Middletown transcript., 1877-10-27
LET TaE GIRLS ROmP.
A Plea fer Physical DevsIspment-Ths
Evils OF ExeessIve Study and the Lack
OF Exercise.

Evils OF Exeessive Study and the Lack
OF Exercise.
Compare the form and health of a
boy at is with a girl of the same age.
Why should the girl be so slender, so
frail, and so diseased? ? The answer is
plain. She is not allowed to use and
thus develop her muscles and bones.
Food and exercise are the necessary
terms of playful growth. She gets
neither. Girls should use and develop
every muscle and bone that will favor
the circulation of the blood, remove
old particles and deposit new in all
their organs and tissues. They need
not cry, but they may laugh heartily
at any time and in any place proper
for such means of growth. The de-
ightful exercise has all the advantage
Of crying in infancy. Mothers who are
blessed with daughters should begin
early in life, when the muscles and
bones are soft and pliable, to train
them. As soon as they begin to creep,
teach them to creep "on all fours" and
thus expand their lungs and strengthen
their chests; teach them when their
ribs are soft and yielding, "to take
long breath" many times day, and
then, when they enter school their
teachers should continue the same ex-
ercises and others which have ten
dency to develop the chest, containing
the essential organ Of life that creates
vital blood and drives it through all
its rounds and gives fosm and beauty
to their persons. Calisthenics will do
more towards enlatging and strength
ening their bones and muscles, and do
more towards making them useful
women, than all the modern languages
Of the world. Moderate exercise of the
muscles develops and strengthens them;
and so moderate exercise of the mental
faculties enlarges and strengthens them.
Our girls should not be confined to
their books more than 6 hours in the
"a. Excessive studying weakens the
mind and the body. No people on the
face of the earth do so much towards
girls as the Americans. We
10 not object to proper female educa-
ion. We advocate it but we do OBJ
ect to the very common neglect of de-
7eloping the body. Muscles and bones
never grow stronger by Incidence or
lisuse. How unwise to sacrifice the
lealth of the body to the examining of
he mind. Develop them both. Give
,irls a sound body and a sound mind.
What are many of our well-educated
,irls good forH Feeble, sickly bodies,
With weaker brainsI Girls need nu-
ritious food and constant exercise to
hange that food to vigor and strength.
% obtain the greatest amount of good
rom food and exercise, they must be-
in early. 1t is rather late in the day
D improve house when it has no firm
when its brick and mortar
re falling into decay. A physician !
lay do something towards lessening !
ne feebleness and suherings of those {
iris who are built of starch and but t
n. The Swiss rarely eat anything '
ut bread, cheese, and butter, and l
rink milk. They are strong, active, r
ld vigorous people; so that meat is b
ot absolutely necessary. Still, our 8
aughters eat so little cheese, so little s.
trogen or fesh-making food, that
ey should eat meat. They almost :.
liversally prefer starchy food. They :
nsume so little nutriment containing y
losphOrus that their vitality, their !"
rength, their muscle, and their ac- " y
Tity is less than that of any other :
Ople. They prefer pies and sweet =
eats to meat and potatoes, and fish,
that they are spare, feeble and nerv- =
8. They consume starch, and still -
ed stays. They should consume W
're gluten and less sugar; have less Fe
'ntal and more physical exercise. !, n
e latter will increase the appetite, IN
d aid in digesting and converting ma !
d into blood. Improper food and .. Of
exercise create disease. Good food nv
sufficient exercise create health n
icGgO Tribune. III
ca