Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1860-09-01
Mstellaneous.
Physical Education-The Strong Man
and How he Became Such.


The public have been not a little interest
ed, for few years, in occasional accounts o.
DR.. Winship, the "strong Yankees" expert
men.s in physical selfeducation. He is but
about twenty.six years old, i've feet sever
inches in height and weighs one hundred anC
forty.eigbt pounds. He can lift sleren hun
dred pounds, and is now the best example O
physical education in the United States. Hs
was seventeen years OF age before be begar
bis experiments, and was then but FIVE feet
high, and weighed only one hundred pounds
his health was not good, for he already suf
fered from the usual dyspepticel troubles o
American youth. So great have been bis
improvements, tbst he now declares it to be
his opinion that no one, having ian atom o
strength and life" need despair of the bene.
hts oil right system of training. He instan.
ces Mr.. Warren's testimony respecting a
veteran invalid, who began gymnastics 10 bis
SEVENTEEN year, with very salutary effects
and. OF course, old Cornaro famous in Addi.
sons SPECTATOR is not forgotten who though
no eymuast. began in his fortietb year to
restore broken constitution, and lived life
OF health and Of enviable cheerfuiluess till bis
hundredth year.
But what has been the eflicacious theory
OF the strong Yankee? He has given it 10
the Massachusetts, Teacher, but, unfortunate.
~, IN ar article OF too great length to be read
much. We propose to take unusual liberties
with his communication, in order to condense
into more readable shape, bis interesting
details. They are the best prescriptions we
have ever met for physical selfrecuperation
and In this day. when muscular" merit hos
become matter OF special ambition, and
physical training subject of even moral
preachments, 1t may not be Improbable to
present to the public an example which, from
both its moderate good sense, and its extra.
ordinary results, muy be pronounced model
| one.
How, then, has the Yankee Doctor sur
passed all the pugiistic training of the age 7
We enumerate, at much length, the prnci-
pies OF bis system We give the most essen.
tlai particulars, presenting them, however,
with our own Enumeration
l. lie has breathed an abundance OF fresh
cir almost constantly" :" practising, we sup
pose imitation OF the lungs:
2. He has drank no ardent spirits, and used
no tobacco. The English "training" for the
ring" it is well known, prohibits these ar.
tcles.
.. lie has taken, nearly every day, about
hdy hour's gymnastic exercise, in the open air,
and his is an example of the surprising mede-
ration with which be has accomplished sur.
prsing results.
4. de has eaten heartily Of such food, ami
nal aud vegetable, as agreed with his stomach,
scouting the maxim that 'you should leave
the table hungry" He began not to recover
from MS dyspepsia, TIL be escaped this nom
sense.
5. He has taken at least ten hours rest
daily, including sleep, and appears to have
devoted as much OF 1t to sleep as nature would
allow.
6. He has worn every article of bis dress as
loose and as easy as the freest action Of his
muscles and limbs would demand
Z. He has used the bath once a week in
winter, and twice week in summer. He de-
nounces the daily use of cold baths.
lie has pursued this course for nine years.
and it has during this long period, afforded
him some important observations, if not dis.
coverles. Here are fsw OF them:
l. That 1t is as easy to increase the
strength Of the human body as il is that of q
magnetic.
2. That whatever increased his strength
increased his general health. He enjoys now
the maximum OF the latter as he probably
does of the former-!or bis force is now equal
to that of two ordinary men.
g. That by developing his body hafmoni.
ously, he could preclude the possibility of
hernia, or any similar injury, that otherwise
might result from an extremely violent exer.
else of the muscles.
a. That lifting is the safest and surest
method OF producing "harmo aous" develop.
ment, as also the most Strengthening of oil
exercses-a fact not generally supposed
o. That the performance of twenty differ.
ent gymnastic feats once is better than the
performance of one feat twenty times.
Il. la h,f e.. .,;n
exercise once in two days, than by twenty
minutes once day.
Z. Twenty or fifteen minutes gymnastics
snfiiced for each day.
8. That as strength increases, more intense
but less protracted exercise should be the
rule.
9. That increase of muscular power is at.
tended with proportionate increase OF diges-
tive organs.
10. That great physical strength may be
acquired independently of hereditary tenden-
cy to it, and, indeed, in spite of hereditary
weakness Of constitution.
III. That increased strength cannot long
continue on purely vegetable diet.
y. That increasing the strength makes
excretion takes place less by the skin, and
more by the lungs and other emunctories.
ID That long before be could raise eleven
hundred pounds with the hands or shoulder
barrel OF -four, he had put to fight the whole
brood OF ailments-sick headache, nervous. |
ness, indigestion &C.. which are the familiar
companions OF American health, or rather i'll. |
health
The Sampsonian doctor proceeds to give
some very judicious rules, deduced from his
experience, for all aspirants 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.
2. Keep it ventilated all the time, and es. |
peelally keep the windows partially open at
night, but avoid draughts.
8. Practice general ablution once Q week |
10 cold weather, twice week in warm. Too |
much bathing, he asserts, defeats every in. |
tention for which water is externally ap. |
Piled"
A. Take not less than eight hours rest per
day.
3. Use no food which has been prepored in
a copper, brass or bell metal utensil Use no |
water that has come 10 contact with lead.
6. Use such food as your appetite prefers,
in spite Of Liebig or aoy other authority.
Z. Practice lifting as the best gymnastics
bat begin cautiously, and be careful of too |
much fatigue. Dumb- bells be considers next
desirable to lifting.
8. Never exceed half an hour 10 any gym
uastic exercise.
.. Never rise early unless you retire early.