The Pedestrian's Record

the pedestrian's record. 25 strength of body, easy respiration, and elasticity of gait. Athletes of the past, when training for races, have acted as if they thought that a daily run and an occasional walk was all that was required to fit them to undergo the exertion of a race. No greater mistake can be made, for half the evils which undermine the constitutions of athletes are caused by the imperfect development of their animal bodies. Observe the pictures of undeveloped youths which are brought under our notice on the many running grounds of England at race meetings, a display very often of good legs and thighs surmounted by narrow backs, small arms, scanty muscular formation of the trunk, making a feeble contrast with the limbs below. Such bodies are disproportioned, and in most instances this peculiarity of form is caused by the insufficient exer­ cise of the trunk and upper extremities. Never mind what kind of athletic pursuit a man chooses as a pastime, he requires not a partial but an entire de­ velopment of his frame; the muscles of the arms, chest, and legs must undergo a similar amount of training, as weak arms work uneasily with strong legs ; and, moreover, the existence of this state of things has been the cause of the many mishaps to which athletic flesh is heir. To correct this evil in our present system of training, men should resort to a gymnasium, where the cross-bar, ladder, and climb­ ing-rope would not only put into operation all muscles of the body, but especially those of the arms and trunk, the very parts which arc not brought into