The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-10
TEACHING ATHLETICS.
Three ramous Expsvts Discuss vartous
Methods of InstruSsion.

Thrse ysmous Experts Discuss various
Methods of InstruSsion.
"Physical Eddcation az Recognised
Part OF . College Course was the subject
Of discussion At recent pSbeting Of the
Boston Physical Education society. DIR.
Edward Hitchcock, who introduced phys
ical education at Amherst 30 years ago,
said that tho first thing dono was to give
the freshmen q course of lectures on indi.
vidual health, u course which they were
obliged to attend. Then tho measurements
of each we're taken, and every student en-
tering tho college must pass through q
minute and careful examination, external
ly and internally. II he was found def. :.
Client, and not one In every 10 or 10 was,
he was built up and made strong Then
there IL the required physical exercise.
-Four times week the student Is required
to participate In prescribed exercise. The
studious men are the ones who get the bene-
flt from the required system of physical ex-
ercise. The athletic interests take more than
the required exercise, but the majority OF
the students do not neglect their studies
on that account. The required system of
exercise Is regular part of the college
course and student Is obliged to secure
certain mark for attendance Interest
10 kept up by the class spirit.
Mr.. Fred X. Parker, director of tho
Brown university gymnasium, explained
the obligatory system Of physical exercise
now In vogue Mt Brown and read the rules
by which 1t was carried on. AS to mark
ing tho men, he explained that 1t was
done mostly on faithfulness of attendance.
He found that In carrying on the work the
individual tastes must be catered to- He
referred to the unrest occasioned by the di-
versity of opinion as to whether the exer-
else should be compulsory or not, and
urged MS remedy that the college authori-
ties should meet and make physical train
ing compulsory and universal,
DR.. Dudley A. Sargent said that when
attendance at exercises was required, and
no mark given, the students entered into
1t In a half hearted manner. As a result
Of the undue development of the spectacu-
lar part Of athletics today, the weakness
of the movement for physical exercises ex-
lists. He referred at length to the small
amount given to the Developments Of q
large majority Of the students who were
being prepared mentally to begin tho big
contest Of life, as compared with the largo
amount Of time and money expended In
preparing few naturally developed men
fora final spectacular contest. The ques-
tisn Of PHYSICAL Atness to enter life, he
SAID, was not sufficiently engaging the at
tention Of the people Of America, and in
this respect the English were far ahead Of
the Americans. HIS idea Is to recognize
the necessity Of training the body and
brain together, and he knew of no way to
do this other than 10 make physical exer-
oise part of the college curriculum,
placing 1t on an equal footing with the
other departments. The scholarly men
are the ones who WIN be most benefited,
when they are encouraged to build the
body to aid the brain. The only method
by which to do this is'to place the mental
and physical department on the same
plane, and reward one tho same az the
other.