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I
IDEAL PHYSICAL CULTURE
TWO SMART STORIES.
My Lady Ruby AND

John Basileon
CHIEF OF POLICE.
By G. F. MONKSHOOD,
Author of Rudyard Kipling The Man and His Work, Woman and
: the
Wits, etc.
Crown 8vo, Cloth, top edge Gilt, 2/6.
Outlook. Good work in which the influence of Mr. Saltus is perceptible.

There are whole pages of admirable rhetoric. The story illustrates the enor-
mous power of woman to excite and abase man an old theme, but an
inexhaustible one.
Sheffield Telegraph.
A good half-crowns worth of smart, clever writing.
Both stories are quite off the conventional line.
St. Pauls.

The dialogue in My Lady Ruby is crisp and
distinctly
good. The second story, John Basileon, is very striking.
St. Janies Budget.
My Lady Ruby is a dainty trifle, of
the genre
made familiar by Anthony Hope, wittily and gracefully told. . John . .
Basileon is a lurid story in which the senses run riot, and in one of the
chapters, The Glory of the God of Sex, we have a phrase suggestive of the
outlook on life of practically all the characters engaged.

Womans Weekly. My Lady Ruby, by Mr. G. F. Monkshood, whose

work on Rudyard Kipling was so much appreciated, is a dainty little study of

a pair of lovers the other stoy, John Basileon, shows the author has several
;
styles, and while a less pleasant theme, has a strength that one cannot but
admire.
Liverpool Review.
My Lady Ruby is a little love story told in an ex-

tremely unconventional fashion. Between the same covers is a short, lurid

story of passion, called John Basileon, in which the moralities are discussed in
a very free and easy, and not altogether commendable, style. Still Mr.
Monkshood can write.
Monitor.
My Lady Ruby
is charming, and as witty as she is charming.

. . John Basileon evinces imagination and subtilty of a highly vivid and

.
intense quality. The note of the book is modern, but of a modernity far
removed from that of the term understood by the French Symbolists and the
English Degenerates. Messrs. Greening & Co. are to be congratulated on a
publication which is likely to arouse considerable attention in those literary
circles from which approbation is praise indeed.

North British Daily Mail. The titular story one of two displays a
lightness of touch and a deftness of construction that make its perusal a source
of keen, mental stimulation, while the wit of its dialogue and the gentle and
kindly humour that permeates the whole of it serve to increase and intensify
the intellectual exhiliration, which every cultured man who reads it, must feel.
. . The second tale, John Basileon, is of a different stamp. The language
.
is strong, and its suggestion even stronger, and it displays a real power over the
emotional states, and an insight into the psychology of a mans love, seldom
arrived at by writers of fiction.
AT ALL BOOKSELLERS AND LIBRARIES.

GREENING & CO., Ltd., 20 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road.
IDEAL
PHYSICAL >
CULTURE AND
ZU Zxwtt>
($6ouf ZU
(Wait
APOLLO
(William Bankiek)
FOURTH EDITION
London
Greening & Co., Ltd
20 Cecil Court, St. Martins Lane, W.C
1900
(All Rights Reserved)
a
INTRODUCTORY
Actuated by a loyal, patrotic conviction
that no nation in the world can excel in
bone and muscle our own countrymen, I
feel sure my readers will understand my

desire to give publicity to the following
circumstances.
Feeling strong on this subject, at a
time when Mr. Sandow was deservedly

popular with the public, I prepared myself

6 Introductory
for competition, and when ready issued
the following challenge :
TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING TIMES.
Glasgow, March 6th 1899, }
Sir,
I hereby challenge Sandow to a
contest of strength for 100 a side, for
which I send 25 now to show I mean

business : the contest to consist of weight-
lifting from the ground six feats each
one of the feats to be a lift in harness, all
one-handed work to be performed from
the floor to the shoulder. If Mr. Sandow
refuses to meet me on these terms, I hereby
challenge him to an all-round athletic con-
test, consisting of weight-lifting, wrestling,
(catch-as-catch-can style) running a one-

Introductory 7
mile race, and jumping with 56 lb. weights,
for ^loo a side, the winner of three events
out of four to be adjudged the conqueror.
This is no bombastic challenge, but simply
from a desire to prove to the public that
there are better athletes in Britain than
ever came from Germany. I hope to hear
from Sandow per return, and remain,
Yours strongly,
APOLLO
( The Scottish Hercules.)
To this I received no reply, although it
appeared in the Glasgow papers every
evening during Sandows engagement in
that city. I did not, as others have done,
send the challenge when Sandow was

many miles away, but waited until he was
8 Introductory
in my own city, and I deposited the money

at the time of making the challenge.
I leave the issue to my readers : and
feel certain that many will think with me,
that in matters of genuine physical strength,
z.e., a combination of pulling and pushing
muscles, there are many men in this
country who, with a little preparation,
could exceed in the aggregate anything
Mr. Sandow has shown us.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
APOLLO, Frontispiece
TO FACE PAGE
SUPPORTING I TON 3 CWTS, - - 32
SHOWING TRICIPS OF ARM IN REPOSE, 40 -
BACKWARD SOMERSAULT OVER A LOW CHAIR,

CARRYING 56 LBS. IN THE HANDS RAISING ;
A MAN WITH RIGHT HAND WHILE JUGGLING

PLATES WITH THE LEFT, -52- -
APOLLO, AT 26 YEARS OF AGE. SHOWING BICEPS

(SEE ROPE CLIMBING EXERCISE,) - - 60
SHOWING DELTOID, TRICEPS AND PECTORAL
MUSCLES, - 64
SUPPORTING WITH ONE ARM 290 LBS. ;
RAISING 400
LBS. WEIGHT BY THE TEETH, - - - 66
SHOWING DEVELOPMENT OF FORE-ARM, - - 70
SHOWING BICEPS OF ARM, THIGH AND CALF OF LEG
WITH MUSCLES PARTIALLY FLEXED, - - 72
SHOWING ABNORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF LEG (SEE
DIPPING EXERCISE), - - - - 74
APOLLO, AT 26 YEARS OF AGE, SHOWING BACK, - 76
APOLLO, AT 22 YEARS OF AGE, IN A WEAK CONDITION,
THE RESULT OF EXCESSIVE EXERCISE, - 78
APOLLO, AT 22 YEARS OF AGE, IN RENEWED HEALTH,
HAVING CURTAILED THE EXERCISE, - - 79
SHOWING WHOLE FIGURE IN REPOSE, - - 80
APOLLO, AT PRESENT DAY, - - - Last
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. Great Athletes and Their Feats . . 9
II. Great Strength and Its Source . . 24
III. Modes of Performing Feats . . .29
IV. Weight-Lifters and Their Methods . 36
V. Measurements . . . . .42
VI. My Own Career . . . . 51
VII. How to Develop Muscle . . .60
VIII. The Chest, and Other Muscles . -65
IX. The Waist Muscles . . . 72
X. The Leg Muscles . . . .
-75
XI. The Proper Method of Breathing .
-79
XII. Rules for Muscular Exercise . . .82
XIII. What to Eat . . . . .86
XIV. Drinking and Bathing . . . .102
XV. Alcoholic Liquors . . . .107
XVI. Tobacco . . . . . -113
XVII. Indolence . . . . . -115
XVIII. Sensuality . . . . . .119
XIX. Athletes Beware . . . . .122
XX. On Electricity for the Muscles . .124
XXI. The Duty of Preserving Our Health . T26
XXII. To Become Beautiful A Chapter of
Interest to Ladies . . .129
XXIII. Moderation the True Principle . .
137

IDEAL PHYSICAL CULTURE
CHAPTER I
GREAT ATHLETES AND THEIR FEATS
From the earliest times of which we have

any knowledge, strength has always had a
fascination for the human race. Tradition
and fable alike teem with records of won-
derful things that great giants of olden
times have done. Milo of Crotona is
credited with numberless marvels. Of

him Lempriere says :
Milo, a celebrated athlete of Crotona

in Italy. His fathers name was Dio-
timus. He early accustomed himself to
carry the greatest burdens, and by degrees
became a monster in strength. It is said
that he carried on his shoulders a young-
bullock, four years old, for above forty

