and Rational Gymnastics. ae 
although they may be considered only as preparatory 
exercises. 
Without wishing to disparage exercises with apparatus, 
as long as they are practised with caution and within 
certain limits, I will mention in favour of the free exercises, 
that if the exercises with the aid of apparatus are exclu- 
sively or too frequently practised, the body loses its natural 
instinctive sense for equilibrium, instead of having it 
developed. The sense for form and graccful positions and 
movements of the body is lessened, while the sense for 
equilibrium in such artificial positions as rarely or never 
occur in life is developed. 
Exercises in Gymnasia.—Notwithstanding that soldiers 
are inspected before they are sent to the gymnasium, in 
order to find out whether they are fit for the great exertions, 
there is too great a demand made upon their strength. 
This gymnastic forcing cannot be avoided, if men are, in 
the course of a month, to go through their desired gym- 
nastic training. This is impossible, and the man returns, 
or the whole company returns to the regiment, where they 
have no apparatus, and, consequently, lose the little they 
have gained, and are as stiff as they were before. But if 
a system of exercises is introduced in which the mind is 
at work, it can be done very well, and if a man is too weak 
to do any of them, a second ora third person can assist 
him, and as no apparatus is wanted, it will be possible to 
give the men gymnastic education without sending them 
away from their regiment for a month. 
Great stress is laid on the development of the chest, 
which is produced by what is called the Oxford system. 
I feel it my duty to protest against these violent exercises. 
I have to deal frequently with delicate and invalided ladies, 
whose chests are flattened and compressed ; if they are not 
consumptive, the circumference of their chest is considerably 
increased in a very short time, without the use of violent 
exercise. The development of the chest is accomplished 
by breathing, and by other movements by which the 
muscles of the shoulders and back are developed. In all 
these cases we bring the influence of the will and the mind 
to act upon the part which is weakened, and that is the 
reason why we get rid of all apparatus. 
The educational branch forms a part of the military 
gymnastics, that branch of rational gymnastics which 
teaches the exercises with the different kinds of weapons 
