The Cecil Whig., 1881-06-18
SELECT LITERATURE.
FREE MUSCULAR DEVELoPMEN

Fro..i Ntrpor'% NonLln M'y".ine.
Any careful observer, passing along oul
buster thoroughtares, or happening into
any country town ON markct day, or any
where else where men con@regatc, cal
hardly have failed to notice that. while
there are many strong ones and many
hearty ones, there are very few who ar,
either thoroughly erect or well proper.
toned throughout. And when it is re
membered that the large maiority of men
in this country are sons Of farmers, mer
/ chants, mechanics, or laborers it is not
! difficult TO account for this c-sidcdncss
! of build and indifferent carriage. For
! while the farmers work is vigorous and
/ in the open air far the greater part of it
and especially the harder part of it, con,
stantly uses his back. and does but little
! for his front. and particularly for the front
/ Of his chest Moving stoolS him ovcl
/ and rounds his back: SO do spading, and
/ hocing, and wedding, and lifting of near
/ ly every sort His back grows thick and
| strong. perhaps massive: SO do some OF
! the muscles of his arms. of his abdomen.
and of his legs. until they soon so out
strip the others that his spine, getting
! once crooked from boing ST. long and SC
! firmly held in one position. never gets
| out of it day OF night. While his whole
| work strengthens, it also stiffens him
He is seldom a good walker. the habit OF
! always hitching up. though the errand is
to place hardly mile away, contrbut-
| ing to this stiffness. found, as it usually
| is. with an increct position as he rides, sc
unlike. by the way. that which is so com.
mon among the English stage drivers.
who elected praise from Emerson fol
their dignficd, grandfatherly air.
| Few of the mechanic arts are any more
| favorable to symmetrical development and
| uprightness OF carriage. The blacksmith
| ike the farmer. works some muscles ire
mendously: those of his hands, of one oi
| his shoulders and of one of his arms for
| instance: but his legs are often indiiler-
| ent. and his loinS nothing great, while.
in common with hosts of mechanics. his
work is not done i'll the open air. Paint
crs and plaStercrS have good wrists; car
penterS plane and saw and drive nails
! well with their right hands; masons with
| backs bent, lift heavy stones, which, with
one Of their hands, they have chiseIed
into shape for their purpose; shoc-mak-
| ers hoop their backs rather more success
| fully than any other trade: and the Jew
| eierS, compositors, and all who do the
| finer. light work. would never, merely by
their daily toll, develop into well built.
erect men if they kept at it for thou
| sand years. Men in mercantile life sit OF
stand many hours each day, are frequent
| ly burdened 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 any thing but vigorous
muscular eXcrtion. 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, the
pick, and the bar of the laboring man
keep linn stopped over in spite of all he
can do. and he lives and dies. as Charles
Rvadc described him il his admirable
sketch of the brave blind swimmer of
the Scottish firth, James I.ambert-a man
with Il Slouch in his gait.
Nor is the son of the professional man
even rs well of. for too often his father
has scarcely one strong set OF muscles
about him. or any work OF habit which
materially aids digestion and respiration.
while the years of sedentary work which
were necessary to make him Il skilled
practitioner often silently but surely aid
ed in rounding his shoulders and tiatten-
ing his chest and consequently actually
eramping and weakening his breathing
apparatus. if not impairing his digestive
and other vital organs, and following his
face rs well. But. witlIstanding these
things, which would tend to warp and
yored with all the advantages which the
best schools and universities could be
stow. and so that the first third Of his
life time was all spent i'll fitting him to
do we'll in the other two-thirds. Has
this done any more to make him well
proportioned, strong. and healthy man.
so erect. too, as to insure, whether on
sitting. or lying down. ample room for
the proper working of all the organs in
the human trunk He did no regular
work either at school OF college TO so
bring him out. oh, but he did. Well
what? Why, he used to play ball a great
deal, and he skated, and swan. and took
walks, and was into every thing the other
boys were. and then at college he went
to the gymnasium. OF he belonged to the
university nine. or the football team
or the gun club. or he roWed constantly.
and finally he was in the university boat.
But which one of all these good things
has brought him the thoroughness of pro-
portion and development which, once Oh
tained, or SO easy to maintain, and which
when maintained, carry him through life
free from SO many Of the ailments which
abound among his neighbors. and which
cost the owner SO much? Playing ball
Uses the muscles Of the legs, the loins.
and of one arm. but that is about all.
and, as the game goes now, for many of
the players, save an occasional very short
sharp run, there is really no great amoant
of work i'll it. after all. Skating takes
enc over longer distances, and SO does
more for the wind but the legs do the
work. and the arms are idle, while often
year.
Swimming is excellent. but is also usual
Iy practiccd but short portion of the
year, and seldom nearly long enough at
time to obtain either the physical bene-
fit or the skill which more of it would
bring, especially if done under good tutor
ing. Walking has many charms, but it.
again, practically ignores the arms, and
unless uncommon care is taken to walk
with military crcctncss, the man carries
the same Slouch in his walk which is
ilabitual with him while sitting or at