The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-13

with the Body's Systematic Improve
ment--sfsthods Employed by Teacher
~ of New Yoris FashIonabies.
Physical culture for women is being ev-
olufcd from a fad into a serious science and
S accepted by intelligent people as one OF
z the hygienic essentials OF existence under
the exactions OF nineteenth century condi-
lions
The pioneer a yocates of physical culture
were pretty women who posed in Greek
gowns, with sandaled feet and filleted
trcsscs. as inspired apostles of a new gospel
\ OF beauty and taught at exorbitant rates
the charm Of ''woven PAGES and waving
hands TO their exclusive and infatuated
followers These willowy creatures, bend
< Ing, swaying. gliding from one statuesque
pose TO another yet more classic, worked
entirely upon the vanity of women, and the
lame and halt, the corpulent and the scrag-
gy, swallowed the bait and believed they
\ had only TO put on a Greek dress and do so
many bends a day to become as beautiful as
the dreams Praxiteles perpetuated in mar
bic.
There was something pathetic in the faith
of the woman Of 200 pounds advoirdupois
that inspired within her the heroism to
take, or try 10 take, the Mercury pose in a
skirt TO her knees and before n roomful of
her kind. But when these mothers in Israel
had bent and contorted their stiffened mem
bers 10 the verge of cramps and rheuma-
tism, and still the fairies gift Of beauty did
not crown their efforts, but rather TO her
that had too much flesh more was given,
and TO her that had not was taken away
that she had, the enthusiasm died out. the
home practice was abandoned, the teacher,
who was fad. like her art lost her pres
tige, and all was as before. save that the
heart of the woman had been awakened
TO long for better things physically. Many
Of these systems have arisen, had their
little day, and fallen into decadence because
of their futility. Much amateur work is
still done by women endowed with fine
physical proportions and little besides save
. few stock ideas and movements, to the
detriment of the art and of those who seek
TO teach or study it intelligently.
But in spite of its false prophets and
teachers physical culture has been ad-
4 vanced TO fine and accurate science, with
we'll established premises and proved prin-
cipies.
1.-The aim Of real physical culture" said
Miss Marguerite Lindley, the exponent OF
the advanced art among the society leaders
Of the city, where every art seeks now it's
appreciatiye and generous patrons, 'is self
knowledge. self preservation and self i'm
provement. The average woman, however
well informed on general subjects. is per.
feet stranger to her own internal economy
and the fundamental principle of physical
culture must be to teach every wUman
something of her own structure and organ
ism. Now, the absurdity of teaching q
dozen women Of different conditions "A set
or, as it is ambitiously called, a system of
movements which should benefit all alike,
the delicate, and the strong; the stout, and
the thin-has been demonstrated in the fail
ure of the system to accomplish its purpose
make diagnosis of each individual who
presents herself TO me for lessons-a dag
nosis of all the organs, of the inheritances
or environments that have a tendency TO
produce disease.
NOW, do not claim that this is physi-
clans diagnosis, for / have no doctors di-
ploma, but have studied and read much
with the doctors during the two years
have spent in preparation for this work,
into which so many people tumble without
any preparation at all save a little natural
grace and few lessons from n teacher as
ignorant as themselves as to the underly-
ing principles of the science. have lis
tened to demonstration lectures in the dis
secting room, and have taken private and
special instruction from physicians and spe-
cialists, but in every case where find any
strongly defined symptoms of disease or un-
natural development consult the pupils
physician before l consider my diagnosis
complete. All defects, dsproportionate
growth, unsymmetricAi measurements, are
investigated for their causes, and then
am ready TO write out prescription for
each pupil separately for the home ex-
ercises best calculated to correct the tend
ency to physical suffering, headaches, nerv-
business and all the ills to which American
women are peculiarly subject, and the spe-
cial defects from which each individual
may suffer.
'These exercises, which are arranged and
adapted from the Swedish system TO the
needs OF the delicate American woman who
cannot endure and is only harmed by severe
exercise, differ from the ordinary calisthen-
les In that they are slow and resistive, never
jerky and violent. American women do
net need any exercise TO disturb the nerve
centers, but rather to quiet and strengthen.
They differ from the Delsarte in that they
are energizing rather than disenergizing.
ff~F
only is apparatus quite unnecessary, ms well
as In many cases unavailable, but the time
spent in learning to use it is better en-
ployed in studying the beautiful apparatus.
its action, leverage and adjustment, that
each one has in her own body. The use OF
the muscles, their effects upon the crcula-
tion, heart action, the purpose of theorgans
AL this is OF greater value than any me-
chanical contrivances for development.
AS for the idea Of beauty, that follows
OF course because perfectly healthy, per-
tectly symmetrical, we'll formed woman is
bound to be more or less beautiful. Won.
ga allow themselves TO grow old and unat-
tractive by the constant expenditure OF
mental force without physical resources TO
repair tAe loss.
Probably The question most frequently
asked BY women Il this Can you reduce
heshF And the answer is decidedly in the
sfhrmativeif II the heart action is good-frst.
~ not allowing flesh 10 deposit itself in the
muscles b. constantly using them, and,
Iecondiy by absorbing through exercise
ihe snpeDluous flesh already deposited. -