Page:How to Get Strong (1899).pdf/562

 violent effort with safety." But that same body, trained intelligently, steadily, persistently, at length becomes a temple fit for a noble spirit to dwell in; and a valuable helper in about all you undertake in any line, however busy your life may be; and you are then largely prepared to meet emergency, injury, disease, or violent effort almost with impunity.

Most of our boys and girls are through school by twelve, or at latest fourteen, and then they have to work for a living. Vast numbers of them, as already seen, are at the higher mechanic arts, in stores, offices, and elsewhere, bent over type-writers or sewing-machines, or otherwise, where nine-tenths of their muscles have nothing to do, day in and day out, year in and year out—who go a whole week together without once taking a full breath; and many of whom ride, not walk, both to and from work if they can—and they generally can. Now what can they do where there is no gymnasium or athletic track near or cheap? Get the owner of the shop or mill to let you use the largest room he has, which has considerable empty space in it, for an exercising-room evenings. Get a few exercisers, or ask him to get them, and put them up around the room. Paint a track around the room on the floor, with as few laps as you can to the mile. Any carpenter can make you a springboard; and any young girl can in a few minutes, out of two yards of drilling, filled with sawdust, make a good striking-bag, which you can hang by two ropes from the ceiling. That is a good enough gymnasium in which to develop any one. Let the best two or three each evening lead the others in classes, and show them what they know; and do whatever they can do; and by a little reading and inquiry they will soon know much more. In two