Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-07-12
PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

Men have bodies as well as souls, physical as
well as intellectual faculties a truism it would be
foolish to express, were it not for the single fact
tIat it seems to be forgotten or ignored in our mod
ern system Of educational training. AT present, j"
says the Rev. Mr.. LjcerDtOIe, Of this city, 1--WE Of
ten, i'll our high schools, academies, and colleges,
educate the intellectual faculties at the expense Of
health and lie. We make brilliant matnemati-
clans, and miserable dyspeptics; fine l~inguists, and
bronchial Threats: good writer's, and narrow chests:
high !oreheads, and pale cYmplexions; smart schOl-
airs, but not that union which the ancients priced
so highly, of a sound mind in a sound body. The
brain becomes the chief working muscle of the
system. We refine and re-refne the intellectual
powers down to Il diamond point and 5rilliancy,
rs If they were the, sole, or the ~reignine faculties,
and we had not II physci al nature binding us to
the earth, and u spiritual nature binding us to
the great heavens, and the greater God who III
habits them. The students from the Military
Academy, West Point, are graduated with broad
chests, and hnely-deyelOped frames; while those
from our literary and scientific colleges. Harvard.
Yale. Princeton, or Oxford, 20 forth pale, h in.and
cadayerous; refined, intellectual, and interesting
lnyalIds, upon, whom, if they become ministers Of
the Gospel, parishes are obliged 10 expend IA vast
quantity of complimentary sympathy; but they are
not hardy soldiers in life's battle, armed and
equipped as tue law of their nature requires, and
as their duties peremptorily demand.
THUS The universities become n sort of splen-
uIU hOapltdlsi WITH lnlS lhulUefence. tnat the nos
pitfalls cure, and the universities create disease.
Most of them are indictable at the bar of public
opinion for taking the finest young brain and blood
OF the country, and after working upon them for
four years, returning them to the owners, skilled
indeed to perform certain linguistic and mathe-
matical dexterities, but very much below par in
health and endurance, and, in short seriously dam
aged and used up, physically demoralized. How
can good and wise men, the presidents professors
and tutors of these colleges and schools. see all
these things going on from year to year, and never
lift a finger to set in motion some means for an
efectual reform?
at can only be accounted for on the ground of
the invetoracy of habit They do as their fathers
did before them. Dost read Greek, thou learned
i. l.. D.? then should'st thou long ago have known
that a college without n gymnasium is, by its con-
struction, educating the mind at the expense of
the body, and impeding the cause of learning,
science, and religion, by making its torchbearers
to the world a timid set Of halfgrown, chronic in,
valids, who do not, on an average, live out half
their days, and who only half live while they do
live"
There must be n change in all this. The time
has come, nay, we hope to see the day, when, in
every intelligent section of this country, a school
withou. its gardes, its gymnasium, its workshops,
is open broad and healthful spaces for all kinds of
gymnastics sports and exercises, will be regarded
as an anomaly only betting rude and barbar-
Gus age .-Paonographic Reporter.