The record-union., 1893-04-08
ATHLETICS FOR GIRLS.
Health is Better Than Beauty-Ligf
Gymnastics.

Gymnastics.
There are many pretty feats of skill
and strength which are as safe for girls to
undertake as riding or skating or rowing
are, but which can also be as open to ac-
cident as any of these three. That is no
reason for not attempting them, for
every pleasure in life is Swallowed by a
danger, but every girl reader would do
we'll TO make little promise to herself
never to undertake anything but light
gymnastics until she knows that her
muscles are evenly and well developed
Tor her age and her weight, and then only
under the direction OF an experienced
person. The travelling rings and feats on
| the horizontal bar and many similar
| leafs should be put on this list in every
! girls mental notebook. Jumping is not
particularly desirable for girls, although
tor strong girl who has been well
| trained in athletics the risk is not great.
Except IN the gymnasium, her dress pre-
! vents girl from jumping well, and I'M
DER any circumstances it is perhaps the
| least desirable form of exercise for her.
This is, of course, jumping from hight
| or running long jump in which 1t IS
necessary TO allght properly or the whole
| system receive shock. Even in drop
| ping from the rings or the horizontal
bar, II you alight on your toes that is,
with the heel not touching), with your
knees bent. you will quickly see what IA
great advantage it gives you to know the
right way of doing such things, because
| you will not feel the least jar as you rise
easily to your full hight after it.
W hen girl has had sufficient practice
in light gymnastics she will find it of
great use to begin work on the horizon
tai ladders, hanging by her hands from
the rungs of The ladder above mattress,
and carrying herself backward or for
| ward in different ways across the room.
10 make an angel las it is called is not
at all difficult, but it should be put in the
girls reserve list of feats, only to be per-
formed under the care of some one OK
perlenced IN gymnasium work, and so
should turning somerSaults between the
rings. Climbing, however, is quite safe
and OF great advantage, and hanging
| from low bar with the head down is also
a sale and good exercise, particularly if it
Is done by putting one knee-let us say
the left one-over the bar, and passing
the other over the left foot and then under
the bar. 1t is almost impossible to fall
from this position, and you can easily
raise your body to take hold OF the bar
again with your hands when you want to.
1t is scarcely necessary to caution girls
against the sort OF work that over
develops muscles and makes them hard
and not elastic, bat unless girl needs an
unusual amount of exercise to keep her
In good health. she does not want TO work
her muscles until they are prominent and
| ugly. Health is better than beauty, how
ever, and if that sad result should attend
some girls exercise she can easily con-
sole herself with that thought, and in re-
membering how few are her headaches
and her colds, and how little time she
has to waste on such discomforts. The
| girl of to-day can rejoice that those funny,
| lackadaisical Clarissas and Belindas and
| Arabellas, whose delicacy and helpless
ness were held up for the admiration of
the ridiculous. We can laugh at them
now as we wear our sensible shoes, and
try our best to be what they would have
| called rudely healthy, with their strange
| idea of what was beautiful and proper
Mrs. Arthur Brooke in Harper's Young
People.