The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-03-28
'hc strong Man, and how he Became

/ courts oi III " ihisiilp, the strong Y an
kee 5 experiments in physical self e,l,,cn,
ton. lie IS about twenty six wears Old
! Eve feet and Sven inches il ! q .,ht. 81, 4
weighs one hundred and forty eight pounds.
! lie can lift shrsa hundrcd y9uads and "a
/ now the best example OF physical educaton
/ III the United States. lie was seventeen,
years ot age before he began his exreri.
ments. and was then but five feet high.
and weighed only one hundred pruu,,,
his health was not good. for he alg.aeiv
suffered from the usual dyspeptic troubles
OF American Youth.
So great have been hls improvements
that he now declares it 10 be his opinion
that no one having an atom of strength
and life need despair o! the benefits OF !.
right system of training lie instances Dr.
Warren testimony respecting veteran
lh'aIld, VINO began gymnastics i'll bis sew
entiehth year, with very sa!utary effects:
and OF course, old Conaro (famous in Adj
olson 'Npecfafor) is MT foryotten vino
though no gymnast, began in his tortieth
/ year 10 restore u broken constitution. aud
lived life Of health and of enviablc cheer
fu!ness till his hundrcdth year.
But what has been the eiiicacious theory
oi the strong Yankee? He has given il o.,
the Ma>sachusetts Jcochf, but, untortu-
inte!y, IN an article of too great length TO
De ,rHd much. We propose Ia take unu-
suai liberties with his COMMUNICATION IN
order TO condense into more readable
shape ms interesting details They ar"
the best prescriptions we nave ever met
Tor physical self recupcration and in this
day, whea muscular merit has become
matter cfspecial ambition, and physical
traInin2 Il subject Of even moral preach
ment-, 1t may not be unproiitable to pres
cnt 10 the pubic at example which. from
ooth ITS moderate good -en-e and il ex-
'raordlnary result, may bc pronounced i
model one
How, then, has the Yankee doctor sar-
passed all the pucili-tic ira aing Of the age2
We enum"r''te at such length, The prn@i-
PIE OF his system. We give the most
essential particulars rrcsentlng them, how.
ever with our numciation.
!. HI has brcathed a n abundance OF fresl,
air almost constantly; practicing. we
suppose imitation OF the lunE~
> He has drank no ardent spirits, and
used no tobacco The English training
for the ring it i. well known prohibits
these articles
; He has taken nearly every day, aboTt
half hours Cvmnastic cxerci," in the
open air and MS is an examnle of the
surprising moderation with which he has
accomplished surprising results
4. lie has eaten heartily OF such food,
animal aud vegetabla rs agreed with the
stomach, scouting the maxim that yori
should leave the table hungry He began
not to recover from his dyspepsia till he
had escaped this nonsense.
). lie has taken al least ten hour sIcst
i IL ]
devoted as much of it to sleep ~ nature,
would allow
g. He has worn every article Of his dress
as loose and as easy sS the freest nc;on
Of the muscle and limbs would demand
!. He has used the bath once week
during the winter. and twice a week in
summer. He deuounees the daily use of
baths
He has PURSUED this course for nihc
years, and It has. dnri-- this tong period,
afforded him soine important ohserva.
tionS If not discoveries. Here are a few
of them
l. Tha: Il Is as easy to increase the
strength Of the human body as il is that of
a magnetic.
, That whatever increased his strength,
increased his general health. He ENJOYS
row maximum of the latter as he probably
does of the former, for his force is now
equal TO that of two ordinary men
,. That Oy developing his body harmo-
niously. he could preclude the possibility
of hernia, or any similar injury, that other
WISE night result from an extremely vio-
: lent exercise of the muscles.
T. That ktting Is the safest and surest
method OF producing harmonious devel-
! oprnents, a. also the most Strengthening
| Of all exercises fact not generally sup.
| posed.
! j. That the performance OF twenty
! different gymnastic featS once is better
than the performance OF one feat twenty
times
6. That he gained:more by forty minutes
exercise once in two days than 10y twenty
minutes once day.
:. Twenty Of or fifteen minutes Cymnas-
tics sufiiced for each day.
5. That, ~ strength increases, more in
tonse but less protracted exercises should
be the rale
/ {? That increase Of muscular power is
attended with a proportiOnate incrense of
/ digestive power.
| To- That great physical strength may be
! acquired independently of hereditary ten
elancy to it-and. indeed in spite OF here
ditary weakness of constitution.
| II. That increased strength cannot long
continue on purely vegetable diet.
! ID That increasing the strength make
! excretion takes place less 10y the skin and
more by the lungs and other emurctories
- That long before he could rails q
eleven hundred pounds with the hands, or
shoulder barre! Of flour, lie had put to
flight the whole brood of ailments
| headaches. nuryousness indigestion, etc.
? Ii bn of
/ American health, or rather i'll health.
The Sampsonan doctor proceeds to give
some very iudicious rules dcduced from
his experience, for all aspirsnts To good
health and manly vigor. lie advises tfius 2;
J. You should select for your sleeping
room an apartment on the sunny side,
and let the sun play into it at least six
hours n tlav, if The clouds Will allow him
1 To show his face. .I
i >. Keep it vcrtlated all the time and
especially keep the windows partially OPP ~
at night but avoid drafts.
) Practice genera. ablutioh once n
week in cold weather, take a walk in warm
Too much bathing, he asserts, defeats
every intention for which water is extcr-
nnly applied.
t Take not less than eight hours rest
per day.
>. Use no food which has been prepared
/ in n copper. brass, or bell metal uIensil--
/ Use no water which has come IN contact
I with lead .... t-
e. Use such food as your appetite prer
ierS in spite of Liebig OF any other author
ity.
!. Practice lifting as the best of symnas.
tics, but begin cautiously, and he careful
OF too much fatigue. pnn,h bells he cou-
siders next desirable TO lifting .I
:. Never exceed half an hour in any
gymnastic. essa. r-.|
o. Never rise early unless YOU retira
early. Be sure you get sleep enough.
L. l.. l.a,. nlnl In