The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-07-21

IN. wiSDsalP ON rmrslcAL cGLrrna
/ We have the pleasure of plaeing bsfe,
our readers m article on physieal cultur
from the pen Of DR.. Winash;r, who b,
been properly denominated the mode,
Sampson. Any one can write about Il
laws OF health, but no one can speak NJ,
the authority OF DR.. Mindship, for be give
Us 10 his person the practical evidence I
beneficial resals from following out his ow
theories: or. morc properly speaking, whs
he says Is the result Of his careful expert
snce while training his system up to !,
present magnificent state Of health. Th
doctor, after stating that the essential fac
IN education il strict care Of the body
loiAeu with judicious mental training, goe
oato say.
The present movement in behalf Of physi
cal culture would seem 10 encourage TIL
belief that revival OF some of those grea
convictions IN regard to education, whicl
prevailed in ancient Greece, is now abou
20 dawn. In its full sense, education is
seadine forth OF the faculties Of the mint
through the healthy Development Of thos,
sfthe body. In physical ea,turs woal.
comprehend culture of the body 10 its mos
extended sense; not Of the trunk alone, bu
with it Of the neck. head. and limbs, and oi
whatever of as is material; Il is tha appli.
-.asion OF aa>-as for physical improvement
the avoidance Oh otAabSts that infal,ihiy in.
volve physical degens,s,y. the ,ieyelepmeu,
of the bodily powers;.as conversion Of
disease into soundness, Of -eakness into
strength, Of awkwardness into craee. oi
disproportion into correspondence; :, shor,
the elaboration and finishing Of the -eGfcs
in which the mind resides-ihat temple mad,
Of clay--that house We live in.
Improvement Of ones physical state cal
never be entered upon too early, and so Ion.
as there is an atom Of life and strength
never too late. Let no one despair Of sue,
cess in the attempt. DIR. Warren, in hi,
little work on Health, tells US Of member
of tho legal profession who pyactised gym.
nastics for the first time, and with the hap.
piest results. when nearly seventy years old
Cornaro, the Italian, whose treatise on
Health, and Long Life has given him .
worldwide reputation, began at forty to
repair the ravages which many years oil
dissipation had made upon constitution
naturally iniirm; and, in spite Of the pre-.
dicsions of all his physicians and friends,
he succeeded not only in restoring the health
he had lost, but increased it to a degree he
had never before experienced. He YVES
eighty when he published his treatise,
lived to see it through four editions and died
TRANQUILITY in his bed, after he had completed
his one hundreth year.
In this connection, it is worth while to
observe how much may be accomplished by
simply correcting a single bad habit. The
legal gentleman to whom DIR. Warren al
ludes was much benefited by gymnastics.
On the other land, Cornaro, as he himself
states. found a panacea for all his ills in a
careful avoidance of intemperance in eating
and drinking. 1t is indeed of little
consequence what path we pursue, if
by it we can reach tho desiredgoal,
tato, cito, ct jaeaa1e. Sometimes it
may be ineonvenient TO take tho best path !;
let US, then do the next best thing. AT an
early age, was told by many that to prac-
tiee u heroic degree Of self denial, and to
,sse from the table hungry, was tho way to
secure health. For many years, tried to
do this, but succeeded very imperfecily.
at length resolved to attempt the next best
thing of all. II was merely this-to put
no extra restraint upon my appetite, to
practice no very rigorous sef-denial; but
TO eat and drink about as much as | desired
and then, by my subsequent self manages
ment, to take care that | should make n.y.
self need every particle had swallowed.
Soon after began to carry ont this nrin.
ciple, ! experienced cessation of indiges-
ton, and the many ills to which it gives rise.
Having found, too, that this principle work.
ed well in the long run, still retain it ae
one of the cardinal rules in my method Of
su... '.-a
And what is my method2 you will per-
haps inquire. 1t is the doing the right
thing, in the right way. at tho right time.
1t is the obtaining suiIicicney, without go-
ing to excess. 1t is the using of my own
discretion about everything, without blind
" following another's precept or another's
OF even tying myself down to rules
of my own devising. 1t is the carrying out
of what may seem to be the exprdiency Of
the moment. Ii is the doing what may seem
best under the circumstances.
But though it may be difficult for me to
describe briefly and clearly what my method
is. that is no argument against its efficacy.
What, other method would have insured for
me an appreciable gain in strength, day by
day, month by month, and year by year.
with an almost entire exemption, mean
while, from any but the most trivial dis
orders? Let the following facts speak for
was nearly seventeen years OF age be-.
fore seriously undertook to improve my
physical condition.. was then but five
feet in height, and hundred pounds IN
weight. was rather strong for my size.
but not strong for my years, and my health
was not vigorous. am now 2G years Of age,
five feet seven inches in height, and one
hundred and forty eight pound in weight.
Ny strength is more than twice that of an
ordinary man, and my health is as excellent
as my strength.
What has produced this astonishing change
in my physical condition during the last
nine years? will attempt to sum up n few
of the proxinate.causcs that may have led
to this result:
LIST. hare breathcd an abundance OF
pure, fresh air almost constantly.
I'd. have exposed myself sufficiently to
the sun.
80. have eaten an abundance Of whole
some food.
4th. have drank less than quart OF
spiritoas liquors, aud less than a gallon OF
fermented.
5th. hare used less than on ounce oi
tobacco.
9th. have taken, nearly every day,
about half-hour's gsmnastic exercise in
the open mir.
7th. have conformed to the customs oi
society only 30 far as they were not at sa
rance with health.
S'h. Regarding procrassination as the
thief, not only Of time, bat also Of health
| have stunned it as especially dangerous
in all matters pertaining to physical wei
ta;pv