as it should be.
This simple contrivance greatly encouraged a good position in sitting,
and could well be made a part of the standard chair in our schools.
A pad of the right shape, hung on the back of the chair, would
effect the same object.
The teacher's opportunity to work marked and permanent physical benefit
to every pupil under her charge, by daily and steadily following up most
or either of the above exercises, or of some substantially equivalent,
can scarcely be over-estimated. The exercises strengthen the postures,
whether sitting or standing. When a teacher insists on having her
children erect for six hours out of the twenty-four, and makes plain to
each one the value of being straight, and the self-respect it tends
directly to encourage, there need be no great fear that the remaining
waking hours will make any child crooked. It is in school generally that
the mischief of warping and crooking is done; and hence there, of all
places, would be the most appropriate place for the undoing of it.
Dumb-bells of but a pound each have been mentioned here so far. Such
would be fitting for pupils under ten years of age. For all older pupils
the same work with two-pound bells will prove generally vigorous
enough; and whoever wishes to judge what these light weights can do in a
short time should examine the results of Dr. Sargent's exercises with
them and other light apparatus at Bowdoin College (see Appendix II.).
Those who are already decidedly strong can of course try larger bells;
but it is astonishing how soon those of only two pounds seem to grow
heavy, even to those who laugh at them at first.
Of course, all the work before described cannot be gone through with
in ten minutes in mid-morning, or even in the twenty of the morning
and afternoon sessions combined; but much of it can: and an advantage
of naming too much is that it enables the teacher to vary the work
from day to day, and so, while effecting the same results, prevents
anything like monotony.
As the months go by, and it is found that the weaker ones have
noticeably improved, and all are now capable of creditable performances
at these various exercises, they may be carried safely on to the
gymnasium--that is, if the school is fortunate enough to possess one. It
is but a partially equipped school which is not provided with a
good-sized, well-ventilated room, say of forty or fifty feet square (and
one fifty by a hundred would do far better), fitted up with the simpler
gymnastic appliances. Now the teacher, if up to his work, can render
even more valuable assistance than before, by standing by the pupil, as
he or she attempts the simplest steps on the parallel bars, or the
rings, or the high bars, the pulley-weights, or the horizontal bar;
constant explanations are to be given how to advance, and setting the
example, detecting defects and correcting them on the spot, and all the
while being ready to catch the pupil and prevent him or her from
falling. An instructor soon finds that the pupils progress as rapidly as
they did in the lighter preparatory work, while now they are entering on
a field which, if faithfully cultivated, though for only the same brief
intervals daily, will later on insure a class of strong, healthy,
shapely, and symmetrical boys or girls, strong of arm and fleet of foot,
familiar with what they can do, and knowing what is not to be attempted.
Much, indeed the greater part, of the good to be derived from the
gymnasium would have come from steadily adhering to the exercises above
pointed out, so that even with no gymnasium excellent progress can be
had; but results come quicker in the gymnasium, and the place invites
greater freedom of action. In ten minutes in the morning, for instance,
thirty or forty boys or girls could, following one another promptly,
"walk" (on their hands) through the parallel bars with the elbows
unbent, the head of the line crossing at once to the high bars, and
"walk" or advance through them, first holding the weight on one hand and
then on the other, then turning to the horizontal bar and vaulting over
it. If the rear of the line is not yet through the forward "walk" on the
parallels, those at the head could take a swing on the rings. Next, they
could "walk" backward through the parallels, then through the high bars;
then vault again, swing again, and then try the parallels anew--this
time "jumping" forward, or advancing both hands at once, the arms of
course being held rigidly straight. Then turning to the high bars,
they could jump or advance through them, springing forward with both
hands at once, vault again, the bar having meanwhile been raised,
and either try the rings again or rest a moment, and then jump backward
through the high bars.
A little foot-work, for a minute or two remaining, would make a good
conclusion. With the hands closed and elbows bent, the body and arms
held almost rigid, the neck well back, and the head up, let the column
now start off around the room on an easy trot, each stepping as
noiselessly as possible, and no heel touching the floor. A minute of
this at a lively pace will be abundant at first; and as the legs
gradually get strong, and the breathing improves, the run can be either
made faster or longer, or both.
As the pupils began to grow steadier, with their hands on the bars they
could next swing their feet back and forth, and jump with their hands as
they swing forward; then, later, could jump forward as the feet are
swung backward, and backward as the feet are swung forward. The
vaulting-bar for the boys meanwhile may steadily rise, peg after peg;
and, when proficiency is reached with two hands, one-hand vaulting may
be tried, and the bar gradually raised as before, the teacher always
standing near the vaulter. The swinging on the rings, instead of being
any longer simple straight-arm work, with the body hanging nearly down,
can now be done with the elbows bent much of the time, the knees being
curled up toward the chin as the swinger goes backward.
After two months of straight-arm work on the parallel bars, even the
girls may now try the same exercises they did with their arms when
straight, save that now they should always keep them bent at the
elbows. This will come hard even yet, and must be tried with care.
These are the well-known "dips," followed up little by little, and
month after month. By-and-by these exercises will come as easy as was
the straight-arm work.
To all, or nearly all, the high bar work should now be done with bent
elbows, while the vaulting should, say by the end of the year, be nearly
at shoulder height for each pupil, and even, for many of them, that high
with one hand. The running should have improved correspondingly, so that
five minutes of it at a respectable pace, say at the rate of a mile in
seven minutes, would not trouble the girls, and even ten minutes of it
not distress the boys.
Now, what have these few exercises done for the muscles
and their owners?
