The San Francisco call., 1896-07-26
1t Is Better to
Sleep on the Back
on the Side
Makes the lung
or the Heart
Weak


to regard exercise and the performance OF
difficult feats of strength and agility as in
themselves desirable. 10 read what most
writer's have to say upon the subject, al
| most any one might be justified in coming
to that conclusion. Nevertheless, it is q
mistake ever to regard physical culture as
anything else than one means to a distinct
end, and that end the highest development
| OF the human being.
! For this reason there is something rather
deplorable in the tendency of the day
toward specialization in athletic sports.
The man or woman who follows one form
of exercise is apt to do SO to the exclusion
of all Others Whose rides q wheel scorLs
Indian clubs and notwithstanding. The
owner of good saddle-horse laughs at
the idea that walking can put en- addi-
tional finish to his physical development.
And the woman who puts in three or four
hours week at a gymnasium is hard to
convince that she is not doing all that is
necessary for the symmetrical develop
ment CT healthy body.
As a general thing it may be laid down
a rule that any form of exercise that
| can be taken without set apparatus is
/ preferable to that which calls for such.
There is apt to be more spontaneity
about. it, and the purposeful volition
of the individual enters into the
act as il cannot when the exercise
depends upon mechanical coEtrivances.
| For this reason caiisthenics is a better
| form of exercise than swinging;
walking when one is in training is bet
ter than riding. whether one mounts
horse or wheel, and definite ex-
! pedtions to attain some end are
more wholesome than mere walking for
exercise. We are too apt in set ways with
apparatus, TO think Of the work itself. We
devote so many moments to clubs, so
many to weights and pulleys. So many
trips up and down the ladder constitute
our daily "stint', and we come to regard our
exercise as a task instead of a pleasure.
/ have spoken several times of the
urgen need for systematicaI development.
| Women perhaps even more than men are
apt 10 develop the two sides of the body
unequally. They usually begin at an
| earlier age forming the habits that de-
termine development. 1t is not as 9 rule
hampering skirts, improper clothing and
tight shoes that make so many of our
women ulgraceful in carriage and unequal
to great exertion. 1t is lack of uniformity
in the two sides of the body.
The school boys and girls of that much
| governed country, Russia, have recently
| been made the subject of some queer
legislation. They are required by law to
sleep upon their backs, and in the Balkan
provinces an officer in every district has it
as his especial charge to see that they do
it. In going to and from school they are
also required to carry their books and
other Impediments upon their backs. At
nrst glance it seems as though this were
carrying official interference to the
furthest extreme, yet there is good
deal OF wisdom in the requirement. The
| sleeping habits OF a creature are of the
greatest importance.
You can almost always tell, by close OBJ
I'servance of human being, which side he
sleeps on at night and the habit most of
| us have of lying almost always upon the
! same side is productive OF good deal of
mischief The muscles of the lower side
are subjected to undue pressur e. The lung
i.of that side does no work and the various
other organs come, in time, to adjust
themselves to the habitual position In
which we rest. When disease attacks US
that side is the first affected.
Now, what rest does for the body, in a
passive way, exercise does still more, and
actively. Whatever are our daily habits,
their tendency is to develop certain mus
cles to the exclusion of others. This
sounds like truism, and yet, like many
another truism, it seems necessary that it
be often repeated. Almost every woman
who takes up any form of exercise Sc
lects what she does best and with the
greatest ease. As matter of fact, this is
exactly what ought not to be done. If we
perform any physical act with ease and
dexterity, it is because the muscles
brought into play by it are already in
good training, and the thing TO be done is
to bring some other set into as useful trim.
The woman who can walk miles with
out fatigue should walk, but she should
also take such exercise as tends to de-
veiop the muscles of the arms and chest
For such the clubs, fencing and the
Swedish. movements are very useful.
Whatever is done care should be
taken that both sides of the body
are exercised. It may be necessary to
devote special attention for long time to
ons set of muscles. but the effort should
be persisted in until the left arm is as
strong, the left hand as dextrous and the
left leg takes as long stride as the right.
This harmonious development is the end
of all training.
Prevalent opinion to the contrary, work
is not exercise. The farm laborer is rarely
an athlete.
His muscles are usually hard and un-
manageable, save for the performance of
particular set of tasks. His gait is hard
and inelastic and he is more than likely to
be mnscle-bound across the neck and
shoulders. For such man the military
drill does wonders and 1t would be good
thing for future generations If we could
have something similar for women, in
particular for women who work, which is
equivalent to saying for nearly all women.
About 70 per cent of the women of the
United States do their own housework
and the majorityof them are apt to inn
agine that thus they obtain all necessary
exercise. No mistake could be greater.
If the belief were founded upon fact we
would have race of athletic mothers