9 i
Ideal Physical Culture
yards, and afterwards killed it with one

blow of his fist, and ate it up in one day.
He was seven times crowned at the
Pythian games, and six times at Olympia.
He presented himself a seventh time, but
no one had the courage or boldness to
enter the lists against him. He was one

of the disciples of Pythagoras, and to his
uncommon strength the learned preceptor
and his pupils owed their lives. The pillar
which supported the roof of the school

suddenly gave way, but Milo supported
the whole weight of the building, and gave
the philosopher and his auditors time to
escape. In his old age, Milo attempted to
pull up a tree by the roots and break it.
He partly effected it, but his strength

being gradually exhausted, the tree when
half cleft re-united, and his hands remained
pinched in the body of the tree. He was
then alone, and being unable to disentangle
himself he was eaten up by the wild beasts
1
Great Athletes and their Feats
of the place, about 300 years before the

Christian era.
Pliny tells of one Athanatus, who walked
across the stage loaded with a breastplate
weighing 500 lbs., and buskins of the same
weight.
But of all the men of prodigious
strength of whom we have any account in
history, Maximinus, the Emperor of Rome,

is to be reckoned foremost. He was by
birth a Thracian, and a simple herdsman.
He was nearly nine feet in height, and was
said to be the best proportioned man in
the empire. He used the bracelet of his

wife as a ring for his thumb. In the
theatre, in the presence of all the citizens,
he overthrew twelve of the strongest men
in wrestling, and outstripped two of the
swiftest horses in running, all in one day.
He could draw a loaded chariot which two
strong horses could not move. He could
break a horses jaw with a blow of his fist
1
and its ribs with a kick. This giant

gradually rose through all the gradations
of office till he came to be Emperor. He
reigned for some years, hated by every-
body, but so feared on account of his
brutality and his physical strength that no
one dared to put him to death. He con-
spired against Alexander Severus, and
caused him to be murdered in his tent.
He also put to death a Roman senator,
with four thousand other persons, for an

alleged conspiracy. Finally the soldiers
mutinied and killed him, a.d. 238.
Fumios, a native of Selencia, who was

executed by the Emperor Aurelian for
espousing the cause of Zenobia, was cele-

brated for his strength. It is said that he
could suffer iron to be forged upon an anvil
which was placed upon his breast. This
he did by forming an arch with his body,
his arms and legs being the four pillars.
This feat is a very common one among

12
strong men of the present day, some of

whom, I believe, claim to be originators of it.
Amongst all branches of athletics, feats
of strength even with the ancients seem to
have been little understood, and con-

sequently the performers had every chance
of exaggerating them. This is still the
case. John Middleton, a Lancashire man,
who lived in 1578, was remarkable for his
great stature and strength. His hand was

i/ins. long, and he was 9ft. 3ms. in height.
In the 1 8th century an English miner,

whose finger was caught in a chain at the
bottom of a mine, supported the whole
weight of his body by keeping that finger
forcibly bent, until by that means he was
drawn to the surface, a height of 600 ft.
His weight was 150 lbs.
I only know of one man who can raise

the entire weight of his body (10 st.) by
the aid of one finger, and that is Mr. A.
Alexander, (Principal of the Southport
13
Physical Training College, and until quite

recently Director of the Liverpool Gym-
nasium). Mr. Alexander not only performs
this voluntarily ,
a couple of times in suc-
cession a fact well known to present day
professors of gymnastics but also per-
forms the still more extraordinary feat of
raising his body into the horizontal

position known as La Planche by the
aid of one finger alone. This has never
been equalled, and I am quite sure that
Mr. Sandow is not able to perform the
same feat with one hand ,
let alone one
finger.
About the year 1803, one Joyce, a native

of Kent, exhibited such feats of strength
in London that he was popularly known as
the second Samson. His own individual
strength was enormous, but he also dis-
covered several positions of the body in
which men of even ordinary strength could

perform very surprising feats. He drew
14
against horses, raised tremendous

weights, and exhibited for eight or ten
years with great success ;

but his methods
were eventually discovered, and many
imitators of quite ordinary strength sprang
up and performed a number of his principal
feats.
A German, named Eckeberg, travelled
through Europe in the early days of last
century under the appellation of Samson,

which name is still a favourite for strong
men. He was of medium proportions, but
by certain methods and devices was able
to perform extraordinary feats. He was
elevated on a framework, and a rope fas-
tened to a scale which hung below was
attached to his girdle, a heavy cannon rest-
on the scale which lay upon rollers on
the floor. When all was ready the rollers
were knocked away, and the cannon re-
mained supported by the strength of his
loins. This feat depended entirely upon

the natural strength of the bones of the

pelvis, which form a double arch, requiring
an immense force to break it by any ex-
ternal pressure directed to the centre of the
arch ;
and as the legs and thighs are
capable of sustaining 4,000 or 5,000 lbs.
when they stand quite upright, the per-

former has no difficulty in resisting the
force of two horses, or in sustaining the

weight of a cannon weighing 2,000 or 3,000
lbs. The anvil trick, while very surprising,
consists alone in sustaining the anvil.
When this is done, the effect of the hammer

is as nothing. The heavier the anvil the
less the blow is felt.
A very wonderful man named Thomas

Topham exhibited some marvellous feats
of real and extraordinary strength in
London early in the present century. He

was 5ft. and about 31 years
ioin. in height,
of age when he began performing, and was

entirely ignorant of any method of making
16
his strength appear more surprising. One

of his feats was that of rolling up a very
strong large pewter plate with his fingers,
first rubbing the latter with coal ashes.
He also laid seven or eight short pieces of
strong tobacco pipes across his first and

third fingers and broke them all by the
strength of his middle finger. He broke
the bowl of a strong tobacco pipe placed
between the first and third fingers by press-
ing the fingers together sideways. Having
thrust another equally strong bowl under
his girdle, his legs being bent, he broke
it to pieces by the tendons of his hams
without altering the bending of his legs.
He lifted with his teeth and held in a hori-
zontal position for a considerable time a
table 6ft. lon^ with a half hundredweight
at the end of it, the feet of the table resting
against his knees. Again, holding in his
right hand an iron kitchen poker 3ft. long

and 3ms. round, he struck it upon his bare
left arm, between the elbow and the wrist,

till he bent the poker ;
and holding the
ends of it in his hands, the middle being
across the back of his neck, he brought
both ends of it before him, and would then
pull it almost straight again.
This last feat was the most difficult,
because the muscles which separate the

arms horizontally from each other are not
so strong as those which bring them to-
gether. He broke a rope about two inches

in circumference which was partly wound
round a cylinder four inches in diameter,
having fastened the other end of it to two

straps that went over his shoulder. He
lifted a rolling stone of 600 lbs. weight with
his hands only, standing in a frame above
it ;
and taking hold of a frame fastened to
it. Scientific men of that period, rating

the strength ol the weakest man at 125 lbs.,
and the strength of a strong man at 400 lbs. r
fixed Tophams strength at double the latter

18
figure, viz., 800 lbs. His own weight was

200 lbs. Topham met with a serious mis-
fortune at last through his ignorance of the
tricks of the trade. He undertook to

imitate the feat of the German Samson
of pulling against horses. Seating himself
on the ground with his feet against two
stirrups by the great weight of his body he
succeeded in pulling against a single horse,
but in attempting to pull against two of
them he was lifted out of his place, and one
of his knees was shattered against the
stirrups so as to deprive him of most of the
strength of one of his legs.
One of the oldest, and at the same time,
one of the most remarkable exhibitions of

mechanical strength and dexterity, is that
of supporting pyramids. It is described
by the Roman poet Claudianus, and has
been known in Europe ever since. Bel-
zoni, the Egyptian traveller, before he
began his career as an explorer in Egypt,
19
performed this feat in various parts of