Well, the straight-arm work on the parallels, by throwing the whole
weight on the hands, told directly on the upper back-arm, while the dips
brought the same region into most vigorous action, and at the same time
opened and strengthened the front of the chest very markedly, tending to
set the shoulders back, and enlarging the chest, and hence the lung-room
as well. The high-bar work told equally upon the biceps muscles, or
those of the front of the upper arm, and likewise on the front of the
shoulders. The vaulting made the vaulter springy, and strengthened his
thighs and calves materially, and his abdominal muscles somewhat, while
the more advanced work on the rings brought both the biceps and
abdominal muscles into most energetic play. The running was excellent
for the entire legs and the abdominals, while as a lung-expander it
is difficult to equal.
Those proficient at these few exercises, if they have heeded the
endeavors made to secure at all times an erect and easy carriage of the
body, need but one more thing. With regular and sensible habits of
eating, sleeping, dressing, and bathing, they would be almost certain to
be at once well and strong. The thing wanted is daily constitutional
out-of-doors exercise; whether taken afoot, on horseback, or at the oar,
it matters little, so long as it is vigorously taken and faithfully
persisted in, in all weathers. This guarantees that pure and bracing air
shall be had, breaks up the thread of the day's thoughts, rests the
mind, and quickly refits it for new work. This alone gives the full deep
breathing, and the healthy tire of the muscles. It furnishes constantly
varying scene, with needed eye and ear gymnastics--in short, everything
which is the reverse of that quiet, sedentary, plodding life over books
or papers, read too often in poorly lighted offices.
Home exercise, then, with the out-of-door life, will combine to tone us
up, to invigorate our persons, and to keep off either mental or
physical exhaustion and disorder.
The above work, followed up assiduously, ought to bring in its train
health, symmetry, a good carriage, buoyant spirits, and a fair share of
nerve and agility. But many a young man is not content with merely
these; he wants to be very strong. He is already at or near his
majority. He is quite strong, perhaps, in some ways, but in others is
plainly deficient. What ought he to do?
_Daily Exercise for Young Men._
On rising, let him stand erect, brace his chest firmly out, and,
breathing deeply, curl dumb-bells (each of about one-fifteenth of his
own weight) fifty times without stopping. This is biceps work enough for
the early morning. Then, placing the bells on the floor at his feet, and
bending his knees a little, and his arms none at all, rise to an upright
position with them fifty times. The loins and back have had their turn
now. After another minute's rest, standing erect, let him lift the bells
fifty times as far up and out behind him as he can, keeping elbows
straight, and taking care, when the bells reach the highest point
behind, to hold them still there a moment. Now the under side of his
arms, and about the whole of the upper back, have had their work.
Next, starting with the bells at the shoulders, push them up high
over the head, and lower fifty times continuously. Now the outer part
of the upper arms, the corners of the shoulders, and the waist have
all had active duty.
Finally, after another minute's rest, start with the bells high over the
head, and lower slowly until the arms are in about the position they
would be on a cross, the elbows being always kept unbent. Raise the
bells to height again, then lower, and so continue until you have done
ten, care being taken to hold the head six or more inches back of the
perpendicular, and to steadily face the ceiling directly overhead, while
the chest is swelled out to its uttermost. Rest half a minute after
doing ten, then do ten more, and so on till you have accomplished fifty.
This last exercise is one of the best-known chest-expanders. Now that
these five sorts of work are over, few muscles above the waist have not
had vigorous and ample work, the lungs themselves have had a splendid
stretch, and you have not spent over fifteen minutes on the whole
operation. If you want to add a little hand and forearm work, catch a
broom-stick or stout cane at or near the middle, and, holding it at
arm's-length, twist it rapidly from side to side a hundred times with
one hand, and then with the other.
In the late afternoon a five-mile walk on the road, at a four-mile pace,
with the step inclined to be short, the knees bent but little, and the
foot pushing harder than usual as it leaves the ground--this will be
found to bring the legs and loins no inconsiderable exercise; all, in
fact, that they will probably need. If, shortly before bedtime each
evening, the youth, after he has been working as above, say for a month,
will, in light clothes and any old and easy shoes, run a mile in about
seven minutes and a half, and, a little later, under the seven minutes,
or, three nights a week, make the distance two miles each night, there
will soon be a life and vigor in his legs which used to be unknown; and
if six months of this work brings a whole inch more on thigh and calf,
it is only what might have been expected.
For still more rapid and decided advance, an hour at the gymnasium
during the latter part of the morning, half of it at the rowing-weights,
so thickening and stoutening the back, 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 rapidly, and will sharpen the appetite at a corresponding
rate. But it must be real work, and no dawdling or time lost.
Few young men in any active employment, however, can spare this morning
hour. Still, without it, if they will follow up the before-breakfast
work, the walking in the fashion named, and the running, they will soon
find time enough for this much, and most satisfactory results in the
way of improved health and increased strength as well. Indeed, it will
for most young men prove about the right amount to keep them toned up
and ready for their day's work. If they desire great development in
any special line, let them select some of the exercises described
in the previous chapter, as aimed to effect such development, and
practice them as assiduously, if need be, as Rowell did his
tread-mill work for his legs.
_Daily Exercise for Women._
And what should the girls and women do each day? With two-pound wooden
dumb-bells at first, let them, before breakfast, go through twenty-five
movements of each of the five sorts just described for young men. After
six weeks or two months they can increase the number to fifty, and,
if this does not bring the desired increase in size, and strength
of arm and chest and back, then they can try dumb-bells weighing four
or five pounds each.
