Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-06-19
HOW TO TRAIN A CHILD.
To Make Him Strong and Healthy.
Breathing Correctly Means an Erect
Body and a Graceful Carriage
The Spine Should Be Straight
and the Muscles Should
Be Soft.
Be Soft.


founder Of a new system OF physical educa-
ton. Ihirty-two years ago when he was
wearing his first kniCkerbockers he was so
puny that the parents thought it was hard
~ worth while to encourage him to 90 on
living To-day, although he is small. he
is rs strong as a bulldog, and delights in
amusing his friends and astonishing
strangers by lying fiat on his back and lift
ing up 240-pound men at arms length.
He thinks the custom Of putting young
Americans through a course of calisthenic
and gymnastic exercises Is all wrong
The present system is wrong from be-
ginning TO end, he said to a world repor-
ter.
Pick up a six-month-old infant, he
added, hold him in an unstrained, up
right position, and you will find that his
back is broad and Nat his spine is perfect
~ straight As soon as the child begins
TO walk. the spine begins to curve. Why?
The weight Of his abdomen causes the
lower part of the back the hollow Of his
back so called TO sink forward and sag
down. There is error number one Sub
sequent physical training takes no notice
of It,
''You will find, too. that an infant in
arms has the power. while sitting bolt up
right, of getting his foot. or at least a part
of it in his mouth This is because his
hip joint is perfectly free and flexible He
looses this fexibllity almost from the mo-
ment he begns to walk. The ordinary
system of athletic OF calisthenic training
takes no notice of this loss.
Now. claim that above all else Il
child should be taught how to stand and
how TO breath Next he should be instruct
ed as to the proper way of using every
muscle and Joint Teach him those
things and he will be a graceful, healthy,
strong man. Neglect them and while he
may become temporarily strong his power
is neither lasting nor conducive to long
life and vlgOr
Nothing is more important than to
teach children the general principles of
right development. 1t is a mere make
shift to bring forward calisthenics Only
a small minority Of the children in classes
give any vigor or meaning to the few in
significant movements of the arms. Most
Of the boys and almost all of the girls
make merely superficial movements with
no science Of the meaning and no feeling
Of exhis ration. If anything has been
feet is visible If anything has been said
about the carriage of the body the instruc-
tion has been confined to an injunction to
keep back the shoulders.
In a nervous effort to obey the latter
Injunction children are often found with
followed backs and shoulder blades driven
in against the spine. When the shoulders
are violently and persistently thrown back
the shoulder blades almost meet They
press ON the spine and jam the upper part
of it forward The effect Of it is simply
unavoidable.
Mr. Checkley illustrated his proposition
by fixing piece of stick I. fashion across
the top of his Maaeca cane. When he
pressed the end of the cross-piece back
ward and downward the flexible MalaCca
bent espondingly forward, as the spine
itself does under like circumstances.
There is the sort Of thing that
children are called upon 10 do day after
day Is it any wonder that they cannot
attain proper strength under such treat
ment? The steady voluntary contraction
of the muscles dixie that eXerted in throw
ing back the shoulders is death to muscu-
lar tissues. IL prevents free circulation
and the tissues any they waste away
IF a child is sent 10 school at the age
of FIVE or six the teacher should watch
him at his desk to make sure that he
maintains an erect position 1t will be
found that if the head is kept properly
held erect the chin j, hound to draw up
the breast-Lone. By holding the body
erect and straight the child will find it
easy to breathe i'm the costa, way-that Is,
with the upper part of the chest This.
claim i, the proper way to sreathe. Of
course Ii is mot easy to learl all this at
once. but % careful teacher, by taking
pains. could soon bring her class into such
Il condition that they would find it easier
10 stand. walk and sit right than wrong.
ut Is not necessary to spend amy special
half hour a day i'm teaching these things.
The instructor who i with children all
the time is the one to keeu them standing
OF sitting properly, Folding the arms.
the present attitude of respectful attention,
is one tnat cramps the chest and the
breathing apparatus 1t should never be
practiced Let the teacher iin>truct her
children to keep the upper point Of the
forehead and the most prominent part OF
the chest always uplifted as if trying to
push up through the ceiling A word now
and again will soon inculcate the right
sort Of carriage Let an bending forward
be- done from the hip-joiut not from the
waist. The backbone need not and should
not be bent in stopping to pick mp any
thing
Instead Of wasting time over rods and
wands teachers should make the children
learn how to hold their bodies and how
TO move the shoulders hips and other
joints properly in the ordinary bushes, Of
life. Children can get little good from
what they learn mechanically The
Youngsters interest must be aroused.
Teach him that not dumbels but the
knowledge he acquire, in the carriage and
leuortueut of his body, viii make bin
agile ana strong. and then his physical
education will amount 90 something.
Physical education Is properly accomplished
only through the mind
The mere requirement of muscular
tissue Is not OF so much importance lis q
good sheath Of sound healthy agile bone
covering BY that ! mean. elastic supply
teulous and muscle working m harmony.
directed bv a we.I-reguldted mind That
il what children need The shoulder
l.,,I3 ,4a+ Ia .trlffa.1 hack af clio Him