136 DIFFERENT KINDS OF EXERCISE. 



great for the then existing condition of his lungs. 

 Had the delicacy of which he complained been fur- 

 ther advanced, the fatigue of lecturing would only 

 have accelerated his fate, and this must never be 

 lost sight of in practically applying the rules of ex- 

 ercise. 



It appears, then, from the foregoing remarks, that 

 the most perfect of all exercises are those sports 

 which combine free play of all the muscles of the 

 body, mental excitement, and the unrestrained use 

 of the voice ; and to such sports, accordingly, are 

 the young so instinctively addicted, that nothing 

 but the strictest vigilance and fear of punishment 

 can deter them from engaging in them the moment 

 the restraint of school is at an end. Many parents, 

 absorbed in their own pursuits, forgetful of their own 

 former experience, and ignorant that such are the 

 benevolent dictates of Nature, abhor these whole- 

 some outpourings of the juvenile voice, and lay re- 

 strictions upon their children, which, by preventing 

 the full development of the lungs and muscles, inflict 

 permanent injury upon them in the very point where 

 in this climate parents are most anxious to protect 

 them. In accordance with this, we find that what 

 are called wild romping boys or girls, or those who 

 break through all such restrictions, often turn out 

 the strongest and healthiest ; while those who sub- 

 mit generally become more delicate as they grow 

 older. 



Enough has, I trust, been said to enable any ra- 

 tional parent or teacher to determine the fitness of 

 the different kinds of muscular exercise, and to adapt 

 the time, manner, and degree of each to every indi- 

 vidual under his care : but before taking leave of the 

 subject, and with a view to impress the more deeply 

 upon the mind of the reader the practical importance 

 of the principles inculcated in the preceding pages, 

 I cannot refrain from subjoining a case which affords 

 an extremely apposite illustration of almost every 