Great Britain.
That the strong men of old were equal
to those of the present day, however, there
is grave doubt. Nowhere in any account
of them do we find any mention of their
lifting heavy weights in the shape of dumb-

bells (or their prototype) for practice.
They seem to have placed dependence

entirely on mere brute strength, and that
does not go very far in performing feats of
lifting, unless you have a fair knowledge of
the science, coupled with great nervous
force. Ifwe were to believe all that is
written of the Emperor Maximinus, he
must indeed have been a wonderful athlete,
and marvellously perfect in proportions.
There is, however, one incredible feat
mentioned by the historian, namely that of

his drawing a loaded chariot which two
o horses could not move.

strong Those who
understand anything about feats of strength
20
will know that this would be quite impos-

sible of accomplishment even supposing
he weighed 25 stone, which would be
proportionate to his measurements as it
is weight that is requisite more than

strength, to draw a load. If he weighed
even double what I have reckoned, he
could not have moved it. It is traditions
like these that impress anyone who has a

knowledge of the subject with the belief
that the feats recorded in the olden times
were like some of those of the present

day, grossly exaggerated.
From childhood my favourite hero was
Sir William Wallace, whose feats every
Scottish boy hears about, particularly those
with the two-handed sword which no man
could use but himself. I used to think
that the majority of all men of ancient
times must have been of immense propor-
tions, but that belief has been exploded by
an inspection of their armour. I have
21
always had a great liking for visiting
historical places, particularly where there

was any old armour to be seen, and on
several occasions I have received per-
mission to try on the largest breastplate

that could be found, but never yet did I
find one that was large enough by two or

three inches. When I remembered that
those breastplates were worn over thick

leather jerkins, I got my first inkling that
the men of Bruces day were not of large
and powerful physique. Neither were
they long-lived : a man was lucky if he
reached forty years of age in sound
health.
Scripture scenes and subjects have sup-

plied opportunities for painters of olden
times to delineate their men with enormous

muscles on every part of the body ;
and
even as near our own day as Nelsons
battles were fought, many pictures where
we see sailors stripped to the waist, show
22
large development of muscles out of all
proportion to the kind of work that class

ofmen were required to do. Indeed, those
who manned our ships at that date were
badly fed, and were allowed very little
liberty on shore, and the mortality amongst

them was frightful. Great sailors they
were and great fighters beyond a doubt,
but they did not possess the physique of
the Man-of-Wars men of the present day,
who are altogether differently treated.
23
CHAPTER II
GREAT STRENGTH AND ITS SOURCE
As my views upon the subject of physical

culture are somewhat different from those
of the majority of writers, I have been
induced to give them to the public in the
hope that my experience gained amongst

the best athletes of the day may find
acceptance. I am no believer in patent
exercisers, and have no faith in their
alleged potency as strength givers. Can

\ any sensible man imagine for one moment
that by pulling at a rubber, or doing any
;
24

Great Strength and its Source
other violent exercise, he will become a

strong man, unless he comes from a per-
f
fectly sound stock and has a perfectly
strong physique to start with ?
I am personally acquainted with the

following world-renowned athletes :
Cyclops, Milo, Saxon, John Marks, and

half-a-dozen amateurs who are nearly as
strong ;
and they all laugh to scorn the idea
of using any such exercise. The first four
are easily ahead of all other strong men
in this country at least, or were a year
ago.
I claim that a strong man is naturally

so, and has been strong even from boy-
hood, and not, as one tells us, that he
was a weak child up to seventeen, and
only then began to exercise and develop
strength.
What is the source of the great strength

which well-known performers exhibit to the
public? It has its origin in a perfectly

25 2
sound and healthy body, which, of course,

means that the muscles are in good con-
dition ;
but the true source of the abnormal
strength is the nervous force which excites
the muscles to action. This explains why
strong men are more frequent found
among medium-sized than among tall men.
The tall athlete asserts that the shorter
man has the advantage over him of having
shorter arms and a shorter back. The
short man has certainly the advantage in
weight-lifting ;
such as lifting a weight
from the table with the arm outstretched
along the table, and using only that part
of the arm from the elbow to wrist, and
bringing the weight to the perpendicular
stand.
On the other hand, the tall man has the

advantage over the short man in snatching
a weight from the ground with one sweep
to arms length or turning it to the shoulder,
as he has greater room to perform the

26

Great Strength and its Source
motion than the short man. But the real
reason why a short man is stronger is be-
cause his nervous force is more concentrated

than a tall mans. This explains the say-
ing that for one good big man you can
always find a dozen small men as good, in
any branch of athletics ;
but when you do
find a good athlete who is head and
shoulders above the smaller men, he is
indeed a good one. That explains why

men like Donald Dinnie, George Davidson,
and a host of our leading Scottish athletes
are foremost in all-round athletics, includ-
ing feats of strength. They are full of
concentrated nervous force, and are not
dependent entirely on muscle although the
muscle is there. These men do not devote
themselves to building up muscle solely, as
that will not produce great strength. The

only way to develop this is to have an
object in view and concentrate the will
power which is really the nervous force

27
;
and the muscular energy upon it brain
and body working simultaneously.
28
CHAPTER III
MODES OF PERFORMING FEATS
It is astonishing how ignorant people are

now-a-days concerning feats of strength
which, if they took the trouble to enquire
into, would seem very simple after all. To
read the announcements on the play-bills
you would imagine that the Strong Man
had the strength of half-a-dozen ordinary
men. Whereas the real truth is that the
strongest man known if it could be decided
who that is has not more than the strength
of two ordinary men in good health. That
is to say, a strong man may lift a bar-bell
weighing 240 lbs. (which is an extraordinary
weight, and is about the heaviest that
29
any strong man performs with) from

the ground to arms-length above the
head, with both hands ;
and you can take
two ordinary men and after a few minutes
practice in getting them both to lift at the
same moment, they will elevate the same

weight. To lift a weight with two hands
is considered the hardest way and the
greatest test of a mans strength. There
are strong men who can raise with
one hand from the shoulder to arms-
length above the head, weights of from

200 to 230 lbs., but if you ask these same
men to lift it with two hands it is ten-to-
one they could not do it, proving that the

one handed lift is accomplished with great
practice, and is simply done with leverage
of the body. This mode of lifting is not
allowed in competition. It is always taken

advantage of by Stage Athletes, as it is
attractive, and sounds very well to say that
the performer can raise such and such a

30
Modes of Performing Feats
weight with one hand, the public thinking

naturally that he could lift double the weight
with two hands, the fact being that he pro-
bably could not lift it at all with both hands.
This is why the exhibitor usually asks any
competitors who may accept his invitation
to come on to the stage and test his weights,
to try them with both hands, as he knows

that unless they were stronger than him-
self they could not raise them in that way.
There are so many different ways of
testing strength that it is very difficult to
tell a really strong man. Some athletic
friend may show you a trick which looks

like a feat of strength and which you may
never have seen before, and although you
may be a much stronger man, you may
fail to accomplish it. Of such a kind is
the raising of a chair by one leg. Your

friend may have a larger hand or a
stronger grip but that does not mean that
he is a stronger man. The true test of
31
great natural strength is to lift an immense

weight (approaching a ton) from the
ground with the shoulders. This is called
a harness lift. I myself have lifted
twenty-two cwt. in this way, which in-
cluded a small elephant and four men ;

as
Mr. E. H. Bostock, of Bostock and
Wombell fame, or his employees, can
testify. This was a genuine lift without
any special apparatus which some per-
formers have for reducing the weight upon

the shoulders.
Another genuine test of strength consists,
as I said before, of raising a weight from
the ground above the head, with two

hands, or with one hand to the shoulder.
Most of the other feats in weight-lifting
are the result of practice and balancing,
and can be accomplished by a man of
normal strength. For this reason most
of the up-to-date performers have almost
discarded the use of dumb-bells and
32
Cults.
3
Ton
Weight:
weights, and invented more showy and

artistic feats, something that a manager
can announce with dclat on a play-bill to
attract the public, and the public will rush
to see a man supporting a platform (as I
do nightly) on which is placed a piano,

