Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-06-11
In W0MAN'S BEHALF.
A PLEA FOR REFORM.
The English ana American systems of Pny-
steal Culture Compared.

The English ana American systems of Pny-
steal Culture Compared.
Directly to English women does the
spcrt-loving American girl owe all her
privileges and possibilities on the ten
mis- court, on horseback or wherever
she finds those opportunities Tor the
honest physical exercise she now en-
joys The English woman was the
first of her sex to go out of doors for a
larger half of her days pleasure; and
looking on the sports practiced by her
brother, and seeing they were good, she
promptly adapted them, with few mod
ifications, to her own uses, and commu-
nicated these pleasing occupations to
her transatlantic sisters. She it was
who overcame all prejudice against
femininity competing against the mas
culine element in the open field and she
it was who held up to us the inspiring
example of woman triumphant in the
hunting field, at tennis, or wherever she
might choose to force her way.
American girls have largely profted
by the excellent example set them, and
so far are no disgrace to their teaching.
We have gone forth gravely to battle at
tennis, in the very face of our preiu-
diced papas; we have set at naught the
remonstrances of our old time mammas
and we have actually learned TO play
not very badly in mixed double, to sit
our horses properly, and lowell, to go
deeply in for gymnastics.
That last is the truthful but unfortu-
nate admission which throws American
women at once out of the race with the
big-limbed, broad-shouldered British
maidens and clean into the shade of in
feriority beside them in the practice of
sport pure and simple. Gymnastics
and this everlasting Cry for phyIical
culture is at the very root of the rea-
son why we have not kept pace with
the English woman. In fact one is in
clined to wish that for time, and jlst
by way of experiment, all the gymna-
Sums could be closed to aspiring tight
rope walkers and dumb-bell swingers.
What would be the result? Why, girls
and women having had a taste of eXcr-
else, would be forced out of doors into
the very games that now engage the at
tention of those hardy foreigners, and
in which our girls hold little or no part
Nowadays in America the cry forever
going up to women is to try physical
culture, at the Turkish bath and in the
gynasium and all for old vanity's, and
little enough for good health's sake. At
the women's colleges huge gymn9siums
are erected for the use of students who,
even against their WILL must daily ex-
| ercise, march, counter-march, and go
through trying muscle-requiring evolu-
tions-all well enough in a way, but
not nearly so good Il plan as that fol-
! lowed by the English girl student who
holds little faith in gymnastics, but
throws her whole soul into her beloved
outdoor games,
She doesn't perhaps, put half
penuy's worth of confidence in her abil-
ity to swing clumsy Indian club, but
she can "hock" and "dribble," can
skate, swim, row, defend her wicket
sturdily, and whaclls her tennis balls
soundly She knows awfully little about
the science of physical culture, but she
talks learnedly of hockey, cricket and
golf, plays them skillfully, too, and
earns pound of benefit from one hour
of her outdoor gaming, where we gain
an ounce of our days of indoor gym
nastics,
If the heads of colleges, academies
and big schools for girls desire to keeT
their charges healthy and wise they
should provide playground and teacf
the students that exercise in the fresh
open cold, moist dry or warm air is
the one thing profitable to their physi
cal well-being. Don't say that this eX
ertion means pink cheeks bright eyes
red lips rounded curves and all tha
undignified pandering to vanity so com
mon to the advocates of feminine ath
lctics. But tell them the results of thi'
outdoor energy means that a splendiC
field of pleasure is being opened ant
after some four or five hours in the air
deeper sleep, clearer brains and better
appetites will be the reward.
just suppose instead of drilling hun
dreds of Vassar and WELLESLEY student
in calisthenics, those same girls coulC
be taught to play good game of hoclle,
on the ample college grounds, when thu
air is cold with winters chill and ten
mis- hardly seems in season? Why, the
outcome would be that in a short timt
the gymnasium would stand deserted
while students fought for goals rush
ing, cheering, humping and pokinl
with their long crooked sticks, prett,
much as in the manner with football
team in training. Give the girls eXer
cises at which they can scream and hi
and dash and romp and work off anima
spirits, as is the way with boys an
afterwards they will make better stu
dents for it, better tennis players, BET
ter riders, and stronger finer, bigger
handsomer women, if this latter virtu
} can be more highly developed. -Agne
Crofton, in Weeks Sport