How to get strong and how to stay so / by William Blaikie.

  • William Blaikie
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: How to get strong and how to stay so / by William Blaikie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The very natural result follows, that the great majority of students, at graduation, average no better in size, strength, health, vigour, endurance, or stamina than those of a generation ago, or are any fitter to stand successfully the wear and tear of their life’s work. Indeed, it is very doubtful if they are physically as well fitted for what is before them as the previous generation were; for in the latter case probably more came from farms and homes where much manual labour was necessary, while now a greater fraction are from the cities, or are the sons of parents whose occupation is mainly seden- tary. Yet in that day gymnasiums at the colleges were almost unknown, while now they are general. Does the gymnasium, then, pay ? Yes, like a bath-tub—if used, and used sensibly; but if not, not. Then, as it is used so little, is it worth having ? At Harvard, for instance, to-day there is in pro- cess of erection, at great expense, a gymnasium which, when finished, will doubtless be the most costly building of the sort in this country, and very possibly the best appointed as well. But unless there is introduced some sensible and vigorous system of bringing the students regu- larly there, and working them while they are there, it will almost surely prove a failure, and accom- plish little or no more good than did the old one.
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