Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-10-09
PHYSICAL EXERCISE NEEDED
Anot6sr Valuable and Interesting
Article Written by Superin-
tendendent Gotham.

ASlSSuHSHb SOI0dfn.
The 5rst right of every child is to live
and to grow and be happy. In our
anxiety about the intellect and develop
ment - our children, we have largely
overlooked or neglected their physical
needs, In t'eSe days the home no
longer pre- $ that regular. pro
longeG strenuous exertion that the
home # 50 years ago offered to the
boys aud girls on the farm, doing the
chores providing the fuel, working
about the house, which was the home
factory. clearing the land, hoeing the
corn, gathering the crops by hand, and
travelling long distances on foot. The
factory, the street car, the automobile,
the self binder, steam shovel, coal fur
! mace, creamery, telephone, free mail
delivery. city homes and modern lux
, urles have wrought marvellous change
in our mode of life. There is no longer
demand made upon the physical or
velopment. Many people, perhaps the
majority of people. regard physical de-
velopment as unnecessary since the
demand for muscular exertion is so
minmized in modern life. But when
we remember that the heart, the lungs,
the digestive organs-in fact all the
vital organs of the body and the brain
and nervous system depend upon the
growth and development of the funda
mental muscular system, and that it is
the lack of this muscular exercise that
causes the premature break downs and
deaths among our business and profes
sional men and women, as well as the
semi -invalidism that renders life mis-
cradle and unhappy, if not short, we
may well give heed to the movement
that is today fortunately receiving
much attention at the hands of educa.
tors, physicians, philanthropists and
others, emphasizing the fundamental
need of children for liberal opportunity
for physical education through plays
and games.
No one thing is more essential in the
education of a child today than the op-
portunity for supervised play. The
time devoted to play by our school chill
dren is by no means wasted. 1t is,
perhaps, even more valuable than is the
time spent at study. This does not
mean that fooling, giggling, story tell
ing and trick playing are to be tolerated
as substitutes for downright hard study.
Far from it. Let there be work at the
time for work and play at the time for
play. And let that play be vigorous
healthful, joyful, physical exercise.
Our opportunities for supervised play
at school are extremely limited, especi
ally at the Fourth ward, but conditions
would have to be much worse in order
to prevent play on the part of children
if given half chance and little en-
cOuragement
Teachers are expected to assume full
responsibility for the use of the play
time to the best advantage possible in
the development of the children under
their respective charges, and special
credit will be given those teachers who
succeed in so directing and supervising
the children in their play that their
physical education can be regarded as
on a par with their intellectual educa.
ton, in the estimation of those in
whose hands the future success and
happiness of our children are placed
during the period Of development.
High school students are as much in
need Of vigorous physical exercise as
they are in need of thorough instruction
in history or mathematics. Their fu-
ture success and happiness depend as
much upon it.
Our boys are playing football and
our girls are playing basket ball. We
encourage it, not because of the fun
alone. not because of the hope we may
cherish of their defeating some other
team. but because of the physical de-
velOpment, and through this the heart
and lung and brain and general vital
development for which such exercise is
essential. f. G. GOTHAM.