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Chapter XXIV: The Use of Physical Exercise.1915
Chapter XXIV: The Use of Physical Exercise.
Man in his original state did not need to be instructed in physical
exercise—neither does a child or youth with normal tastes. Man’s
original state of living gave him an abundance of varied activity, out-ofdoors,
and with all the best conditions for exercise. He was compelled to
seek his food, to prepare it, to raise his crops, to build his houses, to gather
up fuel, and to do the thousand and one things which were necessary to
live in simple comfort. But as man began to be civilized he also began to
delegate certain of his duties to others, and to confine himself to one set of
activities, until at the present day many of us do practically no physical work,
while others do nothing but hard physical work of a limited scope—both
living unnatural lives.
Physical labor without mental activity dwarfs a man’s life—and mental
labor without some sort of physical activity also dwarfs the man’s life. Nature
demands the maintaining of the balance—the adoption of the happy
medium. The natural, normal life calls for the use of all of man’s powers,
mental and physical, and the man who is able to so regulate his life that
he gets both mental and physical exercise is apt to be the healthiest and
happiest.