Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1889-08-24
Bow to Walk.

Women, bless theml are going in for
gymnastics and athletic development
with might and main. It is the best
thing they can do, if they will only keep
it up. There are certain sets of physical
exercises which, il persevered in, will in
a year or two transform bad figure
into good, strong and graceful one I'M
erringly. A female acrobat says this
can be done, no matter how old the per-
son is.
Of course there is no exercise like that
taken in the open air. Of open air exer-
else nothing is better than simple walk
ing-walking in the country upon the
soft earth. But Delsarte says that no
woman knows how to walk. Following
are his directions for doing the act prop
erly. They are contained in an admira-
BILE little book called Society Gymnas-
tics" prepared by Genevieve Stebbins:
Stand erect, feet together. abdomen In chest
up and shoulders down Advance the thigh, let
ting the leg from the knee down hang lifeless
Straighten the leg and plant the ball of the foot
upon the ground In advance with the toe turned
out
In walking, the forward motion should
be made from the hip joint, not from the
knee Disregarding this direction most
women, and men, too, move only the
knee joint, and simply wabble, instead
of walk It is this false motion, walking
from the knee instead of from the hip
joint, that makes mems trousers baggy
and wrinkled at the knees.
The direction to hold the chest upward
and breathe deeply will in time correct
hollow chest, round shoulders and too
prominent stomach, Simply press the
chest upward and forward and hold it
SO persistently, standing, walking or
sitting.
All the desired good effects will fol-
low-full chest, fat back, erect and dig
niied bearing. Miss Stebbins tells US
that Delsarte divided the human body,
torso, as artists call it, into zones The
chest portion of the torso represents the
nobler attributes and emotions Of hu-
mainly, while the body below the waist
represents the animal propensities. Ac-
cording, therefore. as ones chest or
stomach is more prominent in front of
him when he walks, so would Delsarte
decide that he was governed by his men
tai and moral attributes or by his physi-
cal nature.
Rising back and forth upon tip toe is
an excellent exercise for strengthening
the strong muscles that do the walking.
This may be done ten or dozen times on
rising in the morning.
The best time to walk is now earl- IL
the morning. very early. 1t is to be
hoped that in another generation we shall
have rotated back to the good habit OF
sleeping in darkness and rising at day
light 1t even now promises to become
fashionable A woman who begins
gently and progresses gradually will
Soon be able to do her seven miles at a
stretch without fatigue. But she should
dress very lightly, and leave all heI
limbs free for q full. elastic, swinging
motion.
There are many sets of exercises laid
down in Society Gymnastics" adapted
to freeing all the muscles of the body.
The fault with most of our present gym
nastic systems is that they cultivate
strength regardless of grace and beauty,
This fault Delsarte corrected, holding
that for those who perfectly train the
muscles gracefulness is no less to be re-
Carded than strength.