The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-16
GYMNASTICS FoR SOLDIERS.
Army Regulars to BE Trained In
AthieticS-NIiIcs F'avOrs the Plan
English Soldiers Are Put
Through an Elaborate System of
Physical Culture.


Physical Culture.
Gymnastics will soon form an i'm
portant part of the education of the
regular soldier in Uncle Sans army.
The fact that they were not introduced
long ago X rather strange in view of
their general adoption in the great
armies of the European powers. Here
tofore it has been the sole aisi of mill
tary commanders here to see that their
men marched with soldierly correctness,
handled their rifles in the prescribed
fashion and maintained frst-class ply
sicas health
Now, however, the private must be
able to accomplish many other things,
all tending to increase his hardness.
his self-confidence and his endurance.
General Miles is a believer in military
gymnastics, and when he was stationed
at Governors Island prior to his ele-
: walton to the generalShip of the army
he did much toward introducing that
class Of work among the soldiers De-
partment' commanders throughout the
country are now interested in the sub
/ Ject, and before the winter is over it is
]
! gymnastic exercises will be settled
upon.
! General Merritt has taken up the mat
! ter. and in circulars addressed to var
! lous department commanders he has
outlined genral plan of work, which
will be pursued at all military stations,
during the winter. Prominently men
4 toned is instruction in running, includ-
ing the principles of abdominal breath
! ing Beginning with a run of two or
three minutes. the time should be in
creased until several miles can easily
be covered. The rife is added, and
after that the pack. and then, with
both, the soldier practices leaping
dltches, scaling fences and walls, and
/ helping his comrade to pass such OBJ
st2cles.
SPONGE BATHS THE BEST.
Cold baths after gymnastic exercises
are not recommended. nor are any tub
baths, as they occupy much time, and
the number of men who can be accom-
modated with them is limited Besides. =
the only bath that will brace and ex-
hllarate after the gymnastic drill. saws
the order, is the sponge bath. For this
the apparatus needed is merely a com
fortahly warm room. free from
dfaughts; supplied with tub
water, the latter perhaps of
6S to 20 degrees, and. finally. a basin.
sponge and two towels for each man.
Sponging all over with tepid water
quickly followed by the cooler water
and drying first with an absorbent and
then with coarse towel, will give the
best effects.
Dumb 5ehs Of four pounds are recon-
mended as about the best for the aver
nII !,
excellent for making the Joints timber.
and the muscles pliable and active
Strong men can substitute the rife for
the bar bell
COMPARED with the elaborate system
of gymnastics pursued in the English
army, the suggestions of General Mer-
rift are very few and simple. English
military authorities really devote more
time to perfecting the phystcal we'll
being of the men than to almost any
other branch of their training. and as p
result, the hum6lest soldier in the SER
vice is considera bic of an athlete
TRAINING BEGINS AT ONCE.
Almost from the very hour that the
new recruit joins the army his physical
training begins, and il does not end
until he is mustered out, or until he
is ordered off to active service, when.
of course. the more serious business of
making warfare takes up all of his
time and attention.
Every one of the great recruiting de-
pots scattered throughout the United
Kingdom has a perfectly fitted mill
tdry gymnasium. Regimental headquar-
tiers are also similarly fitted, and the
old campaigner. fresh from a long SER
vice in India or Africa, must take up
his gymnasric work as soon as he is
settled on home soil again.
The new recruits are exercised in
squads Of 20 or 80, and the Swedish
drill, with its endless variety of exer-
cises, IS largely employed to bring
them into shape. One of the first of
these is an exercise for bending and
stretching the legs. The hands are
placed on the hips, the man stands on
his toes with his heels touching and
then with knees pointing outward he
squats down as low as possible rising /
TO an upright position Immediately
afterWard
DUMBBELLS FOR MUsCLE-MAK-
ING.
Dumbbells largely enter into the
work. and in measure Sandow. the
strong man, is responsible for this. as
his marvellous strength is due almost
entirely to the persistent use of dumb /
bells. The recruits go through stand |
ing exercises with the dumbbells for |
the purpose of building UP the muscles |
in the arms and shoulders. Another |
method employed for strengthening the |
arms is for the men to lie fiat OH the |
ground, face downward. and then raise |
themselves in a horizontal position on
the arms and toes.
For strengthening the stomach dumb
bells are again employed, the men ly-
ing on the grount fiat on their backs. |
and swinging the Gumbbells with both |
hands over the head, backward and |
forward. To build up the muscles, of |
the back the recruits assume a sitting |
posture on the ground, with feet |
stretched out straight before them, and |
move the dumbbeils UP and down at |
arms length.
THE ADVANCED CLASSES.
These are merely the primary lessons /
thew are nut fhrol1erh Wha,