Evening star., 1900-08-18
Any One Sport Liable to Cause Alb
normal Development.
VERY FEW PERFECT ATHLETES
Different Exercises GvesAmericans
a Splendid Physical Ratio.
IDEAL SPORT YET TO COME

Nearly every season we have crop OF
| so-called new facial or limb deformities.
| which are said to be due to excessive ex-
| ercise of certain muscles in playing games
and outdoor sport. The bicycle face, the
| tennis arm the boardwalk foot and the
automobile expression are some OF the
most familiar of these common distor-
| tions and deformities. 1t has been said
| that every game has its particular form
| of tax upon the system, which must even
tually cause injury If persisted in too vio-
| lently and continuously. This, of course,
| is simply saying that one set of muscles
| IS taxed at the expense of others, and an
abnormal development of parts produces
what are classed as "game deformities."
There are very few all-round athletes
whose bodies are symmetrically developed.
Most who aspire to excel in sports have
only sufficient power to lead in one or two
specialties. 1t is either as a great runner,
jumper rover, golfer, tennis player, r1der
or hurdle jumper that man finds that he
is able to lead all others. and In order to
do this he must exercise in his one special
ty until every muscle is perfectly develop
ed. Over development frequently follows
In fact any defOrmity or the pody caused
in this way is over-development of that
part in proportion to the rest of the body.
We are undoubtedly tending toward one
sided forms OF exercise, although II may
be that the changes which take place in
the fashion of sports will be sufficient to
counteract the injury. When tennis was
the vogue a few summers ago there was
positive danger of raising up race Of
sided individuals. The right arm and
side, and especially the forearm received
nearly all the exercise. and experts who
followed the game continually the year
round were frequently SO one-sided in their
deve 'opment that it was noticeable when
OF. the tennis courts Bowling carried on
in the winter season as an adjunct to ten
mis- tended further to emphasize this dis
tortion of the body. But tennis died out
as a popular form of exercise, and the BIZ
cycle came into general favor. This soon
brought into prominence other peculiar
one-sided developments. The legs and
body below the waist received nearly all
the exercise, which, considering the fact
that were rapidly becoming race that
had lost the art of walking. and hence
| were losing the leg development Of our an
cestors, excellent thing. Indeed, it
may be said that every new form of ex-
ercse has it's distinct advantages as well
as disadvantages.
Wheeling Superseded.
The bicycle face and the bicycle back
were the two unpleasant features Of this
method of recreation and we have samples
| of the harm done by hump-back riding in
| our midst today. The distorted expression
of the face produced by a wheelman scorch-
| ing at terrific pace and trying to look
| ahead of him from an angle that nature
never intended he should assume is some
thing that II unpleasant to look at. Car
ried to an excess long enough the muscles
and nerves of the face would undoubtedly
| settle permanently in rigid grooves and
cause facial Disagreement. But wheeling
| has been superseded for the last two sea-
sons by golf, and we see fewer enthusiasts
scorching on their wheels. and the danger
of the bicycle face and hump-back as q
l no frh 10 ,1nD l.,
small.
This changing popularity and fashion Of
sport In this country has been said to Illus
trate our weakness of purpose and vacillat-
ing natures. But instead of that 1t marks
other characteristics Of the American peo-
pie which are far less to be deplored. There
is an intensity in our life that makes US
even take our games and sports seriously
We go into a game to excel. and when a
sport becomes popular those who take to it
enter with all their soul and ardor into
playing 1t. This very excess of zeal saves US
from the dire results Of over taxation. After
| we have reached the highest perfection in
1t and have broken all records interest
Wanes and We turn to new fields to con-
quer. II We persisted in clinging to one
form of exercise or game year after year.
as the English do to an extent, our inten-
sity would have to be modified or we would
cause injury to the race through physical
over-development.
1t Is for this reason that changes in the
fashion and popularity of games are not
only desirable, but actually necessary for
our physical training. We do not want to
raise up race of runners with long. thin
muscular legs, any more than desire to
bequeath to our progeny deformities Of
chest. arms, face or other parts of the body
The American people will not take interest
in several different forms of exercise and
| sport at the same time. and play golf in
the morning, ride the wheel or row in the
afternoon and bowl in the evening. Usually
| one game monopolizes the whole attention
| for a summer, and 1t Is played morning,
noon and night, If possible, with the same
| persistency bestowed upon business 1t Ia
part OF our national character to take our
| exercise so seriously that danger is actually
| invited.
| No Sport Ideal.
Since the present movement for outdoor
| participation in games and sports started
several years ago to counteract the evils Of
| close, confined work in offices and houses
| there has not been a single form of exer-
| else that could be called ideal from the
| health point of view. Every one may have
had its particular function in the develop
ment Of our physical life. but by itself 1t
could not attain the results so much de-
| sired. 1t would take US out into the fresh
| air. and give sufficient exercise to pump
| oxygen vigorously into our lungs, but that
| Is not the sole object of sports In the open
| air There must be harmonious develop
| ment OF muscles Of arms, legs. body and
| chest and Strengthening Of heart lungs and
blood vessels. In order to accomplish these
| manifold ends the exercise must of necessity
| be as varied as the objects desired. 1t seems
| impossible for any one to invent game
! that will answer the purpose thoroughly
| and satisfactorily. There are some far more
| effective than others in this respect (and
| mention might be made of golf as being a
game as nearly ideal as any in giving us the
| proper all-round developmenD, but there is
| lacking In all some essential that we can
| not afford to overlook.
| In view Of these facts it might be well to
| call attention to the true meaning of the
deformities caused by exercise-the bicycle
| face the pedestrians or boardwalk foot the
| tennis arm. the golf swing and walk, and
| sundry other well-known peculiarities of
| the day. Not even walking Is a perfect ex-
ercise. and the man who takes no other
| form OF exercise will be lacking in the
| strength and vitality necessary to perform
the highest functions Of life. 1t is only by
| use that we develop any function or muscle
of the body. and II we neglect them per
sistently nature gradually drops them and
| permits them to weaken and disappear. We
| are not in condition to abandon the use
| fulness Of any part Of our body yet, and in
order to preserve 1t whole and In good
working order we must study the harmony