Out-of-doors, either in the latter part of the morning or afternoon, if
they will, in broad, easy shoes, walk for one hour, not at any listless
two-mile pace, but at first as fast as they comfortably can, and then
gradually increasing until in a fortnight or more they can make sure of
three miles and a half at least, if not of four miles within the hour,
and will observe the way of stepping just suggested to the men, they
will get about walking enough. And if once in awhile, every Saturday,
for instance, they make the walk all of five or six miles, getting, if
city ladies, quite out into the suburbs and back, they will be surprised
and gratified at the greater ease with which they can walk now than
formerly, and at their freshness at the end. Recent reports from India
say that English ladies there often spend two or three hours daily in
the saddle. Every American lady who can manage to ride that much, or
half of it, and at a strong, brisk pace, will soon have a health and
vigor almost unknown among our women and girls to-day.
If walking and horseback parties, instead of being, as now, well-nigh
unheard of among our girls, were every-day affairs, and there was not a
point of interest within ten miles which every girl, and woman too, did
not know well, it would prove a benefit both to them and to the next
generation which would be almost incalculable.
Girls should also learn to run. Few of them are either easy or graceful
runners; but it is an accomplishment quickly learned; and begun at a
short distance and slow jog, and continued until the girl thinks nothing
of running a mile in seven minutes, and that without once touching a
heel to the ground, it will do more than almost any other known exercise
to make her graceful and easy on her feet, and also to enlarge and
strengthen her lungs. A roomy school-yard, a bit of lawn, or a
gymnasium-track, either of these is all the place needed in which
to learn this now almost obsolete accomplishment. The gymnasium is
perhaps the best place, as there they can wear costumes which do
not impede freedom of movement.
If besides these things the girl or woman will determine that, as much
as possible of the time each day in which she is sitting down, she will
sit with head and neck up, trunk erect, and with shoulders low, and that
whenever she stands or walks she will at all times be upright, she will
shortly find that she is getting to be far straighter than she was, and,
if she has a larger and finer chest than formerly, it will be nothing
strange, for she has simply been using one of the means to get it. If a
still greater variety of daily work is desired, she can select it from
Chapter XII.; the exercises on the pulley-weights and on the apparatus
sketched in Fig. 8 being especially desirable.
_Daily Exercise for Business Men._
And what daily work shall the business man take? His aim is not to
lay on muscle, not to become equal to this or that athletic feat,
but simply to so exercise as to keep his entire physical and mental
machinery in good working order, and himself equal to all demands
likely to be made on him.
First he, like the young man or the woman, should make sure of the ten
or fifteen minutes' work before breakfast. Not through the long day
again will he be likely to have another good opportunity for physical
exercise, at least until evening, and then he will plead that he is too
tired. But in the early morning, fresh and rested, and with a few
minutes at his disposal, he can, as Bryant did, without serious or
violent effort, work himself great benefit, the good effect of which
will stay by him all the day. If he has in his room the few bits of
apparatus suggested in the chapter on "Home Gymnasiums," he will be
better off than Bryant was, in that he can have a far wider range of
exercise, and that all ready at hand.
Let him first devote two or three minutes to the striking-bag. Facing it
squarely, with head back and chest well out, let him strike it a
succession of vigorous blows, with left and right fists alternating,
until he has done a hundred in all. If he has hit hard and with spirit,
he is puffing freely now, his lungs are fully expanded, his legs have
had a deal of springing about to do, and his arms and chest have been
busiest of all. This bag-work is really superb exercise, and if once
or twice, later in the day, say at one's place of business, or at home
again in the evening, he would take some more of it, he would find
fret, discomfort, and indigestion flying to the winds, and in their
place buoyancy and exhilaration of spirits to which too many men
have long been strangers.
Next grasp the handles in Fig. 8 and bear downward, as described on page
249. Repeat this work for about two minutes, standing all the time
thoroughly erect. Whether the sparring left any part of your chest
unfilled or not, every air-cell is expanded now, while you cannot fail
to be pleased with the thorough way in which this simple contrivance
does its work. Care should of course be taken that the air breathed
during these exercises is pure and fresh.
Now use the dumb-bells two or three minutes. Let them weigh not over one
twenty-fifth of your own weight. First, with head and neck a trifle back
of vertical, and the chest held out as full as possible, curl the bells,
or lift them from down at arm's-length until you have drawn them close
up to the shoulders, the finger-nails being turned upward. Lower again
and repeat until you have done twenty-five, the chest being always out.
The biceps muscles, or those of the front upper arm, and of the front of
the shoulders and chest, have been busy now.
Next, starting with the bells at your shoulders, push both at once
steadily up over your head as high as you can reach, and continue till
twenty-five are accomplished. The back-arms, corners of the shoulders,
and the waist have now had their turn.
Facing the pulley-weights (Fig. 4), and standing about two feet from
them, catch a handle in each hand. Keeping the elbows stiff, draw first
one hand and then the other in a horizontal line until your hand is
about eighteen inches behind you, the body and legs being at all times
held rigidly erect, and the chest well out. Continue this until you have
done fifty strokes with each hand. This is excellent for the back of the
shoulders--indeed for nearly the entire back above the waist.
Again, with back to the pulley-weights, hold the handles high over the
head, and leaning forward about a foot, keeping the elbows unbent, bear
the handles directly downward in front of you, and so do twenty-five.
Besides these few things, or most of them, put the bar (Fig. 3) in the
upper place, and, catching it with both hands, just swing back and
forth, at first for half a minute, afterward longer, always holding the
head well back. This is capital at stretching the ribs apart and
expanding the chest. If the above exercises seem too hard at first,
begin with half as much, or even less, and work gradually up until the
number named can be easily done.
