Marble Hill press., 1889-11-07

No observant, thinking person Of
either sex or any nationality can fail to
acknowledge. if she or he be candid.
that the American woman, as q class,
Hoes not take the place she should in
The scale of nations. She is q sicllly
exotic, forced to premature maturity in
the hot-bed of too prosperous and
highly feverish nationality. At the
pre still in pinafores and the school
room she is blooming in fragile lowell
ness, u precocious and too-early ma
tured women. There has been no time
to build up her constitution, her mind
or her tastes She steps straight across
from childhood to motherhood, without
lingering in that sweet valley where
it is intended by nature that her mind
and body shall be trained and strength
ened for the trials of maternity. What
is the inevitable. the lamentable result?
Pick out any ten average American
women at random from ten different
homes and I will show you nine who
are languishing under diseases Of mind
and body which they in turn will trans
init to their offspring. And as natural
and inevitable result 1 will say
more. Range before me ten Of the
daughters Of these women, OF ages
ranging from sixteen to twenty. and l
will lay my hands on the shoulders OF
six who from constitutional and in
herited taint are wholly unfit to marry
or to bear the burden of maternity at
all. And when it is remembered that
upon these women depend the welfare
and well-being of the nation, that they
are to be the mothers of the men who
shall protect and rule our land and up
on whom alone she depends for safety
and guidance, can anything be more i'm
portant than the physical training of
girls, children and women.
And what is physical culture%
Does it simply mean course of gym.
nastics? Not at albany more than his
tory means the relation Of one circum-
stance. Physical culture means the
complete development of the physical
part Of our dual nature. 1t means the
reforming and establishment OH u solid
basis of the rational constitution. 1t
means the training Of children to health,
vigorous manhood or womanhood. 1t
means mems sana in copore sano. 1t
means careful attention to the laws of
hygiene, health and life. It means the
complete development of every muscle
and nerve in the body, and the con-
sequent condition Of vigorous, healthy
animal life without which christian
scientists to the contrary notwithstand-
ing) healthy mental or spiritual life is
impossible.
One of the best-known agents in this
physical development is gymnastics.
Men have long recognized the necessity
for this form of physical exercise. But
they are beginning to recognize the ne
cessity for women also, and, what is of
far greater Importance, women are be.
ginning to recognize it, too. They are
learning that if they would have health,
if they would have beauty, we'll de-
veloped form and fine figure, they
must exercise; not by few turns along
the principal streets Of the town; not by
o walk to the dressmakers, and q car
ride back again, but by vigorous and
judicious physical exercise calculated
to develop every muscle in the body.
In the East the subject has already
ceased to become matter of discussion
md become q matter Of fact; and even
in this city, Mrs. H. P. Rountree, Spald-
ing Bros, and the w. G. T. U. are quiet
ly but energetically taking up the ques.
ton of the necessity Of physical culture
for women, and the subject will soon
become living issue here rs in the
East.-Chicago Herald.