San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-11-23
PHYSICAL oo-NoTHINGS.
IL Bodily Exercise of Any Value to q
Persons COrporeitys

Is Bodily Exercise of Any Value to q
Persons Corporeitys
A respected citizen of Buffalo, pro-
fessional man, who devotes many hours
of every day, and often of the night, to
hard mental work, never walks when
that dull and wasteful occupation can
be avoided. He was never on horse,
and but for moment on bicycle, on
a memorable occasion. He has never
played ball, cricket or tennis, and in
dulges in no athletic sport or practice
whatever. "Why should I waste time
in this child's play?" he asks when his
friends reproach him for his Incidence.
81 find better uses for my time, even for
my leisure, than satisfy my boys. /
eat and sleep well, and the machine
works smoothly. Go along with your
marbles, and polo. and trundling baby
carriages on two wheels, and let us
busy men alone!" This attitude toward
the general subject of athletics and
bodily exercise is not often openly
avowed, but it is practically exemplified
by thousands of men in this country,
and by not a few well-known persons
even in England, where outdoor recrea-
ton is a sort of religion.
The chief example of all the physical
do-nothings is, of course, Lord Macau-
lay. During an epoch when, at our
principal seats of education, athletic
pursuits were regarded as a leading OBJ
iect of existence rather than as means
of health and recreation, it requires
some boldness," says Sir George Ire
velyan, "to confess that Macaulay was
utterly destitute of bodily accomplish
ments, and that he viewed his defcien-
cies with supreme indifference. He
could neither swim nor row, nor drive,
nor skate, nor shoot. He seldom crossed
a saddle, and never willingly. When in
attendance at Windsor as a cabinet min
lister he was informed that horse was
at his disposal. If her majesty wishes
to see me ride he said, she must order
out an elephant So, according to
the post hoe ergo propter hoe mode of
reasoning, which is in great favor with
Mr.. Bryan and other economists and
financiers, if he wishes to be famous
literary man and a great historian, the
first step of the aspirant is to eschew
bodily exercise in all of its silly and
wasteful forms.
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, who is said
to be the youngest man for his age in
the house of commons, is another fine
illustration of the advantages of avoid
ing violent exercise. He never walks,
never rides horse, and knows not a
single sport. Yet he is the most alert,
fresh-looking and mentally active of
men. "Many a trained athlete" the
London Chronicle said of him not long
ago, might envy Mr.. Chamberlain his
apparently fine condition" He looks
fit for anything. With him might be
classed quite long list of distinguished
Englishmen, including personages like
Lord Salisbury, the duke of Norfolk
and the lively Mr.. Labouchere-men
who do not, as most Englishmen do,
delight in various games, sports or
other forms of physical exercise, from
youth to old age.
What is one mans poison is an
others cure. Some men may be so con-
stituted that they thrive best without
exercise. But let us hope the no-ex-
ercise theory will never become popu-
lar panacea among Englishspeaking
people.-Buffalo Commercial.