If, once in mid-morning and again in mid-afternoon, the man, right in
his store or office, will turn for two or three minutes to his
dumb-bells, and repeat what he did with his home pair in the morning, he
will find the rest and change most refreshing. But in any case, whether
he does so or not, _every man in this country whose life is in-door
ought to so divide his time that, come what may, he will make sure of
his hour out-of-doors in the late afternoon, when the day's work is
nearly or quite done_. If he must get up earlier, or get to his work
earlier, or work faster while he does work, no matter. The prize is well
worth any such sacrifice, and even five times it. Emerson well says,
"The first wealth is health," and no pains should be spared to secure
it. Lose it awhile and see. Exercise vigorously that hour afoot, or
horseback, or on the water, making sure that during it you utterly
ignore your business and usual thoughts. Walk less at first, but soon do
your four miles in the hour, and then stick to that, of course having
shoes in which it is easy to walk, and before long the good appetite of
boyhood will return, food taste as it often has not done for years,
sound sleep will be surer, and new life and zest will be infused into
all that you do. Let every man in this country who lives by brain-work
get this daily "constitutional" at all hazards, and it will do more to
secure to him future years of health and usefulness than almost anything
else he can do. 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 advantage. The whole idea is to point
out a plain and simple plan of exercise, which, followed up
faithfully, will make sound health almost certain, and which is
easily within the reach of all.
_Daily Exercise for Consumptives._
And what should these people do? If there is one good lung left, or a
goodly portion of two, there is much which they can do. Before breakfast
they need to be more careful than others because of their poorer
circulation. Still, in a warm and comfortable room they can work to
advantage even then. In most instances consumptives have not large
enough chests. Stripped to the waist, there is found to be a flatness of
the upper chest, a lack of depth straight through from breastbone to
spine; and the girth about the chest itself, and especially at the lower
part of it, is often two or more inches less than it is in a well-built
person of the same height. Now, to weed out these defects, to swell up
and enlarge the chest, and bring it proper breadth, and depth, and
fulness, this will go far toward insuring healthy and vigorous lungs.
And how is this done?
Standing under the handles in an appliance like that represented in Fig.
8, holding the body rigidly erect, the chest out, the knees and elbows
unbent, bear the two handles downward on either side of you until the
hands are as if extended on a cross, using only very light weights at
first. Lower the weights again, then bear down again, and so do ten.
Just as you bear down each time, inflate the lungs to their utmost, and
hold the air in them until you have lowered the weights again. Rest
about a minute, then do ten more, and a little later ten more. This will
be enough before breakfast work the first week. At breakfast, and
whenever sitting down throughout the day, determine to do two things--to
sit far back on your chair, and to sit at all times upright. No matter
how many times you forget or fail, even if a thousand, keep trying
until the erect posture becomes habitual. This point once reached,
you have accomplished a great thing--one which may aid not a little
to save your life.
Next, about an hour after breakfast, start out for an easy walk. Going
quietly at first, the head held, if anything, back of the vertical, and
the step short and springy; quicken later into a lively pace, and,
holding that as long as you comfortably can, return to your room. If
your skin is moist, do not hesitate a minute, but strip at once, and
with coarse towels rub your skin till it is thoroughly red all over, and
then put on dry under-clothing. If you then feel like taking a nap, take
it. When well rested, do thirty more strokes at the pulley-weights. In
the afternoon try more walking, or some horseback work if you can get a
steed with any dash in him. After you are through, then more weight
work. Finally, just before retiring, take another turn at the weights.
After the first week run the weight work up to fifty at a time, and
increase the out-door distance covered both morning and afternoon, being
sure to go in all weathers, and to eat and sleep all you comfortably
can. Vary the in-door work also somewhat. In addition to the exercise on
Fig. 8, practice now an equal number of strokes daily on the appliance
described as Fig. 9, and in the fashion described on page 249. After the
first fortnight try hanging by the two hands on the horizontal bar and
swinging lightly back and forth. Before breakfast, before dinner, before
supper, and just before retiring, take a turn at this swinging. Of it,
and the work on the two sorts of pulley-weights, a weak-lunged person
can scarcely do enough. These open the ribs apart, broaden and deepen
the chest, and inflate the lungs--the very things the consumptive
needs. The out-door work secures him or her ample good air, vigorous
exercise, and frequent change of scene. On the value of this good air,
or rather of the danger of bad air, hear Langenbeck, the great German
anatomist: "I am sure now of what I suspected long ago, viz., that
pulmonary diseases have very little to do with intemperance, * * * and
much less with cold weather, but are nearly exclusively (if we except
tuberculous tendencies inherited from _both_ parents, I say _quite_
exclusively) produced by the breathing of foul air." This out-door work
should also be steadily increased until the half-hour's listless walk at
first becomes six or eight miles before dinner, and as much more before
supper. From breakfast to supper one can hardly be exercising
out-of-doors too much; and steadily calling on the heart and lungs in
these very favorable ways, increased vigor and power are only what might
have reasonably been looked for.
As the months roll on, and this steady work, directed right to the weak
spots, has strengthened and toughened you, now put larger weights on the
Fig. 8 appliance, and also increase the number of strokes until you do a
thousand or even two thousand daily--head and body always being held
erect, and full breathing a constant accompaniment. This making a
specialty of these chest-expanding exercises, none of which are severe
or violent, but which are still vigorous enough, and the abundance of
healthy and active out-door life, are sure to bring good fruits in this
battle where the stake is no less than one's own life. They are rational
and vigorous means, aimed directly at the weak part, and, with good air,
good food, cheerful friends, and ample sleep, will often work marvels,
where the filling the stomach with a whole apothecary shop of nauseous
oils and other medicines has wholly failed to bring the relief sought.
These exercises taken by a man already healthy at once tone him up and
invigorate him, until he begins to have something of the feeling of the
sturdy pioneer, as described by Dr. Mitchell.[P] And if the delicate
person tries the same means, using them judiciously and carefully, it is
but natural that he should find similar results.
