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XXV.—EXTRACTS FROM THE LAWS OF LIFE, WIT...
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—^- " Observe how in all ages our ancest...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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( 189 )
( 189 )
Xxv.—Extracts From The Laws Of Life, Wit...
XXV . _—EXTRACTS FROM THE LAWS OF LIFE , WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION OF GIRLS . r ; ;; By Elizabeth Blackwell , M . D .
—^- " Observe How In All Ages Our Ancest...
_—^ - " Observe how in all ages our ancestors have endeavoured to express their
ideals by beautiful forms , through which the spirit might freely shine ; they saw more clearly than we do , that the condition of our present life is the _itnion / of body and soul , that we cannot live as disembodied spirits , but must _neces-C
sarily express ourselves through a material frame—that our aspirations are \ often limited by the body , and that the condition of our material organization x reacts most powerfully upon the soul . They saw that weakness , ugliness , -
and disease , deaden our power , cripple all our activities , and render our lives discordant—therefore they figured their gods and goddesses and heroes , under forms of surpassing beauty ; their bodies were well _proportioned , the features
regular ; every muscle had a living development , every sense a vigorous organ ; and all these forms , though perfect , were infinitely varied—the beauty of Juno was not the beauty of Diana—the perfection of Jupiter differed from
that of Apollo—it was not the beauty of material form as an end , that they aimed to reachbut the grand truth that the loftiest qualities of the soul find
, their highest expression in corresponding beauty of form . " * * * * * * * *
" When we read in the chronicles of past ages , the many feats recorded of hysical —of a body that knew neither weakness nor fatiguean iron
ppower , , with strength which of endurance we have nothing and action to — do it . seem We s cannot to us like realize the e the cho strength of a distant of age the could
far crack beautiful as nut others C s ymburga with with her a , wife fingers hammer of , the and stalwart When drive we a Duke nail hear into Ernest of a the wal of lofty l Austria with Brinhilda her , who hand , who , as
. boun ceiling d , her we offending do not recognize lover with that her the g myth irdle , which and slung represents him to the a beam wild strong of the
whethe life of that r in distan our modern t age has days a lesson we have for not us , and lost we much of should stout ponder virtue the , with question and her the
maids failure of on our rounds bodily of powers beef . and The breakfast of ale feats seem good incredible Queen Bess in our poor dyspeptic , days—what would not mugs our delicate , ladies and gentlemen give for
activity that vigorous , digest life and , which enjoy could plain _sioring substantial out of bed fare , at and five pursue o ' clock ev , full ery of occu energeti pation
of the day , with the power of robust health ?" ******** " And if the tone of the muscles is destroyed , if they are weak , relaxed ,
able degree unfit result for . duty Thus to the — from the body tone the , a neg of weakness lect all the of exercise organs of the will whole during be muscular youth destroyed , we system have in corre this . sponding Now formid the - diseases that
time would fail me to trace out all the bodily evils , all the influence inevitabl with other y on vices spring the of from function growth , this , s may condition of adult be directl of life w , y eakness I traced shall . to soon The it , and hav cro e oked its occas injurious sp ion ines to
dwell upon .
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Citation
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English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), May 1, 1858, page 189, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01051858/page/45/
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