The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-10-31
Athletics Not Good for Women.

There is famous physician who has
given much OF his time to the study OF
rest He has worked out some good
plans for tired men and women which
have benefited them.
He is an expert. and his work has be
come one of weight and authority. He
is very strongly convinced that he is
right on many phases of this subject, in
which he takes issue with the majority
Of physicians. His special work has
been with genuinely busy people, not
mere idle compliments. who fret be-
cause they have not enough to do.
The first axiom that he objects to is
the one that advises exercise for the
body as a means of resting the mind.
He has pointed out to many women the
foolishness Of such practice. He says
the mind cannot rest when the body is
tired.
1t may be very well to go in for some
game of chance and skill like tennis or
squash or golf when the mind is wor-
ried about some subject. But when the
mind is tired from work and RESPONSE
bility it is not helped by fatigued
body.
He says that the practice of taking a
long walk at a fast trot when one has
done hard days work is entirely
the wrong thing to do. In his words,
1T adds one fatigue to another" He
does not believe in strenuous exercise
for mentally overworked people.
Another belief of his viii cause more
excitement and discussion than any
other. Women he says, who do not
indulge in physical exercise live longer
than men," He does not think women
need exercise. This is a daring state
ment to make in the middle of a gen
Grafton that is absolutely given over TO
the exercise fad. He is not alone in
this belief however. for number OF
women who have gone to rack and ruin
through physical exercise agree with
this theory.
One of the best-knOwn tennis players
among women says she believes that
violent tennis shortens life, weakens
the heart and is of no help in any
way.
Too many women have become use
less burdens through overeXercising for
this statement to be entirely denied.
The theory that athletics gave grace to
a woman has been discarded, and there
IS quite good deal of support given in
high quarters to the new theory that
heavy exercise units woman for liv-
ing her life.
y This doctor says that plenty of fresh
air day and night and one hours walk
is enough for any woman. Her consti-
tuition does not need any more exercise
than is given by a three-mile spin. If
she is in the city she cannot go at such
a rate of speed, but on springy country
roads she can turn out from two t.
three miles a day and find herself in fl
condition.
This is the only exercise, he thinks.
that does not exhaust the heart irri-
tate the nerves and overworlI the mus
c1es. He does not object to light ten
mis-. indifferently played, but tennis a.
the American girl plays it is simply
out OF the question. She wants to play
like a man, and she plays against men,
she plays too long. and the cold show
er bath which she takes at the end is
too serious a shock.
This doctor has d good deal to say
on the subject of annual vacations. He
now has his hands full of sick and IA
tigued women who have overdone the
vacation theory.
They work for ten months in year
I'm some way, whether for wages or not.
without giving themselves any rest.
then lump their rest all in a few weeks
or less during the summer
They do unaccustcmed things which
exhaust body already tired, and
come back to town generally unfit for
the winter.
To quo u he says: Nine out of
ten won ii worse after a vacation
than WI q started. and are I'M
able 10 fesun.a rk properly. A wo-
man does MT iced a long rest, but a
great number short ones
at is bette rest four separate
half hours . day than to go like mad
through the eek and rest sixteen
hours on Sunday. 1t is better to divide
the twelve months of work into stated
half holidays rather than take two
months after ten months of exhaus-
ton"