Some years ago Dr. G----, of Boston, showed us a photograph of himself
taken several years previously. The shoulders were warped forward, the
chest looked flat, almost hollow, and the face and general appearance
suggested a delicate man. He said he inclined to be consumptive. Well,
by practising breathing, not on an ordinary "blowing-machine," where
you empty your lungs of about all that is in them, but on an
inspirometer, from which instead you inhale every inch of air you can,
and by practising vigorous working of his diaphragm, he had so expanded
his lungs that he could inhale three hundred and eighty cubic inches of
air at one breath! Certainly the depth of his chest at the later period
was something astounding, it being, as nearly as we could judge without
calipers, all of fourteen inches through, directly from breastbone to
spine, while it was a strikingly broad chest as well.
But an even more astonishing feature was the tremendous power of his
voice. He said that at the end of half an hour's public singing with the
opera singers (for he was skilled at that), while they would be hot and
perspiring he was only just warming up and getting ready for his work.
One thing all who ever heard him sing would quickly concede, namely,
that seldom had they anywhere heard so immense a voice as his. He said
that he had also run two blocks in one breath. He looked about the
farthest remove from a consumptive--a short, stout, fat man, rather.
Now the in-door chest work above recommended, and the steady and
vigorous daily out-door work, all aiming to deepen and strengthen the
lungs, are well-nigh sure to bring decidedly favorable results; while
the doctor's habit of frequent, deep, and slow inhaling, cannot fail to
work great good, and can hardly be practised enough.
After he of weak lungs has once built them up again and regained the
former vigor, he should not only be sure of his daily in-door exercise
and of his constitutional, but of a longer outing daily than a stronger
man would need. President Day, of Yale, said to have been a consumptive
at seventeen, by good care of his body lived to be ninety-five, and it
is far from uncommon for delicate persons, who take good care of the
small stock of vigor they have, to outlive sturdier ones who are
more prodigal and careless.
FOOTNOTES:
[P] See page 77.
APPENDIX I.
_Showing the average state of the development of 200 men upon
entering the Bowdoin College Gymnasium, from the classes of '73,
'74, '75, '76, and '77._
+-------------------+------------------------------+
|Age | 18.3 years. |
+-------------------+--------------+---------------+
|Height | 5 ft. 8 in. | 67.974 in. |
|Weight | 135 lbs. | 134.981 lbs. |
|Chest (inflated.) | 35 in. | 35.067 in. |
|Chest (contracted) | 32-1/4 in. | 32.29 in. |
|Forearm | 10 in. | 10.03 in. |
|Upper arm (flexed) | 11 in. | 10.960 in. |
|Shoulders (width) | 15-1/2 in. | 15.602 in. |
|Hips | 31-1/2 in. | 31.475 in. |
|Thigh | 19-1/2 in. | 19.612 in. |
|Calf | 12-1/2 in. | 12.729 in. |
+-------------------+--------------+---------------+
APPENDIX II.
_Showing the average state of the growth and development of the
same number of men (200) after having practised in the Bowdoin
Gymnasium_ half an hour a day _four times a week, for a period of
six months, under Dr. Sargent._
+-------------------+------------------+---------------+
|Height | 5 ft. 8-1/4 in.| 68.254 in. |
|Weight | 137 lbs. | 137.123 lbs. |
|Chest (inflated) | 36-3/4 in. | 36.829 in. |
|Chest (contracted) | 33 in. | 33.206 in. |
|Forearm | 10-3/4 in. | 10.760 in. |
|Upper arm (flexed) | 12 in. | 11.903 in. |
|Shoulders (width) | 16-1/4 in. | 16.260 in. |
|Hips | 33-3/4 in. | 33.875 in. |
|Thigh | 21 in. | 20.964 in. |
|Calf | 13-1/4 in. | 13.232 in. |
+------------------+-------------------+---------------+
In this case the apparatus used was light dumb-bells, 2-1/2 lbs.; Indian
clubs, 3-1/2 lbs.; pulley-weights, from 10 to 15 lbs.
APPENDIX III.
_Showing average increase of 200 students at Bowdoin College, in
various measurements, after working but half an hour a day four
times a week, for six months, under Dr. Sargent._
+---------------------------------------+------------+
|Average increase in height | 1/4 in. |
|Average increase in weight | 2 lbs. |
|Average increase of chest (contracted) | 3/4 in. |
|Average increase of chest (inflated) | 1-3/4 in. |
|Average increase of girth of forearm | 3/4 in. |
|Average increase of girth of upper arm | 1 in. |
|Average increase of width of shoulders | 3/4 in. |
|Average increase of girth of hips | 2-1/4 in. |
|Average increase of girth of thigh | 1-1/2 in. |
|Average increase of girth of calf | 3/4 in. |
+---------------------------------------+------------+
APPENDIX IV.
_Showing the effect of four hours' exercise a week for one year
upon a youth of 19, at Bowdoin College, under Dr. Sargent's
direction. This was two hours' work more each week than was
required of the regular classes._
+-----------------+---------+-----------+-----------+----------+
|S----. |Date | Nov., '73 | Nov., '74 | Increase |
+-----------------+---------+-----------+-----------+----------+
|Age. |Yrs. | 19 | 20 | |
|Height. |Ft. In. | 5 8 | 5 9 | 1 |
|Weight. |Lbs. |145 |160 |15 |
|Chest (inflat.). |In. | 36-1/2 | 40 | 3-1/2 |
|Chest (cont.). |In. | 33-1/2 | 34-1/4 | 3/4 |
|Forearm. |In. | 10-1/4 | 11 | 3/4 |
|Upper arm. |In. | 12-1/4 | 13-3/4 | 1-1/2 |
|Shoulders. |In. | 15-3/4 | 17 | 1-1/4 |
|Hips. |In. | 35 | 36-1/2 | 1-1/2 |
|Thight. |In. | 19-3/4 | 22 | 2-1/4 |
|Calf. |In. | 13-1/2 | 15 | 1-1/2 |
+-----------------+---------+-----------+-----------+----------+
APPENDIX V.