six members of the orchestra, and a young
man dancing a hornpipe, the whole sup- ,
ported on my knees and shoulders, with

my body in the form of a bridge, hands
and feet on the ground ;
and they will take
little notice of a man who raises a dumb-
bell 240 lbs. weight a feat of strength
which, I claim, is really much greater. The
public do not really understand feats of
strength, and usually give more applause
for the more showy though less difficult per-
formance. One thing they do understand, v
however, and that is a 56 lbs. weight ;

and
my feat of jumping over a chair with one
of these in each hand, is better appreciated
than all the paraphernalia of platforms, etc.
33
Other feats of strength, or so called

strength, such as snapping chains, break-
ing coins, etc., are taken very little notice
of by genuine strong men, as they are
considered beneath contempt. The chains
are undoubtedly broken, but it is by
trickery. There is one false link that
breaks with very little pressure. As for
breaking the coins, let the reader place a

penny (which is the softest coin) in a vice
and try to bend it, gripping the edge with a
pair of pliers, and see how much force is
really required to bend it even. He will
then have an idea how great a force is
required to break a penny piece. As these

feats are performed so cleverly on the
stage, by palming and various other ways
of working the trick, I can quite believe
that they can deceive the public. I have
been almost deceived myself. If any one
doubts my statement and should meet a
strong man who professes to break coins,
34
let him give him a coin and ask him to
break it there and then, and he will see for

himself that the strong man will make
some excuse He cannot do it.
35
CHAPTER IV
WEIGHT-LIFTERS AND THEIR METHODS
Most people imagine that when they see

a man with large ponderous muscles he
must be extraordinarily strong, but it is a
well-known fact amongst weight-lifters that
the really strongest men show no extra-

ordinary muscular development whatever,
but of course have enormous bulk, as for
instance Tuerk of Vienna, who is at least
twenty stone weight. Louis Cyr of Canada,

who visited this country some few years
back, was a very big man. Cyclops also.
These men are all of enormous bulk and

fitted for nothing else but weight-lifting.
I do not mean say that these men have
36
Weight-Lifters and their Methods
no muscles worth speaking of, for on the

contrary they have large ponderous
muscles covered by a thick layer of what
athletes call, for want of a better name,
muscular fat. One would imagine that
these men, with their enormous bulk would

lift almost twice as heavy a weight as a
man six or seven stone lighter, but such is
not the case, as there are several athletes

who, not weighing above twelve stone,
show a very high development of muscle,
and can lift within a pound or two of what
the heavy men lift, which proves that
there is a certain limit to a mans strength
no matter how big or how muscular he
may be.
It may naturally be asked what are the

heaviest weights that have been lifted ?
There are strong men on the stage who

profess to lift 300 lbs., but that is all
bunkum, and is as big a fraud as the

chain breaking.
37
The only man who I believe may have

been able to do that is Tuerk of Vienna.
There have been no Strong Men com-
petitions of late, so the public are really
uncertain what can be done. To give a
fair idea of the weights that can be lifted
by them, let me cite the contest
between Hercules and Sandow at the
Royal Music Hall, London, in which
Sandow was defeated, he having signally
failed to lift from the ground to the

shoulder and above the head 232 lbs. That
was a dumb-bell in the right hand weighing
1 20 lbs., and 1 1 2 lbs. in the left, a feat which
Hercules easily accomplished. This, and
a lift of 174 lbs. from the ground to the
shoulder and to arms length above the

head with one hand by Hercules, were, in
my opinion, the only genuine feats of
strength in the contest, and this is the
opinion of other athletes as well. Sandow

made a great outcry at the time that he
38
was treated unfairly, and a certain portion

of the public who did not understand
weight-lifting, believed him. They could
not understand why he lost the decision,
because he crowded up 250 lbs. in one

hand from the shoulder. The judges
knew differently, and he got very little
sympathy amongst athletes, as the best
man undoubtedly won.

Since then Sandow has become quite
famous by introducing novel feats of

strength, such as the horses on the see-saw,
the human dumb-bell, and others. He

avoided and refused all contests, although
he has been challenged dozens of times

by different athletes, including the writer.
He tries to make the public believe that
he treats all these challenges with con-
tempt, but the real truth is he is afraid of
falling off his high pedestal. I would
like the reader, however, to understand
thoroughly that I am in no way prejudiced
39
against him, for, in a sense, I admire him

as an effective performer. The main idea
of a Stage Performer is to keep his name

before the public, and there is no doubt
Sandow has been successful in this. It is
quite amusing, though, to see the high-
handed way in which he poses as an

authority on Physical Culture. He fondly
imagines his figure is perfect, which is by

no means the case. He has three very
grave faults viz., the sloping shoulders,
small calves, and flat feet, common to all
the German athletes.
Some time ago a gentleman wrote
through the pages of the Golden Penny,

expressing his opinion that if Sandow had
a defect it was in his bad shoulders. San-
dow indignantly replied that it was merely

deception, as it was owing to the extra-
ordinary size of the muscles leading from

the neck to the shoulders that made it
appear so. He may have convinced the

40
Shewing Triceps of arm in repose .
E. T. PENROSE, Southport, Photographer.

gentleman, but he did not convince the

people who know him and who understand
it. He again says he does not believe in
men with square shoulders, as the man
with the sloping shoulders is the strongest
man. This suits his own case admirably.
He further says he does not believe in the
man with the massive calf again suiting
his own case delightfully. His self-admira-
tion is truly sublime.
Sandow, when on the stage, is seen at

his best, as he works with his shoulders
humped up most of the time, giving the
impression that he is massive across the
chest. But seen at a close view in his
natural state, with the muscles relaxed, he
is very disappointing, and not at all the
ideal figure he makes himself out to be.
41 3
CHAPTER V
MEASUREMENTS
An extraordinary and unsatisfactory kind

of competition took place last year in con-
nection with a Physical Culture Magazine
in which Mr. Sandow figures as referee.
There were several valuable prizes offered,
the principal one being a statue supposed

to be of Sandow himself, but which is as
unlike his figure as that of the Farnese

Hercules is to the statue of Apollo.
It is a strange competition, as the prize

is to be presented to the best developed
man in the British Isles, and yet the
people connected with Sandows training

schools are debarred, and I suppose also
Measurements
professionals. This is done of course to
increase the number of subscribers to the

magazine.
O No one would enter for this
competition if well-known athletes and

models were allowed to compete ;
so the
title, whoever wins it, must be really a
hollow one, and must read like this :
The Champion best developed man of

the British Isles, after all other likely
winners have been barred.

Had the competition been open to all
(Sandow included), and had the judges

been competent and unbiassed, there
would have been no danger of him
winning the prize. The reader may
think I am hard upon Sandow, but I
really wish I could say something com-

mendable about him in the athletic line
(leaving his weight lifting aside) as his
athletic achievements up to now have been
only on paper. Here is an instance of his
craze for newspaper notoriety : Some
43
;
time ago he challenged the world to a

bicycle race of ten miles for not less than
1,000 a side, hoping, of course, that no

one would take any notice of it. But, to
his surprise, Stokes of Hull accepted
whereupon the challenger made the rather
lame excuse that the challenge was only
open for two days or so, and that he was
now so full up of engagements that he had
no time to go into training.
Immediately after the Oxford and Cam-

bridge boat-race of 1898, Sandow stated
that if the Cambridge crew would put them-
selves under his system of training, they
would most certainly win. I was glad to
see that Cantab made him look very

foolish, and I think he will now understand
that it is not all muscle that wins a boat-
race, although, strangely enough, Cam-
bridge won the race in 1899 independently
of him.
Athletic people some time ago had a
44
Measurements
high opinion of Sandow, but these foolish

things reported in the papers, as the sport-
ing men would say, gave him away.
Now little notice is taken of his lucubra-
tions. Here is his very latest, which I
have copied from Tit- Bits (and I am sur-
prised they would print it). I asked a

