200 HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY CHAP. 



more vigorous. The happiness, vigor, and usefulness 

 of a person depend so largely upon his physical con- 

 dition that it becomes a moral obligation to take proper 

 exercise every day. 



139. Amount of Exercise. The amount of exercise 

 a person should take depends upon his age, occupa- 

 tion, and general health. Very young children will 

 take a sufficient amount of exercise if they are well 

 and have an opportunity to move about freely, but 

 often they are carried too much, and dressed in tight, 

 heavy clothing. Nothing is better to make the baby 

 well and strong than to strip off all its clothes and give 

 it an opportunity to kick a few minutes daily on the 

 floor, in a warm, sunny, well-ventilated room. A little 

 later the child should be encouraged to walk, run, and 

 play outdoors every day. The many natural sports and 

 games of children are far better at this time than 

 any artificial system of physical culture. The common 

 games and sports, like drop-the-handkerchief, rolling- 

 the-hoop, leapfrog, hare and hound, cycling, baseball, 

 horseback riding, basket-ball, croquet, golf, fishing, ten- 

 nis, rowing, and swimming are among the most healthful 

 kinds of exercise for both boys and girls. Many of 

 them are equally valuable for men and women. 



Physical exercise taken in the gymnasium is usually 

 less beneficial, because it so often is an irksome task 

 in which the person feels no real pleasure, but simply 

 does it for his health. The change of scene, the pleas- 

 urable state of mind, the agreeable companions, tend to 

 increase the value of any exercise. 



