The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-01

four feet from the floor. The instructor
Law down ON a floor mattress, head to the
! wall. fastened the band .aRound both lege
inst above the knees, reached back. took
| hold Of the handles and drew his legs up TO
meet the chest.
| This exercise, he said, forces the fat
| from the abdomen and distributes 1t more
evenly. Turning, facing the wall, he ex-
| planned that by fastening the band around
the body above tho waist line and work
ing the pulley to draw the body up, an
excess of flesh around the body above the
| abdomen may be scattered.
A rotary movement with the strap clasp
ing the legs helps to shave down the hips,
aided by a standing movement in which
the appaI Stus pulls IN first one knee then
the other on a line with the waist.
These movements may be done at home
by putting inJthis apparatus and providing
a mattress, but most women prefer to work
| under the eyes Of a teacher. They seem
to need a lot Of encouragement to do the
| exercises At all.
II am surprised, the sergeant said, "to
find how many New York women seem
to suffer from weak ankles and falling
arch Of the foot. 1 have pupils who tell
! me their foot is apt at unexpected moments
TO turn to one side or the other, and / nave
some who are quite fiat footed from falling
arch.
in either case here is an excellent
strengthening movement: First stand on
the toes, the legs straight, then on the heels,
the toes pointing up, persisting to the point
Of great fatigue. A second movement is
! jumping on the toes, the feet close together,
and hopping alternately on the toes OF either
foot. cost '"'l ."'' ""
j"For strengthening the legs and curing
| pigeon toes l give this exercise, Sink
Y the body down, bending the knees till the
| thighs and the calves meet. maintaining
this position and resting on the toes as long
as possible, which will be only a second
or two at first. No one, ordinarily supple.
need nave crooked legs or turned in toes
who stiGts,t to this exercise for a year or so.
"Oh, no, exercises Of this sort are never
taken in class. Neither are those for a
scra@ny or thin neck, unless all the young
women in a class have thin necks.
"The cure for a thin neck? There are
three, each of four movements, and they
are pretty nearly certain cures if practised
! for a half hour every day.
"The first is lowering the chin to the
breast, raising the head to an upright posi-
sion, bending it back as far as possible,
bringing it back to an upright position:
'"The second exercise is bending the
head sideways to the right, raising it, bend
ing it to the left, raising it. The third Is
turning the head far to the right as il look
ing over the shoulder, bringing 1t back to
position, repeating the movement over the
left shoulder and back again.
Fencing and boxing also include some.
excellent movements for the develop
ment Of the neck, and they teach also COR
rect breathing and promote grace, conse-
quently in the up to date gymnasium both
of these exercises are often included in the
regular course instead Of being extras.
Here, for instance, il in my judgment
the particular exercises / think most suited
to a pupil can be gained by fencing or box
ing, / suggest that she try a five or ten
minute bout with me, and usually ! find her
eager to begin. If. however, a pupil does
not fancy that sort Of exercise l substitute
something else.
AS a matter Of fact the gymnasium
teachers job is not so easy as it used to he.
The simple, rather monotonous exercises,
oncethought sufficient are shifted at now by
up to date women, and more marked re-
suits are expected and more quickly thaa
| formerly. Women come for a specific pur-
pose and if that purpose is not achieved
in short order the instructor is considered
almost a faker.
"The other day a young woman came in
and said she wanted her waist made longer.
Long waists are coming in fashion
again, she said carelessly, and think mine
is a triie short and too round
Was I puzzled? Not in the least, for [
knew the young woman was enough in
earnest not to stop at trapeze work. And
80 | found.
After a few lessons, she could swing
from a bar for minutes at a time without
too much fatigue. and soon she was jumping
from n chair to catch the bar as it swung.
l don't know Of any better exercise than
that to promote suppleness and a graceful
figure, with long lines; but not every pupil
is willing to try it.
Some women are not physically strong
enough to make the attempt. Naturally.
always abide by the advice of my examin-
ing physician.
How many private lessons does the
fashionable woman take? There lie no rule
about it.
Il have had pupils who come here ex-
hausted from the winters social campaign,
too stout. with poor digestion and relaxed
muscles, and who engaged only a dozen
lessons, taking two II week of a half hour
each; whereas at the very least they ought
to take three lessons a week for three months
to get strength into their backbones and
some good, hard flesh on their bodies"