Athletic Sports (extract)

Physical Characteristicsof the Athlete mankind would be better served by a more general cultivation of athletics than by the cultivation of specialties to an extreme; that the development of athletes them­ selves would be more complete, and that they would even realize a greater progress in the pursuit of their specialties, if they participated in a greater range of exercises. The runnerwould find it to his advantage to practise rowing, and to use the gymna­ sium for the purpose of cultivating the muscles used in forced respiration. The oarsman w r ould add greatly to his breath­ ing capacity by long-distance running, and acquire dash and vim through foot-ball and lawn tennis. The jumper could add to his agility by frequent trials at short-dis­ tance running and occasional spins on the bicycle. The gymnast would be likely to add to the permanency of his develop­ ment, and improve his constitutional vigor, by indulging more freely in out-of-door sports. And so on through all the range of spe­ cialties. Let the active learn something from the strong, and the strong take les­ sons from the active, while both acquire the great secret of enduring. When our athletes shall have learned the full value of indirect training, we shall not only have 103