_Taken from Maclaren's "Physical Education." Showing effect of four
months and twelve days' exercise, under his system, on fifteen youths
ranging from 16 to 19 years of age._
RETURN OF COURSE OF GYMNASTIC TRAINING AT THE ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY,
WOOLWICH, FROM FEB. 10TH, 1863, TO JUNE 22D, 1863.
+---+----------------------------------------------------+
| | MEASUREMENTS, ETC. |
+---+------+---------+---------+--------+--------+-------+
|No.| Age. | Height. | Weight. |Chest. |Forearm.| Upper |
| | | | | | | arm. |
+---+------+---------+---------+--------+--------+-------+
| | Yrs. | Ft. In. |St. Lbs. | In. | In. | In. |
| | | | | | | |
|1 | 18 | 5 1-1/4 | 7 8 | 29-1/2 | 9-1/2 | 8-3/4 |
| | | 5 2-1/4 | 7 8 | 30 | 9-1/2 | 9-1/2 |
|2 | 19 | 5 8-1/2 | 9 5-1/2 | 28 | 11 | 10-1/4|
| | | 5 8-3/4 | 9 11 | 31-1/2 | 11 | 11-3/8|
|3 | 17 | 5 5-3/4 | 9 1 | 26-1/2 | | 8-1/2 |
| | | 5 6-1/8 | 9 1 | 29-1/2 | 10-3/8 | 10 |
|4 | 18 | 5 8-1/4 | 10 0 | 33 | 10-3/4 | 10-1/4|
| | | 5 8-1/2 | 10 3 | 35 | 10-3/4 | 11-1/2|
|5 | 18 | 6 0-1/2 | 10 13 | 32 | 10-1/2 | 9-1/4 |
| | | 6 1-1/4 | 11 2 | 34 | 10-1/2 | 10-7/8|
|6 | 17 | 5 3-1/2 | 8 1 | 31 | 10-1/8 | 9-7/8 |
| | | 5 4-1/2 | 8 7 | 33 | 10-1/8 | 11 |
|7 | 18 | 5 5-1/4 | 7 13 | 26 | 9-1/4 | 7-7/8 |
| | | 5 5-3/4 | 8 2 | 29 | 9-1/2 | 9-1/2 |
|8 | 16 | 5 6-3/4 | 8 3 | 28-1/2 | 9 | 8-1/2 |
| | | 5 7-1/4 | 8 4 | 31 | 9-1/8 | 9-1/2 |
|9 | 17 | 5 8-3/8 | 11 3 | 31 | 11-1/4 | 10-1/4|
| | | 5 9-1/8 | 11 3 | 33 | 11-1/4 | 11-1/8|
|10 | 18 | 5 11-3/8| 11 8 | 30 | 10-1/4 | 10-1/2|
| | | 5 11-3/8| 11 8 | 33 | 10-3/4 | 11 |
|11 | 19 | 5 7-3/4 | 10 2 | 33 | 10-1/2 | 10-1/4|
| | | 5 8-5/8 | 10 2 | 34-1/2 | 10-1/2 | 10-7/8|
|12 | 18 | 5 10-1/2| 10 11 | 32 | 10-1/2 | 10 |
| | | 5 11-7/8| 10 11 | 33-1/2 | 10-1/2 | 11 |
|13 | 19 | 5 7-7/8 | 11 13 | 33 | 11-1/2 | 12 |
| | | 5 9-5/8 | 11 13 | 35-1/2 | 11-1/2 | 12-1/2|
|14 | 17 | 5 6-3/4 | 9 13 | 29 | 10-5/8 | 8-1/4 |
| | | 5 7-5/8 | 10 3 | 32 | 10-5/8 | 9-1/2 |
|15 | 19 | 5 10-1/8| 10 1 | 27-1/2 | 10-5/8 | 9-3/8 |
| | | 5 11-7/8| 10 9 | 32-3/4 | 10-5/8 | 10-7/8|
+---+------+---------+---------+--------+--------+-------+
+---+---------------------------------------+
| | INCREASE. |
+---+-------+-------+------+--------+-------+
|No.|Height.|Weight.|Chest.|Forearm.| Upper |
| | | | | | arm. |
+---+-------+-------+------+--------+-------+
| | In. | Lbs. | In. | In. | In. |
| | | | | | |
|1 | 1 | " | 1/2 | " | 3/4 |
|2 | 1/4 | 5-1/2 | 3-1/2| " | 1-1/8 |
|3 | 3/8 | " | 3 | " | 1-1/2 |
|4 | 1/4 | 3 | 2 | " | 1-1/4 |
|5 | 3/4 | 3 | 2 | " | 1-5/8 |
|6 | 1 | 6 | 2 | " | 1-1/8 |
|7 | 1/2 | 3 | 3 | 1/4 | 1-5/8 |
|8 | 1/2 | 1 | 2-1/2| 1/8 | 1 |
|9 | 3/4 | " | 2 | " | 7/8 |
|10 | " | " | 3 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
|11 | 7/8 | " | 1-1/2| " | 5/8 |
|12 | 1-3/8 | " | 1-1/2| " | 1 |
|13 | 1-3/4 | " | 2-1/2| " | 1/2 |
|14 | 7/8 | 4 | 3 | " | 1/4 |
|15 | 1-3/4 | 8 | 5-1/4| " | 1-1/2 |
+---+-------+-------+------+--------+-------+
APPENDIX VI.
