82 PHYSICAL TRAINING 



exercise for it. He can be told that the proper 

 time for this work is when he gets up in the 

 morning, that it should be done in fresh clean air, 

 and that the great majority are to be continued 

 until he begins to feel tired. It is hard to say 

 just how many repetitions of a movement a boy 

 should make at one time, or just how long he 

 should exercise. If he continues, however, until he 

 begins to feel a little tired, you can feel reasonably 

 sure that he is not working beyond his strength. 



When a boy has a remediable deficiency he can 

 be told about how long it may take him to make 

 it up. A subnormal chest expansion can be 

 brought up very rapidly — the first inch, for 

 instance, in a month or two. Improvement of the 

 greater muscles takes longer. But a boy takes 

 special interest in correcting his defects if he can 

 come back, at stated intervals, and see how much 

 he has improved, and perhaps be advanced 

 through the three classes into which boys can be 

 divided according to their physical status. The 

 school competitions help a great deal, as has been 

 said, one being for the greatest improvement dur- 

 ing the year, giving the best chance to the worst 

 developed boy, and one for the best developed 

 boy in the school, or in two or more schools. 

 The taking of the photographs of the winners, in 

 tights, and putting them permanently on the 

 walls of the school, is a very great stimulus. 



