The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-02
ON WOMAN'S HEALTH
Importance of Bodily Training
and Hygienic Precaution.
GIRLS PHYSICAL EDUCATION;
The Pride of Matrimony-W Quick Relief
Was Needed To Keep a Nosegay
Fresh.

MIR. Frederick Treves calls attention to a
perfectly new branch Of the work under
taken by the society with reference to phys
ical education Within the last few years
an immense deal of attention had been di-
rected to the matter Of physical education
1t had been pointed out that the education
of the mind was well looked after while
the education of the body was practically
allowed to look after itself. Parents did
not realize that proper physical education
must be conducted on as precise and Us
careful scientific lines as the ordinary edu-
cation of the mind. Parents were quite
content to send their children to gym
nasia, and when they had done this felt
satisfied that their physical education was
complete They were unaware that there
was no proper control over the teachers of
gymnastics and calisthenics, large num-
Der of whom were people totally unfit for
their work
The particular object of the society had,
perhaps, rather more reference to children
and women than to men and boys. AS
matter OF fact, the latter class was admir-
ably looked after. No one could find much
to criticise in the athletic pursuits of our
public schools When they came to the
London shop boy they found his condition
had been materially changed; he had taken
to bicycling and other pursuits. When
they came to schools, and especially to
/ girls schools, it must be confessed that the
conditions were about as bad as they very
well could be. They heard good deal of
the enormous advances of civilization dur
ing the last fifty or one hundred years, and
| their marvellous Improvement on the I'M
| fortunate savage, who had straight limbs,
graceful carriage and an absence of the
ordinary aches and pains, and he was not
disposed to be always taking tea or to be
living in an atmosphere of tenics. People
did not seem to be aware that by judi
ciously supervised system of physical edu-
cation, exercises and due attention to the
development of the body it was possible to
alter its proportions, to reduce redund-
ances and to develop deficient and feeble
muscles.
Motives of vanity and regard fer the
future physical development of their girls
might so influence mothers who were in.
different to higher considerations to sec
that the physical education of girls was
carried out, whether in families or in
schools, under persons trained, skilled and
having the requisite knowledge to make
such physical training in all respects use
full and in no case injurious. Neither coul6
be said of the very limited amount of ply
steal training now given to girls 1t wa:
pointed out that the National Health so
cietys diploma would be granted to sucf
teachers of gymnastics, calisthenics ant
physical exercises as had fulfilled the neces
sary curriculum and passed the required
examinations.
The society hoped by the institution o
this diploma to encourage the development
of physical education in this country; t.
render such training precise, effectual ant
scientific; to protect the public on the on
hand, from incompetent teachers, and, OF
the other, to establish the position of sucl
instructors as were fully qualified. 1t wa
:, intended, however, that the work of sucl
teachers should be devoted and RESTRICTS
to the one legitimate object set forth in tn
. diploma, namely, physical training, ant
, that they should not undertake the treat
ment of deformity or disease by ''move
ment cures" remedial exercises" mas
sage and the like. The diploma would Gel
tify that the candidate had passed an e1
e animation in the art and science of physica
education, had fulfilled the curriculum Re
quired by the society, and was fully quail
fled to act as an instructor of gymnastic.
calisthenics and physical exercises genel
ally.-British Medical Journal