“Playing to the Gallery."

Manawatu Herald, 6 January 1903, Page 2

“Playing to the Gallery ."

In the course of an interview with a Dunedin Press representative, Mr Sandow made soma interesting remarks regarding the physical training at present in vogne in the schools. “ The system,” said Mr Sandow, “is simply a farce. Weak boys and strong boys are all bunched together, and no discretion whatever is used as to whether certain exercises are suited to the requirements of each individual boy. The strong boys must get good, but in many oases the weak boys get harm, from the present system. In the matter of games at school, they are in many cases too violent for weak boys. The strong boys get all the benefit, and the weak ones come off worst. I spoke to a headmaster in Christchurch on the subject of physical culture amongst the young. I told him they should have one hour’s exercise time days in a week, and ho said, “ To do that they must neglect their lessons.’ 1 maintained it is only the strong body that brings the healthy mind, and with three hours’ suitable exercise will become firmer in will power and more intelligent. I said to the headmaster, ‘ Where did you gat that exercise from, and what is it for ?’ He said be got it from a book, but he neither knew the name of the author nor the value of the exercise. He thought it was for the shoulders. I picked a boy out from the ranks and asked, ‘ Does this boy require exercises for the shoulders?” ‘ Well, no, I don’t think he does,’ said the schoolmaster. Then I said, ‘ Look at the boy’s legs, how they wan t development, and you are giving him shoulder exercises, of wbish fie bgs no absolute need. /■ ' •

you go on like that you will always have that boy lopsided. What you want to do is to give the shoulder exercises to a boy with good legs and poor shoulders, and vice versa.’ The schoolmaster said, ‘I admit your system will make a perfectly shaped body and a fine man, but what are we to do? We must have exercises that will make a good display before the public.' In that way schoolmasters are simply playing to the gallery, and are not considering the real physical culture of the children under their care.”