PHYSICAL CULTURE FOR GIRLS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 11

PHYSICAL CULTURE FOR GIRLS.

"The question of physical culture for girls is one that is taken up very earnestly at Home," says a New Zealand girl who has just arrived from England, where for tho past two year's she has been studying physical culture at. the, Alexandra College, Kensington, perhaps the . leading. school. of its kind, in London. The college has branches for teaching'music, art, and physical culture'. It is under the patronage, of Queen Alexandra, who takes a lively , interest in' its welfare, and several of the royal princesses havo attended lectures there. 'It was the■l/Uexandra School which arranged for tie physical culture department of 'the "What'to Do with our Girls'" exhibition held in London last year. Both the Swedish and' the AngloGerman systems of physical culture are taught_ there, and those who take a course qualifying them to teach havo'to study very thoroughly" hygiene, anatomy, physiology, and comparative, physical education. -Chey are also trained for girls' games, including ! hockey and cricket, for the position thoy will probably try to obtain'will be that of games | mistress at a large girls' school. Miss S. H. Rutherford, of Napier, who has beta through her course, and who returned to New Zealand with her sister on-Wednes-day; went on to her home in Napier tho following night,, and hopes to teach physical culture: then. Teaching physical culture is at present oho of the verv best careers open, for girls in England', sho says. The demand at present exceeds the supply, for so many sohools must have one teacher simply to give physical culture lessons and direct the 'girls in their games. English girls are much more given to out-door sports than New Zeakoders' are. They do not ride as well as New Zealand girls—beautifully turned out and splendidly mounted, they rido very badly—but they excel at out-door games and sports. Hockey is still very popular at girls' schools, though it is unpopular with the mothers,'wno think it dangerous, and : are glad when the girls take to golf on leaving seb&L . In 1 the city schools, as well as in those which possess large grounds, the value of games is recognised. In homes, Bohools, and in the living-in buildings attached to shops, wherever possible gymnasiums are built,': and free use is made of them. Tho physical training of girls begins when tho ohildren are very young, and Miss Rutherford spoke of the number of adenoid cases cured by means of deep breathing exercises. The remedial, value of physical exercises in regard to spinal and similar troubles has been so conclusively proved that many leading doctors now have some arrangement with trained teachers to attend their patients' in cases that are likely to benefit by lie exercises.