The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-08-23
PHYSICAL EDUCATION-THE STRONG MA
AND HOW HE BECAME SUCH.

the 'strong Yankees" experiments in physical
sel'-education. lie is but about twenty-six years
DID, hVe ieet seven inches in height and weighs one
hundred and forty eight pounds He can lift eleren
hundred pounds, and is now the best example of
physical education in the United States. He was
seventeen years of age before he began his expert
ments, and was then but five feet high, and weighed
only one hundred pounds; his health was not good,
for he already suffered from the usual dyspeptcaI
troubles OF American youth. So great have been
his improvements, that he declares it to be his
opinion that no one, having can atom of strength
and life,' need despair of the benefits of a right
system otraining. He instances Mr.. Warren's tes
timony respecting a veteran invalid, who began
gymnastics in his seventieth year, with yery salu-
tary effects; and, of course, old Cornaro (famous
in Addison's Spectator) is not forgotten who
though no gymnast, began in his fortieth wear to
restore broken constitution, and lived a life of
health and of envable cbeerfulness till his hun
dredth year.
But what has been the efficacious theory or the
strong Yankee? He has given it in the Massa-
chusetts Teacher, but unfortunately in an article
| of too great length to be read much. We propose
| TO take unusual liberties with his communication
| IN order to condense into a more readable shane
his interesting details. They are the best prescrip
tlons we have met for physical self frecupera
ton; an d, in this day. when tmuscular' merit has
become matter OF special ambition, and physical
training subject of even moral preachments il
may not be Improbable to present to the public an
example which, from both its moderate good sense.
and its extraordinary results, may be pronounced
| a model one
| How, then has the Yankee doctor surpassed all
the pugiistic training of the age? We enumerate
at much length, the principles of his system. We
! give the most essential particulars, presenting
| them, however, with our own numeration
|. lie has breathed an abundance of fresh air
"almost constantly" practising, we suppose infla-
ton of the lungs.
2. He has drank no ardent spirits, and used no
Hhn Ill r.
it is well known prohibits these articles.
| ). He has taken nearly every day, about a half
hos JymndSttc exercise, in the open air, and his is
an example OF the surprising moderation with
which he has accomplished surprising results
4. He has eaten heartily of such food, animal
and vegetable, as agreed with his stomach, scout
ing the maxim that "you should leave the table
| hungry" lie began not to recover from his dys-
| pepsia till he escaped this nonsense.
D. lie has taken at least ten hours rest daily in
Guiding sleep: and appears to have devoted as much
OF 1t to sleep as nature would allow.
q. lie has worn every article of his dress as loose
and as edsv as the freest action of his muscles and
| limbs would demand.
7. He has used the bath once a week in winter,
and twice week in summer He denounces the
| daily use of cold baths.
| He has pursued this course for nine years and il
has, during this long period, afforded him some
| important observations, if not discoveries. Here
are a few of them:
| l. That it is easy to increase the STRENGTH of
the human body as it is that of magnetic
| z. That whatever increased his strength in
| creased his general health. He enjoys now the
maximum of the latter as he probably does of the
formeror his force is now equal to that of two or
| dinary men.
3. That by developing his body harmoniously, he
could preclude the possibility of hernia, or any ST.
mllar injury, that otherwise might result from an
| extremely violent exercise of the muscles
4. That lifting is the safest and surest method of
producing harmonious development as also the
most strengthening of all exercises-a fact not
| generally suppose.
5. That the performance of twenty different
gymnastic eats is better than the performance
| of one feat twenty times.
| &. That he gained more by forty minutes exer-
else once in two days, than by twenty minutes once
day.
Z. Twenty fifteen minutes gymnastics sufficed
| for each day.
8. That as strength increases more intense but
| less protracted exercise should be the rule
| y. That increase of muscular power is attended
with proportonate increase of digestive organs
!0. That great physical strength may be ac-
CURED independently of hereditary tendency to it,
! stution.
IL. That increased strength cannot long continue
| on purely vegetable diet.
II. That increasing the strength makes excretion
take place less by the skin, and more by the lungs
| and other emunctories.
| IL. That long before he could raise eleven hun
dred pounds with the hands or shoulder barrel OF
Hour, he had put to flight the whole brood of all
|
&c, which the familiar companions of American
| health or rather i'll health.
The Sampsonian doctor proceeds to give some
very Judlclous rules, deduced from hia experience,
fI- oil espirants TO good health and manly vigor-
| He advises that
l. You should select for your sleeping room an
apartment on the "sunny side" and let the sun
play into it at least six hours day, if the clouds
| will allow him to show his face.
z Keep it ventilated all the time, and especially
avoid draugilts.