well-known athletes opinion of it. He
glanced at it and calmly remarked that he
did not think Sandow was any relation of
George Washington.
The article says that Sandow can take
an oak board 3-^ inches thick, 12 inches
wide, and about five feet long, fix it in a
vice to hold it firmly at the top and bottom,

and with a straight blow with his left fist,
striking fairly in the middle of the board,
break a hole right through it. He can

also take a board 2 inches thick, 2 feet
long, and 1 foot wide, and throwing it up
in the air, hit at, and break it in two as it
falls. Let the reader try this with a light

walking-stick and see where the stick goes

to. I fancy this new story is really got up
to give the public an idea of what would
happen if he engaged in a prize-fight with
Sharkey or Fitzsimmons. Both these men
are considerably smaller men, Fitzsimmons,
in particular, showing comparatively little
muscular development in the arms but

not only can they strike a more power-
ful blow than Sandow, but he could not
stand up two rounds in front of either of
them.
There is an old saying amongst prize-
fighters which has been proved true time

after time : It takes two punches to defeat
a wrestler, and one to defeat a weight-lifter.
So his pretensions in that quarter would be
knocked on the head, especially as he is a
German, and Germans as a rule do not
excel in this branch of sport.
But he overdoes it sometimes ;
particu-
larly when he states his measurements to

46

Measurements
the reporter who interviews him. I have

never yet met nor heard of a man whom
Sandow allowed to measure him to get at
his correct measurements. The measure-

ments he gives are pure imagination on his
part, and I defy him to prove them.

Here is a list of them published in
Tit-Bits of Feb. nth, 1899 :
Weight, 14 st. 6 lbs ;

height, 5ft. 9^ in. ;
neck, 18 in. ;
chest, 48 in. (normal) expanded
62 in. ;
waist, 30 in. ;
hips, 42 in. ;
thigh, 25
in. ;
knee, 14 in. ;
calf, 18 in. ;
ankle, in.
upper-arm, 19J in. ;

forearm, 17 in. ;
wrist,
72 in-
This does not give athletic young men

much encouragement to go in for physical
exercise to improve their physique, as they

imagine it a waste of time, if they believe
what Sandow says. They get dispirited
when they see these enormous measure-
ments, and wonder why they cannot come
near them, especially as he professes to
47

have been such a weakling up to seventeen
years of age. Compare the figure on the

frontispiece with a photograph (same size)
of Sandow, and you can easily see how

much or how little difference there is.
The measurements of this figure are as

follows :
Height, 5 ft. 6 in. ;

weight, 12 st. 8 lb.
(stripped) ;
chest, 49 in. (expanded),
normal, 45 in. ;
biceps, i6f in. ;
waist, 30
in. ;
thigh, 24 in. ;
calf, 17 in. ;
neck, 17 in.
These are the correct measurements.
We will now take Sandows measure-

ments. If he measured what he says, he
would have to weigh at least 18 stone, and
that without any loose flesh. In these
measurements he gives a distinct difference
of 14 in. between normal and expanded

chest ;
which I maintain is not that of a
perfectly developed chest. A true athlete
with a properly developed chest can never

expand more than two or three inches. It
48
Measurements
does not require an expert to see that
there is something wrong about a chest

that expands fourteen inches, as, if it were
really the case, it only proves that the
bones and cartilages of the chest are abnor-

mally expansile. The only other man ever
heard of whose chest expanded like an
inflated balloon was last year on exhibition
in Barnum and Baileys show, and was
classed as a freak. He is now called a
prodigy. So if Sandow really persists in
saying he can expand to 62 inches on the

chest we have no help for it, but to place
him under the heading of freaks or pro-
digies. The idea of developing the chest /
is to increase the breathing capacity of the 1
lungs. A proper chest ought to be round

and hard in the shape of a water-butt, and
I must say that most of the British Army
gymnasium instructors, also all our leading t
athletes, have this form.
My object is to correct the gross errors

49
found in some other books upon this sub-

ject. I have no faith whatever in the
practice advocated by Sandow of taking
a cold bath immediately after violent exer-
cise, dispensing with the rough towel and
dressing while the body is still wet. He
says that his circulation is so vigorous that
he feels no ill effects, but that he does not
think everybody could stand it. I should
think not. For such a practice to be
seriously recommended in a book on health
and physical culture, argues sheer ignor-
ance of the laws of the body. The state-
ment is on a par with many others of a

sensational character in the book. It is
startling, and answers the temporary

purpose of a good advertisement. Let
the reader ask his family doctor, who
is at least as good an authority as the
advocate of this palpably foolish practice,

which stands condemned by the fact that
he does not think everyone could stand it.

CHAPTER VI
MY OWN CAREER
As to my own career, I may not be well
known in England, as I found my most pro-

fitable engagements were always abroad.
I was born in the north of Scotland
Banffshire in 1872. Contrary to some
athletes who affirm that they were
delicate in childhood, my case was the
reverse ;
as not only was I wonderfully
strong hereditarily, but all my brothers
were similarly endowed with splendid con-
stitutions ;
I, however, am the strongest.
At school I easily beat my companions in
all sports and games of the playground.
At fourteen I could raise a 56 lbs. weight
51
in each hand, above my head a feat which

none of the teachers could attempt. At
that time I was about 5 ft. in height and
was heavily built and very active. By some
means or other I got acquainted with a
circus performer who was connected with a
circus on a visit to the town. I had already
been to see the circus, and was fired with
the ambition to become a performer.

When the circus left the town, I was
easily persuaded by the performer I had
got acquainted with to join the company
and become a member of his acrobatic
troupe. I, of course, knew that I should

never receive permission from my parents ;
so I resolved to take French leave, and

the same morning that the circus left the
town, I was missing at the breakfast table,
and already ten miles on the way to the
next town, as blythe as a lark, sitting up

beside my friend who was driving one of
the wagons. In the middle of every hill

52
Backward somersault over a low chair carrying 56
, lbs. in the hands.
liaising a man with right hand while juggling plates with

left.
My Own Career
we mounted I had to jump down and

scotch
the wheel while the horses rested.
Of course it was soon found out where I
had gone to. One morning, a week later,
when we were busy practising in the ring,

my father turned up and commanded me
to return home. I, however, prevailed upon
him to let me stay, and as he saw that I
was in good hands he consented, thinking

that a week or two would cure me of the
love of circus life. Nevertheless I re-
mained, and as my heart was in athletic

work I daily increased my strength and
activity. I learned one or two pretty
tricks in somersault throwing, which I
found very useful later on, when I became

an exhibitor of feats of strength ;
particu-
larly the feat in which I would throw a

back somersault with a thirty-pound dumb-
bell in each hand. I stayed altogether
nine months with this circus, and then
returned home again, as the acrobatic
troupe broke up through an accident to

the principal performer.
I stayed at home a short time, and then
the restless fever came upon me again, and
I was sent off to a farm which my uncle
owned in Manitoba, Canada. I was not
destined to arrive without adventure how-
ever, as the ship I went on, the Cynthia of
the Donaldson Line, sailing from Glasgow,

came in collision with the Polynesian of
the Allan Line, in the river St. Lawrence,
only seven miles from our destination,
Montreal. Our vessel being the lighter
one, and proceeding against the tide,
received all the damages and went down

in less than three minutes after the
collision. The captain gave orders to
make for the bank, and she went down

head foremost in forty fathoms of water
over sixteen people being drowned, most

of them meeting their death by crowding
into one of the boats which swung from
54
My Own Career
the davits, and which for some reason or

other could not be lowered ;
until at the
last moment the vessel heeled over on her

side swamping the boat. I kept clear of
the boat, as there really was no room,
taken up as it was by the firemen and
stokers who were cursing and fighting
amongst themselves to get places. At

the moment when the vessel heeled over
I jumped from the rail near the stern and
swam ashore, landing much exhausted, as
the current was very strong at that place.
Of course I lost all my belongings except

my train pass, which I had booked through
to Manitoba.
After waiting a day or two in Montreal
for the inquiry I proceeded on my journey,
and arrived safely at the end of it. I
spent one year there. Of my farm life I
have little to say, except that I relieved the

