Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-08-12
Muscular Education.

same time get rid of the waste material
II might be compared, for illustration, 4
the rapid consumption of fuel in locemo
tive engines, by quick draught of air
and the production of steam from an i'm
mense extent of heated surface, obtained
by exposing to the fire many tubes filled
with water. The best of fuel is supplied
to the man in training in the shape Of hil
meat, bread and water his smoke and
cinders must be got rid of rapidly, 60 al
to excite the fierce combustion demanded
for the pace he has to go, and the long
continued efforts he has to make. To &C
complish this, the fire. CRATE and chimneyi
of the human engine must be kept cleal
and in perfect working order. The skin
which lets off the waste steam and smoke
at millions of pores-or say twenty-eight
miles of tubing, for this has been calcu
lated-is of the first Importance; hence
by long experience, from the Greeks
and Romans to our day, trainers, who
are no great Psychologists, have paid
the closest attention to the skin, whether
in training horses OF men. The
Greeks used scraper called strigl, and
they sometimes rolled in the dust of the
stadium after amounting, all of which COM
PEELED them to use great amount Of fric-
tion in merely cleansing the skin. Perspi-
ration is excited and kept up at regular
by rubbing with hard brushes and
towels, with occasional sponeipg,
though the bath is used sparingly.
By this means also the circulation of the
blood in the minute network of vessels all
over the body is assisted. Men in ordi.
nary health get rid of about three pounds
of water alone from their skin daily, but
in training it must be more than this.
Then the lungs, being nearer to the cen.
tral furnace of the body, are of even more
Importance to be kept at work than the
skin for from them the chief part OF the
smoke must be got rid of, besides good
deal OF steam, or, in other words, car
bonic acid gas and watery vapor. In or
dinary good health man expires about
twenty-one ounces of steam daily; of
course man undergoing great exertipn
breathes off much more than this. Then
the light, fresh air is exchanged in breath
ing for the heavy csrbonic gas, ammonia,
hydrogen gas, and volatile animal sub.
stances, making altogether from six to
eight per cent. of effete material got rid of
by the lungs. Now We can see the ne
cessity for man having what is called
"good wind !" his lungs must be able to
bear the constant and rapid contraction
and expansion, and the strong. action of
the heart in driving on the vital stream,
without distress. Hence no one with the
slightest weakness of the chest should
ever attempt to train, though the regi-
men, very moderately and gradually ap-
piled, would be beneficial; for it may then
simply embrace the well known precepts
of fresh air, exercise, simple food, no ex.
cesses, and early hours. = frT
The dietary of the trainers is open to
criticism upon some points. They pre-
scribe dry meat diet, on the supposition
that it makes the flesh firm and keeps the
blood from being watery. This is quite
an error; for we know that the strongest
men are composed, of as much water as
other men, and that this apparently idle
and harmless fluid is most vital one, for
1t forms no less than seventy per cent. of
the whole body. The muscles would be
mere shreds if deprived of their water !;
and the singular thing is, that this is not
easy to accomplish even in dead muscle,
for the water is not contained as if by
sponge, it can not be press out of the
flesh except by a weight which destroys
the I1bre; therefore 1t is considered that
water is an essential constituent of mus;
Gle. The nerves. which are really the
source of all muscular energy, actually
consist of 800 parts water in 1000. Old
Thales was not far out when he taught
his pupils that water was the life of all
creation. 1t is possible to live on water
alone for some time, but entirely depriv.
ed of it, death results in less than a week.
The trainers are right, however, as to not
taking liquids in large draughts; this is
prejudicial to digestion, and is liable to
produce chill or shock of dangerous
kind. 1t is not advantageous that thirst,
which arises from all violent exercises,
should not be quenched; but this should
be done by small quantities taken while
the system is heated, and not in large
draughts Immediately after the ex-
ertion is over. 1t will be found
that water is by far the best bev-
erage to be drunk during any strong eI-
ercise, as in long walks over hilly ground
in hot weather, and in any of the more
arduous feats of running and walking.
Tea, If taken cool, is, however, q very
light and stimulating drink; but beer,
most wines, and spirits are fatal TO all
great efforts. A diet of lean meat and
bread, with scanty vegetables, is decided
ly not favorable to robust health expert
ence haslong taught us to follow the in
clination for varieties of many kinds and
perfect condition, even to efficient train
ing, may be kept up by partaking of these,
always excepting young meats and veal,
which is not only immature but half dis
eased, from the process of daily bleeding
which is adopted to produce the appear
ance of delicacy. A. diet in which flesh
is'the Chief article is Indispensable to.our
climate and our habits.
Itcsn not be too strongly enforced that,
no matter how intellectual the calibre, or
how sensitive the fibre, material health
lies at the foot Of all. The brain must
have its fat and its phosphorus, the heart
must be touched with7the bright,an pure
Tor the pace begins 70 slaeken,
and the machinery Yields TO the vis liner.
tia of earth, till It stops dead. 1t is not
too much TO say that the,greatest schieye5
mepts awSitthose who, ehaving pursuits
not naCes& &rtlyg favorable to heAlth never!
theless make II of the first consideration
to attend to the culture of the body.
Good gazing, and adrinkiHg,i @E is
called, is far too much relied upon;
in fact. IT. iS this, that in towns lead,
70 fdiseasep and ff9ft tiVeeI ]
1t is absolutely necessary to combine good
food WithTinVigorating and refreshing ex-
erclSee, ana II the more violent can be
borne, 80 much Cthe better. JfogymAstics
were esteemed With us as important as
they were with the, snciept5 Greeks and
and pfacticed 'hsbitnslly by
them,, th@n ia rsnp doubt that theypublic
health would be raised, and new fields of
enJ0y1hknt would hpen. out fbL thetmuE, I
SIIs tgde' tns who =. are what
to thought SI iapSsaIbst ia%saR I tss $sd
in a VigQpOni htate lulesss tlIed body was.
Philosopher, physician, and gymnast
were ,uf4teds4h 6Ae person-GsIen dis.
Il Ss S9yosEG Gsn TSS sSt yRss'I,RE %ES
superintendent the dict and training, be-
came reputed physicians and 'theE cure
of diseases consisted almost entipslyin in
some of the processes of training
in the ,0alestre, the places built
for the teparate use of the athletic, who
WerN thP prgfesaional ehrVng peA ,reAd
aStih gdlsAed from .ths. SoAislc, &AdWefe
y Every town of Importance
had its,gymhasiuIh; and here poets came
to recite philosophers 20 dispute, and the