I have spoken in a separate chapter of the great SCHREBER's invention for home exercise—the Pangymnastikon—which is not only the best means of training the upper part of the body that I have ever seen, but is really one of the most fascinating of amusements. The reader is referred to the chapter "THE PANGYMNASTIKON, OR HOME GYMNASIUM."
Battledoor, and Graces or Grace-Hoop, are capital amusements; and bring into varied and vigorous play the muscles of the upper part of the body; besides, the interest is permanent and constantly increases as the skill increases.
Base-ball clubs have been organized among young women, with the happiest results to their health, spirits, activity and grace. They look very pretty in their gymnastic costume, and really they play wonderfully well.
The great physiological need of our artificial life is something to save the upper part of the body from falling into weakness and deformity. Our exercises fall almost exclusively upon the lower half of the body—we walk, dance and skate; but women of the better class do nothing with their upper limbs except to dress and feed themselves. The result is that their arms become consumptively emaciated, their shoulder-blades project, their chests become thin, flat, concave, and the vital organs within are correspondingly weak and uncertain.
TRUE EDUCATION FOR GIRLS.
The School at Lexington, up to the time the buildings were burned, was the truest exponent of education for girls, which has been seen in our country. I say in our country, because my acquaintance with the German methods is not sufficiently complete to justify any comparison between them and the school under consideration.
And yet, as has been shown in other chapters in this work, the curriculum at Lexington was far from philosophical or wise.
The waste of time and money on music and the languages, was immense; the thought of it, even now, awakens in my mind the keenest regrets.
But in this respect, it was no worse than other first-class schools, while in several important particulars, it was greatly superior.
1_st_.—It was a school for girls and young women, and not for young ladies. This is a very important distinction.