Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-04-05
Seletted 1tliscellann.
From the Congreg gati0Aalist.
Physical Exercise for Children.
By wM. ". CORNELL, ND.


Schools for yo,,7 cafre5, destret;re to heqlh and
lJe-ogerastsoR Of The mint i1j.trio,s- Ca,tse al
psital dseJSa - yo'fHg ladies Too 1aa7.5 studios
t' o'u set0o1S kvery school Slto,li huUc a
G.g7ut0.ia4t-
When old enough to use its legs and hands. a
child, Il lot restrained. evIuces the law OF It's
Creator. - though vIsibly stamped upon 1t by
keeping. Turing it, waking hours, almost III
perpetual motion. Til, law Is, that it was
made 10 be active.
Vow it Is that the time of its martyrdom has
come The law says, and the school commit
Ices say, IL the age Of four ears 1t may be sent
10 i5e pu5Ge SCEUu.- They ought to saw II
shat. l-t be svut -o the public, nor any OIL er
scLoni, at sucu an age. 1 mean not to any, as
our TUolic schools are usually conducted. 1t ,
shou'd not be sent, this age, " here 1t W II be
pryhIbited from exercising freely its hands ana
feet, and from filing its lungs with pure air.
Iu take such child illl of life. and a desire ef
:lu. .uu - oFct-iawlA-g, i YOU please, with exu-
te-tice ct spin: - and conduc 1t tive or SIX
hoHE~ q day, compelling II 10 sit upon wooden
bench or clalr. pIuching It's e.Is, pulling lis
HAIR, switching its legs when l. moves OF stIrs,
aud Ell ta.s. IN au impure atmosphere, is a serv-
ItuG, more severe han Pharaoh ever inflicted
upou the children ef Israel.
Sall. this but what we have seen. Well
do We remember when the children of this age
We're compelled 20 SIt upon a wooden bench,
wl.h MS support for their backs, directly around
am Itou Stove, " Ach. sufficiently warm those
Iu other parts ui The room, must be heated hot
enough jo render the atmosphere where the
Younger ones sat. at least 80 degrees. But for
tae cuo,Iug eyaporatjug process Of perspiratIou,
wisely ordajued BY he Creator, which was, IN
deed, sensible ii distilled and ran down their
little iaees III drops, tuey wuutd have been
roasted. As IT vii~, their hair was twisted into
'suuttv CrIlS. as In the fable, when Phubu>
drove the chariot uf the over Africa. and
brought that flaming orb too the earth, 1t
rr-~prd tHe hair ut all liz children
IHc cgl-l system uf sending children to school
and it may be added, 10 iuany such SchooIs
above de~cubed) Is san followed, ia Ills latter
half ot the nineteenth century: and this Is called
education. Ii is education with a ven-eluce-
educating them ior au early grave; or f"r a mis-
cradle life Of nervous irritation and broken con-
situations
To augment the evil. or rathe-. legion of evils.
which cluster around such a course - a the
child advances IN years, an undue stimulus l.
applied TO The mind, by both rewards and pun
5~.nout~. To hasten on f.e work Of bodily de-
~truclIuu. " hen the work l. done, aud nature
I14c- and droOpS. and the poor victim dies, eve
~ body wonders that such a spughtly, bright
and lovely Child. forward, should be suddenly
taken away. Ii was a mystic. .ous Providence.
~ they wrap It IN" Rather say, 1t
murder. abating the malice aiorethough:, ouly.
teachers, parents, ministers, all mOuFu-aII
a~iouIshed-all wonder.
hundreds of children die every wear in this
NttN- 4t4 ottGT CAIltS ana tOWiS IN LDtS common
wealth from these causes. Sull, the v-Il con
tiuUc~ and. instead of being iessenci. increases
wish every growing generation. The de-
tesrahIe practice Of overtaskHg the mind. and
uudertaskiug, or neglecliC5 the body continues
with children of a larger growth, through all
our system of education. IL schools, academies,
colleges and Semiuaries.
We may speak. but 1t is to but little purpose.
y ( may raise warning voice, but 1t Is " like
TIE beating arr
Il \
his belief that, two-thIrds OF the ladies IN that
great metropolis were subject 10 spinal curva-
tUre. or spinal irritation The cause, he said,
was mainly, that = American ladies were stran-
gers 10 physical exercise New oTk Is not
an exception as II respects this matter. 4 very
similar opinion has been expressed by one OF
Tie oldest physicians Of Boston, aud by one. too,
who has had ample means Of " knowing whereof
he atErms
This generally arises from muscular weakness
induced by sitting ut school III a bad position,
and from neglect OF physical exercise In ad-
dlj1on L. the>e Two causes. which alone are am
ply sufficient 10 produce the very undesirable.
nor 70 say destructive effect. when at school the
mtud i over-sJitnula-ed, rather cra1lfslaf With
At least half g dozen, L have known ten differ
eut stucIe~.) M order tha1 pupils might finish
their education Within a prescribed period of
time. They do H7ttSb their education soon, be-
cause bodily strength fails and they can do no
more Such i the ruetul course Of maltItUdes
of our Young ladies r. y e speak that We know"
and have had oceular demonstration IN many
patients who have come te Us, or whom We have
been called 10 prescribe for at their homes. SO
destructive 10 health has this course OF trimming
become 20 the Young. that the writer, a med
Ical man. L,s been led 70 take the general over
sight. (so far as pn nysieal management ami
health are concerned) of school, IN which
meutal pressure and physical neglect, he hopes
VIII be forever bauIshed
There should never be a school. Iasle or fe
male. without a gy ymna-IGFn, apd the beneve-
lent individual Y hO recently made s donation
10 Harvard college 10 found such an institution