The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-07-05
SAYS EXERCISE
PREVENTS CRIME
Furnishes Safe Vent For Animal
Spirits, Declares Gymnast.
SURE CURE FOR IRRITABILITY

Found In Deep Breathing and Simple
Play For the Muscles - Soothing
Process For Nervous Temperaments.
Exercise as Beneficial as Food.
Physical exercise is the greatest
agency for crime prevention. So de-
clares Miss Faith Taylor, gymnast and
foremost graduate from the Sargent
gymnasium, Boston.
Not only is it crime preventative,
says this fair theorist, but it is a cure
for all social ills. In explaining her
favorite theories Miss Taylor said:
''There is no doubt that there would
be much less crime if people took more
physical exercise. There are thou
sands of people who are endangering
their own health and happiness and
that of those about them because they
are not conscious that their bodies are
hungry for want of exercise. There
are host of these people who have
no ailment that medicine can cure.
They come and go to their work. their
studies or whatever they are doing ir-
ritable with themselves and with every
one about them
people of this class of the more
phlegmatic temperament possess more
or less self control, but those of the
more hasty temperament often lose
control of themselves atst the slightest
provocation. Environment has much
to do with this condition. For exam
pie, person who lives in an over
crowded, poorly ventilated house amid
noise and more or less dirt, with q high
strung temperament, is more apt to
give way to acts of violence than one
of the same temperament who lives
under quiet and better regulated con-
ditions.
IrritabIity an AiIment.
However, if these overstrung and
overwrought people would recognize
their ailment-for it is an ailnent-and
take occasional exercise, whether in
walking or playing ball or some sim
pie gymnastic forms of exercise and
by taking deep breaths, this condition
Of irritability would soon be remedied
cause of the tremendous strain under
which people live and work. Too many
people fail to recognize the fact that
physical training benefits the mind as
well as the body. That is. by health
full exercise our morals are improved
We are brought into the right mental
attitude toward life because of the
more normal workings of our physical
functions.
THE old idea that one who devoted
time to physical training was neglect
ing the mind is wrong. We have al
ways before us the example of the
Greeks, who eXcelled in all manner
of athletic sports and proved the SUI
neriority Of their intellectual powers as
well as the perfection of their bodily
prowess.
Best Exercise.
There are certain exercises, such
as deep breathing, twisting and bend
ing the body until the hands touch the
floor without bending the knees, and
other gymnastics of a similar nature
which every person can easily per-
form and which give us the necessary
outlet for our animal spirits. These
exercises if performed correctly are
the first aid to health OF mind and
body. People who Systematically go
through such exercises and complain
that they receive little benefit from
them are undoubtedly not doing them
correctly.
There is another form of exercise
which is especially beneficial to the
man working under a strain-namely,
deep breathing. If people will devote
a few minutes occasionally to taking
long, deep breaths in the open air it
will he soon plain to each of them that
much Of the nervous strain and irri-
liability have been diminished. Exercise
Is almost oS beneficial to tho bnolth NJ