monotony by practising feats of strength
as often as I could. I had very little

55
apparatus at this time, my principal weight

being a plough which I used to raise in
either hand, above my head ;

it would
weigh about 130 lbs. My other imple-
ments were two cart axels lashed together.
I persevered at this until I was quite

the talk amongst the farmers, who
one day made a match with me to
have a contest of strength with a

half-breed who was famed for his strength,
and had served with Louis Riel in the
rebellion a short time before. Of this
match I need not say more than that I
defeated him easily, the heaviest weight
he could raise above his head, with one

hand, being 120 lbs.
A short time after I had another match

with a labourer, an Irishman, who chal-
lenged me to wheel bricks up a slight
incline. I had a weeks practise and de-

feated him by wheeling 90 bricks, each
one weighing 7 lbs ;

the most the Irishman

My Own Career
could manage was 65. I also at this time
performed what they said was a wonderful

feat of strength for one of my age, viz. :
picking up a steel rail 24 ft. long and

carrying it on my shoulder a distance of 40
yards.
I received a communication one day

from a circus proprietor who had heard
about me, asking if I would accept an
engagement, which I did ;
and from that
time forward I was known in the United
States as the Canadian Strong Boy. I
performed one season with this show,

then joined a bigger one next year, after-
wards doing a tour of the music halls
throughout the States.
I then returned to this country and
toured with a small company in Ireland,
ultimately joining Bostock and Baileys
circus, and toured all through the South of
England. I stayed there nine months, then
gave up circuses and came under the
57 4
notice of the late Wm. Holland of the

Winter Gardens, Blackpool, who became
my agent and booked my engagments at
most of the leading music halls in this
country ;
after which I made a tour of
Germany, France, and Holland, returning
to England at intervals.
In 1897 I sailed for South America,

stayed there two years, travelling through
the whole of the Argentine Republic, and
the Brazils, under the guidance of the
popular impresario Mr. Frank Brown, and
,
meeting with splendid success everywhere.

During these years I have, in addition to
practising feats of strength, studiously made
myself conversant with each and every
subject that dealt with the human body,
and particularly the muscular and nervous
systems, as I considered that to really be
strong and keep strong I ought to know
all about my body ;
and well it is that I
have done so, as it has saved me many a

58
My Own Career
mistake for which I might have suffered.
I know exactly how far to go in testing my

strength and never overdoing it ;
and
despite what many uninformed people may
think, I expect, barring accidents, to see a
a good and healthy old age.
9
CHAPTER VII
HOW TO DEVELOP MUSCLE
There have been many different ways

of developing muscle recommended by
various athletes, which yet in the end are
practically the same (especially as regards
physical developing exercises), and are all
more or less copies of the system originated

by Professer Dowd of America. I have
never believed in those so-called exer-
cisers, as they are too monotonous, and
supply no real means of testing what
strength you are gaining. If you wish
your muscles to do a particular thing, you
must practise that thing, starting in a small
way. I have met several men with splendid

60
APOLLO," AT 26 YEARS OF AGE.
Shewing Biceps see (rope-climbing exercise.)
Geo. Cross, Southport, Photographer.

\
How to Develop Muscle
development who have no real strength,
despite all their practice. They certainly
showed plenty of muscle, but it might just

as well have been useless fat, for all the
good they could do with it.
One young man who had a splendid arm f,
and who went in greatly for biceps

exercise was one day watching me
practice climbing the rope, (which is the
exercise that recommend for the biceps )
I
when I asked him how far he thought he *
could climb. He replied he thought he

could go to the top easily although he had
never tried it before : but he had un-
limited faith in his biceps. He struggled
up hand over hand, a distance of about
io ft., but for the life of him he could get
no further. His explanation of this fiasco
was that he thought his biceps muscles

were too big ;
but as my own were larger
and my legs much heavier than his, he
had to acknowledge there was something
else the matter. Undoubtedly he had

put in much work, and showed
plenty of muscle, but could produce no
result, as his practise only served to in-
crease the size without enabling him to do

any particular feat. He had worked hard
for three years at developing himself,
sticking to very light exercises all the time.
I reckoned that he had been working twice

as hard as I had been, as I got as much
benefit out of climbing a rope 30 ft. high,
and which only occupied two minutes to

reach the top and descend again, as he had
got practising (as he told me he did) on
the biceps especially, three times per day,

and ten minutes each time. From all this
fag he got no practical result, whereas I
was able to wear out six men, good

athletes, reaching the top of the rope
firstevery time and being opposed by a

fresh man each ascent, on an opposite
rope, no part of the body except the

62
How to Develop Muscle
hands being allowed to touch the rope,
which was fastened at the bottom, and at
a slight angle.
I practised principally the same as all
other strong men have done, with very

light weights, gradually increasing the
weight as I felt myself grow stronger, and
never missing an opportunity of engaging
in any athletic game that came in my way.
I have no system of Dumb-bell practice
other than I have been taught in the
gymnasium, only that I put my mind into
it. I always paid more attention to learn-

ing how to breathe properly, how to carry
the figure erect with the chest expanded

and the shoulders thrown well back.
There is one excellent exercise, however
which I never neglect, which is called by
athletes dipping; that is, I place two
strong chairs back to back, leaving enough
space between to stand with a hand on the
back of each, making them for the time
63
equivalent to parallel bars, then raising

the feet from the ground, allowing the
arms to bend at the elbow I drop slowly
down till the knees are nearly touching
the floor, then push up to the straight arm
again. This is a magnificent exercise for
developing the great pectoral muscle which
lies across the breast, and the deltoid
muscle which lies over the point of the
shoulder ;
also the anterior brachial muscle
just below the insertion of the deltoid. It
also develops the great muscle of the back,
the latissimus dorsi, and the triceps at the

back of the arm. The forearm also
receives great benefit, as the supinator,
the common extensor, and the ulnar

extensor, together with some smaller
muscles of the arm, all do their fair share

of the work.
This I continue till the muscles ache. I
do this every morning, 50 dips, not uninter-

ruptedly, but at intervals, during my toilet.
64
Shewing Deltoid Triceps and Pectoral muscles
, .
E. T. PENROSE, Southport, Photographer.

CHAPTER VIII
THE CHEST, AND OTHER MUSCLES
Having now described how to develop

the chest and the biceps muscles of the arms,
a few words on how I keep the rest of my
muscles in condition may be of interest.
The dipping exercise I have previously
described, which develops the deltoid,
triceps ,
and upper part of the body. The
neck I pay very little attention to, as one
part of my performance consists of swing-
ing aman round suspended from my teeth.
This is the best exercise I know of, for
developing the muscles of the neck and
jaw. The novice can try this with a very
light-weight to start with, gradually in-
creasing it. It is not necessary to have

good teeth to perform this, as good teeth
are rather a drawback, they being so
smooth on the edge. Most of the per-
formers who lift weights with their teeth,
have very bad teeth, broken with jagged
edges ;
this secures a better hold of the
mouth-piece. The whole art consists in
having a proper pad to fit the mouth.

