GENERAL HEALTH HINTS 663 



of exercise in which there will a strife which will be 

 likely to excite to excess. 



Horseback-riding, for those who ride well and enjoy 

 this form of exercise, may be of great benefit. It is not 

 so well suited for ladies as for men, however, on ac- 

 count of the awkward and unnatural manner in which 

 custom compels them to ride. It is impossible for a 

 lady to ride with the same degree of comfort, ease, and 

 grace that her male companion may, on account of the 

 one-sided way in which she sits in the saddle. In many 

 countries, ladies ride in the same manner as men ; with 

 them, of course, this objection does not hold. 



Horseback-riding is an excellent aid to digestion, 

 and often effectually relieves habitual constipation of 

 the bowels. 



Carriage-riding is worth little as a form of exercise, 

 except for very feeble invalids, for whom the gentle 

 swaying of the vehicle and the excitement of viewing 

 objects seldom seen may be sufficient and appropriate 

 exercise. Elding in a lumber wagon over a corduroy 

 road is about the only kind of carriage-riding which is 

 worth speaking of as exercise for people in ordinary 

 health. 



Skating, rowing, racing, baseball, football, dancing, 

 and most other exercises of the sort are more often 

 harmful than otherwise, because carried to excess, and 

 associated with other evils of a pernicious character. 

 Performance upon the trapeze, boxing, and pugilistic 

 training are open to the same objection. Calisthenics, 

 for schoolchildren and young students, is a most admi- 

 rable form of exercise. It is also well adapted to inva- 

 lids who are unable to walk more than a short distance 

 at a time. In our opinion, every home ought to be 

 equipped with all the conveniences for parlor gymnas- 



