Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 June 1912 — Physical Exercise [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Physical Exercise

Of Great Value to Many Morbid Persons

By SABAH S. PERKINS

THE coh-mon-sense point of view, it seems to me, is that as far as the working people, under present conditions, are able to benefit from gymnastic exercises, just so far they are valuable to them. That, of course, applies to any other class of people as well. All of which simply means that to a vast number of working people it is a matter of minor importance or of utter indifference because their principal need is for, industrial conditions which are safe, and for higher wages and shorter hours, which would give them opportunity fojr mental and moral education as well as physical. Id educate oneself in any way means the expenditure of energy, and one must riot only have the energy to expend* but must also have enough good sleep and happy leisure, which is not active, in order; to replace the energy used in work and active plav. I i the question is whether the large part of working class women have these things, the answer must be that th v do not. I he object of expending energy is in the hope of getting something one wants; one’s living, one’s health, some one or other form of happiness; if the struggle-of life is too hard, then the lessened energy is used to secure the greatest instinctive desire, one’s bare existence, and often there is not' enough energy for that. 1 o use a part of that small and J>r ious fund in active play appeals, I think, very little to the working class :hht is, to that part of it which expends most of its energy in making a living. They craye something to relax the nervous sion, something which is “done to them” without much effort on thvir part. Ifence it Ss.JLat there is so much drinking, loafing in cheap theaters and so many vices of various kinds. However* I would not in any way undervalue tlie Usefulness of physical exercises for the many persons who are enabled by them to throw off morbid conditions and to pull themselves out of anemic conditions and get fresh starts in life. Ihe only objection, I should think, is the tendency to make them into a fad, and to give the impression that, given gymnastics, we have cured the sorrows of the world. In other words, we must not put the cart before the horse, but remember that poverty and ignorance are the real evils to be coped with and we can have no real health while we have these. Anything, however, that will strengthen us for the time being to play

whatever part we have to play in the world must be corm ted as useful.