The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-04-07
SIT UP STRAIGHT
SAYS NEW LEAGUE
Erect Carriage of The Body In
The Interest of Better
Health
liz tns Associates. Press

New York. April 4-Announce-
ment has been made Of the incorpo-
ration at Albany of the American
Posture League a national body whose
endeavor will be TO get people 10 sit
VI and stand up straight.
The new organization Is concerned
particularly with the sitting and
sitting and standing postures OF chill
dren in schools and of adults in shops,
offices, factories and elsewhere. 1t
hopes 10 effect a more general use OF
scientific and healthful principles in
seating accommodations for such pur-
poses and for public audience rooms
and vehicles.
"A child cannot achieve proper chest
Development" it is authoritative state
ment, while the shape of his school
seat and of his coat force him for
many hours each day into faulty at
titudes. Thousands of children who
carry heavy loads Of school books
are froced into distortions of postures
that in all but the most robust must
nave a serious effect on health and
development. Round shoulders are
to be expected in a child whose cloth
ing is supported without proper regar
j, for the anatomy and mechanics OF the
: shoulder.
May Improve Factory Conditions.
J The fatigue of the factory oper-
2 ative comes not more from running
$ the factory machinery than from run
r ming the bodily neutrality-suspicious..
: lungs and digestive organs-at q me-
chanjcal disadvantage, through ILL.,
= adapted chairs, stools and work
benches. Measures to relieve tuher-
- CulOSiS, anaemia and malnutTtion are
l. all placed at "a disadvantage by the
= constant moulding influence exerted
on habits of posture by which III FUR
niture and clothing"
No organized attempt TO standard
e ize these various conditions has ever
e been made before. Individual ortho-
= pedic surgeons, and IN few instances,
If special commissions, have attempted
d improvements, but the kill and judg-
e ment Of the experts have never been
combined in united effort. The new
American Posture League Includes in
II its membership leading orthopedlc
il surgeons, physical trainers and edu-
N Gators who have specialized on these
e subjects.
d Posture Engineering.
1t The lea que hopes by systematic edu.
to cation to establish u demand for
t healthful standards in what may be
q. termed posture engineering. For ey-
OF ample, it is already assisting with ey-
D. pert advice the engineers of the
re Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company. the
N seats of whose new subway ears are
being constructed in accordance with
ID the leagues specifications. 1t is In
touch with several large organizations
IS of workers engaged in the standing
al OccupatiOns-Such as motOrlnen and
u shopgirls-and issuing Of
is fetal bulletins for their benefit. Illus.
le trating the correct standing pastures
st both for work and rest.
ed Bulletins taking up the various
in phases Of school and factory hygiene
ly that affect posture, and making con.
Struciive suggestions, will also be is-
as sued to school superintendents and
II. other officials throughout the country
in as we'll as TO heads Of private schools
In and colleges and TO efficiency man
I'd ayers. Lantern slides will be preoar.
ed and circulated to supplement q
countrywide campaign OF edUCatier
he by means Of bulletins.
Woman Originator OF idea.
,ir The league owes its inception 10 ii
ii president, Miss Jessie II. Bancroft
lie assistant director Of physical trainin:
in the public schools of New York
lie On its board of directors are Dr.
he Frederick 4. Green, Of Chicago, sec
irt rotary Of the council on health an,
Ii public instruction Of the American
We medical Association; DR.. Joel II. Gold
ed thWait. of Boston, ex-preeident of tn,
IS American O~rthopcdic Association; Dr.
lis +. TAFT kenzie, sculptor. who is d.
at rector OF the Physical Education De
in partment OF the University Of Penn
in ~sylvania: DR.. Henry Ling Taylor, pro
i'll fessor Of orthopedjc surgery in tn
he New York POSTGRADUATE Medica
re- School; DR.. ThomaS A. Storey. profes
in soT Of hygiene and physical instruc
&C. tion in the college of the City Of Ney
York; DR.. $. Josephine Baker. ii
re rector OF the Department OF Chill
Mt Hygiene. New York City Board O
ds. Health: DIR. Eliza N. Mosher. .
ed Brooklyn; DR.. Eleonoro Everhard, 0
,ot Dayton, Ohio: Dr.. William II Burn
lin ham. of Worcester, Mass, and DIT. F
in G. Bracket. Of Boston.
ID The board of electors, by whom III
He directors are chosen, Is headed b
to P~hilander +. ClaXton, United STATE
Commissioner of Education, and Ia
he among its members Q large number G
men and women prominent in publ
health e~ndeavor.