The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-02-23
Views ofan Advocate Of American
lied Dslsarie for Keeping
Young
The Lecturer Striking Example
of the Good Sense OF Her
Precepts.
"Iet Go the Worry aud Fret" and Follow
Oat the Physical Expression OF
That Idss.

the uuinitiated with terror. Lie seems
too short 70 dclve into their awful mystic
ries. and 50 70 the average mind theosophy
signifies clever sleight OF hare, tricks, and
Delsarte is ever associated WIS wabhling,
wild eyed women who pose I'm grccnery
gallery tea gowns and talk vaguely about
"thc cult. But when You hear sweet
faced, soft voiced little woman In "a dream
Of an ivory Grape gown, with cunning lit
tie silk bowknots all over it and great.
puffy sleeves that suggest the wings OF
Sandolphin. the angel of glory, talk down
right sensible things about health and
grace and the relation Of the body to dress
and how 20 keep from growing old and
ugly and TAT, aud when she tells You this
Is " Americanized Dclsarte' you begin to
think that maybe after all, there's some
thing In it. and that Francois Delsarte
knew what ho was talking about.
Mrs Emily NJ. Bishop. who is the teach
tr aud cxpouuder of Delsarte and physical
self culture at the great Chautauqua sum
mer school has been legturing at Pratt in
stitutc. brooklyn. on &ese questions Of
so vital interest 60 women. For breathcs
there a woman with soul so dead who does
not long TO keep young and slim and at
tractivef
Mrs. Bishop who is a striking illus
t~ation Of the logic and good sense of her
preccpts. Is not bit Of n faddist. She
does not attitudinize. nor does she wear
costumes calculated 70 give any self re
specting scarecrow an attack Of nervous
prostration. She is "a tiny woman, fun Of
fire and dew-a sort Of unpatented phys
ical dynamo Her department az Chautau-
qua is the largest numerically and fnan-
cially. having achieved twice the revenue
ever secured by any special class Of work
there, and that, too, in spite Of the handi-
cap by certain limitations in the organi-
zation.
saw Mrs. Bishop az the close Of one Of
her lectures and asked her, Chow may
women keep from growing old;'
'Old age is going out OF fashion"
laughed the lady. "Seventy-nve now, you
know, is only considered a reasonable ma
turity. Old age is not the lines on the
face that are the carving Of thought and
erudition nor the soft halo Of white hair
1t is rather the loss Of elasticity Of the
body. of the power TO do physical acts that
were once as play 20 us. II people will
think old age and expect il, they will not
De disappointed. Many a woman Of 40 has
the form and expression Of a woman Of so.
We can keep our bodies young by system
attic exercise. Muscles that are not duly
exercised, you know, lose their shape.
firmness and strength. look at the dancer
who at IS has the flexibility Of a young
girl. It is a we'll known fact that women
who are actively engaged in literary, So
cial and reform movements remain young
longer than those whose lives run in un-
eventful, narrow grooves. This is not so
much the difference in the kind of work
but the difference in the thoughts back Of
the work, for when ones thoughts are not
given TO general interests one becomes alb
sorbed in self Flexibility, the distin-
gushing characteristic Of youth, may be
preserved by certain physical exercises.
Obesity, that foe Of women should not be
starved away, but routed by certain exer-
cises. Above all, expel thoughts Of infirm-
ity and time
"Will you give some exercise for the
mitigation Of abdominal corpulency'"
"Yes. Stand normally. Slightly hut
firmly contract the abdominal muscles.
Raise the arms literally 10 the level Of the
shoulders, with the hands extended, palms
upward. Keeping the arms and hands in
this position, slowly bend the torso 10 the
right side. After holding the position
moment, raise the torso TO its normal
poise; then let the arms sink 70 the sides
"a the breath is gently exhaled. Next in
hale and raise the arms as before. twist
the torso TO the right and bend backward
In a direct line with the right arm. After
holding the position for a moment. raise
the torso untwist il and then let the arms
sink 10 the sides as the breath is exhaled.
These bending and twisting exercises de-
velop fiexibility. give rounded contour
70 the waist and prevent an undue accu-
mutation of adipo-e over the hips
you have given an exercise, 10 uraveut