Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-07-12
A NATION OF ATHLETES.
Increase in the Popularity CT
Physical Culture.
DOCTORS STATEMENT.
Instructor Must Needs be Carefully
Trained or He will Do Pupils
More Harm Than Good.

y well-known physician remarked the
other day that the United States was
slowly, but surely, becoming nation of
athletes. The remark wasn't made in Il
moment of enthusiasm over Duffy's run
ming 100 yards in 8 50 seconds in the
intercollegiate games last Saturday. but
in talk OH the comparative physiology
of nations. The physician gave as the
reason for his statement, the wonderful;
Increase in the popularity of physical cui-
ture. Then he added:
with the men and women of this
country and even the children, physical
culture has taken such a hold as to
have become almost as much a matter
of daily habit as eating and drinking.
Today everybody we know plays golf or
tennis and the women are as much in
terested in athletics as the men. The
result Is that we are getting stronger
and healthier every day and the benefit
accruiug to children yet unborn can hard
~ be stimated 1t will be said one day
of Americans. as it was of people of an
older time, There were giants in those
days.
The father of physical culture as a
science in this country is that little biz
man who calls himself Attila, the name
of lis mother, In speaking of the dc
velorncnt of physical culture in the
United States the other day. Attila said
IF YOU ask me if physical culture
is more popular today than it was five
years ago, | answer that it is more pop
ular than il was year ago, month
ago, even week ago. 1t must he so.
else how could so many physical culture
schools exist? Every new school of this
kind that is opened is a benefit to hui
mainly. if the instructors know their
business. But the instructor i'll phESl-
cal culture should be carefully trained
for mis- work. else he may do more harm
than good to his pupils. Tor instance.
every competent instructor in physical
culture should be as skilled as an anat-
omst as the men occupying the chairs
of anatomy in the medical colleges. One
cannot develop the muscles of the body
unless one knows the body
"Proportionatelv, 10 YOU have MS
many women pupils as men, he was
asked.
"Ah. no." was the answer. And do
Won know the reason? Well. I'll tell
YOU There is on use mincing matters.
The average American woman Is too
lazy to undertake the hard, systematic
work required by the course in a physi-
cal culture school. Many women come
10 me every day and ask questions about
what they must do to become strong.
| tell them. and then they ask how much
time If will take. | answer, An hour
day. at least Then they shrug their
shoulders or roll their eyes and protest
that they couldn't think of giving so
much time as that to a thing like the
culture of the body That is too much
like work.
However. am glad to say that the
number of women who are learning how
10 be strong and who are doing con-
scientious and systematic work in the de-
velopment of their bodies has increased
30 per cent. in the last FIVE years. May
be il will surprise you, but | tell you
that nearly every woman in this country
is deformed. The deformity may not be
great. but still it is a deformity. Some
ladies might not think me very polite to
sav so. but il is n fact that hearty every
woman in this country has Knocked
knees. That is one of the first faults
that have TO correct.
"But If the women of this or any otner
conutry realized the solemn obligation
imnoSed unon them to have and main
tain n strong. healthy. muscular body,
tbere would be need of more schools of
nhysical culture than there are today.
The mission of woman on earth Is ma
ternitv. How can that mission he prop
.orIv Fulfilled. how can woman discharge
bar 6ufy To the race il she insists, for
fashions sake, in deforming her body.
7 rsa the word deform advisedly. for a
Woman with a pinched waist is a de-
formed woman and the woman who will
nersist in the wearing of high heeled
Shoes will deform herself
IF l had my way, there would be no
schools of physical culture, because there
would he no need of them. l would have
tha culture of the body 40 much a part
Of the system of public education in
every state as is the culture of the mind.
In every grade of the public school Sys-
tenn. from the primary department. mp.
/ would have an instructor in physical
culture. Let the state take up this
ouestion and the matter will be gone
into so thoroughly that there win be no
ouacks at the head of the physical Gull
ture denartmentS in the schools.
ar this suggestion were adopted the