The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-06

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There has been considerable discussion
on the other side OF the Atlantic recently
as to the value of exercise for women
Eugene Sandow, in the London Mall
gives The idea of the masculine athlete
on the subject. In part his article reads
as follows
When sydenham, the father Of English
medicine. was dying, he said that he died
happy because he left behind him TWO
great physicians-fresh air and exercise.
Nothing could be truer, and ! am happy
10 say that these two essentials to health
and strength are not denied to women to-
day as they were 100 years ago.
The manner in which daughters tower
above their mothers has become a by
word. and this change must be credited
without the slightest doubt to exercise.
Nor is it only IN height that we rotice a
difference: it exists also in health OF the
internal organs, in raundness Of frame
ana perfection OF proportion, in freedom
from weakness and disease, from lnegrim
ana nerves
what is the effect of exercise? one may
ask. The first. but In my opinion, by no
means the most important, result Is the
increase IN physical strength, And yet
this means that the woman IS capable OF
standing a greater or a longer strain than
before, the tasks which before We're ex-
hausting are now performed with ease, or
are even e-xhilarating. It is BY no means
the muscles Of the limbs that stand most
in need Of development: it is the muscles
Of the runk-
To overestimate the Importance Of these
muscles would be impossible. The great
: =. +o--1 ~ tho r15IcnlpG
which usually give way under a strain,
and strength in the limbs IS Of but little
use unless there be also present strength
Of the great trunk muscles.
Yet there has been nov for many CEN
turtles me most insane Gripping Of these
muscles BY binding them in tight splintss
called corsets. The dressmakers' law is
that the woman is made to fit the corset
not she corset to ft the woman. The body
Is kept erect by means Of taese-wo'nen
viii tell you that they cannot support
themselves straight without them-and
the consequences IS that the muscles COW
cred by the stiff and closely combining
dress remain weak and undeveioped
throughout life.
The medical consequences following TINS
weakness are simply the every dag com
plants Of women. The abdominal mus
Giles are too weak to play their part ana
the result is that medicine and surgery
are called in where nature should BE I'M
assisted. If women could only realize
how unnecessary this splinting is and the
weakness ana distortion, outwardiy ana
inwardiy. that result from 1t, they would
taboo the corset forever.
The soft ana Aabby muscles which can
- c41-- -.4nro~4 tho trunk in women
would become healthy and strong II only
allowed to have free play. The breast
wanid never require support if the pee
forai muscles were not too weak to keep
st tense. Nor would disease and weak
ness Of the breast be so common were
it not carefully nursed into weakness.
If the trunk were allowed freedom OF
movement and if women could conceive Of
beauty without distortion, then the effect
npon the health of the internal organs
would be indescribable. Exercise is the
ope thing absolutely essential to health
and strength. Only those faculties we
use are developed, and only those parts
Of the body we exercise and which play
their part in life unassisted by adventi~
fIous support are developed. And when
we can secure a system of exercise which
does not omit a single part Of the or
ganfc and muscular system. then We may
rest assured that the practice of it viii
give a complete balance of health and
vigor in every part that will make the
individuals life an enviable one
The ordinary out Of door sports are ex-
ceIlent. although they are not so good
as the ancient Greek game of ball; but
exercise, to be of proper avail, must be
systematic to secure an even development
and symmetrical proportions Of all parts.
Pending is almost certain to cause cur
nature of the spine in a girl whose spinal
muscles have never been allowed to be-
come strong, but nave been weakened by
artificial stays Of support. Even in strong
men ''fencerss scoliosis'' Is extremely COM
mon. Rowing and cycling tend to con-
tract the chest, and dancing In a close
room. with intervals of ices and sitting
out, can hardly be called an exercise
We must. therefore. fall back upon a
system of exercise specially constructed
so as not to omit the development of any
single part or organ. And let 1t be re-
membered HI the great objection to
women ex~ercising-viz., the fear of becom-
ing m-uscular-is quite without foundation.
It cannot be too often repeated that
woman is not simply a weaker man: she
is physically an entirely different being.
The muscles in women are long. and
never develop in size so as to form large
masses or hard, abrupt lines. In men the
muscles are short, and when they are
powerful one sees all over the frame the
strong. striking lines and muscular masses
characteristic Of men Of vigor.
II women the muscles simply become
firm, close-knit and well rounded, and
show under the layer Of fatty tissue inter-
vening between muscle and skin only in
soft. hardly discernible masses. just suf-
h~eientiy to give a delicate molding to the
form.
This layer Of fatty or adipose tissue is
peculiar to women: It exists in the male
until adoleseense. and then disappears,
but in women it persists. except in dis
ease or bad health, until the age Of fifty.
It softens all the outlines, so that the
danger really is, not that a woman should
have TOO strong lines, but that want OF
exercise should cause her to have no lines
at all, but a sort Of shapeless ~rotundity.
As this layer Of adipose tissue DOES not
form where no muscle lies between bone
and skin. there is IN woman where the
bones are SIMULTANEOUS an exquisite dim
ping, which is a CHARACTERISTIC beauty OF