Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-19
HOW TOTRAIN A CHILD.
To Make Him Strong and Healthy.
Breathing Correctly Means an Erect
Body and Graceful Carriage
The Spine Should Be Straight
and the Muscles Should
Be Soft.

| muscles. his name Is Edwin \Qeckl6y ana
he lives at Ill Rutledge street. He is the
founder of new system of physical ednca-
ton. Thlrty-two years ago when he was
wearing his first knickerbockers he was so
puny that the parents thought it was hard
| ly worth while to encourage him to go on
living. To-day, although he is small, he
is as strong as a bulldog, and delights in
amusing his friends and astonishing
strangers by lying fat 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 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 fat his spine is perfect
ly 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-ioin is perfectly free and flexible He
looses this hexibllity almost from the mo-
ment he begins to walk. The ordinary
system of athletic or calisthenic training
takes no notice of this loss.
Now, | claim that above all else a
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 vigor.
Nothing is more important than to
teach children the general principles of
!, right development 1t is mere make
shift to bring forward calisthenics. Only
small minority of the children in classes
give any vigor or meaning to the few in
J 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 exhils ration. If anything has been
said to the children about breathing no eff
feet is visible If anything has been said
about the carriage of the body the instruc-
ton has been confined to an injunction to
keep bacl, the shoulders.
I'm a nervous effort to obey the latter
Injunction children are often found with
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 a piece Of stick I. fashion across
the top of his Malacca cane. When he
ward and downward the flexible Malacca
bent CORRESPONDENCE forward, as the spine
itself does under like circumstances.
There is the sort of thing" that
children are called upon to do day after
f day. Is it any wonder that they cannot
attain proper strength under such treat
ment? The steady voluntary contraction
of the muscles Qike that exerted in throw
ing back the shoulders) is death to muscu-
lar tissues. 1t prevents free circulation
, and the tissues any they waste away.
eff child is sent to school at the age
of five or six the teacher should watch
linn 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 is bound to draw uI
the breast-bone By holding the body
erect and straight the child will find il
; easy to breathe in the eostal way-that is,
with the upper part of the chest. This,
claim, is the proper way to Breathe OF
course it is not easy to learn all this at
once, but a careful teacher. by taking
pains. could soon bring her class into such
, condition that they would find it easier
, to stand. walk and sit right than wrong
, 1t IS not necessary to spend any special
half hour day in teaching these things
| The instructor who is with children all
the time is the one to keep them standing
or sitting properly. Folding the arms,
the present attitude of respectful attention,
, is one that cramps the chest and the
breathing apparatus. 1t should never be
practiced. Let the teacher iinstruct 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
be done from the hip oint-not from the
waist. The backbone need not and should
not be bent in stopping to pick up 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 business of
life. Children can get little good from
what they learn mechanically. The
youngsters interest must be aroused.
Teach him that not dumbells, but the
knowledge he acquires in the carriage and
department Of his body, will make him
agile and strong and then his physical
education will amount to something
Physical education is properly accomplished
only through the mind.
The mere requirement of muscular
tissue is not of so much importance as a
good sheath of sound, healthy, agile bone
covering. By that l mean, elastic supply
tendons and muscle working in harmony,
directed by well-regulated mind. That
is what children need. The shoulder
should not be strained back of the hip
Joint. These two joints should be on the
same perpendicular line. The chest must
have prominence on its own account. and
the shoulders when held back far enough
to give the chest free development find a
natural and comfortable center. | am no
believer in the theory of extensive de-
struction in tissues and hurried rebuilding
of them to secure health. Such training is
abnormal. The cat, the horse, dog, tiger
and other lower animals keep.their strength
for the most part with light exercise The
tendency of hard ayarcjSp is hard muscles