The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-07-28

MuSC CnOc1SO.
It is a common idea that people of means
in great city ore weak-bodi ii. There are
certain well established rhetorical phrases
which are responsible lor tho notion partly.
Orators and writers, generalizing in an cpl
grammatic and Irresponsible manner, have
made it easy to think of all asricuiturists
as lusty, sinewy and robust, clear-eyed,
horny handed: and all of the city people as
pale, efeminate, light.waisted, round shoul-
dered consumptivc and without calves. The
facts are much to the contrary, but people
are not accustomed to roly for their impress
sions altogether upon facts. Again, it IS
natural, perhaps, to presume that q man
with plenty of money would bo encouraged
to take his ease; that, having coupons
enough be would bo ready to omit the
habit of eating his bread in the sweat of his
brow, and be satisfied to con!ine his atten-
tion to his senses AMI let his muscles take
care of themselves. But, in point of fact
this is not the case with tho city man OF
means, as a rule. Some OF tic leisure
CLASSES, OF course, do nothing bat pandor to
their senses, but it has been found a draw
back to unstintci qualification of this sort
that the people who practice it do not live
long. What is money handicapped with
dyspepsia, or with nerves that are out OF
time And really the achievement of a
proper physical end muscular condition
amounts 10 qualification Of tho sense.
A SCBTEERAEEAN ACADEMY.
There are many places in the town wLere
man can so III tor muscular cultivation,
but it, is sufficient to consider one. This
place is in Fifth avenue, in the basement OF
one Of those old-ti:ne brown stone mansions
now given over to trade. The pupil has an
appointed hour, and if he doesn't appear he
has to pay all tho sGme at tie rate OF about
- q lesson. Lot us suppose he appears
Diving down broad set Of basement steps
he opens the door OF this suGterranean
academy, and simultaneously braZen gong
above his hcad o o,,erateS with TREMENDOUS
clang. He is in room fifty feet long and
twenty five wide, with hard wood flooring,
polished hy wear About the walls hang
lot of sporting prints, and in ono section,
stuck behind tho top of the walnstot and
tackled to the wall above it, there is a con-
stellation Of boxers in photograph, poaeI so
so as to show their muscles to the best ad-
vantage For furniture the academy con-
lIlltS u IUCA VI "OSuCL1 DSAho NAANf ShAt
ping rope, Il tenpound wooden ball that
would fill Il bashel basket, and whole grove
OF boxing gloves
From room at the back peers out de-
corous-looking head ga ni5heI with gray
h lir and sperctacleS. AS he steps forth
and says good morning he reveals the some
what portiy person OF man nearing oo
years Of age, five fcen ten Inches i'll height
weighing ~ pounds, AID cad i'll hcecy
white sweater or jersey, pair OF trousers
buttoned about ths ankles, socks and sip
per-: the pupil enters tho back rooni
strips and dons his working toys. They
vary according to his fancy or his means.
Some Of the sweilS have beautiful tights anu
trunks, and others are careless about tile
clothes that they do the work in Ii the
pupil is fat, however, he must bury himself
i'll i.aunelS The last article he san.rs Is
the sw.ater, which is closely woven OF waol,
Of great thickness, and gives hlm the aspect
OF POLAR lear.
Thus attircd, tho pupil returns to the
m;in room and Lcgins hi; work. First ha
swings an eisht-poInI clIb in a particular
manner ltty times i'll each hAnL Th'n he
swings 1i.t.en- pouad club fifty times with
both hands, and doas )JO rapid motions
with pair Of iivc-pound dunD-beilS Next
upon tie treaile an arran sclnentof pulleysJ
he pulls himself uo to his chin forty times,
raising what wouAl DO cIu!va!ont TO oAe-
thir,i Of his weight each time, and performs
Il compound motion OF arms and legs lUj
times.
EXERCISING ALL TIE MUSCLES
Next lie pulls tho rowing weight fifty
times, rises and falls s.owly upon his toes
lOO times, sluati upon his heels anl slowly
ri.cs to an erect losture foGr times and is
then ready for work with the boxing gloves.
II ho has taken no rest ne has b.en twenty
minutes at the preliminary exercise Tho
skipping ropo and bal are extras, which arc
taken occasionally by some. Tie twenty
minutes work that has been described il
supposed to afford doccnE exercise of oil
TIC muscles OF tie human body, and | may
say after experience that any man who tries
il for the first time will seek in vain for a
Square inch Of himself which does not feel
as if it had not b2ol cuGseinl
But it is :ho boxing which really calls
upon the muscles OF tho individual. The
subject does not dream Of the work that ho
is doing or that i; being doEe to linn. Tha
master shill.ully leafs him on, Offering him
self as u sacrifice. When one has succeeded
in catching lis master on the peak OF the jaw
one feel; az though he could 60 on boxing
forever Tic master understands this, anu
makes tho peak OF his jaw stand the racket
Inc consequence is that the sub jcct quits the
business q wreck He c;ln not lift his arms
His lun5s arc burning and apparently burst
ing. Hc totters to tho lack room and falls
upon q couch y dcft attendant piles Linn
yard high with blankets. How he sweats.
Al the en,l OF ten minutes he comes out like
u spaniel from pond. lie is still amazingly
weak as lie is hoissed to his feet and assisted
to ruom still further back, where there Is
u not stove and no end Of towels. Here he
is stripped in jiiTy and rubbed dry, and
when ho is dry he is led still further along
and put into q bath of s. degrees
Here he is kneaded and rubbed, and when
he comes ont he feels trie better.
lie is carefully dried again and led back
to the hot room, where the skilled attendant
dons pair OF hair mittens and beats IL tat
too all over him. 1t is al astonishlngly OK
hilaruting process AL the blood in the
10 IL leaps to tho surface and stops there,
tiugiing Tho subioct is lobster red, and
fcals like king In another minute hc feels
ike all the kings in the pack. The attendant
has souSed him with bay rum The subject
roles himself, and walks forth as one who
t.g;l,les Oh air. y man who has mover tried
Loyin :, hair.Ilittens and bay rum cnu have
no notion OF what tn. combination fees
like 1t is heaven, and no mistake. In Goa
clusion, let mo say that tho city nlcn who
80 through this performance daily arc not
weuK-uoi.cd They trral the i.asstones like
go.ls, and horny -:lan,led aaricuiturists may
take note that IL Llow from ono oil them Is
Ike tho kick OF Il uuic.-Ncw York Cor.
Chicago herald
Queen Earo!:ue. OF Hawaii.