The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1859-05-13
physicnI Education.

Tuua, Alay 5. 10. LEANuER STEM ssoy
------.--..s-as.-s----
Physical Education.
The contrast between the people Of the
old world aud the new, in regard to phys
|icrl development dhd health, Is notice
able foaturo in tho history of our modern /
system Of training. a picture Of this con-
irast has often been drawn with dogree
bf colOrine. yet 4 has seldom been over
rated. Between the present and former
generations, there is reason to believe
that The same kind Of degeneracy stillex-
irts. To foreigners our men in active
business life have a s,rikihg'y haggard
aud anxious look, and our women have
usually neither the heolthrh comnllxion |
nor the general excellence Of form aud
proportion 80 universal in England. And
tais Is more particularly truo Of thoso
who have spent their days oidcily in any
of the larasr sidcs. Without stopping TO
inquire minutcly into the causes Of this
physical degeneration, It is, perhaps, no
more than proper to charge very much Of
the evil 70 neglect Of proper physical
training. We need greater attention In
opr shoots, 70 The laws Of our material ma
tures. The mind is too commonly r.
earded as the only part Of us worthy Of
study. Scholars are directed to drive
their thoughts to the far-oT regions Of
space beyond. They are sot to hammer
ing the rocks and exploring among potri-
fed remains, indefinitely old, to compute
the age Of the world, and to ascertain the
laws and conditions Of lis structure. Ac-
cordingly they carefully study the process
Of nature, and classify It's products in each
ufthe three great kingdoms, They bu-
~ themselves with acquiring languages,
and with the study Of mathematical abb
stractions. They learn drawing and mu-
sic, and variety Of such like "accom-
piishments," An this is well enough In
Ia proper order, but then we beg leave 10
say that without physical training and
muscular development, the student sell
dom finds himself itto discharge any great
and important duties.
These are matters Of fact which should
press themselves deeply upon the minds
Of enlightened educators. Young men
come forth from our colleges, not unlre-
quant'y, with physical constitutions so
weak aud shattered as TO utterly incopac-
itato thon fcr eny real sorpice IN tho
working world. They have been trained
IN every thing else important, perhaps,
aud may have won the first honors; but
this one neglect ronders all the rest al
m ost useless. We hear occasionally of
the exccllency Of possessing ga sound
mind and sound body" but we are yet
fur from taking home the principle thus
expressed, aud carrying It out practically
Ia our systems of education. We are
aware that there Ia a strong prejudice OK
isting against English customs, yet all
admit their superiority in physical dovo-
opmvnt. Exorcisc.--hoarty, wholesome,
Joyous exercises one of the secrets OF
youthful training there, for both soxes,-
A young man in England has thorough
physical training, no less than mental
one. And between the English girls and
women and those ofour own country there
is difference in this regard, and in their
out door exercise, strongly marked and
significant in It's consequences. A sys-
TEN of physical training after the Eng
lish fashion has been introduced into the
New York schools, and Il is said TO an
rwer every reasonable expectation. May
we not hope, therefore, for move to be
made here In this direction, by those in
terested in the cause of educationl We
hope intelligent educators in this section
Ofthe country win give this important
matter careful consideration, and prof
1t by the lessons taught on the other side
OF the great waters.