Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-05-28
PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

realize DflG StdNiSJ W.
has been more neglected in this country
than in Germany and England, and though
during the last ten years there have been
eforts TO introduce salutary reforms in this
connection, it cannot be said that they
have had much success. The first neces-
sity is to make the people understand that
the culture of the body is quite as indis-
nepgable as the culture OF the mind, and
this not for any particular kind OF children,
but for all human beings. Our farmers
have latterly become quite learned in the
matter of cattle breeding, but there are
very few of them who know how to rear
their own children SO as to produce the
healthiest and finest specimens of man and
womanhood from them. They can take a
calf and bring it up to maturity with I'M
failing skill and judgment. but a human
body is mystery to them, and they
remit it's care to old women and quacks, as
though it made no difference how it was
brought up. The importance of physical
education has been recognized feebly of late
in some of our colleges and higher schools,
so far as mere physical exercise goes, but
even in our schools there is no general ten
dency to provide for this branch Of instruc-
| ton. We must not boast of our educa-
tional system until it at least takes account
of the body as well as the mind. 1t is not
true civilization which ignores the body
in forming educational schemes.
| 1t is a vicious resultant from the super
stitious and mischievous doctrines which
Christianity has brought in its train. DIR.
Oswald indeed is OF opinion that the ascot
icism which led to the depreciation OF ply
steal education is attributable to the theo-
ries of Gautama Buddha, who, he says,
"tool it into his head that terrestrial ex'
istence itself must be an evil, and con-
"ceiyed the unhappy idea OF preaching
Crusade against the love of earth and the
.'rights of the human body, as distinct
81 from a supposed preternatural part OF
,, our being. His success has been, beyond
"all compass, the greatest calamity that
" ever befell the human race since the days
&c of the traditional deluge not only that
% the doctrines OF Gautama bore their
''fruit in the utter physical degeneration
'sof his native country, and the populous
'sempires of Eastern Asia, but some CEN
90 turtles after, the essential doctrines of
81 Buddhism, Intensified by an adrnixture
"cf Gnostic demonism and Hebrew my thol-
" ogy, were preached upon the shores CT
" the Mediterranean and invaded the para.
90 disc of the Aryan nations. \ mania
e of self-torture and miracle-worship broke
'' out like mental epidemic, and at the
g very time when the influence of Grecian
-" civilization began 70 wane. the rev creed
90 spread into Italy, and the friends Of sci
* ence and freedom were confronted with
50 the fearful danger of an anti-naturaI re-
Z" ligion."
That no doubt is the explanation of the
paralyzng effects of which the conse.
quences are before US. 1t is enormously
difficult to shake ourselves free from the
numb;ng influence of doctrines which
have been handed down for centuries
among our ancestors. The anti
natural theories which, whether derived
originally from Buddhism or sptinging nat
urally from Christianity, have in either
case had all the sanction and support of
dominant religious faiths, have beyond
a question encouraged the belief that there
was positive vice in physical culture. Il II
true that the Teutonic races have never
wholly succumbed to these preposterous
theories Their instincts have proved
stronger than their schooling, in fact, and
as a result they have succeeded in
retaining their physical Supremacy. But
the rapid increase in the complexity of civ
ilization during he present century has
tended to thrust the Importance of physi-
cal education out of sight, and to-day it is
neglected to such an extent that the direct
effects Of this neglect arc already visibly
deteriorating the race.
The proportion of puny, stunted, i'll
formed, sapless youths OF both sexes to
be seen now is certainly larger than ever
before. The case of the girls is much
worse than that OF the boys The former
are deprived OF all wholesome bodily ex-
ercise, and as consequence they grow up
with round shoulders, narrow chests, thin
arms, and generally undeveloped. As to
tine boys, their recocious tendencies towards
bad cigarettes and worse whisky are due
in no slight degree to the absence of physi-
cal exercise Americans as rule take far
too little bodily exercise. Driving is not
bodily exercise at all. 1t is the very
LATEST form OF recreation. If our young
men had gynlnasiums to go to, and if they
had been so brought up as to take natural
pleasure in the exercise and development
of their muscles, they would not only
have less time but lar less inclination
towards those insidious and exhausting
indulgsnces which at once damage their
brains and pockets.
And what we are saying of the boys
must be said with equal emphasis of the
girls. These latter are being physically
ruined by the extreme stupidity of their
education. It is positively pitiful to
watch the school girls of the period
trooping along the streets with bowed
heads and hunch-backs, Imply hanging
arms, pale and habby cheeks, lack-luster
eyes and generally an@mic aspect. The
poor things have absolutely no physical
education. The only exercise of which
they know anything is buggy-riding and
the short walks to and from school. They
have been taught that using their limbs
freely, shouting and jumping and running,
are improper. Here again the old poison