Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-05-01
PARTIAL MUSCULAR DEVEL-
OPMENT.

Any careful observer, passing along
our buster thoroughiares, or happen
ing into any country town on market
day, or any where else where men con-
gregate, can hardly have failed TO no
tice that while there are many strong
ones and many hearty ones, there are
very few who are either thoroughly
erect or well-proportioned throughout.
And when 1t is remembered that the
large majority OF men in this country
are sons of farmers, merchants, mechan-
les, or laborers, it is not difficult to ac-
count for this oncsidedness Of build and
Indifferent carriage. For, while tho
farmers work is vigorous and in the
open air, for the greater part Of it, and
especially the harder part Of il, con-
stantly uses his back, and does but ht-
tie for his front, and particularly for
the front Of his chest Moving stoops
him over and rounds his back SO does
spading, and hoeing, and wedding, and
lifting Of nearly every sort. His back
grows thick and strong, perhaps mas.
sive so do some Of the muscles Of his
arms, Of his abdomen, and Of his legs,
until they soon so outstrip the others
that his spiae, getting once crooked
from being so long and so firmly held
in one position, never gets out Of it day
or night. While his whole work
strengthens, it also stiffens him. He is
seldom q good walker, the habit of al
ways hitching up, though the errand
is to place hardly mile away, con
tributing TO this stiffness, found, as
it usually is, with an inerect position
as he rides, so unlike, by.thc.way, that
which is SO common among the Eng
lish stage-drivers, who elected praise
from Emerson for their dignifed grand.
fatherly air.
Few Of the mechanic arts are any
more favorable to symmetrical devel-
opment and uprightness of carriage.
The blacksmith, like the farmer, works
some muscles tremendously those Of
his hands, OF one of his shoulders, and
of one of his arms, for instance but
his legs are often Indifferent, and his
loins nothing great, while, IN common
with hosts Of mechanics, his work is
not done in the open air. Painters and
plasterers have good wrists carpen.
tiers plano and saw and drive nails well
with thoir right hands masons, with
back bent, lift heavy stones, which, with
one OF their rhands, they have chiselled in
to shape for their purpose shoemak-
ers hoop their backs rather moro sue
cessfully than any other trade and
the jewellers, compositors, designers,
and oil who do the finer, lighter work,
would never, merely by their daily toll,
develop into well-buit, erect men Il
they kept at it for a thousand years.
Men in mercantile life sit or stand many
hours each day, are frequently burden
ed with important and trying work,
have so many irons in the fire as to get
no rest, and at the end of the day find
themselves thoroughly exhausted, and
in humor for anything but vigorous
muscular exertion. If their work calls
them out much, it uses their legs only,
leaving the arms idle, and SO keeping
the development but partial. The
|, spade, tho pick, and the bar Of the Ia.
boring man keep him stopped over in
spite Of all he can do, and he lives and
dies, as Charles Reade described him
in his admirable sketch Of the brave
blind swimmer Of the Scottish firth,
James Lambert---a man with slouch
in bis gait.---WILLIAM BLAKE, in Har-
per's Magazine for May.