The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-10-22
For the Register.
Equestrian exercise at Fairs.

of opinion unfavorabls to exercise on
horseback for young ladies. You ap.
pear to associate the idea of rudeness
and indelicacy with cquestrion skill on
their part, as if they must never ride
except for business or necessity and only
appear in public in conformity with the
existing notions of refined people about
them. ! confess l have regarded the
degree of independence, if it be so, man
ifestod by young ladies who are disposed
to cultivate habits of exercise. with not
a little hope. The time for freedom of
exercise in business, aud the indulgence
of the natural spirits. seems to have
passed, mental cultivation, and exertion
have the place Of physical labors, luxu.
ry has supplied the place of active hab.
its. and certain toilsome accomplish
mcnts have taken the place of that nat
ural gayety ard enterprise, which, in a
former generation, led the young, oven
though they were women, to the habitu
al indulgence of physical effort, in the
pursuit of social enjoyment. The natur
al effect of such course is still percept-
ible in the remains Of animal spirits aud
many signs of frmness Of constitution,
in our senior generation of women.
1t is plaiu that tie habits Of society
are greatly changed physical exertiop is
but little demanded from young women
in only ordinary circumstances This
is 30 with all communities elevated above
the seventies of plain or rude coDdi
tiou Of life, and is the first interposition
which civilization dictates, to relieve the
burden of the curse upon man. 1t is
the instinct of human weakness to re-
lievc the tenderest ubjcets Of its mos.
dreaded evil, Labor is not laid uIon
young girls. as it ought to be, even as
a regimen Of health and training. They
are relieved from it as rapidly as the
circumstances of society will permit.
So it is with womcn, also so. if able, 1t
is with all mankind. The labor of the
body is regarded as a burden, while the
greatest mental exertion is sought as a
pleasure, and is grasped and retained
with passionate delight United with
the animsting aim Of the mind, such Ia
Dor is no doubt good, in n moral and
scnsuous, as well as in an economical
and physical view. But there is con
stant tendency to separate tho two, TO
follow intellectual impulses,a and to escape
from physical toll.
Now it is by combining intellectual
pleasure with the cxcrlon Of the body,
that this tendency is met, so disastrous
in itself aud its Influences, if permitted
to operate permanently, aud this is usu-
ally done through the medium Of sports.
The sports of children have been called
the nursing milk Of nature, when pa
rental love has weanod them. They
are. at least, in the eye of kind parent,
the substitute which he would supply
to them, yet with many educators. of q
refined tendency, the sports of girls. cs-
peciallv, are restricted to standard
founded in their own sober natures, or
morbid habits. The period of youth Of
the ruder scx, finds generous stimulus
to character in its sports Its privilege
claims them, and none denies il. who
would love the franknoss and cordialiiy
it trains. But labor apart, some spe.
cics Of activity is requisite still to the
employment Of physical vigor, aud the
perfection Of many character is never
found without it, The intellect is never
healthy, the affections are never eencr-
Gus without, as with the development of
physical activity. This vitality. in some
way elected, nourishes the spirit and the
body of the man. Shall woman be re-
PEELED by the weak Of her own sex, and
the mean of the other from Vch a source
Of character. itA woll,srrng within her
self? Aud why2 Because the refine,
mcnt of some one, whose school is ac-
credited by neither philosophy or the
history Of man, doubts about the way
Such refinement will doubt about every
way. not commended TO its esteem by
habits with which it is familiar
Efieminacyas as it has been called,attach-
es to the mind as we'll as the body, aud
what is called refinement is often but
the result Of reaction between them.
1t inclines to assume standar adapted
to the ease of the one, aud the pride Of
the other, it does no. repel, but solcits
Incidence and narrOwness Of view. Both
the mind aud the body are to be attract.
cd to escape their spell, The chase is
not at hand, in which the beauty of la
dies in chivalric times was developed and
fitted to be the cynosurc of devotion,
only the softcned traces Of which remain
aud these the ioveliest hues of social life.
The sport of tho animal spirits still at
tends the movement aud exhileration of
horse back exercise, the ennoblng feet
of it is sought in the courage aud self
control, the command of the animal and
irmness of heart, that belong to the
difficulties Of the seat. 1t is no longer
an exercise of business or necessity. It's
benefits are attainablo, but how are they
to be commended , When the bcvy of
young ladies enters upon the course, the
smile of triumph playing upon the lip,
is it gallant thought that these are cir.
Gus riders2 Is it a generous sentiment.
when their forms are borne with the
feetness and grace which only the oom
biuation of man with his choicest animal
has ever imparted-so that it was said
that only knight was the envy of kings,
to soy it is beautiful, but unre fined ?
They lead off from the ease Of modern
civilization in the grace Of the middle
ages. What, il the freedom Of their
Enruon .aoa ua,a rastorad IN than, from,