April. 1912. 



KNOWLEDGE. 



as bovs, to women as well as men, and again to the 

 use of those who even in advanced years might w ish 

 to derive the benefits conferred by exercises. The 

 fulfilment of this idea became the object of his lifi'. 

 In time all opposition was broken down, and he 

 succeeded in founding a Gymnastic Institute in 

 Stockholm, with Government aid, and he became 

 its first Director. 



For man\- \ears Ling worked patiently and 

 earnestly, studying natural science : making himself 

 conversant with the human body in all conditions of 

 health and disease, of weakness and of strength ; 

 learning and realising its possibilities and its limita- 

 tions. He studied the Greek art of g\mnastics, and 

 the different forms of athletics and gymnastics of 

 modern times. He evolved great principles, was 

 entirely guided by them, and rejected all e.xercises 

 which did not come up to their high standard. With 

 a stern hand he put aside all movements for effect, 

 and weeded out the injurious elements of competition 

 and excitement. He made close and practical experi- 

 ment of the effects of different kinds of exercises on 

 the ph\sique in various states, and finally produced 

 an elaborate series of pure, simple and beautiful 

 movements, each having its own aim and producing 

 its own result. Then, with a master liand. he drew 



Ling's system is divided into four branches, w hich 

 intertwine to some extent : — 



[{liiictitioinil. — Comprising both apparatus and free 



Abdominal Movements. 



up into form and completed his work — a work which 

 has since obtained a unique position as a classical 

 system^of physical education. 



riiiiik Flexion. 



exercises for schools and classes, designed to develop 

 the entire physique harmoniously, and to quicken 

 and cultivate the mental faculties. 



Medical. — Used only for curative and preventive 

 purposes, extensively supplemented by massage. 



Military. — For the full training of soldiers. The 

 Swedish system has recently been introduced at 

 Aldershot, and into the English Navy. 



.Aesthetic— To express by pose and gesture every 

 kind of emotion. Swedish gymnastics is a system, 

 and in this fact lies much of its value. The human 

 body being a highly organised system, demands an 

 organised method of culture. The kernel of the 

 Swedish system is (1) the arrangement of the 

 exercises in each lesson ; (2) the progression from the 

 easy to the more difficult, lesson by lesson, as muscle 

 and nerve powers increase. In the educational branch 

 there are nine classes of movements. In every 

 lesson, whether elementary or advanced, the same 

 plan is used. It is found that gymnastic training 

 built on this plan gives the best results, e.g., most 

 progress is made in the shortest time by this method, 

 one exercise preparing for, and leading up to 

 another. The movements follow each other in the 

 correct order, one or more from each class being 



