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Show io tlje 1$taph of ufa-imtj lo lEumtglf Walking? By HON. M. J. McETTRICK. Lontf DUUnce Walker In Early Dty of Competitive PedestrlanUm. 'Jj ( I NF0HTUNATI5LY vc do not. I realize thnt my opinion lma v' TT been sought largely because of my youthful prominence in this once popular, though now Badly neglected field of nth- IIatsT leticism, which for so many years held so warm a spot in tho iillAJr hearts of the Amcricnn people. The merits of tho question, fN)( if properly discussed, would call for more space than can bo iNll accorded inc. , ' Sj&2m( In treating tho subject I want the render to understand B that tho inquiry mentioned hero refers solely to walking as, n health-producing, life-prolonging exercise, and bears no reference refer-ence whatsoever to artificial sprint walking, which is a sort of pacing locomotion that is subject to the same physical tension and open to the same criticism as nil other heroic competitive sports. Moderation in physical exercises is a necessity. Intemperance in this direction carries with it the same risks and penalties as nil other forms of intemperance. Tho great value of daily systematic walking, which tho Amcricnn people seem to be neglecting more and more ns the years go by, lies mainly in the fact that it is n natural exercise; that it must be done in the open air and nerve-nourishing sunshine, fortified by the vitalizing and invigorating influence of n pure ntmosphcre. The attitude, too, for proper walking is perfect, animated crcctncss with shoulders held, down and pushed well back. "While tho stomach is 1 held in, tho head erect, the chin squared and drawn in toward the chest, I the stride should be made from the hip, and the heel should meet the tur,f 9j before the toe. This, the best and only style of proper walking, can bo easily acquired, and the resultant benefits of jts adoption both in the improved im-proved air, health and physical symmetry of its supporters arc moro Tcadily experienced than in any other known exercise. Character is marked by evidence in the human form, and a manly t man's nobility is frequently exhibited in his postures and strides. A shufllcr in gait is apt to bo n shuftlcr in principle. There is a poetry of I motion that is beauty indescribable, and manly 6r womanly physical grace fulness is generally associated with grace of spirit and loftiness of character char-acter as well. There may be exceptions to this rule, as there are usually exceptions to all rules, but tho exceptions arc ordinarily but examples of perversion, for as beauty of character radiates from the human countenance, so lofti- ncss of purpose and strength of character may bo seen stamped on the movements of tho human body. For this reason, why should not graco I of motion bo cultivated through a correct and pleasing style of walking when the health-giving properties of added strength, physical symmetry and longer life accompany it? As proof of the value of a regular and correct, system of walking exercise, contrast the long, enduring physical power of a GD-yenr-old longdistance long-distance pedestrian like Edward Pnyson Weston with the living and dead examples of other forms of physical traits, from which the sharp risks of heart lesions and nerve strains have not been eliminated, i No serious danger of heart, strains from invigorating walking excr- ciscs are ever in evidence. The development of deep breathing lung power and strengthened heart action movo hand in hand. With tho solitary soli-tary exception of breast-stroke swimming, I know of no other one exorcise that can develop equal comeliness and physical symmetry, but daily opportunities oppor-tunities in this direction are within tho reach of but few people, and even at that, its splendidly beautifying advantages are ndt comparable to those furnished by systematic and regular open-air walking exercises. You will observe that 1 speak of daily walking exercises in proper form and in practice of proper judgment. To tho great majority of peo-pic peo-pic of both sexes such walking will prove n benefit, nnd to many a real pleasure, though there are some others, largely in tho minority, to whom pedestrianism in any form is hard work. I personally have known athletic ath-letic men who could row n mile with less exertion than they could walk it at an ordinarily decent pace, but, as I say, they arc the exceptions who do not appear to derive as much benefit from this as from some other form of exorcise. k In concluding this incomplete reply to tho question: "Do We Walk Enough?" there is one suggestion I would make to that elnss of individuals who dread enlarging waistcoats, and nrc anxious to keep their waist lines liard and tight within reasonable bounds I have never known n long-distance walker who, after retiring from professional life, kept up reason-.) reason-.) nblo daily exercise, who suffered from abdominal enlargement. What i9 true of these men may be easily observed in my own case. And this ia Sduo to the fact that, rain or shine, I walk eight miles regularly every day, not becauso I like it, but because after the terribly hard training strains of my early life, this system of daily - -exercise was n necessity that could bo ticui !fJfo(pAltiC met in no other way. ff |
