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New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVII, Issue I, 4 July 1896, Page 5

Not only golf and bicycling, but active exercises of almost every description (says Marjorie in Woman) seem to be popular just now among all women who pride themselves upon being ‘in the movement;’ indeed, some of the leaders of Society would appear to be qualifying themselves to take a prominent part in the next celebration of the Olympian games. Those benighted persons who still cling to the fallacy that woman is by nature a timid and delicate creature, ‘ fair by defect, and amiably weak.' may be recemmended to pay a visit to the gymnasium at Alexandra House, presided over by Miss Stuart Snell, where pupils of al! ages —from four to forty—are daily initiated into the mysteries of fencing, skirt-dancing, musical drill, and gymnastics of all kinds. This new departure may probably be attributed to the fact that sensible women have discovered that mental culture is of little use unless accompsnied by physical culture, and that frivolous women have begnn to realise that exercise, scientifically directed, has a more beneficial effect upon the complexion than the most subtly-concocted of face lotions, and improves the figure more certainly than corsets of Parisian cut.