Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-06-19
Open Air Exercise for Women.

Open Air Exercise for Women.
The growing popularity of lawn tennis
as summer sport, is something to be
thankful for. AS rule-though it has
many ceptions-American women do
not seem to care much for outdoor sports
unless 1t is accompanied by some exercise
of the social nature. They do not like to
walk by themselves but if pleasant
party can he made up, they enjoy ram
bic. So with other forms of out door eX-
ercise, the presence of the other sex, or at
least of congenial company, seems to he
necessary to induce the majority of wo-
men to take it. The recognition of this
fact has brought about the invention of
many pleasant outdoor games, which
seem to demand for their full enjoyment
the participation of both sexes. Croquet
is Il "slow" game, as everybody knows,
unless the contestants play with part
ners,' when it becomes fascinating. Arch
cry is another lawn sport which, without
the mutual participation of ladies and
gentlemen, hardly rises above the boyish
diversion of ''pegging at Il mark The
bow has no fascination for Il lady unless IT
is accompanied by the other kind
Lawn tennis has the advantage of being
Il distinctively social game, while at the
same time aifording enough of physical
exercise to be eXhilarating and not too
fatiguing. Its general introduction would
probably be followed by general I'M
provement in the health of American
women, since it will lead them to take an
amount of open air exercise greater than
that induced by any other game of the
sort. Croquet has had its day and it is
not altogethera healthful game. Bending
over the mallet and ball tends to cramp
the chest, restrict the play of the vital or
gans, and send the blood to the head The
pauses between turns for playing are too
long for pleasure and tend to produce an
impotence which is more fatiguing than
if the player were obliged to be contnu-
ously on the alert 1t is no wonder, then,
that crOquct as a lawn game has been
superseded by the vastly superior lawn
tennis, which has none of the objection
able features of croquet, besides possess
ing attractions and advantages of its own
1t has been said that the average woman
never knows what it is to be comfortably
and naturally dressed except when she
gets into her bathing suit. Thanks 20 the
growing popularity of the new lawn game,
we can now add, ''Or her tennis suit" 1t
will not be surprising if the loose vet
picturesque costume which young ladies
don for this kind of "court"-ing, should
work Il most wholesome revolution in
woman's dress The tennis costume Ger
tainly proves two things very conclusive
ly: First, that ladies can be Just as at
tractive when they are dressed according
to the dictates of commOn-sense as when
they are tortured according to the rules of
fashion, and secondly, that the greater
freedom and naturalncsS of movement per
mttcd by Il loose costume tends to secure
a grace and beauty in action which the
sex has been in imminent danger OF
losing altogether. There is no reason why
II oman should not be as free and uncOn-
strained in all her movements as Il man
except that fashion has defeated the in
tentiOn of nature in this respect, and made
the faShionably dressed woman self
conscious, starched, stalking creature
afraid to sit down lest the hang of hel
skirt should be spoiled and incapable OF
moving except within certain constrained
and unnatural limits Plenty of open-ail
exercise and style of dress permitting
entire freedom and ease of movement vii
do much to overcome this artificial awk
wardness and to improve the health of tn,
sex. Let our young ladies play lawn
tennis: and both as to the beneficial ef
fects of the sport, and as to its delightful
ness, we can safely leave the game I,
speak for itself.