Presbyterian College - Pac Sac Yearbook (Clinton, SC)

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I4 THE COLLEGIAN. The Value of Physical Training Considered Historically and Theoretically In the breadth of its aims, in the magnitude of its scope, in its development as a national institution, in its many sided and lasting influences, as Well as in the length of its history and the splendor of its record, physical training may be classed among the most noteworthy achievements of human endeavor. Look- rng back over the history of the past in an endeavor to see the attitude of the various ages toward the physical training of man's nature in connection with his complete development, We find that almost every age hasigiven some thought and ef- fort to this side of instruction. Considering first the oriental nations, We End China in a state of fossilized tradition and in that tradition not much thought given to the physical man. The same attitude is main- tained by the Hindu of India. His ideal of happiness is a life made up of eating, drinking and sleeping, and he is therefore naturally averse to physical exertion. Coming then to Persia we find an awakening to the fact that man's body must be cared for, would it be made to give the best and longest service in the natural world. The characteristic of the Persian was strength rather than culture. The end of its system of education was to fit the citizens for the state. The boys were under public charge, and physical and moral training held prime importance. The body was strengthened and hardened by temperate habits in eating and drinking, by gymnastics and military exercises, and exposure to heat and cold. At the age of fifteen the boy was put under severe discipline of military affairs, prepared for war, and fitted for civil service in the state. Then looking at the educational system of the ancient Jews, We find that no provision was made for physical training, and in Egypt the same was practically true. Coming then to the ancient classical nations, we find more attention given to the training of the body. Schiller says, To throw the spear and honor the god, was the end of man's edu- cation. The athletic contest entered into the worship of Greek gods and heroes. Time was measured by a recurrence of the

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THE COLLEGIAN. I3 People seem to forget that their bodies are gifts and must be cared for. Herbert Spenser regarded health as a duty and maintained that it was necessary for a man to have a sound physical constitution. VVe know from experience that a person who is not strong physically is not capable of doing and being the same that he could be if he were a strong healthy person. Recently physical education in the public schools is being given a more prominent place. This is essential to ideal development. Too much time and attention can be given to this side of devel- opment, allowing the others to remain idle, thus preventing the highly developed physical man from utilizing his physcal strength for some definite end. VVe see now that man alone of all creatures needs education and that this education should develop a perfect manhood. This education should be secured not by a poured-in process, but by a progressive, symmetrical unfolding of the faculties from within. To be usefully and symmetrically developed, we cannot afford to neglect any one of these six sides of development. Know everything about something and something about everything. Lock's idea Was, A robust mind in a robust body, the boy was to be trained not for the university, but for the world. Sound education stands before me symbolized by a tree planted near fertilizing waters. A little seed which contains the design of the tree, its form and proportions, is placed in the soil. See how it germi- nates and expands into trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit. The whole tree is an uninterrupted chain of organic parts, the plan of which existed in its seed and root. , Man is smiliar to the tree. ln the new born child are hidden those fac- ulties which are to unfold during life. The individual and sep- arate organs of his being form themselves into a harmo-nic whole, and build up humanity into the image of God.

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THE COLLEGIAN. I5 principal games. The system of Lycurgus and Solon did away with wealth and commerce, and destroyed pride, avarice and luxury, establishing instead, a perpetual training camp for sol- diers. The gymnasium ranked tirst among the public buildings of Greece, because they were center points of Greek life. The chief exercises and sports were wrestling, boxing, running, jumping, throwing the discus and the spear. The Greek train- ing was severe, especially for the Olympic games, being con- ducted in the open air, sometimes in the blazing sun. Thorough shampooing and bathing of the body after each exercise was required. Their dietary was uniform and regulated, their hours of sleep and practice were very systematic. The'Grecian physical training was not based upon a pro- found scientific knowledge of the human body. But through their love for beauty of form, their deep insight and experi- ence, types of manly beauty and health were produced which have never been surpassed. Athletics and gymnastics have never held so dignified and prominent a part in the life of any nation as they did among the Greeks. We do not hope for a return of the features of Grecian training on so large a scale, but the zeal and interest manifested by them put into a care- fully planned course of training today would be much in place. The girls of this period were not wholly neglected. The ideal was to fit them for the wives of warriors. They were en- couraged to engage in gymnastic exercises and training. The Spartan women were admired by all Greece for their develop- ment, strength and beauty. We find Plato, Aristotle and Xeno- phon, upholding high ideals of gymnastics. Says Plato, A good education is that which gives to the body and to the soul all the beauty and perfection of which they are capable. Aristotle held that there were three stages of development in man: body, instincts, and reason, and that the body was first in order and importance. For the attitude of Rome we take the echo of the voice of Plutarch. He advocates physical training as a means of build- ing up a good constitution and a sound body for military serv- ice. Children, he says, must be sent to schools of gym-