The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-08-13
MOTHERS NAY SAVE RACE
Athletic Sports and Open.Air
Life Exerting a Beneficial In.
fiuence on Women Who
WIN Try IL.

sueu q car Which ne apparently wlSheu
to get aboard
Passing along In the crowd with a
companion was one of Brooklyns fore
most instructors In physical culture.
He followed the movements of the
speeding figure closely with his eye for
q second and turned to his friend,
In another half century" he COM
mented, there will be far greater
number Of such men than we see now.
He is a fair example OF what office
work and city life will do for man
who does not exercise his muscles. He
runs with great difficulty. his heels
striking the street first. apd jarring his
puffing body at every step. When he
catches the car--if he ever does--he
will sit in his seat and blow FOR half
an hour.
1T is the hard. level payements Of
our city streets" he continued which
is making so many people fiat-footed
nowadays There is no spring in their
step and far too little walking neces-
sary in passing from one point to an
other about the city.
Even a casual observer" he added.
will notice the great number Of bus
mess men who are conspicuous for
spinal curvature. Inside desk work
is responsible, and In this age Of men
tai strife. when physical efforts are OF
practically little consequence, there APP
pears to be no general remedy which
would apply to the masses.
Tn the last half century the proper
tion OF people following agricultural
pursuits has decreased enormously
while increase in manufacturing and
the substitution OF machinery has
taken thousands from healthy open air
occupations and forced them into fac
tories and other confined positions.
"The youth of 40 years ago. accord
ing to statistics, was sound with his
larger back and leg muscles well de-
veloped from active exercise, which
was usually necessary in the execution
of his work.
To-day" continued the Instructor,
"even the boy who tolls from early
morn until dusk in one Of the citys
many factories is not perfectly formed
His work is usually of such a char
acter as to develop the smaller mus
cles, such as the fingers. wrist or
ankles.
"The schoolboy interested in ath-
letics is his superior physically. His
long muscles essential to strength, are
larger and he is usually taller.
The girls Of the day, on the other
hand, are more healthy than their
mothers This is because Of the fact
that the indoor girl is gradually dis
appearing and being supplanted by the
strenuous young lady who plays golf,
tennis and other active pastimes. At
the girls colleges the gymnasium and
field are becoming conspicuous.
"corsets and tight fitting garments
are forbidden in one college, and the
girls are even going into mannish
sports requiring stamina and plenty Of
energy.
"This lie one redeeming feature of
our present condition counteractlng the
decline of mans physical ability. OF
course. there Is much discussion as to
whether this physical degeneration Of
man is really fact, but whether it is
or not, have heard a few clear argu-
ments pointing out that man will re-
gain. or, on the other hand, increase
his physical power in time because of
the improving standard of womankind.
1T is known that the offspring often
simulate the mother In physical pro-
portion and the father in mental activ-
ity, a combination theoretically fitting
the present situation to advantage.
This is the argument brought up to
meet facts proven by carefully taken
statistics.
Again, careful observer would
note that city people are taking longer
vacations these days and spending far
more time in the country than ever be-
fore. Every year is marked by
greater number Of people deferring
their departure from their country
homes to the city. Even now the con-
ventional summer season closes in oc-