The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-09-30
NORMAL MAN AND WOMAN
Education Preferable as n Starting Point
-Misdirected Patriotism.


Many who preach physical culture ie-
fer in support Of their assertions (Which
are generally c%orrect) to an imaginary
being whom they call Normal. e.
the supposed normal man or woman,
for the two sexes are alike concerned in
this discussion-as a physical type which
it would be well for us to stuuy and
copy. In this country, by a misdirected
patriotism, the Indian is often cited as
the Normal. This is a mistake. What
ever the red man may have been once,
he is now as far as possible from d mod
ell for us in anything. lie is a ,nongrel,
whose original character was probably
changed long before De Soto brought
European Improvements INTO his terri
tory; and what the Spaniard left undone
has been accomplished by escaping negro
slaves, early pioneers. calvalrymen, ana
cow-thumpers. These among them have
turned the noble savage into an object
not suited to imitation. AS Il rule the
aboriglne has al unhappy faculty OF
learning from civilization little but It's
vices. and those who know him best IN
his present state must smile broadly at
the idea Of taking him and his spuaw as
physical standards.
For my part, | prefer education as IA
starting point. II the normal means
the savage state. ] can get myself into
the best physical as well as mental con
dition without its aid. II in so doing. /
destroy or depart FROM my normal state.
then it is a good state to get away from.
DR.. Fritz Schultze, in his work on
Fetichism. says that primitive beings
have no intellect to speak of, and lind
their highest felicity in glnttony and
lust. General testimony goes 10 con-
firm this opinion. Our W Indian
in his days of mastery. while capable OF
a squirt, was not steadily Industrious
nor were his habits humanitarian. As
to savages in general. their practices
with regard to infants. their murderous
and c~annibalistIc propensities, and Their
manner and morals taken by and large,
are in curious contrast to h .Arcadian
idyls about men and women. in Il state OF
nature. Stuart Mill says that man has
IN him by nature but one good thing
the c~apabihty of improvements; what
ever he has gained he has worked his
way to.
IL we are guided by facts rather than
10y sentiment. we snail soon see what
ought Ia be and can be done in the way
of training, or rather educating. the hu-
man animal in health and strength. |
venture 10 say that the civilized man or
woman can beat the Normal" be he or
she red. brown. black. or yellow, in any,
thing in which the latter is supposed to
be superior 10 us. and that without halt
trying. f.. z. the squaw begins heT
maternal career without the aid o. 4
physician or nurse. So can the Hungar
ian or Italian peasant: but the process
is apt tn he expensive. SO could the
educated lady, but she prefers to keep
her youth and good looks as long as she
can. as well as 10 minimize pain and
risk; therefore she calls in the doctor,
who often has only to let nature tic
the work. and to stand by in case of ac,
cidents. Doubtless the savage mother
resumes her ususal tasks the day after
increasing the family: So do some OF our
own poor,-but it would be better Tor
them II they could afford to lie by for a
few weeks in honor of the occasion.
From Muscle Building" by Edwin
Chccley. in Ocober ~Lippincott's.