3. Practice general ablution once week in cold
weather, twice a week in warm. Too much ba-
| ting, he asserts, ''defeats every intention for
which water is externally applied"
4. Take not less than eight hours rest per day
D. Use no food which has been prepared in a
copper, brass or bell metal utensil Use no water
that has come in contact with lead.
6. Use such food your appetite prefers in spite
| Of Liebig any other authority.
I. Practice lifting at the best of gymnastics but
| begin cautiously, and be careful of too much fa
| tgue. Dumb bells he considers next desirable to
lifting.
s. Never exceed half an hour in any gymnastic
exercise.
8. Never rise early unless you retire early. Be
| sure to get sleep enough.
10. Gradually wear less and less clothing about
the neck till you can keep it entirely exposed with
out taking cold.
Such is an outline of Dr. Winship's system. It
is singuarly sensible; it is almost universally prac.
tlcaole, except, perhaps, the prescription about
sleep. Could it be generally adopted in the United
States, we doubt not that, in one generation, it
| would reduce the medical faculty fifty per cent
| and the rates of life assurance correspondinply =
| and render US the most vigorous and most long.
lived nation on the globe, we are now de cdedly
the "Smartest." Ptre le Yankee docteur!
ALEXANDER DUMAS ON HIS TRAvELs-A correspon
dent of Gattgnani writes from Catana July 10:
The greatest hustle which this place has witnessed
was called forth by the arrival of Alexander Dumas
in his yacht, bearing his dogs, and his BIRDS anC
his monkeys, and himself and his she admiral (the
| woman who accompanies him on his cruise, dressed
In an admiraPs uniformly his photographers, hi
secretaries and manuensis; his servants, dressed
| some like Circassians, others like Greeks, other
like Spaniards, others again like Indians. What &
precious row, to be sure, they did all contriye II
make. When Alexander the Greatest is himself OIL
board he does nothing but loll ON deck in his shir
sleeves, and without any hat, playing with his dog
or chatting with the sailors of the other vessels o
with the she-admiral. When he lands, the gall an
sheadmiral, Emile, always accompanies him, anC
they are constantly driving about in an ope1
carriage, bowing and gossiping and laughing will
all whom they meet. It's "hail fellow we'll met
with the veriest stranger, and five minutes ac
qualntance rlpens with such marvellous rapidity
into the closest friendship, that the final farewell
Is taken at the end of the fifth minute amidst tht
heartiest shaking of hands and kissing and Lugpinp
The entrance of the other Alexander into Bah Y
Ion was, doubtless, very grand affair, yet doub
II 1t caused as great sensation did the arrival
the modern Alexander into this town of Catania. L
rlvaled the display of the renowned DR.. Dulca
mara. | went to inspect the yacht, and | can as
sure you that for elegance-nay, for luxury-for
the numbers of curious things that it contained, il
little floating museum. In the cabin there is
arranged collection of the of every nation il
the known world, and indeed many weapons from
parts of the world which are hardly known at all
Then there is end of the gold and silver orua
ments and curiosities. There is a little library
the most beautiful bound books. 1t is, in short
Monte Christo's vessel, with all its comforts and
elegancies realized only it is not freighted will
the real treasures. Dumas told me that the expense
of keeping it was 40fr- day-a moderate anon ul
sum, surely, for such object. He has now lef
for Palermo. When the intelligence came tha
Bosco had left Messina with the 900 Neapolital
troops, Dumas fastened to Col. EbOr, and Offered
to transport in his yacht, far as Taromna,
body of troops, and thus have cut off Bosco's com
munications with Messina.
The plan seemed sensible enough, but severa
reasons induced Col. Ebor not to adopt it; first
because it could not be carried out without a lar
ger force than it was in his power to detach; and
from Garibaldi On the day that the column en-
tered Catania, Dumas had the Italian colors iyins
mast-high from his vessel, but none of the othel
ships here followed the example. The municipal
ty, being desirous to give dinner to all the mill
tary authorities and to many of the Garibaldal
officers, along with all the notab les, Dumas like
wise invited, and, strange to say they also in
vited the she admiral. The invitation for the din
ner was at six precisely, but he did not make hi
appearance till near seven, and effected what h.
desired by making himself more prominent and
conspicuous by keeping everybody waiting fol
him. The she admiral was perfectly magnificent
being dressed in lilac velvet uniform with HEAVIER
preserve us such buttons, and such lace, and sucl