Some performers have a cast of the
mouth taken in wax, afterwards covered
with a strong canvas or leather, but this I
cannot recommend. The best way to
make a pad is to get a piece of soft india-
rubber, gutta percha for preference, and

sew it firmly inside a folded piece of lamp
wick broad enough to fill the mouth so
that the teeth can get a good bite. Im-
mediately before lifting, soak this in cold
water. When anyone tries to lift with a

mouthpiece of this kind he will be aston-
ished how much weight he can raise.
66
^npporting with one arm 2Qo lbs.
Ratsing; 400 lbs. Weight by the teeth.

x
The Chest and Other Muscles
y
The best exercise I know of for develop-
ing that beautiful series of muscles lying

across the abdomen is to lie flat on the
back on a hard surface, the body being
perfectly rigid, and the legs slowly raised
to the perpendicular, afterwards reversing
the movement by keeping the feet to the
ground and raising the body slowly to a

sitting position ;
this being repeated until
the muscles ache. It is advisable to nail
a strap on the floor for the latter half of the
exercise, inserting the toes under it in order
to keep the feet to the ground while the
upper half of the body attains the perpen-
dicular. This is a most severe exercise,
and should be practised most sparingly by
the beginner. I vary this exercise by j
placing a light weight on the abdomen,

expanding and contracting the muscles,
causing the weight to rise and fall. This
is a capital method for reducing the j
flesh.
67
Ideal Physical Culture y
To develop the muscles across the loins,
take two dumb-bells, lbs. each to start

5^
with, and placing them on the ground side
by side, stand over them with the legs
wide apart ;
then bend over from the hips
keeping the knees stiff, and raise the
dumb-bells with a swing, arms stiff, above
the head ;
repeating this movement until
the muscles slightly ache. As you feel
stronger, gradually increase the weight

until you can do 20 lbs. or 30 lbs. in this
way. Never go beyond that, no matter

how strong you are ;
only you can increase
or decrease the number of times according
as to how you feel. These muscles are the r
foundation of a strong man, and unless

they are well developed he cannot expect
to become an athlete.
Most strong men suffer from weakness

here at times, and if weight-lifting is
still persisted in while in this state the
consequence is apt to be serious, and has

68
,
.
ruined many a good athlete. Weakness

in this direction is made known by a dull
pain in the back, which feels easier when

stooping forward. This partly explains
how many people walk so badly. The
muscles of the loins are not strong enough
to support the body erect, hence the
reason for corsets and broad belts which

gives a feeling of relief, and help to buoy
up the back. Those who suffer most from
this are policemen and men with heavy
bodies, who do little exercise ;

indeed I
call this, for want of a better name, police-
mens back-ache. Almost anyone whose

muscles are not well developed can incur
this by sauntering aimlessly about the
streets, with no apparent object in view.

But let the same man make up his mind
to reach a definite point, and set off walk-
ing at a brisk pace, he will notice how
quickly the pain will vanish. This is the
result of his mind being occupied, the
69
nerves and muscles working in unison, in
obedience to the will power. Proving

again that all exercises for developing
muscles should be founded upon the
principle of having some object in view
'beyond the mere developing; something to
be accomplished.
It is for this reason that I am an
enthusiastic believer in football, jumping,
and all other sports indulged in by
Britons. Some athletes would have you
believe that you should develop every
muscle of the body first, and then go in
for sports. I say, Rot. You have only

to look around amongst all our leading
athletes (and there are some wonderful
ones) and you will see that they show
comparatively little muscle to the eye ;
but
it is there all the same. It may seem
to the reader a very extraordinary thing
for me to say that I do not believe in
the man with the enormous muscles as

70
Shewing development offore-arm.
Buckley, Photographer, Limerick,

)
an athlete, as his energy comes to him

in a short powerful effort like the sprinter,
and he cannot hold out any length
of time. The man doing the marvellous
feats of strength may be compared to
the lion (which feeds on animal food)
and is capable of enormous force for a
short time, but is soon exhausted.
71
CHAPTER IX
THE WAIST MUSCLES
No better exercise is known for
strengthening the muscle at the sides
of the waist, that is, external oblique
muscles of the abdomen, and the iliac
muscle, which is just above the hip-bone,

than sculling, standing up in the boat,
with the feet well apart, and at every
turn of the oar letting the upper part
of the body sway well from the hips to
each side alternately. This exercise
ought to be taken advantage of whenever

possible ;
or any other exercise making
a similar movement, as it will greatly
improve the carriage of the body,

72
Shewing Biceps of arm, thigh and calf of leg with muscles
partially flexed.
E. T. PENROSF., Southport, Photographer.

The Waist Muscles
To develop the mu scles of the thigh,

including the sartorius or tailors muscle,
which reaches from above the hip to
below the knee, crossing the top of the

thigh to the inside part of the knee ;
the
rectus femoris which goes straight down
the front of the thigh to the knee, and
the vastus externus muscle, which lies on
the outside of the thigh, reaching to the
knee, the best exercise is jumping, not
long jumps, but short quick jumps, or
the exercise called dipping, performed
with the legs instead of the arms, as
previously described. Stand erect, with
feet slightly apart, chest thrown out,
rest your hand lightly on the back of a

chair to keep your balance, then perform
the movement of sitting down on your

heels, and every time you rise stiffen
the muscles of the thigh. Be careful to
stand on the ball of the foot all the time,

never allowing the heels to touch the
73 5
floor. The time ought to be one dip

per second, continuing till the muscles
ache. As you get stronger, you can
strap a light weight across your shoulders.
When I perform this exercise, I
generally have a small boy on my back,

sitting well up on the shoulders.
Walking develops the same muscles,
if done in a spirited way ;
but the grandest
exercise of all is kicking a football,
which will also greatly enlarge the biceps

at the back of the thigh.
74
Shewing abnormal development of legs,
<(
(see Dipping" exercises.)
Buckley, Photographer, Limerick.

CHAPTER X
THE LEG MUSCLES
For developing the calf of the leg
there is no better exercise known than

skipping, keeping on the ball of the foot
the whole of the time, and skipping one leg
at a time.
Climbing or mountaineering will also
develop the calves. My own favourite

exercise is going upstairs on tiptoe as
lightly as possible and carrying a weight
on my back : stiffening the muscles every
time the foot falls on a step and relax-
ing them the moment the foot leaves it.
To get the full advantage of this exercise
it must be done slowly. One would

imagine that a convict undergoing punish-

ment on the treadmill would develop
enormous calves, but the reverse is the
case proving again that, unless done
with a free will and zest, no good results
from mere routine exercise.

For the tibialis anticus muscle on the front
part of the leg, which when developed gives
a grand appearance, use the following exer-
cise. When sitting stretch the legs out
well in front with the heels on the ground,
and move the toes back and forward.
The last, and what I consider my
best exercise, as every muscle of the
body is at work, is to take a hand-cart
with a weight in it, and pull it up a
hill, digging the toes well into the ground.
These exercises are exactly what I have
practised myself, and the heavier of them
are intended for athletes or powerful
men who have great natural strength,
but whose muscles may not be large.

76
condition.
grand
in
AGE.
flesh-coat
OF
but
YEARS
26
over-developed,
APOLLO.
not
muscles
'.
back
Shewing
;
The Leg Muscles
The lighter exercises can be performed

by any ordinary men in fair health. I
do not wish the reader to think that I
practise all these exercises every day

far from my usual work is
that ;
as
quite enough to keep me in condition.

Weeks might elapse without my practis-
ing any of them, but whenever I have
a lazy feeling or any vacant time, I
make these exercises take the place of

my nightly work. By doing this I
manage to make the work pleasant

without its becoming monotonous.
There is a limit to all development,
and the main idea should be to keep
under that limit ;
as, if you reach that
point and continue still to practise the
same exercises, atrophy or wasting of
the tissue may be brought on. I am of
the firm opinion that great danger arises
from carrying athletics to extremes. It
causes uneven development of limbs and

77

organs, due to special and extravagant

devotion to one form of exercise. This
is especially dangerous in immature

bodies, say under 20 years of age
causing over-strain of the nerves, and
rapid waste of tissue ;

and most serious
of all, general poisoning by the accumula-
tion of waste products in the body far
more rapidly than they can be eliminated
by natural means. Indeed, over physical

bad mental effect, for
culture has a very
the more perfectly trained a man is in
a physical sense, the nearer he approaches

to the level of an automaton a splendidly ;
balanced and regulated machine, but weak-

ened in the higher mental qualities. It is,
in short, an illustration of the old saying,
the candle cannot be burned at both ends

with safety. Vital force cannot be in-
creased in this way. It can only be specia-
lized, and what is gained in one direction
has to be lost in another.

78
J
N. S. KAY, Bolton, Photographer.

APOLLO," AT 22 YEARS OF AGE,
In renewed health having curtailed the
,
exercises.
N. S. KAY, Bolton, Photographer.

