The New York herald., 1869-06-12

education. mo pubic games 700. Ieckco sne % %nonnw
GUS @ and lI 6Ioodihlrsty t Contests Of gadiators.
The Teutonc tribes. In consequence OF their con-
slant occupation with hunting and lighting, highly
valued manly exercises. aud practlsed them IN
With their following in later times more peace
able pursuits, while the invention Of gunpowder and
shooting arms made the single comoat Of man on
the battle field less frequent the cherdleresQe manli
ness more aud more disappeared. The knights had
In The middle ages still their tournaments the cltl-
walls; and on each OF these occasions contests IN
leaping, running, climbing, tilting putting the
the Church interposed. The clergy were adverse to
physical education, and the scholastic school sys-
tenn introduced by them excluded bodily exercises
cOgnized the evil consequences coming over
the whole people from bodily laxness, and
strength sank deeper and deeper In Germany
and other countries OF Europe Learned men often
% curosties o. IIterature is related tnat oardiual
Richeieu, among all hls great occupations found
recreation In violent exercises and that he was once
discovered jumping with his servant 10 try who
could reach the highest side Of wall. De Gram
mont, observing the Cardinal to be jealous OF his
spirit Of constier having made % some zee EFFORTS which
nearly reached the Cardinals confessed the Cardl-
na aG aa s s Se o sve si
gratiated himself with the Minister. Though Mon
taigne, In his Essays" published In 1880; Locke in
his Essay on Educati0n,n and Rousseau, IN his
.'Emile - had urged the claims OF physical educa-
tion their views were not carried into practice till
besssS an saacasdnSI
plum, - In which bodily exercises formed regular
% ~ % Wat Wap sn a1a
ever, accomplished for the school only Friedrich
Ludwig JahI assisted assisted by. BY Arnds ~ At. and others
Pile in founding the first national gymnasium In
1910 at Berlin with branch establishments all over
ss peog sr UI Of 81
yoke. Their efforts were crowned With success,
and tended In great measure to make the uprising
OF the German nation against foreign suppression in
1913 victorious one No sooner, however, had the
petty tyrants Of Germany been relieved through the
poleon when they found out that the Turner lnsti.
tutes'' were nurseries Of what they more dreaded
catc Of reacton s s %
augurated BY the then omnipotenr Austrian states.
man, Prince Metternich followed, during which the
leaders OF the "Turnern movement were lncar-
cerated or anxiously watched by the government,
the gymnasia closed and gymnastic clubs pro-
only they were suffered to exist II was not till 1912
that the clubs were again allOwed-having clandes-
gymnastics were, by ministerial order, introduced
into the Prussian public schools as neces-
sary branch OF instruction The system fol-
lowed was vastly improved, and with every year
gymnastics became more popular among all classes
Till there is now hardly village in Germany without
its "rurn-Platz" gymnasium. In England, too,
where manly sport and exercises had ever been Gull
tivated, systematic gymnastics have taken firm
footnold through the exertlons OF the Germans who
athletic and gymnastic societies have been formed
Of late in the principal cities and are prosperng
Messrs. E. Ravenstein directors OF the German GYM
nastic Society, London, and John Huley, GYM
nasarch OF Liverpool, published in 1857 a
Handbook OF Gymnastics and Athletics" I" which Is
to be had at the Turner Hall, Orchard street, near
Canal street. In this city In Denmark the first gymna
y sa IN Ss
been found efective for the treatment Of patients
In France, Colonel F. Amoros was the rst to INTRO
duce gymnastics. He followed in the main the Ger
man system. Nor do the military gymnastics intro
duced there In 1S43 differ essentially from the gym
nastics carried on at that time in Germany.
IN THIS COUNTRY,
too, gymnastics have taken root and become fixed
institution since 1S49 when the unsuccessful revOu-
tion In Germany-especlally In Baden and Saxony-
caused many Turner'S who had fought against
despotism TO emgrate to this country After having
exercises whether the crowded cities Of East,
or IL the 'sunny SOUTH" or on the plains Of the 'far
TN T; ners were w ss IN yea
Bund, l4s clubs verene) In eighteen districts with
200 members while in 1867 there were lis clubs in
sixteen districts, having s,oSa members showing an
increase or twentyseven per cent. These clubs form
an association with central committee lvorort)
ya at Which ali districts are represented BY dele
gates. Last year 1t was held In Boston, Mass, and
TINS year It u TO take place In chicago OF gymnastc
nine, with & 600 members IN California and Oregon;
three with $50 members In other places SO that the
aggregate number OF Turner'S In the United states
is now about $4,000 Most Of these clubs have their
stage for fheatrcals, reading room aud a library.
The Turner Bund has, besides It's own or
gan, weekly paper published at St. Louis,
and IL has also exerted salutary influence
through the publication OF rational school books,
the number OF which is now twelve. Though these
gymnastic societies make less show than other
societies which aim principally at amusement. as,
for instance, the singing societies, their number ID
still the increase They not only at tue bodi.
y but also at the intellectual development OF their
members, especially OF the rising generation, through
debating amateur theatrlcals and lectures. Though
the Bundp has embodied In its platform the general
constitutional principles OF freedom 1t Is political
organization leaving 1t entirely free to the men,
bers on what side to vote. Bigory Is banshed from
the ''Bund.n With all these facilities for healthy
recreation and rational amusement they are within
the reach OF every one, the entrance fee emitting
the OF all the Institutions OF club being very
low. Cricket, base ball and rowing clubs require
much larger sacrifice Of time and money from their
members than does the cultivation Of gymnastics
by joining a club. The latter are at present con.
ssting mostly OF Germans, but they Just as well
open TO Others. Our German fellow citizens we
have had TO thank for many reforms In our social
life already. There is no GIT from the Fatherand
more worthy OF our full acceptance and none more
needed IN the whirl OF our nerye-straining civza-
ton than that which strengthens the Dody. thus
Keeping the mind healthy and fresh. IL Is gymaas-
tics.