_Taken from Maclaren's "Physical Education." Showing effect of
seven months and nineteen days' exercise, under his system, on men
ranging from 19 to 28 years of age._
TABLE OF MEASUREMENTS OF FIRST DETACHMENT OF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
SELECTED TO BE QUALIFIED AS MILITARY GYMNASTIC INSTRUCTORS.
+-----------+-----+----------------------------------------------------+
| | | MEASUREMENTS, ETC. |
| | +-------+---------+----------+-------+-------+-------+
| Date. | No. | A. | B. | C. | D. | E. | F. |
+-----------+-----+-------+---------+----------+-------+-------+-------+
| | | Yrs. | Ft. In. | St. Lbs. | In. | In. | In. |
| Sept. 11. | 1 | 19 | 5 8-1/2| 9 2 | 33 | 9-1/2| 10 |
| April 30. | | | 5 8-7/8| 10 1 | 37-1/2| 10-1/2| 11-3/4|
| Sept. 11. | 2 | 21 | 5 9 | 10 5 | 34-3/4| 10 | 11 |
| April 30. | | | 5 9-1/4| 11 1 | 38-1/2| 11 | 12-1/4|
| Sept 11. | 3 | 23 | 5 5 | 9 7 | 34 | 10-1/2| 12 |
| April 30. | | | 5 5-3/4| 10 2 | 37-1/4| 11-1/2| 13-1/4|
| Sept. 11. | 4 | 23 | 5 7-1/4| 9 13 | 37 | 10-1/4| 12 |
| April 30. | | | 5 7-3/4| 10 8 | 38-1/2| 11-1/2| 13 |
| Sept. 11. | 5 | 23 | 5 8-1/4| 9 10 | 36 | 10 | 11 |
| April 30. | | | 5 8-1/2| 10 6 | 37 | 10-1/2| 12 |
| Sept. 11. | 6 | 23 | 5 9-1/8| 11 3 | 36-1/2| 11 | 12 |
| April 30. | | | 5 9-1/4| 11 12 | 38-1/2| 11-1/2| 13 |
| Sept. 11. | 7 | 23 | 5 9 | 10 6 | 36 | 10-3/4| 12 |
| April 30. | | | 5 9-1/8| 10 11 | 38-1/2| 11 | 13 |
| Sept. 11. | 8 | 24 | 5 8-3/4| 10 8 | 35 | 10-3/4| 12-3/4|
| April 30. | | | 5 9-1/4| 11 6 | 40 | 11-3/4| 14 |
| Sept. 11. | 9 | 26 | 5 6-1/4| 9 5 | 33 | 10 | 11-1/2|
| April 30. | | | 5 6-7/8| 9 11-1/2| 36 | 10-1/4| 12-3/4|
| Sept. 11. | 10 | 26-3/4| 5 11-3/8| 12 6 | 41 | 11-1/2| 13 |
| April 30. | | | 5 11-3/4| 13 1 | 42 | 11-1/2| 14 |
| Sept. 11. | 11 | 28 | 5 7-3/4| 10 10 | 37 | 10-1/2| 12-1/2|
| April 30. | | | 5 8-1/4| 11 9 | 40 | 11-3/4| 13-3/4|
| Sept. 11. | 12 | 28 | 5 10-7/8| 10 9 | 37 | 10-1/2| 13 |
| April 30. | | | 5 11 | 11 11 | 40 | 11-3/4| 14 |
+-----------+-----+-------+---------+----------+-------+-------+-------+
+-----------+-----+-------------------------------------+
| | | INCREASE. |
| | +-----+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Date. | No. | G. | H. | I. | J. | K. |
+-----------+-----+-----+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| | | In. | Lbs. | In. | In. | In. |
| Sept. 11. | 1 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 3/8 | 13 | 4-1/2 | 1 | 1-3/4 |
| Sept. 11. | 2 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 1/4 | 10 | 3-3/4 | 1 | 1-1/4 |
| Sept. 11. | 3 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 3/4 | 9 | 3-1/4 | 1 | 1-1/4 |
| Sept. 11. | 4 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 1/2 | 9 | 1-1/2 | 1-1/4 | 1 |
| Sept. 11. | 5 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 1/4 | 10 | 1 | 1/2 | 1 |
| Sept. 11. | 6 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 1/8 | 9 | 2 | 1/2 | 1 |
| Sept. 11. | 7 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 1/8 | 5 | 2-1/2 | 1/4 | 1 |
| Sept. 11. | 8 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 1/2 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1-1/4 |
| Sept. 11. | 9 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 5/8 | 6-1/2 | 3 | 1/4 | 1-1/4 |
| Sept. 11. | 10 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 3/8 | 9 | 1 | " | 1 |
| Sept. 11. | 11 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 1/2 | 13 | 3 | 1-1/4 | 1-1/4 |
| Sept. 11. | 12 | | | | | |
| April 30. | | 1/8 | 16 | 3 | 1-1/4 | 1 |
+-----------+-----+-----+-------+-------+-------+-------+
KEY:
A. Age.
B. Height.
C. Weight.
D. Chest.
E. Forearm.
F. Upper arm.
G. Height.
H. Weight.
I. Chest.
J. Forearm.
K. Upper arm.
The men composing this detachment had been irregularly selected, the
youngest being 19, the eldest 28, the average age 24; and, after a
period of _eight months'_ training, the increase in the measurements
of the men were--
+-------------------+---------+--------+----------+------------+
| | Weight. | Chest. | Forearm. | Upper arm. |
| +---------+--------+----------+------------+
| | Lbs. | In. | In. | In. |
| The smallest gain | 5 | 1 | 1/4 | 1 |
| The largest gain | 16 | 5 | 1-1/4 | 1-3/4 |
| The average gain | 10 | 2-7/8 | 3/4 | 1-3/4 |
+-------------------+---------+--------+----------+------------+
APPENDIX VII.
