PHYSICAL CULTURE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17857, 1 September 1923, Page 18

PHYSICAL CULTURE.

CREATING A VIRILE GENERATION.

It has been said that the Australians are a reincarnation of the ancient Greeks in Athenian pilgrimages to Parnassus and Spartan lore of strength and beauty. Sucli a statement may or m;:y not he believed (says the* "Age"), hut there is no doubt some Australians may bo (reasonably suspected of worshipping at the shrine of Parnassus, while a great number are certainly seekers after strength and: beauty. During the war it was no uncommon tiling to hear of Australian soldiers striding down Piccadilly like "young Greek gods." It was the physical strength and build of our men that appealed so much to the English people, and the love of outdoor games and. exercise, the open-air life, and broad spaces of this great country all contributed to produce such splendid specimens of manhood. In a city such, as .Melbourne there are not sunicient opportunities for excrciSe m the daily round of the average man and woman, -.uid the necessity for physical culture is being realised more and more every year, i'lie Department of Education ts encouraging it at every opportunity, and the girls and boys are growing up with a knowledge of physical training fcliat is bound to prove beneficial to tho succeeding generation. Of all women, those in the full vigour of youth are the more likely to neglect exercises to keep their bodies fit. They have no real fear of old age. Tho clock ticks regularly, and Time is a benevolent old gentleman living at a remote distance, it is only when the springs begin to run down—when the nerves become ragged and the muscles stiff —that they turn to some means of repairing the ravages of time, and find in physical culture some return of their old vigour. The importance of physical culture is gradually entering into the minds of tho people, however, and in time every girl and boy entering adolescence, and every man and woman in a. desire for strength or beauty, will take regular physical exercise to keep them fit. At present the great majority of men and women who attend training colleges are between the ages of thirty-live and sixty. If the rule, ''Prevention is better than cure," was observed, they would start much younger, and obtain infinitely better results. Physical training in moderation can do nothing but benefit the individual. It will give vigour to the mental aa well as the physical life. The Spartana, who for aDout 600 years produced tiie strongest race that has possibly ever existed in the history of the world, regarded physical strength as the oource not only pf their prowess, but their healthy mental outlook. I'beu men were strong and brave, and their women remarkable for their beauty and vigour and • for the interest they displayed in national affairs. Women were us enthusiastic as men in physical training. As children they were active in gymnastios, and when they reached girlhood took part in contests with one another in wrestling, racing, and other forms of exercise ana games. .No sickly girl was allowed to marry, and the contests for strength prevented any concealment of disease. Their life nun .very free, andi immorality was almost unknown. It was only when the old customs died out and luxury superseded athletics that the men - and women became decadent.

The increasing interest in physical culture in Australia promises well for future generations. .Recreative exercises are provided right in the city for business girls during the lunch iiour; evening sessions are available for industrial workers; and the classes and colleges are extending in numerous directions every year. School children, members of girls' clubs, University students, business men and women, and Hundreds of others are taking advantage of the training, both private and general, afforded throughout the metropolis. One college alone in Melbourne instructs over 4000 people weekly. A prominent physical culturist, discussing the question recently, said that thougu tne classes were so large the individual members had generally to be encouraged to join in the first place. Very tew came voluntarily. It was either under medical instruction or through hearing oi some special inducement; but the fact remained that they were prepared to pay for lessons once they realised thte advantages. The poorer ;i assets responded more quickly than the whom it was difficult to educate in physical matters. It was pointed out that a woman could retail a youthful appearance for years by regular exercises, and that regularity in all things was one of the secrets of good health and beauty. This knowledge is gradually sinking into the public mind, and should it continue to bear fruit as it ha« in the past few years, physical culture will be firmly established bb an Australian national trait.