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Show THE REVIEW. a im Moods of sluggish action demand proof of what is claimed. ment. Educational authorities and moralgre-former- s cannot long remain indifferent to the teachings of science and experience as to the crying need of physical education, and the benefits resulting from it. The function of school gymnastics is not so much to develop muscle as to counteract the evil effects of the pair brain power. school room. Not so much to make a strong body as to prevent the body from growing weaker under the conditions of school life. The student class is now engaging the minds of the medical profession. It is more the aim of the modern physician to prevent disease than to cure it. We need physical exercise to repair the wear and tear made upon the system by the mental strain the teaching which engages only nerves and brain; the tiresome misfitting furniture, and in many instances the We need insufficient ventilation. physical exercise as a pedagogical measure. One need but observe the injurious sitting and standing position of public school children, their awkward gait, difficult breathing when singing or speaking, to appreciate this. We need physical exercise to save time, for children kept in good bodily condition by properly adapted exercises do their mental work much more thoroughly and quickly. To supply these needs the limited time allowed must be used to the fullest extent, and the series of exercises must be progressively arranged, bringing the principal muscles successively into action so as to affect and benefit all parts of the body. The exercises should be attractive and of the kind that gives to the body that beauty which consists of a nobler bearing and grace of movement, and of the kind that arouses a spiritual freshness, resolution, discretion and courage. All organs bear some relation to each other. We know that the brain, the great center around which everything else must circle, is often limited by the body in its power. Change of circulation has much to do with our quality of mind, or rather our mental tone, for upon the purity of blood depends to a very large extent, all fineness of feeling and keenness pf judg Stagnation ot blood results in the stagnation of ideas. Insanity is often caused by imperfect of circulation, and every variety mental phenomena is said tobe due to the condition of the blood. Deficient circulation may result in all sorts of alarming things. Think of the mistakes you have made in life and notice if they were not the result, directly or indirectly, of some physical ill. Insufficient or perverted nutrition, livhereditary evils, wrong modes of ing, are found at the bottom of most mental disturbances. How, then, may we perfect circulation, since it is of such great importance? With increase of demand comes increase of supply, just as our growth is always in proportion to our effort. In order to make new tissue we must first tear down the old, and the activity must be strong enough to do this. Nutrition depends upon the activity of the tissues. Too mach cannot be said of the benefits of deep breathing. Not so much because deep breathing introduces more oxygen into the system as that it is such an excellent muscle exercise. We have no way of improving the heart and lungs but through the muscles; a forced or deep inspiration brings into use many muscles, not alone those of the chest, but of the shoulders, neck, back and abdomen. In fact, during a forced respiration, that is, the deepest possible drawing in of air and the expelling of as much air as possible, no less than 147 muscles are brought into use This means h that more than of all the muscles of the body are employed in the taking of a deep breath. Every deep breath compresses the liver and of lung trouble. Her physician, insisted upon a trip to the mountains, as a last remedy, but an alarming case the lady found it impossible to leave for financial and other reasons. Fin-allas a last resort, the physician ordered the patient to be carried out on her balcony every day for a number of full breaths of pure fresh air, which'proved such a powerful tonic, that in a short time she was able to walk to and fro, adding arm movements to the exercise. This treatment worked a permanent cure. Now what kind and what amount of mental training is there in this branch of education? We know that the kind of intellectual development which is not founded upon a strong physical basis is likely to be unhealthy or abnormal. It is proved that a certain amount of correct physical poise is necessary to good mental poise. t A Dr. G. Stanley Hall says: per son whose rhythm is established, and at a rate which gives poise, can have large ideas, and others cannot. Cheerfulness is necessary to the best brain effort and good physical condition is requisite to cheerfulness. Everything in the school curriculum is designed to cultivate independent thought and action, and the best gymnastic instruction carries out this idea. The doing of an exercise which demands only a part of a pupils power, must necessarily in time become dull and even depressing, but that which calls into use some mental effort is exhilerating and more lasting m effect. Our youngest pupils in school know the difference between backward and ), forward, upward and sidewise as well as they know which part of the body is the head, which part the legs and the arms. If he could not tell flow stimulates the of blood through the first day which was the top and it, and has the same beneficent influwhich was the bottom of his slate ence on the stomach and other we would declare him under age, and At all places and at all send him home to organs. grow. It is an intimes, whether sitting, standing, waitsult to a child's intelligence to be ing, at work or idle, keep up the told or shown what he already knows. practice of deep breathing until it beImitation gymnastics we are growcomes a fixed habit. This is one of ing to look upon as the worst kind, as the secrets of vitality and long life. they have no pedagogical value and The following instance is only one very littie physiological value. A boy its of kind: A lady in who is not more than of thousands ordinarily bright New Orleans was rapidly contracting is able to follow his teacher through a one-fourt- |