Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-03-15
TYPICAL FORMS OF
PHYSICAL TRAINING
Numerous Theories and Inventors
But Five Basic Principles.
GENERAL FEATURES OF 5 TYPES.
Derived From Grecian Usage AgOnistic
GYmnastic and Athletic the
General Features.
Paper No. xXXTEI--By Prof. +. s. krantz
Asst. Phys. Inst. Il :. y. A.
tContinued1


tContinued1
The German System-ln the six
teenth and seventeenth centuries and
late into the eighteenth, a special
81 hools, termed Ritterschulen or
Adels-A Akademien, were maintained
in various parts of Europe, but par
ticularly in Germany, for the educa-
tion of the sons Of the nobility. In
such schools instruction IN riding,
sword-play, dancing and leaping was
regularly given, swimming was much
practiced and sometimes wrestling.
Altho the reiormers, Luther,
Melancthon and Zwingli, urged the
revival CT gymnastics as part Of the
education Of all classes of youth, it
was not till the last part Of the eigh-
teenth century that any considerable
attempt was made to systematize and
enforce gymnastic training in Ger
many. The attempt was made by
Basedow. who--was a leader in the
;Gducationa reforms instituted by the
Philanthropists, who strove to man
age il so that the training o the
mind and the body shall serve TO as
sist each other Basedow, be sides
wrestling, running, riding and dane
ing, taught the elements of human
anatomy and physiology. From Base
dow we note the upward march of
German gymnastics, with the men
Cuts Muths, John and Spoiss as the
leaders.
Each was a teacher and writer
and the period covered by the lives of
these three men, from 1853 to 1858,
was marked by the publication of
more books on physical training and
fruitful of more advancement along
the lines of physical education than
that of any other period in the world s
histors. The benefits of the seed of
physical education shown by these
men is still being harvested. The
first book on physical training was
published in 1898 by Cuts Muths 1t
was titled "Gymnastik fur Die Ju-
gend," Gymnastics for the Young.)
He defined gymnastics as work in
the garh of youthful pleasure and
merriment." Yet he did not overlook
the fact the physiological functions
of the body were also to be consider
ed, for he said: 81 know we'll enuf
that &c nuine theory of gymnastics
should be based on physiological
principles and that the practice of
every singl movement should be gov
erned by consi leraton of the indi-
vidual peculiarities of the body"
That gymnastics, under the name
of Turnen, became a popular institu-
tion and a potent factor in national
development, was mainly due to jain,
the most aggressive man of his age.
He first rudely systematized the work
of physical training, but made slight
use of free movements. Jahn was
the originator of the horizontal and
parallel bars an I certain machines to
facilitate exercises in climbing, as
the vertical ladder and rope.
At the present day German gym
nastics include the popular gymnas-
tics of the Turnverein, school gym
nastics and military gymnastics, the
latter being a modified form of school
gymnastics. School gymnastics in
clude free movements, light gymnas-
tics, or exercises with wands, dumb
bells and clubs. Spress introduced
Glass" and "order" gymnastics,
thereby making it possible for the or
dinary teacher OF a school class TO
teach gymnastics to all his pupils, in
the same way that other branches of
study are taught. In the army and
in the schools, exercises of all sorts
are executed by the class or division
at the word of command.
Special schools for the training
of teachers in gymnastics exist in
most of the German states, and a
large proportion of the elementary
and secondary schools are provided
either with well-equipped gypna-
stun, Turnhalle, or else a Turnplatz
out of doors. School ana military
gymnastics have grown to large ex-
tent out If popular gymnastics, or
Volkturnen, which still retains its
place as the most distinctive branch
of German physical training.
German gymnastics have ever been
the dominant factor in the German
national life. In the Prussian and
French wars we note the biggest and
most enthusiastic part of the German
armies were men who We're students
of the TurnveTein. This gave gym
nastics a de cided lift and converted
thousands to its benefits. Today
there are Turn societies wherever
there is handful of Germans.
German gymnastics reflect the
hard, rugged disposition of its advo-
Gates and stands for all that is heavy
and muscle building 1t is contend
ed by mahy that the German systen
is too dependent upon apparatus and
instead of giving to the body the
grace and ease of motion so much ad-
mired, IL serves 20 make the student
muscle.boun and awkward. Be this
as it may, the German system was
the pioneer system in the field of
physical education and today stands as
the most representative aud univer-
sally used in the world.
SI00 REWARD, S10O
Tho ,.,,1oy., or 49,. ,avar x.-iII he