Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09
CULTUREOF THEBODY
Our Educators HaVe Adopted the
Methods Of the HOthOuse,
LEAVING NATURE ENTIRELY OUT.
The Principal Business Of Childhood and
Youth is to Grow.
SWEDISH SYSTEM OF GYMNASTICS

private schools is mainly hothouse-culturs
"a system of mental forcing which is fast
destroying their vital stamina, and render
ing natural and harmonious developments
impossible. Everybody ought to know the
principal business of childhood and youth
is to grow-to develop, not the brain merely,
or principally, but the whole being, in SYM
metry and goodness; and to do this, fresh
air, sunlight and abundant bodily exercise
are absolutely essential. But very few,
seemingly, have any knowledge of the
body's needs, beyond the ordinary supply
of food and clothing.
Fortunately it is not natural for the
weak, diseased or deformed child to remain
weak, diseased and deformed. These are
not natural conditions, and there is con-
slant effort on the part of nature to substi-
tute for them health, strength and harmony.
So in promoting health and cultivating har-
mony we simply cooperate with nature,
throwing ourselves, as it were, into the cur
rent of her tendencies. The human form is
plastic until age has hardened its parts, and,
to a great extent, we may mold it at will.
| By the means and methods of rational
physical culture in the schools we would
most efectually and salutarily act upon it.
| We would impart fresh vitality to the Ian
guild frame, give strength to the weak
| limb; substitute grace OF motion for awk-
wardness; remodel the illiormed body into
symmetry, and postpone indefinitely the
| inhrmities and deiormities of age.
A SYSTEM A CENTURY OLD.
There are a number OF forms of physical
education, but that which the Swedish gym
nasts adopted nearly 100 years ago seems to
have been so perfect that it has never been
| changed and has been almost universally
| adopted. In 1905, P. n. Ling, scientist,
| philosopher poet and educator, wishing to
| put gymnastics in harmony with nature, be-
gan to study anatomy, physiology and the
other natural sciences at the old University
of Lund in Sweden. His intention was not
merely to make gymnastics branch of edu-
cation, but to demonstrate its virtue as a
therapeutical agent. According to the gen.
orally accepted Swedish system, gymnastics
is. therefore, recognized in four large dis
tinctive branches: 1. Pedagogical or edu-
cational gymnastics, for the healthy, the OBJ
ject of which is ito make the body the ready
servant of the will" This branch is
generally designed for healthy people
of both sexes and of all ages.
2. Medical gymnastics, an auxiliary to med
ical practice, to develop into activity and
harmony the latent or weakened powers Of
invalids, deformed or diseased people. 8.
Esthetic gymnastics, for elocutionists, ora
tors actors, singers, or all those who desire
to illustrate their inner being, thoughts or
feelings bv gesture, posture and general ac-
ton. 4. Military gymnastics, for the train
ing of the body in the use of weapons and
in defense and offense.
1t is the first division that is most sadly
neglected in this country, and it is by far
the most important of the four. Every ex-
ercIse in the Swedish system is devised con-
formally to the natural organization of the
BODY. 1t is the naturally suitable, exDed-
lent and useful that determines the adop-
tion of a movement. 1t has 10 fundamental
and guiding principles, in which the words
harmonious development express the central
idea.
NOT ALL ARE USEFUL.
Any motion within the possibility of e1-
ecution is not necessarily useful and
healthy, for it may be both injurious and
unesthetic. The exhibitions OF acrobats,
clowns, 'elastic men," athletes, etc., may
strike us with astonishment and perhaps
compassion, but we can not help ad-
mitting that they must nearly all be in
furious and deranging to health. Nor do
these 'artists, professors" and athletes
enjoy long the best of health or liye to at
tain hale old age, for the human organism
ID uOb CICdLcu W ouHCI mdu lO CllIuO lIk0 IN
ape run like a horse, swim like fish or
coil like serpent although it may in part
lie within the range OF possibility. There
fore gymnastics proper does not comprise
any other movements than those with the
fixed aim of developing the health and
strength of the body SO far as the natural
aptitude allows"
Cuts Muths, a German writer on gymnas-
ties, who hourished in the dawn of the pres
-
to employ gymnastics in order to live, but
not live for the practice OF gymnastics"
In regard to the organism the Swedish
system is universal 1t does not direct
movements toward some exclusive parts <for
one prefers generally to do what he is most
apt toy, but directs the exercise of all the
locomotive organs. An organ is not exclu-
sively exercised for its own sake, but Tor
that of the whole. Consequently, as in fenc-
ing, which is executed from both sides, right
and lett, movements should be done with an
equal regard to both halves of the body in
order to obtain perfect harmony and SYM
metry.
INTEMPERANCE IN TRAINING.
Nothing is more derogatory to health than
intemperance OF training. AS woman diff
fers essentially from man, she evidently re-
quires a somewhat different physical edu-
cation, and the tree exercises of the Swedish
method have therefore been adopted for
young women with satisfactory results in
many countries. In order 20 reach a
desirable result, it is indispensable to
advance gradually with the exercises;
to commence with the simplest and prepara-
tory, and only when these are mastered to
enter upon grade of more difficult compli-
Gated movements. 1t is also desirable to or
ganize the exercises so as to contain a COM
plete and, for the body, universal series Of
movements at the time of each drill, includ-
ing movements for the upper and lower
limbs, the head, the dorsal and abdominal
muscles, balance movements, marching,
respiratory exercises for the lungs and the
respiratory muscles, etc., etc. Although
sundry simple apparatuses, furnished in a
gymnasium, are very desirable, the
method of the Swedes enables one to dis
pense with gymnasium altogether, relying
chiefly upon tree standing gymnastics The
easy access of this method of physical edu-
cation to the most remote and primitive
schools is therefore obvious.
THE TEACHERS MUST BE REACHED,
But before the teachers have become intel
ligently acquainted with proper physical
education, the evils of inactivity and false
hygienic conditions must remain. 1t should
be grave concern of school boards, educs-
tors, parents, philanthropists and bene-
factors to give their most active support to
The establishment of instruction in physical
edueation for the teachers of the public
schools in every State of the Union. This
could be accomplished in the seminaries of
he teachers, or in special institutions. re-
lem bling the Hemingway school of OWN.