Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-06-19
re and culture 81 the physical side

According TO his view, the joy Of
4 living and the idenls of the nation are
! both most readily found in the theory
and practise of systematic and scien-.
tffic training of the muscles and or
gans of the human body.
Joy. he says, the pleasuraLic feeling
| or life and animation, the exllilaration
| OF the soul that accompanies the
| soundness and healthy action Of the
body. is to be found chiefly in the train
ing of flle muscles. Recreation, I'M
pie pleasure and, in the best sense,
FUN for the people" in the way Of re- re-
taxation and proper sports. are III to
be Sought. he says, through the avenue
Of syste.natized physical culture; and
these feelings OF JOY may be regarded
srs the first or primary object Of such
training, But there are other and more
important aims in this work-
a second object is that of general
hygiene through supplying to the aody
the mere amount Of exercise that IL
requisite to health This conception Of
the function of. physical training Is all
lIiSpl way ia "! 49,
provide for Individual needs II should
lead to sometime, moro specific.
a third object Of the training is
therefore necessary, and 1t consists lin
providing those specific hygienic meas
ures essential to correct the evil effects
OF one sided development, which is al
most universal even among hard phys
teal workers. Thus. tho hard liking
farmer becomes round shouldered; and
in numerous occupations the very guam
tity Of the kind Of exercise tflat must
be taken leads to one-sidedness, incon--,
pleteness. and perhaps to deformity.
a fourth object Of physical education
is essentially pedagogic, the body is
TO be rendered the servlceable tool Of
the trained will-we must learn to per-
form, to carry out, the many 4 good
things that we desire to do and are
willing to attempt but are physically
unable TO acconlpli sl.s Ill
/ All good modern schools aim at learn
ing through doing, and things formerly
done in the homes and practically
known to the child weaving cob
bling, carpentering, blacksmith
since they are now largely carried on in
great Establishments, are introduced in
to school work to supply the defect in
the child,s physical education occasion
ed BY their removal from the home to
the modern factory. Nowadays, chill
dren grow up without knowing how
ITO hammer saw, weave, sew, etc; and
all the best schools are seeking to sup
ply the want which their hands and
bodies feel In this change SO too
+ physical training as q specially seeks to
prepare. the body to do the work, what
ever 1t be- that the mind plans for 1t
We must not merely feel like doing
good; we must be able. Physical
righteousness is a phase OF the gospel
OF works and well doing that the pres
emit methods or bodily training seek to
+ emphasize.
In the course Of. his daily lectures
on physical education the Doctor makes
the further and somewhat unique claim
that modern, organized systems OF
gynnastic practise arose largely from
the desire OF the people for national
unity, OF which idea the cooperation
of the youth in physical culture units
became a visible and emphatic form
of expression. .S
s. ... = s::ories ~ artih-8
5cial geographical units were breaking
down in Europe and the ideals Of ma
tional unity We're taking hold upon
the sentiments and convictions Of the
people. physical culture and gymnastlc
exercises became centers for the de-
velopment, not only of the strong youth
who were to give physical tone to the
forming nations, but also of the most
active interest In the ideas Of national
ity and patriotism which these new
movements in history represented.
Thus the diffusion of physical training
4 by organized schools and classes has
la wider meaning than the mere de-
Nolopnlant OF the individual who par
ticpates in them. 1T makes for ma
8tiona1 development and unity as well
as for stalwait manhood of the stu
dents singly. Organized athletics con-
istit,ite bond. All alliance, a center Of
sentiment and activity, that is closely
akin to patriotism for ones country,
and readily tends to become identical
with the national spirit and Ideals.
This, 1t seems to us is a broad and
noble view of the benefits to be con-
ferred by systematized forms of school
athletics. Tt is both strong and a