The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-07-28
Let the Girls ROmp.

Compare the form and health Of a boy
at sixteen with girl Of the same are.
Why should the girl be 50 slender, SO fraiI
and so diseased? The answer is plain.
She is not allowed TO use and thus develop
her muscles and bones. Food and exer.
else are the necessary terms Of playful
growth. She gets neither. Girls should
use and develop every muscle and every
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 delightful exercise
has all the advantage Of crying infancy.
Mothers who are blessed with daughters
should begin early in life, when the mus.
cles 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, ito take long breath many
times day, aud then, when they enter
school their teachers should continue the
same exercises and others which have a
tendency to develop the chest, containing
the essential organ Of life that created
vital blood and drives it through all its
rounds and gives form and beauty to their
persons. Calisthenics will do more towards
enlarging and strengthening their bones
and muscles, and do more towards making
them useful women, than all the modern
languages Of the world. Moderate exer-
cises OF the muscles develops and strength
ems them; and SO moderate exercise of the
mental faculties enlarges and strengthens
them. Our girls should not be confined
70 their books more than six hours in the
twenty-four. Excessive studying weakens
the mind and the body. No people on
the face of the earth do 50 much towards
enieebling girls as the Americans. We do
not object TO proper female education.
We advocate it; but we do object to the
very common neglect Of developing the
body. Muscles and bones never grow
stronger by Incidence or disuse. How
unwise to sacrifice the health Of the body
to the cramming Of the mind. Develop
them both. Give girls sound body and
a sound mind. What are many Of our
well educated girls good for? Feeble,
sickly bodies, with weaker brains Girls
need nutritious food and constant exercise
to change that food 70 vigor and strength.
10 obtain the greatest amount Of good
from food and exercise, they must begin
early. 1t is rather late in the day to i'm
prove house when it has no firm founda-
tion, when its bricks and morter are fall
ing into decay. A physician may do
something toward lessening the feebleness
and suffering of those girls who are built
of starch and butter. The Swiss rarely
eat anything but bread, cheese and butter,
and drink milk. They are strong, active
and vigorous people; SO that meat is not
necessary Still, our daughters
eat so little cheese, so little nitrogen or
flesh making food, that they should eat
meat. They almost universally prefer
starchy food. They consume 50 little
containing phosphorus that their
vitality, their strength, their muscle, and
their activity is less than that Of any other
people. They prefer pies and sweetmeats
to meat, and potatoes, and fish, SO that
they are spare, feeble and nervous. They
consume starch and still need stays. They
should consume more gluten than sugar;
have less mental and more physical exer-
else. The latter viii increase the appetite,
and aid in digesting and converting food
into blood. Improper food and no exer-
else create disease. Good food and suifici-