Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-05-23

} pcrspiration is violently arrested, and
the system chilled. The result is that
we thicken the bronchial tubes, we de-
:. ranged the action of the heart, we be
come asthmatic, and extremely sus'
ceptible to cold"
\ Well, admit the first count, old
man. You are, comparatively-very
co e11mp2gatlvely-speaking' Wsht T, broken-wind
swell in the next place, you never YET
knew fellow go in heavily for athletics
who did not damage himself by over.
stralning some part or other. You
knew Dupoids of Balliol-magniticent
fellow! saw him throw the hammer one
hundred and twelve feet-well he strain.
Ell his left breast, and feels it ever
since. Long, the mile-ruuner, brought
on verex and wears an elastic stocking
Coolan, the spurt-runner, went into a
consumptiOn; my cousin Jack, who
won the sculls, has to wear a truss. I
sPrained the right pectoral muscle
when L was playing some stupid antics
on the trapeze, and directly the cold
weather sets in, am never free from
pain in the damaged part.''
Proven !" exclaimed, anxious to
check his "reminiscences of disabled
heroes, which threatened to become
lengthy. "You have made GOOD vour
second count. You are damaged. in
point OF fact, a screw-a broken-winded
screw. What next p
Besides all this |" continued he.
~ am quite convinced that strong
training makes man heavy, somno-
lent and stupid. Plato, who, to nv
mind, is about the only fellow who ever
understood the subject of education as
system founded on reason, is quite
right in saying that physical and mental
training cannot go on simultaneously.
Mark Pattlson, too, is tolerably we'll on
the spot in what he says about the mania
for athletics. Only, you know, he is
a weakling, like you, and a man does
not like to be put right by fellow he
could smash"
Well, but the Greeks" I objected,
certainly made gymnastics an integral
part of their education"
"True," replied Joe, Sin the first
place, the Greeks began their physical
best fallow, and brought it to an end
in good time. Whereas our fellows
grind on the river, or in the gymnasium
at the very crisis of the mind; they
burn the candle at both ends. Besides.
the gymnastics of the Greeks went on
an entirely different principle from
ours. Theirs was systematic, and, so
to speak, generic, ours are haphazartl
and special. They cultivated the har-
mony of the Whole body, we only de-
velop particular parts; our fellows onlv |
aim at putting on Jumps here and there
One fellow goes in for rowing, and puts
a lump on his forearm, and another be-
side his shoulder-blades Another fel.
low goes in for dumb-bells and parallel
bars, and pitts lump on his biceps.
Another goes in for Running or Jump
ing, and puts lump on his calf. But
there is nothing systematic, it is oil
chaotic and idiotic."
''Well, suppose you must have it
your own way" I said. "I will write
you down an ass, if you like. Let me
see, that makes broken-winded, asin.
me screw. Anything elsef" t.
:. Yes, there are the moral announces
and vexations of finding out that you
are perpetually losing the faculty of
doing some absurd thing or other that
no one in his senses feels the least de-
sire to do. You saw to-day how lost
my temper, because I could not vault
over tive-barred gate. It was the same
thing the other day at an athletic fes.
tival. at Vestwich. Twas fool enough
to let the humbug me into going in for
the hammer-"ju just to show the rustics
how to throw it, Well, sir, one of nv
old tenants sons threw six feet further
than I did. But come, we've had
enough of this pass the port. A few
pounds OF flesh more or less can't make
much difference now. No more2 Then
let us 60 and have coffee with Annie "
"Just another minute" pleaded.
50 AT this rate we ought not to take any
exercise at ALL"
II never said that. Take exercise in
plenty-cricket, row, ride, shoot, skate,
fence, box, 80 long as you can do 80
without leading an unnatural life. But
II any one wants you to go into training
Tor any OF these things, to knock off
your pipe, to limit yourself to some
absurd pittance of fluid 1oeridtne with
your throat as dry as the Sahara, to
varlegate your skin with a crop of boils
or to live at the mercy of some brutal
trainer or some pigmy cox, take my
advise. and do nothing of the sort. It
is better to remain an abortion like
you. Tom, than to break down like me.
But come up stairs, and then we'll
have pipe"
'"Grinds," !" college slang for athletic sports.