Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-02-06
Physical Culture to be Made a
Specially in Y. NJ. C. A.
NEW GYMNASIUM TO
HELP WORTHY CAUSE
Reasons Given Mhy Young Men
Should Exercise Unused Muscles of
+ Their Rodies-Gymnasium Bound TO
Become Popular Feature of the Y.
M. C. A. Building.

M. G. "A. -EuiioinQ-
Say, Mister, are them the things
that make "a Teller have big muscles
Such was the auerie of boy who en-
tened the Y. NJ. C. A. gymnasium
last Saturday and many similar in
quiries have come, not only from the
boys but also from their elders. They
show two things: the general desire
for bodily strength and the wide
spread misconception of the aims OF
gymnastic work
Practically every human being
wants to be strong. All ancient ma
tons held physical strength in high
esteem, among the Greeks the athlete
being given honors almost equal to
those accorded a conquering warrior,
while the most famous bits of stat
uary OF Greece and Rome are those
depicting athletic events. In fact,
too much credit was given in those
days to the physical hero, because he
muscular development was accorded
a higher place than was given to the
intellectual and spiritual side. Today
the pendulum has swung to the OPP
pos;te extreme and men spend life
times in the search for knowledge,
their bodies growing weaker and
weaker until they collapse and the
dearly bought learning fades into
thin air. Other men in their mad
rush for gold forget health and
everything else until sickness brings
them up short, while women who
should have heritage OF health and
strength are often pale and anaenic.
Yet in spite of our weakness we ad-
mire the ones who ARE strong and
we long to be so ourselves
bullying or that he be able to swing
To remedy this weakness it is not
necessary that ones muscles become
a hundred pound weight with one
hard Heavy muscles are no more
necessary to healtl. than are gigantic
parts to the smooth-running OF the
machine; but instead good circula-
ton of the blood, strong breathing,
and correct functionanl activity are
the ends to be- aimed at. OF course,
when these have been achieved, the
muscular development IL increasing,
but only as side issue and never as
an aim.
For the man or woman who has be-
come weak or sickly or for the per-
son of ordinary strength who desires
to become stronger, there is no bet
ter system devised than that Of harl
work or exercise out in Gods free
sunlight The pioneers who settled
this country hewed strength from the
forests and drew the elixir of life
from the winds and SHOWS and rains
with which they had to battle; but
the great majority of city-dwellers are
so situated that they cannot get out
into the open air even for recreation
save for limited time each summer
and even then round OF pleasure at
some resort is the usual method of
spending the vacation Il is for such
people as these that the rapidly in
creasing number of gymnasia in our
country are being constructed and
America pays large sum every year
for instruction along the lines of ply
steal development. Since open-air
life seems impracticable at present,
the gymnasium has become almost a
necessity.
To come right home to Martinsburg
the condition is found where profes-
sional men stay in their offices, bus
inesss men in their stores. and factory
employees at their work. using only
few sets of muscle. and causing only
sluggish respiration and circulation
of the blood. The bodies become
weaker than the Creator intended
them to be and when sickness or dis
ease comes, the chances of making a
successful fight are greatly dimin-
ished. But even if one retains health
under such conditions by virtue of a
naturally strong constitution, it is less
true that an added flavor is given to
life IL sufficient exercise is taken to
send the blood bounding through the
veins, and life is made more than
mere existannce.
This city has now gymnasium of
which it may well be proud, one
equipped with all the apparatus neces-
sary for bringing into play the
muscles Of the body. Glasses have
been arranged at hours which are as
t,Nv,4 ~~f1 IN EnA