The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-25
GYMNASTICS IN VOGUE NOW.
PRIVATE GYMNASICMS FOUND IN
. MANY HOUSES.

POOl-Physical culture HecOmmendeu
by DoetOrs-The Instructors Task
Is Not by Amy Means \ sinecure.
"A gymnasium's almost as common "a .
library In the homes of the rich New York;
ers nowadays" said a physical culturist
In ordinary to fashionable people K
should say that at least so per cent OF the
elite had gymnasiums OF their own
He prom ounced the word elite in tho way
suggested by it's spelling, for most OF his
education was acquired In the school OF
boxers and prize fighters before the physi-
cal culture fad gave him a chance to mako
a more comfortable living by taking pounds
of overweights and putting them on under
weights. He knows the human body
much better than the English language,
and his list of patrons looks like the so
ciety column OF a newspaper. with few
theatre announcements thrown in.
@Not all OF 'em has gymuasiums fitted up
like one woman's," he went on. Her gym
nasium In costing her something like $780,
600 1t is to have a swimming pool and
all the apparatus Of first class gym.
But there's many a room that some
times cost $1,000 or 90, 900 to furnish that's
had every stick Of it's mahogany taken out.
it's rugs up and rtans down, and has bean
fitted up with 5000 OF $500 worth Of gym
nasium stuff. You could hardly throw q
stone on Fifth avenue or Madison aveuale
or any of them swell cross streets and not
hit a house with a gym.
Physical culture isn't a fad any moro.
All the big doctors recommend it since they
come to get their pay by the year instead
OF by the visit. -.
when 1t was q question OF IS or SO or
S25 visit, they didn't care about keeping
their patrons we'll all the time. But now that
they get a yearly sum. like lawyers re-
tanner, they recommend plenty OF physical
exercise. 1t doesn't make them work %
hard to earn their $4,000 or S25, 900. which
is what some Of the big ones pull down.
All this throws business my way. You'd
be surprised to know how many women
stay in town during the summer that used
| to 60 away; and If they don't stay In town
| they stay close enough to come in two or
three tin e5 week
Lots of 'em that used to 20 to wiee-
baden and Carlsbad and some OF those othef
| European resorts has quit it: and II you
Gould see EN- kicking around here on the
floor and punching bags, and working
with puleys and the quarter circle and
dumbbells and Indian clubs, you'd soe
EN- doing the hardest work Of their lives.
Charge EN-? Why. I've charged them
as high as $500 and $500 month In special
cases where had to shut out other people
to give them the entire use Of the gym.
nasiup for an hour or two as often as they
wanted to come. You see they have 70
come here to learn what TO do IN thar
gymnasiums at home.
Hard to manage? Well, guess. But
I make 'em understand that II they are
legoing in for 1t they must do 1t In earnest.
Il can make women do what their doctors
and their husbands can't make 'em doc
and oan make the men do things that their
wives and doctors cant make them do
women and the conceit Of the men.
"The women all want to be made -
look as we'll as possible in evening gowns.
and the men want to do their stunts better
than any other fellow that comes around,
and just harp on those two things all thu
time
Il should say the trouble with most Of
them, society people and stage folks alike
was high living and too much wine. Tbs
first thing ! have to do Is to learn their
habits, and make them tell me the truth.
As soon as find they are eating more
than four pounds day, / make them cut
down on that ] not only ask them, but
telephone to their homes and ask their
maids about them.
Then l take to calling them up on the
phone about time for them to get up and
remind them TO cut short little on break
fast and take the proper exercise. Then
call them up Just before dinner and tell
them to cut 1t short half hour or e., for
it's this long sitting al table and having
little more Of this and little more OF that
that does the business. 1t doesn't take long
to take a half pound or pound more Of food
when you keep sitting at the table.
when / get a hard case, I've got to
watch them every minute. and l earn my
$500 or $500, you can bet. It's good deal
easier to put on pounds than to take them
off. When get them to eating right and
exercising right expect man or woman
to gain a pound a day and when they don't
do Il send them to a doctor, for / know
there's something the matter that they re
holding back from me.
aTm not afraid OF these private gyms
putting me out Of business, though there .
an awful lot Of them, because doctors all
know enough to tell their patients that
physical culture is n bad thing to monkey
with unless you get advice as to how
to go about it..