156 PHYSIOLOGY AND NATIONAL NEEDS 



The Muscular System cannot be trained properly 

 by gymnastic exercises devised on anatomical 

 grounds to produce the development of each 

 muscle. Agility and capacity to perform move- 

 ments smartly cannot be obtained by developing 

 big muscles by special bends or exercises with 

 dumb-bells or heavy weights ; the body may be- 

 come " muscle-bound." If a boy wishes to become 

 a runner he must practise running; if he will 

 become a good oarsman he must row ; if he must 

 perform any given work efficiently he must learn 

 by doing it. Practice alone makes perfect, pro- 

 vided always that there is within the man the 

 latent but special capacity necessary for excellence. 

 The diversity and graduation of the muscular exer- 

 cise involved in the numerous forms of outdoor 

 sports render them suitable for all men, young and 

 old, strong and weak. 



The Nervous System is trained by games and 

 sports in a far more efficient manner than by drills 

 and gymnastic exercises. The muscles in response 

 to nervous impulses contract in ordered groupings 

 for a definite purpose, the contraction of some 

 being accompanied by the relaxation of others. To 

 facilitate the muscular work the nervous system 

 co-ordinates the respiration, the heart and the 

 glands of the body. At the same time that there 

 is an outflow of nervous impulses there is also an 

 inflow from the various sense organs ; the eye, the 



