Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-04-13
Gymnasia and Recreation,

- Ans AlOU. rf rH.
Gymnasia and Recreation. &c..
Twenty years ago, in these United States,
amusement, or anything resembling it, was
regarded with an evil eye by the very great
majority of those whose moral character and
social position made them the models and
mentors of the rising generation. If they did
not positively condemn all joyous recreation,
they did what was practically quite as bad in
giving it nt encouragement, and positively
suffering it to become identified with dsipa-
ton and all manner ofevil. They permitted the
devil to steal the best weapon from the arsenal
of virtue, and then regarded it MS his inven-
ton! The Pharisee who once limited at "my
serious state of mind" closed the argument ;
the laughter of the young died away when
the moral creak of his boots was heard ap-
preaching; the young lady closed her piano,
the boys were called to stop playing on the
lawn. 1t was generally admitted that cheer
fulness, if not positively wrong, was at least
most unwclcome guest in the hall of mo-
rality. "
The worst effect of this Phariseeism was to
seriously injure health. All physical exercise,
to be of much real use, must, to certain de-
gree, partakc of the character of sport. Saw
ing wood and solitary walking may in them
selves be good for health, but if the world
depended on them alone for exercise it would
be badly off. Yet this great truth has been
blindy ignored. The idea that the develop
ment of health and strength should form
necessary part Of all education never entered
the heads of the old fogies. That anything
more should be understood by +" education !"
than learning lessons and behaving well was
never dreamed of in their philosophy. ANY
one who was in an American college within a
few years will bear witness that the whole
system Of studies and of life which there pre-.
vailed was apparently founded on the theory
that student was being with constitution
of iron and of india rubber. The greatest
praise attached to the one who studied from
early morning until long after midnight in
pursuit Of grade" He might grow pale.
thin, dyspcptic; the faculty had only praises
for the young dolt-so long as he never trans
gressed rules and always recited well. What
did they care that his four years were passed
in joyless, wearying study !? and why should
they give themselves any trouble to provide
recreation for those committed to their care |?
The conviction of its folly and vanity were
deeply seated in their souls, and If remonstra-
ted with, they urged that boys would always
find amusement-never fear for that! And
the boys did. They drank rum, robbed hen
roosts, smoked out recitation rooms, oiled
benches, played all manner of dirty, disipated,
destructive tricks, and no wonder. Nothing
was required of them but good behavior and
hard study, and they learned to hate both,
and devote their time to evading the requsit-
ions. This destroyed much manliness. aud
degraded the student to the mere schoolboy.
Their songs did, and we fear that many do
still, express dislike Of study, dread Of exam
nations. and checrfnlly celebrated escapes
from those intellectual labors in which every
young man should take pride. The whole
system was wrong, and as natural conse-
quence, the results were bad
Within few years, we might almost say
within a few months, symptoms of an awak-
ening from this old fashioned nightmare of
folly and wickcdness have appeared. The
death Of young lady in a boarding-school
brought out from phsician the fact that it
was not unusual for girls to be kept over their
books literally from rising to bed time, ex-
cepting the time allotted to. meals and one
hour Of monotonous walking This caused
very natural indignation, and medical man
asserted that perfect health required six hours
of cheerful exercise; while others, who had
studied education, bore testimony to the truth
that those who thus exercised could pursue
their studies to greater advantage, and learn
more in consequence of it. Then our cotcm-
porary journals began to furnish melancholy
and perfectly authentic statistics relative to
the fearful condition Of the health of Ameri-
can ladies. It was discovered, too, that q
perfect system Of education implied q full and
equal development of the physical as well as
moral and mental faculties. Hitherto the
world has taken it for granted that, in spite
Of all increase Of luxury and nervous head
work, health is something that would come
of itself Now the stern fact is forcing itself
on the minds Of the intelligent that health
must be worked for and that the body has its
rights, and that an injured body causes q
morbid, sickly immoral soul. In short, there
is rebellion against the grim old tyrannical
ignorance Of the past, and the body, so long
oppressed by sour ascctisn, begins to cry out
that joyousness and health, and the pleasure
in al things which are beautiful, are no sins
.that they have nothing to do with sin, but are
on the contrary, most intimately allied with
all that is good and true Even among the
clergy there have not been wanting men who
have seen clearly that it is their duty to pro.
mote cheerfulness and amusement, and that
he is but blind guide who suffers the great
possible aid to true morality to escape him.
In this connection, wc would call attention to |