St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-03
POINTS ON PHYSIQUE.
Della Lindsay Talks Enter
tainingly About What
Her Eyes Behold.
A Series Of Sensible Remarks
on the Ways That Lead
to Beauty.
Standing Signals, Posing
Pirouettes and Move
ments Of Muscles.
Perseverance in the APP
proved Plans a Prime
Requisite Of Success.

Requisite Of Success.
So much has been written of late or
the subject of physical culture. and so
many instructive lectures have been
given, that | feel almost like apologize
ing for Offering this series of papers to
GLOBE readers, but every day my
eyes tell me that not half enough has
even yet been SAID about the great im-
portance of physical culture to women.
There are books innumerable on the
subject, but for the most part so elap-
Orately written and SO diScouragingly
complex in their treatment of the sub
ject that the ordinary woman who reads
does not attempt to follow out their
directions. 1t will be my aim to make
these papers simple, brief and clear, so
that any woman who reads may be
benefited.
To begin with, | wish to say a few
things. First, YOU must remember that
Rome was not built i'll Il day, and If you
really wish to improve not only your
health, but what is more important,
since it is w~onlan's chief duty to be
beautiful, to improve your looks. you
must be perSevering. 1t will not do to
stand well N day i'll the week. and
slump the other six. You must stand
correctly just as much as you can till
the correct habit becomes fixed. You
must practice your exercises every day,
and regularly.
Second. you must not overwork. l
have had pupils come to me full OF en-
~thuSiaSm, and after working for a les
son or two under my care. they would
become too ambitious. and proceed at
once 10 the more severe exercises,
with the result that in several in
stances severe SprainS and other in
luries resulted. Be careful. At first
try exercising five minutes on rising
and five minutes before going to
bed. Fifteen minutes at a time
is long enough to exercise vigor-
ously when your strength has at
tanned its maximum. The exercising
of every muscle in your body can not
sustained some organic injury, but you
must begin gently. Fair and softly
goes far i'll a day. remember.
If possible, get some friend or neigh
Dor to begin these exercises with you,
for company makes them more enjova-
bic. | should advise exercising to music
when possible, for it gives a certain
grace and rythm gained in no other
way.
Now, if you please, we will begin.
You will oblIge me by removing all
bands and combining clothing. If you
exercise at night II IN the morning on
rising. your night robe is the best pos
Slble costume to wear. Exercising in
tight clothing is extremely foolish as
well as positively injurious. For a
gymnasium costume should suggest a
loose blouse and Turkish trousers, con.
fined above the knee by elastic bands,
tennis shoes, or better still, exercise i'll
your stocking feet.
Now, l think, we are ready to begin
our first lesson.
First, YOU stand badly. Your abdomen
protrudes in an exceedingly'ugly way.
Your chest is fiat, and you look as
though you needed that monstrous
thing we used to Wear-the Dustle-tO
remedy this. | will have you rise on
tip toe. Now, lower yourself again. No,
do not sway back upon your heels.
Stand just where you came down, so
that you can rise on YOU toes again
without swaying forward.
"O," you say, II feel as if l were
going to fall, and it hurts the backs of
my knees."
Of course it does. Those tendons are
being stretched, and it VIII hurt till V GU
are used to it. Now, hold your abdomen
III, and your chest up. Never mind
shoulders. Pull the chest up as high as
you can get it, and the shoulders will
take care of themselves. Practice this
polSe, and to gain lightness and ease,
practice rising on your toes again and
again.
Now, if you please, we will begin
with an old-fashioned callsthenic drill.
II you have music, have slow four-four
time. Ii not, count.
Take your position with your hands
on your chest, which must be kept as
hlgh-as 'active" as possible. Thrust
the right hand down and back twice,
counting 'one-and-two-and." returning
On the land" each time. Repeat this
with The left hand. striking downward
vigorously, but holding the body erect
I'M immoyable, poised on the balls of
the feet. Then alternate, first the right.
and then the left hand, and as YOU
count "seven-and. eight-and' thrust both
hands down and back twice.
Draw the elbows shoulder high. let
the open hands fall OH the chest, and as
you begin counting "one and' again,
rap the chest right smartly with the
hands, taking care to keep the elbows
extended at the height of the shoulders,
till you have counted -four and" On
the land" after -four" bring the hands
to the hips. -Four times going back on
the number, II returning on the
'and. bring the elbows as far back as
possible.
AS you begin at one again to count,
extend both hands in front of YOU, level
with the shoulders. palms together.
Swing the arms straight back as far as
possible, Keeping the body straight and
lmmovable, returning on the land"
with a handicap in front of you. Keep
the arms extended fully. Do this four
times. This completes the first figure
of this set of exercises. The second
figure is precisely similar, with the eX-
ceptlOn that i'll the first part the hands
are thrust straight out in front of YOU.
The exercise from the chest percussion
IS repeated precisely as before. The
third figure differs only in that the
hands go out from the shoulders to the
side. In the fourth figure they are
thrust straight up. The main point to
be remembered is to keep the BODY
poised correctly and not move it.. The
elbow and full-arm movements are
especially beneficial. The chest per-
cussion is valuable for assisting in keep
ing he chest active"
Next comes the head movement. Nod
the head in every direction twice, count
ing as before. and finish the movement
with rolling The head twice in a circle
while you count eight, III which count
you must not forget the lands" Let
the head fall as loosely as possible. This
is valuable for filling out the throat and
correcting WY neck.
These are all the exercises I shall
give you for the first lesson. Practice
these twice a day, but do not tire YOUR
self. Stand well, don't forget that. The
only additional exercise | will suggest
is bending, but in this | charge YOU to
be careful. Bend forward very. very