EXERCISE BY RADIO.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 308, 29 December 1924, Page 7

EXERCISE BY RADIO.

A>T AMERICAN MOVEMENT. A physical culture movement of giant proportions is growing up throughout the United States. There has been nothing like it in history. 11 is working wonders with ail Americans—men, women and children. This is how it. is done. There are huge classes being formed throughout the United .States. As a rule they meet at seven o'clock in the morning and the classes continue until half-past seven. The exercises are performed to music, and although there is one class in New York alone with a membership of more than 20,000, there is absolute privacy. ! You can dress as yo» like —in pyjamas, dressing-gown, sweater or an old suit. No costume is too formal —none too grotesque. The instructor finds no fault with your gymnasium suit, simply because he never sees you. He is probably hundreds of miles away, but you hear bis voice and sway your body as the music leads. You can hear your instructor, but if you want to speak back to him you must pick up your telephone and ask for "Radio physical instructor station WOR New York." Promptly on the stroke of seven, 20,000 sleepy people drag themselves from their beds, and. rubbing their eyes, half stumble to the radio receiver. They clear a space in front of the receiver, give a few deft turns to the dial, and then listen intently. The first sound they hear is the arrogant ring of an alarm clock bell. Then comes the voice of the instructor, with the words, ''Good morning, sleepy heads." The announcer has brought the art of conducting a physical culture class by radio to perfection. He knows exactly how to keep alive the interest of his huge audience, representing so many diversified types. He knows that there are listening to him men and women in all stations of life. The class ranges from tbe humblest workman to the millionaire executives of Wall Street; yet lie must accompany his lesson with a continuous patter of conversation which will keep his hearers interested and in good humour. All this is no easy task, but tho success of the radio instructor can be gauged from the fact that the classes not only retain their membership, but are growing in popularity. This new use of radio may possibly lead to the development of a race so physically fit , that it might almost become a nation of supermen. —===== I