THE UNPLEASANT SELF-AWAKENING
We as a nation, through the revelation of the draft, have been suddenly thrown upon the public screen as physically deficient. And that, too, when the echoes of the Eagle screaming over successes in the world Olympic games had hardly done sounding in our satisfied ears. Naturally, we don"t like it. Deep down in our consciousness we are not only dissatisfied with the picture, but we feel that somehow it is distorted; we are hoping to prove that even a photograph does not always tell the truth, at least not the whole truth. Yet in this search for the truth there are some facts that we must face and admit. The first of these is that as a race--blended, if you please, but still the people of a nation--we are ambitious and hurried. We act a great deal more than we think. Cricket is too slow for us; only baseball has the fire and the dash we like. We haven"t quite enough time even for that, and so we begin to leave the stands before the game is over, craning our necks as we walk along toward the exits for a last glimpse, and then rushing madly to get on the first car out. All this is typical of our life. We have had a measure of benefit from our athletics. They are a spur toward physical development as long as they last. But no sooner are school-days drawing to an end than we begin the mad rush--toward what? To see how fast we can make money or name or position. We take a final look backward at the last inning of these sports of ours, and then we rush out into the world of American hustle. The lucky ones prolong their playtime a little by a college course, but they, too, finally abandon sport in favor of business and let themselves go slack until they lose condition. A week or two in the summer, a fort-night"s orgy of exercise, and then back to the grind of factory or desk. How can this way of living keep even a young man fit? Golf has been a G.o.dsend to the older man whose pocket-book can stand it, but what about the youth? And when pressure comes on the older man he quickly gives up his golf at the demand of business.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ARM AND BODY WORK. THIS PLACES A HANDICAP ON A HEAVY MAN.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: HIGH-STRIDE STOOP FALLING.]
WHY MEN DON"T KEEP FIT
Men who have really kept themselves fit are few. Those who have conscientiously started in to do this and then abandoned it are a host.
There are valid reasons for this lamentable state of affairs.
First--Because the antiquated systems under which these men have attempted the task have
(1) Occupied too much time; (2) Left men tired instead of refreshed; (3) Exercised muscles which get all they need in a man"s ordinary pursuits.
Secondly--Because the instructors who have taught these systems have laid stress upon
(1) Mere increase in size of the muscles; (2) Ability to do "stunts" which are of no practical use to a man; (3) Unnecessary use of apparatus.
Thirdly--Because they made necessary the services of a teacher to
(1) Lead the exercises; (2) Keep track of their number and variety; (3) Give special treatment to produce results.
But these mistakes are in the past. Let us look toward a brighter, saner, and more productive future.
CHAPTER IX
The following chapters give a set of exercises carefully tested upon thousands of men, and these exercises will be fully explained so that any individual reader may practise them daily and secure their full benefit. To each chapter are appended a few health hints, couched in language that is brief and to the point, in order that they may be readily remembered. The object is to make an efficient working-machine of the man without useless effort, to increase that man"s resistive force against disease, to add to his suppleness and endurance, to give him poise and balance, and to develop co-ordination or control over his muscles. By doing this his power to work will be augmented, and at the same time any work that he does will be accomplished more readily and with less effort. Finally his cheerfulness will be increased, and those who work with him or under him or about him will be spared the disagreeable experiences that accompany a.s.sociation with a man whose irritability and irascibility have become part of his daily habit.
A SHORTHAND METHOD
We call this system the "Daily Dozen Set-up." It is a shorthand system of setting-up exercises for use on any and all occasions.
The "Daily Dozen Set-up" consists of twelve exercises which, for ease in memorizing, are divided into four groups of three exercises each. Each exercise or movement is given a name, and the names of all the movements of a group commence with the same letter, thus:
GROUP I GROUP II GROUP III GROUP IV
1. Hands 4. Grind 7. Crawl 10. Wave 2. Hips 5. Grate 8. Curl 11. Weave 3. Head 6. Grasp 9. Crouch 12. Wing
These exercises are not difficult nor exhausting, and do not demand great strength for their proper execution. They are designed, both from a scientific and a practical point of view, to give exactly the right amount of exercise to every muscle of the body. They are intended to promote suppleness, and especially to strengthen those muscles which are seldom brought into play in ordinary daily life. A conscientious fifteen minutes a day with the "Daily Dozen" will soon do more for a man than any amount of skilled physical feats or "strong-man stunts." When one first practises these movements their effect will be felt on the little-used muscles of the neck, back, and stomach; yet they will not leave the p.r.o.nounced muscular fatigue which follows the ordinary exercises and which does more harm than good.
HEALTH MAXIMS
Dress to be cool when you walk and warm when you ride.
Clean skin, clean socks, clean underwear every day.
Getting mad makes black marks on the health.
Sleep woos the physically tired man; she flouts the mentally exhausted.
Nature won"t stand for overdrafts any more than your bank.
In a squad it is the job of each individual to make himself fit, for it is his example that helps the rest.
The leader may be no better than you, but some one must give the orders and set the pace.
Two things are essential to a clean skin; one is bathing and a rub-down, but the other is still more important, and that is perspiration.
Food, water, and oxygen are the fuel for running the human machine.
You never saw a dog fill his mouth with food and then take a drink to wash it down.
CHAPTER X
Any setting-up exercises should be preparatory--that is, they should make men ready for the serious work of their day, and in no way exhaust any portion of their vitality. This modern "shorthand" method of setting-up leaves men in an exhilarated condition, and, instead of taking anything out of them, it prepares the body for any kind of work that may be required.
Each exercise starts from the position of "Attention," which is thus described in the army manual:
Heels on the same line and as near each other as the conformation of the man permits.
Feet turned out equally and forming with each other an angle of about sixty degrees.
Knees straight without stiffness.
[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 1.--HANDS
The description of this exercise is the same as that given for the military command of "Attention," and the following points should be carefully noted:
It is not difficult to acquire a certain amount of accuracy in this position, but one of the easiest ways of getting men to a.s.sume it properly is to tell them to push their necks back. This seems more effective than to speak of holding the chin in with the head erect, or anything of that kind. If a man stands naturally and then forces the back of his neck back against his collar, he comes into very nearly the desired position of "Attention" so far as his head and neck are concerned.
The shoulders should be rolled a little downward and back, for that is the sensation which comes when one speaks of the shoulders being square.
The chest should be arched and the abdomen drawn in somewhat. The effect is that of a man standing erect and feeling himself a little taller than usual.]