Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-15

uldbutluu1 CO1Q IuD D6dus tifiers and shown how the fountain oi youth Is accessible to oevery woman from the faucet in her own bathroom. The most artificial exercises are really the most beneficial because they are designed to counteract artificial habits of living and dressing. The Indian squaws and savage women generally, though little hampered by dress and enjoying full opportunities for physical activity in the open air, are, as class, clumsy, heavy and ungraceful They waddle rather than walk and probably could not run al all. The girl of ultra refinement and in- tellectual culture in the effete east is, from reverse causes, just about as def. cient in these matters, without enjoy ing the rude health of her red sisters, until she is taken in hand by the pro- fessional trainer.
 As an example of what a bright, mod est, graceful and thoroughly womanly woman can do in this line, when intelli. gently trained and normally clothed, my recollection calls up the lissom figure of Annie Oakley, the fair haired Cali fornian. In her public exhibitions she used to, and does still, believe, run like an antelope across the spacious arena, with head thrown back and chevelure streaming in the wind, after displaying a prowess at riding and shooting which rather surpassed that of the men in the aggregation, including the redoubtable Buffalo Bill" himself.
 But it is net necessary to bring up phenomenon or to point to individual instances of professional strong women, circus riders and danseuses of the stage to make the point that the alleged phys ical inferiority of woman is tradition al assumption rather than a scientific fact and that in the field of outdoor sports, which at present they are so boldly invading, they have really as much right as men. In a recently pub lished book entitled Man and Wom- an' MT. Havelock Ellis makes daring survey of this hitherto little explored domain of science, and points out that nature has really done her best to make women healthy and glad, and has on the whole been content to let men run somewhat wild. Men have taken their revenge on nature and her protegee. While women have been largely absorb ed in that sphere of occupation which is natures main concern, men have roamed the earth, sharpening their apti- tudes and energies in perpetual conflict. It has thus come about that the subju- gation of nature by man has often prac- tically involved the subjugation, phys ical and mental, of women by men.
 Against this state of subjugation it cannot be doubted the tendency of wom- ankind in the present age is to revolt or at least to agitate for independence; hence the significance of the new move- ment in physical culture, no less than of the question of woman suffrage, as a sign of the times. Like all revolutions this one has its f1rebrands, it's uncom- promising radicals, its grotesque fanat- ics, its extreme lefts, so to speak. It must have been one of these latter who in the course of gossipy conversation about fayorite living American poet said he struck her as being decidedly effeminate. The remark was repeated to the poet, who retorted, "So am, com pared with her l"
 The serious question is, really, what effect is all this new craze of outdoor activity and physical training going to have upon woman s character, her atti- tude toward the world in general and particularly toward that half of the world which hitherto it has been her natural instinct and aim, or at least her main occupation, to please. And how about their attitude toward her? So far as my observation goes, the average man seems to regard the amazons with un- easiness, with a kind of politely dis guised impatience, with trifle of sus- pioion or ave- Perhaps this comes from a selfish jealousy, or vague sense of humiliation on his part, but anyway there is an impression, and is it the one which woman sincerely desires to make upon her erstwhile friend and natural protector? Those thousand and one little attentions of his may have been mere pretty conventionalities, and quite superfuous, yet how grateful And who would not miss them if withheld? You, Diana, with your blooming vigor and mannish stride, having just swung on the front platform of car and walked somewhat defiantly down the aisle, don't you expect to see two or three men pop up instantly to offer you seat9 In fact, you are so accustomed to it that you perhaps forget even to say "Thanks" for such commonplace mat ter of course. But suppose instead the male creatures in the car remain obsti- nately and comfortably seated, cross legged, reading their newspapers, or perhaps staring oynically at those envi- ous tailor made clothes of yours, which are a glaring travesty upon their own graceless though appropriate attire You wouldn't carel An, Diana, if you had arrived at that stage where you really didn't care how you looked to them and with what disrespect they treated you in public then would your case be hopeless indeed and all my words in vain. But you do care, and a great deal.
 Get strong, then, but without acquir- ing the insolence of strength. Be inde- pendent, but not aggressive. Cultivate