Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-06-01
PHYSICAL EDUCATION.-ATHIETIC
EXERCISE.
(E4CEPT Sunday

We are glad TO see the youths of Harvard
beginning gain their rowing matches. The
snootn surface OIL the silver winding river
Charles Is now frequently dotted with their
long light clippers, crawling o7er the water
win thelr slx oars like 80 many six-legged cat
erplllars. Hardly any Out-of-door exercise is
more attractive and beneicient TO men than
this The fresh exhilaratiOn of the free air and
pleasant scenes throug which the rowers ON q
river glide are worth q cart load of health
Panaceas. 1t would be we'll if the youth of
our city took more advantage of our water fa-
uhues Tor pleasant exercise. The 4th of July
regattas have turned the attention of some TO il
and II 1t could be much increased the river
Charles might become a fountain of life-giving
ylgor TO our worn, hardthinking brains
In England, the Thames is dotted with the
four oars, and " six oars, - and the - pair of
oars, as on fine evenings they skim the stream,
cneered by the smile Of beauty and the hurrahs
of the interested spectators
But rowing is only one of the means of pby-
seal education at the disposal of Bostonians.
Our glorious park of forty acres; that undula-
nnS common; those towering trees through
whose trscery you catch frequent beams from
that western horizon which Fopes to the sun
set a gateway of gold" this broad surface in
yltes the early morning game of ball or the twi-
light game of cricket. Football used to be
when we were boys together, grand stim-
ulant to all the powers of masculine deyeloD-
menti and II blaekened shins and bruised heads
sometimes broke the harmony of the snort
twas but a moment, and the glorious game
rolled on.
Mr.. Webster once said of an eminent Boston
Ian, who Is still living, that .sit was a prodiO
lOus pity be had no single taste whose gratifcs-
tion would take him out Of his hot-air library
into the open air Webster's own massive
mental wear could never have been manufac.
tured except by sound mind in a sound bOdy
" mems sGH1 ia eoTp0Te Sano" There has
been some discussion lately about his using to-
baeco- He used it, but only for Il very short
season. But what he did use permanently. "a
IS well known, was out-of-door exercise in eyery
form. Even horseback riding, which was not
peculiarly favorable TO his habit of body. was
nevertheless quite favOrite exercise with him.
even till an advanced period of life Another
OF our Massachusetts, great men, John Quincy
Adams, used TO take very long walks before
breakfast, when he was in Congress, and in the
dead OF winter would have the ice of the Poto-
mac cut to enjoy his daily river batch
Frederick the Great used to declare that
nature evidently intended mankind for Dos
tSliOns, because she had made exercise so in
dispensable to the race, but her only mistake
was that she had not arranged to have men
born on horseback
Ii was doubtless one very great cause of the
Intellectual and martial supremacy of the class
ie Republics that they were composed of ply
sically vigorous citizens. EVERYBODY was athie-
tie; everyb body wrestled or ran, or boxed The
Olympic Stadium and the Campus Martius fed
the lfe-sprlngs Of their respective States There
was no beauty which was not well deyeroped
and vigorous 1t was as much q part of the
daily routine for the youth to put their mus
eles into mimic battle it is with US to put our
teeth in play at dinner.
We as people are said to be degsnerating in
physique. There is still, however much diff
ference in bodily proportions and deyelOpment
IN favor Of BOstOnians as against New Workers
We trust the difference may be increased. and
that the Athens Of America may be the Athen-
ian IN the rugged and healthy stature of its
children, less than in careful culture of their
minds.-BOStoR TTGreIZer.