The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-01
ONE WoMAN'S OPINION.

Miss Genevieve Stebbins, one of the
principals of the New York School Of
Expression, has given the best years of
her life to the study of the physical
culture of woman. Her pet scheme has
been to combine the various systems Of
gymnastics, from the Swedish move
ments of Ling" to the aesthetic eXer-
cises of Delsarte, so as to give the
highest possible results in health,
strength, and grace. When asked
whether she thought woman was grow
ing stronger or weaker physically. Miss
Stebbins replied:
1--WE had pupils from every state in
the Union. They go out and secure
pupils for themselves, and l keep in
constant touch with them, so l feel
prepared to make a sweeping answer to
this question. I'm not speaking now of
my pupils alone,nor even confning my
self to New York women. I'm speak
ing of the women of every one of the
United States when / say that the
middle class and the higher classes are
growing stronger, but there is a class
between these two that is growing
weaker and more nervous. Physical
development is a fad with the rich and
fashionable; the middle class have
found it a necessity. and both are
stronger for it. The class between, the
women who live in boarding houses and
family hotels and have nothing TO do
but stir around and envy the rich and
strive to be fashionable, are degener-
ating.
1--WE teach society work and normal
work for teachers and platform read
ers, and in this way have opportunity
TO watch the development of the two
classes. For five years I've taught an
immense class of society women from
forty-five to sixty years of age, and the
first thing that / teach them to do is
to lie fiat on the floor and learn how to
breathe. All of our pupils are taught
how to breathe, walk, talk, and sleep
and when they know how to do those
four things they know how to do a
great deal Now the fact that the feet
and waists of the women of these two
classes are much larger shows that
they are taking more exercise and do
ing more breathing. Emotional breath.
ing is done in the upper chest, but or
dinary breathing comes from below the
bust line; therefore a woman must be
properly clothed to breathe properly
AS / went through the art galleries of
Europe 1 wondered what the statues
did to get into such positions. / made
up my mind after initiating them and
taking the statue poses that their mag.
niflcent poses all came from the trunk
of the body and that they could not
possibly be assumed without proDeI
breathing. So, ever since, I've gone on
increasing my chest work. for, after all
the chest 10 the zeal storehouse of vital,
ity. We think as we breathe and
breathe as WJ think Women are
breathing betteS and they are thinking
better. Therefore, they are growing
stronger, not only physically, but men
tally. Every woman VINO increases hel
lung capacity, making the lungs hungry
for air, will reach better habits OF
thinking. Fear anxiety, and nervous
ness have very little breath. Courage
hope, ambition, heroism, philanthropy
and altruism are full-breathed. Ii
thinking there is hardly any breathing
EVERY exercise that a woman take!
should be breathed even If IL Is no NOR,
than lifting the leg. She would be as
onished at the wonderful amount O.
hest development that follows IN,
|oftest motion If it is frst breathed. Al
said before, women OF the higher clasi
and the middle class are giving heed L
their physical we'll being, and the ideai
given them by teachers who have tht
subject at heart are founded on physi
ology and psychology. Life is beinl