Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-03-11

! planetary systems and comets thrown
| in. Whenever he struck out at the bag
with, studied negligence it came back
| with a resounding whack, perchance
| to hit him in the forehead. The next
/ blow would be a trife indignant and
land thump upon his nose. An angry
pound at the bag closed up one eye,
while the next frenzied hammer sealed
up the other optic. Then, exhausted,
he stumbled over little Willie, who,
with childish, innocent gaze, had
planted himself directly in front of
! the bag and received blow that sent
! him bowling up stairs il his mothers
| arms.
This ended exercise for that day.
Thinking it over that evening, Mr..
! Brown decided that he did not care for
| athletic exercises and declared that
! the next day the apparatus should be
returned to the dealer, but as the RENE
| dies which Mrs. Brown skillfully ap-
1 piled to his damaged eyes and head
and nose gradually allayed the pain he
was in the morning more amenable
to reason, and the apparatus staid.
| Of course, Mr.. Brown, after his one
! ignoble defeat, did not again tamper
with the punching bag, but Mrs.
I Brown and the girls did. The exer-
I ciser proved more interesting than
the dumbbells to the girls and was
substituted for them.
Daisy, who had started out as q
rather spidery girl of ID, soon devel-
oped muscle that compared we'll with
that of her brothers. They took a
good deal of interest in training her,
and she soon became quite an athlete.
Mrs. Brown soberly plodded along,
anxious to acquire a sylphlike figure,
but as nature had not designed her for
/ that mold she did not altogether sue
ceed, although she did rid herself Of
many superfluous pounds.
Of course, the perspiration which flowed
| freely during the exertion taught Mrs.
Brown to dress warmly, so that she might
not take cold after she had stopped ex-
ercising. She found that certain exercises
We're calculated to reduce weight, and she
began by practicing each of these every
day for about five times gradually increas-
ing the number to ten as her muscles har-
dened. Taking the two pound dumb bells
ln ssfer hands, she would assume an erect
position and, holding one in each hand by
her side would gradually raise her arms
until they We're at right angles with her
body. This movement she repeated sew
eral times. Then holding the dumbbells
with arms held vertically over the head,
she slowly lowered them to a horizontal
position five or ten times, according to the
state of her proficiency Holding them
vertically, she slowly inclined the body
from side to side as far as possible. the
dumbbells leading. Holding both arms
straight, she next inclined her body from
side to side until each dumbbell alternately
touched the ground.
Placing one hand on the hip and taking
a dumbbell in the other, she slowly raised
it over her head, inclining the body to the
side in order to pass the dumbbell as far
over the head as possible. Then, transfer
ring the bell to the other hand, the move
nent was repeated with that side of the
body.
The front waist muscles were exercised
by taking the dumbbells in the hands hold
ing them directly in front of the shoulders,
with the arms extended. and slowly rails
ing them, holding them extended above the
head. then as gradually bringing them
back TO the original position, repeating the
exercises several times.
Extending the body on the floor, she
would take the dumbbells in the hands
and, placing them at her sides, hold them
in position while she gradually raised her
body to a sitting position without moving
the muscles of her arms or legs.
With the aumbbells in her hands. she
went through the motion of swimming
With the bells held at the side to begin.
circles were described in the air. Then.
raising them above her head, she bent with
them to the ground. imparting to her body
a fexibility that was a part of the object
of all the exercises.
The use of the punching bag which the
boys soon learned to handle properly, gave
agility and precision to the movements,
as well as helped 10 supplement the work
of the dumbbells and exercser. Like most
women, Mrs. Brown had very little time
for outdoor exercise. and 10 to 20 minutes
of this work soon put her body in fine
condition.
The value of home exercise she had
never before fully appreciated. and the re-
suit was that several OF her friends were
induced TO rig Up amateur gymnasiums in
their homes. They found that taking ex-
erc.se better fitted them for the writing of
club papers, study and household duties.
Besides, they got so much amusement out
of it that they united their forces for one
afternoon a week and employed a woman
teacher to instruct them how best 10 ex-
erc.se to correct their most glazing phys
ical defects. For instance, one woman
thought she was too thin. another thought
that she was too clumsy another that she
was woodeny. another had scrawny NECK.
another thought exercise would help rid
her of Indigestion. and so on through the
list of faults and small ailments.
The experience Of the Browns Is no ex-
ceptional one. for the fad for physical cul-
ture in the home is one that is winning
IN favor and IS an adlansage to many wo-
men who were too conservative for eolf,
the bicycle Or other athletic amusements
ALICE De BERDE