_Taken from Maclaren's "Physical Education." Showing the result of one
year's continuous practice._
THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS IN ANOTHER FORM THE RESULTS OF THE SYSTEM;
NOT BY BRIEF COURSES OR PERIODS OF VOLUNTARY ATTENDANCE, BUT BY A
YEAR'S STEADY PRACTICE FROM BIRTHDAY TO BIRTHDAY, WITH TWO ARTICLED
PUPILS, THE YOUNGER BEING 16, THE ELDER 20:
+-----+--------------+------------------------------------------+
| | | MEASUREMENTS, ETC. |
| | +----+-------+--------+------+------+------+
|Case.| Date. | A | B | C | D | E | F |
+-----+--------------+----+-------+--------+------+------+------+
| | |Yrs.|Ft. In.|St. Lbs.|In. |In. |In. |
|A. |1861, Oct. 17.| 16 |5 2-3/4| 7 10 |31 | 8 | 9-1/4|
| |1862, Apr. 17.| " |5 4 | 8 12 |34-1/2| 10 |11-1/4|
| | " Oct. 17.| 17 |5 4-3/4| 9 3 |36 | 10 |11-1/4|
| | | | | | Subsequent |
| | | | | | Measurement. |
| |1863, Mar. 23.| 18 |5 6-3/8|10 10 |37-1/2|11-1/4|13 |
| | | | | | | |
|B. |1862, Feb. 24.| 20 |5 8-1/2|10 13 |34 |11-1/4|11-3/4|
| | " Aug. 24.| " |5 8-7/8|11 4 |38-1/2|12 |12-3/4|
| |1862, Feb. 24.| 21 | " |11 7-1/2|40 |12-1/2|13-1/4|
+-----+--------------+----+-------+--------+------+------+------+
+-----+--------------+------------------------------------+
| | | INCREASE. |
| | +-----+-------+-----+------+---------+
|Case.| Date. | G | H | I | J | K |
+-----+--------------+-----+-------+-----+------+---------+
| | | In. |Lbs. |In. | In. |In. |
|A. |1861, Oct. 17.| | | | | |
| |1862, Apr. 17.|1-1/4| 16 |3-1/2| 2 | 2 |
| | " Oct. 17.| 3/4| 5 |1-1/2| " | " |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| |1863, Mar. 23.|1-5/8| 21 |1-1/2| 1-1/4| 1-3/4 |
| | | | | | | |
|B. |1862, Feb. 24.| | | | | |
| | " Aug. 24.| 3/8| 5 |4-1/2| 3/4| 1 |
| |1862, Feb. 24.| " | 3-1/2|1-1/2| 1/2| 1/2 |
+-----+--------------+-----+-------+-----+------+---------+
KEY:
A: Age.
B: Height.
C: Weight.
D: Chest.
E: Forearm.
F: Upper arm.
G: Height.
H: Weight.
I: Chest.
J: Forearm.
K: Upper arm.
Thus in the year's work the increase was--
+-----------------+-------+-------+-------+---------+---------+
| |Height.|Weight.| Chest.| Forearm.| Upper |
| | | | | | arm. |
+-----------------+-------+-------+-------+---------+---------+
| | In. | Lbs. | In. | In. | In. |
|With the younger | 2 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
|With the elder | 3/8 | 8-1/2 | 6 | 1-1/4 | 1-1/2 |
+-----------------+-------+-------+-------+---------+---------+
CONCLUSION.
In the first eleven chapters of this little book attempt has been made
to call attention both to defects and lacks, resulting largely from not
taking rational daily exercise, and to what such exercise has
accomplished wherever it has been thoroughly tried. In the last two
chapters have been suggested not a long and difficult system of
gymnastic exercises needing a fully equipped gymnasium, a trained
instructor, and years of work to master, but rather a few plain and
simple exercises for any given part or for the whole body, and hints as
to how to distribute the little time to be given to them daily. The
teacher, the parent--the child even, without the aid of either--the
young man or woman, the middle-aged and the old, will all find
variety enough of work, which, while free from risk, will still
prove sufficiently vigorous to insure to each a good allowance
of daily exercise. All else that is needed is a good degree of
the steadiness and perseverance which are generally inseparable
from everything worth accomplishing.
THE END.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:
Passages in italics are indicated by _underscore_.
Illustrations have been moved from the middle of a paragraph to the
closest paragraph break.
The word up-hill and uphill has been retained in both versions.
Other than the corrections listed below, printer's inconsistencies in
spelling and punctuation have been retained:
changed "spent mainly indoors?" into "spent mainly in-doors?"
page 39
changed "his work on "Sleep," as to" into "his work on "Sleep", as
to" page 44
changed "them "photographed, stripped to the waist, both" into "them
"photographed, stripped to the waist", both" page 144
changed "the 'longshore-man--all at" into "the 'longshoreman--all
at" page 180
changed "bar A A, the operator simply" into "bar A A', the operator
simply" page 216
changed "meets the breast-bone, until" into "meets the breastbone,
until" page 244
changed "out at arms-length, say" into "out at arm's-length, say"
page 249
changed "it to the floor. and so" into "it to the floor and so"
page 258
changed "and fore-arm work, catch" into "and forearm work, catch"
page 274