The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-06-04
In WOMAN'S BEHALF.
a PLEA FOR REFORM.

- V16SA TSu TSu"s
The English and American Systems Of Phy-
sical Culture Compared.
Directly to English women does the
sport-loving American girl owe all her
privileges and possibilities on the ten
mis- court, on horseback or wherever
she finds those opportunities for the
honest physical exercise she now en-
joys The English woman was the
first of her sex to go ont 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 ovcrcame all prejudice against
femininity competing against the mas
culine element in the open field. and she
It was who held up to ms 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 profited
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 preju-
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 to-well, 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 physical
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 just
by way Of experiment, all the gymna-
siums 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 exer-
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 mp to women is to try physical
culture, at the Turkish bath and in the
gymnasium, and all for old vanity's, and
little enough for good hcalth's sake. At
the women's colleges huge gymnasiums
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 cvolu-
tions-all well enough in way, but
not nearly so good plan rs 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 a half
penny'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 whacks 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 keep
their charges healthy and wise they
should provide playground and teach
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 checks, bright eyes,
red lips, rounded curves and all that
undignificd pandering to vanity SO COM
mon to the advocates of feminine ath-
letics. But tell them the results of this
outdoor energy means that a splendid
field of pleasure is being opened, and
after some four or Ave 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 Nellesly students
in calisthenics, those same girls could
be taught to play good game of hockey
OA eiC dAPiS SoAiSbC 6iouA0Ss "ACA SAC
mir is cold with winters chill and ten
mis- hardly seems in season? Why, the
outcome would be that in q short time
the gymnasium would stand deserted.
while students fought for goals, rush
ing, cheering, humping and poking
with their long crooked sticks, pretty
much as in the manner with football
team in training. Give the girls exer-
cises at which they can scream and hit
and dash and romp and work off animal
spirits, as is the way with boys, and
afterwards they will make better stu
dents for it, better tennis players, bet
ter riders, and stronger, finer, bigger,
handsomer women. If this latter virtue
can be more highly developed.-Agnes
Crofton, in Weeks Sport.