The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-27
FOR FEMININE READING
EXERCISE FOR BODILY IMPROVE
MENT THAT ANY ONE MAY TRY.
October Brides VIII Wear Long
Trains-Injudfcious Praise from
kinfoIlS-The Toothsome Oyster.

-H
Schools of physical culture and gymnasia
multiply in our cities says the Saturday
Review. but the necessarily somewhat ex-
pensive tuition, the cost of the required
costume ETC., exclude many, while yet
others of the young women in the land
have not the advantage of living within
reach of a gymnasium and professional
training.
But the perfectly laudable desire to be
beautiful is not bounded by city walls or
even purse strings.
Any large gathering of women displays
distressing prevalence of unlovely features
which are neither the result of inheritance
nor fate, but of bad habits. and which may
be eliminated by painstaking practice and
perseverance. There are the rounding
shoulders, which, if persisted in. curve
ones back by middle age from the top of
her corsets to her neck, until it looks mis-
shapen The prominent shoulder blades
low bust, narrow chest, prominent abdo-
men, f1abhy double chin, shutting and scuf-
fling that replace a graceful style of walk
ing-we all know these dement's: they are
shockingly common among women who as
pire, as the majority of women do. to look
well fashioned by nature. well bred and
we'll clothed Look at the pose assumed
by nine people out of ten who fancy them
selves unnoticed; is 1t not ugly? Ii stand
ing it is upon one foot. with shoulders and
hips out of line, or else 'hat-footed," with
back fiattened, hips forward, shoulders
STOPPING, chin thrust forward and upward.
The scient of physical culture cannot, 1t
is perhaps not necessary to say, be taught
in a magazine article, learned and APP
piled by anything short of hard and long
ctn Tl1t 70 npSci6ntitic
mind can learn to stand and walk grace
fully, to develop her angular figure into
curves or learn to carry her unwieldy pro-
portions so that they are not conspicuously
in evidence.
The first step toward improving ones
figure is to stand correctly, with the weight
on the balls of the feet, poised so that one
can rise on her toes without bending back
ward or forward to keep her balance.
Do not jerk your elbows back, do not
lean backward from the waist, but, stand
ing as directed raise the chest, draw in the
chin, and hold the head so you can walk
with a book laid upon it without its falling
off.
This position puts the shoulders where
they belong, curves the back correctly at
the waist line dattens the abdomen into its
rightful place and raises the bust.
This attitude. easily assumed, is at the
basis of q good figure and an elegant car
head well one cannot stand or sit or walk
with grace, or with any amount OF facing
or padding be anything but ungraceful.
The exercises that are given below for
strengthening the various muscles should
be practiced daily, if but for few mo-
ments night and morning, always in a state
of undress or in a perfectly loose robe, and
In addition one should learn as rapidly as
possible to keep the correct position.
In sitting it is neither graceful nor desir-
able to do in bolt upright fashion, but
remember to hold the chest up and to bend,
whether forward backward or sidewiSe,
from the hips and not from the waist lines.
Compression at the latter point such as
bending al the waist line produces at once
rounds the shoulders, protrudes the shout
der blades, brings the hips forward, lets
the breast drop. Practicing standing, sit
ting and walking just from ones hath be-
fore mirror will show at once the value
of a correct poise of the figure.
So long as the present pretty fashion of
low-necked gowns for all dress occasions
prevails, a shapely throat will be at a
premium; But shapely throat is rare.
For filling up the hollows about the col
lar bone this simple exercise. regularly OBJ
served is recommended: Fill the lungs with
air, and as the diaphragm forces the sir
out again hold it a few seconds in the
throat
The angle in thin threats formed by the
line from the point of the chin to the neck
may be changed into a curve bv raising
and sinking the larynx, a movement that
Is accomplished by forcible action of the
tongue
This can be practiced by standing side
wise before a mirror with a handglass.
Edcn tune the lafynX moves downward
the throat Duffs out and practice will re-
tain the curve thus formed.
Another exercise for the development Of
pretty throat is to close the jaws part
the lips and draw the corners of them
backward and downward, slightly but
forcibly, holding them for a few seconds
and then relaxing the muscles. The move
ment develops the broad muscle which is
attached to the chm and lower jaw and
reaches below the collar bone
For the unsightly double chin the same
exercises are used to strengthen the mus
cles in connection with massage to induce
firmness of the skin. In washing and dry
ing the face the skin should always be
pushed uo from the throat-not drawn to-
ward it.
Other excellent exercise for the throat
is to drop the head alternately forward
backward and upon each shoulder, as low
as possible. keeping the chest elevated
without elevating the shou ders. Next with
the eyes closed, roll the head slowly start
irg with it dropped forward upon the chest
to the right, and so around Roll slowly
not with a jerking motion. and the strain
upon the muscles should be felt, since it
is for their development that the exercises
are taken.
To develop the large muscles of the chest
all padding should be removed, for it over
heats and presses upon the muscle divert
ing the blood from it and preventing de-
velopment