CHAPTER XI
THE PROPER METHOD OF BREATHING
Another exercise, which I practise only
on bright mornings when there is plenty of

fresh air about is this. I open the window
from the bottom and lean out, with my
(
hands on the window-sill, then take a deep
inspiration through the nose, holding the
breath a few seconds while the lungs are

fully inflated. Then slightly pressing the
abdomen on the sill, I let the breath

slowly leave through the mouth ;
repeating
this movement twenty or thirty times. I
also practise this while walking.

i m
When I practised this first, I counted
how many steps I could walk without
letting any of the breath go, and found

that fifty were as many as I could possibly
do, but with practice increased the number
of steps gradually, until now I can walk
one hundred and forty quite comfortably.
I never practise this, of course, unless

where there is good air.
Let the reader try this, especially if he

has a weak chest, and he will soon find
what a benefit it is. It will expand the
chest as no violent exercise can, and
greatly increase the lung capacity.
I found this of great use in South
America, while approaching any low
marshy ground, when driving or riding.
The vapours from these swamps are the
cause of all the fever there (together with

bad drainage in the towns.)
The drivers of cars which ply to the
suburbs of Santos in Brazil gave warning

to the passengers, when approaching any
swamps or bad drains, by taking a deep
repose.
in
figure
whole
hewing
^
;
The Proper Method of Breathing
breath of good air, and whipping up the

mules smartly to get quickly through
the passengers generally covering their
mouths with their handkerchiefs, till there
was pure air to breathe again.
81
CHAPTER XII
RULES FOR MUSCULAR EXERCISE
Whatever sort of muscular exercise is
taken, there are certain rules which every-

one should attend to. At the age of
fift een to twen ty, bon e s, m u scles, an d
n erves are all immatu re ;
they gradually
attain during this time their firmness,
bulk, and full perfection. But they

require gentle treatment. Violent, and
especially rapid exercise, is quite out of
place in the earlier years ;
what should be
aimed at is slow exercise, with frequent
short intervals of rest. I can perhaps
illustrate what mean by an example a
I :
youth or girl goes to a gymnasium now :

Rtiles for Muscular Exercise
the object should not be to attain
dexterity in certain exercises, (though this

naturally comes after a time), but to train
and develop the muscles ;

and yet very
commonly we see them attempting, by the
most violent exertions, to accomplish some
difficult or rapid feat which leaves them
panting, half exhausted, and with muscles
over-strained. No good instructor woidd
allow this. Whether a particular gym-
nastic feat is accomplished or not, is a
matter of no consequence ;
the important
matter is that the muscles should be at
work in a way which sufficiently exercises,
without over-straining them.

It may be said, indeed, in this period of
life, that great rapidity and sudden violence
of muscular work, should be altogether
avoided. Emulation often leads to inju-
dicious exertion.
I may conclude this chapter by repeating
that every young man or woman at the
83
growing period of life should have the

muscles cultivated, just as the mind is
cultivated at a college, or in a trade ;

that
this cultivation should be like mental
tuition, systematic, continuous, and slow ;
be never carried beyond the powers, and

be gradually made stronger and more
vigorous, as the muscles and bones perfect
themselves.
There is, however, another aspect of this
question. In some trades there is too much

bodily labour for the young frame. It is,
indeed, sometimes heart-rending to see

the tasks quite young people are put to.
Happily, legislation has so shortened the

hours of labour (for children especially),
and a so much better spirit prevails among

the masters and managers of our laborious
trades, that overwork is less common than
formerly. When young persons are over-
worked, it is soon detected by a want of, or
an unequal development ;
the muscles are
84
Rules for Muscular Exercise
not firm and elastic, but soft ;

they are, in
fact, overworked and underfed, and without
sufficient rest. A boy at very strong
manual labour who is well fed, and yet
does not develop, is overworked. Of
course the sense of uneasiness and aching
at the end of the days work also shows
that the exertion is out of proportion to
the age and strength.
85
CHAPTER XIII
WHAT TO EAT
In general, mankind, since the improvement of
cookery, eat about twice as much as nature requires.
Simple diet is best, for many dishes bring many

diseases, and rich sauces are worse than even heaping
Food
*
several meats
is
upon each other.
the material of which we

are
composed, and on which we depend for
our existence ;
it is that which contains in
larger or smaller proportions the same

elements as our bodies, and replaces
or repairs the loss constantly sustained

by the wear and tear of daily life, con-
sequently that which does not form
What to Eat
flesh, or help to maintain some vital
process, cannot be called food. Man may

subsist on almost any kind of food, animal
or vegetable, provided it contains all the
elements of nutrition ;
in other words, it
must be flesh-forming- and heat-giving.
T he anim al kingdo m depend s for supp ort

on the vege table king dom, and that is the
reason why both animal and vegetable food
contain the same life-sustaining properties ;
hence it is that man can live on vegetable

food alone, or wholly on animal food. The
ve getable eat er g ets his nouri sh ment in Jill
i ts purity fro m the o ri p-inal sour ce, and

I
converts it for the first time into his own
flesh and blood ;
whereas the flesh eater
gets his from a second-hand source, and

ire-converts into his own flesh that which
has already been used by another animal.
It is calculated that from two-thirds to
three-fourths of the human race live on
simple vegetable diets. The peasantry of
Norway, Sweden, Russia, Denmark

Germany, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland,
Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Ireland, Wales,
and almost every other country in Europe,
live chiefly on vegetable food. Millions
live almost entirely on rice. The Persians,
Hindoos, Burmese, Chinese, Japanese, the
inhabitants of the East Indian Archipelago,
of the mountains of Himalayah, and, in
fact, most of the Asiatics live upon

vegetable productions. The great body
of the ancient Egyptians and Persians,
confined themselves to a vegetable diet,
and the Egyptians of the present day, as

well as the negroes, (whose great bodily
powers are well-known,) live chiefly on
vegetable substances.
The brave Spartans, who, for muscular
power, physical energy, and ability to
endure hardships, perhaps stand unequalled

in the history of nations, were vegetarians.
The departure from their simple diet was
What to Eat
soon followed by their decline. The

armies of Greece and Rome, in the times
of their unparalleled conquests, subsisted
on vegetable productions. In the training

for the public games in Greece, where
muscular strength was to be exhibited in
all its varied forms, vegetable food was
adhered to ;
but when flesh meat was
adopted afterwards, those hitherto athletic
men became sluggish and stupid.
The hardy, sturdy peasantry of Scotland
live mainly on oatmeal porridge and milk,
barley, and potatoes, and they are robust,
active, and long-lived. Dr. Johnson
defined the words
oats as
food for men in
Scotland, and horses in England
to which
Yes,
;
the spirited Lord Elibank replied

indeed ;
and where will you find such men

and such horses ?
It is said that vegetable-eating animals
are stronger, and capable of greater

endurance than flesh-eating ones. For
89 6
pure muscular strength, the rhinoceros

exceeds all animals now known on earth,
and it lives on the lowest order of vege-
table food. This animal is not more
than half the size of an elephant, and yet
a whole drove of elephants will fly with
terror from it, and every other beast is
equally afraid of it. It is true that man

may accustom himself, or animals under his
care, to live on a very unnatural diet for a

limited period, but never equal to that en-
joyed by animals which subsist on purely
natural food.
It is said that cows on the sea-shore
may learn to live on fish ;
that a sheep has
been taught to eat beef-steak ;

and that a
horse may be taught to drink whisky and
chew tobacco ;
but none of these things
are natural to any of them.
Experience teaches us that the food best
adapted to the human constitution, and
that which at the same time is most con-
90
What to Eat
ducive to health and long life, is derived

principally from the vegetable kingdom.
Bread has been truly termed the staff of
life for in itself it contains all the elements
;
of nutrition, all that is necessary to repair

the waste of the system. Amongst foods
it justly ranks the highest. Brown bread
made of whole wheat is sweeter and more
wholesome than white bread.
M ilk f
in th e shape of good cheese such
as Cheddar, Stilton, Gloucester, and
Cheshire is perhaps the greatest flesh-
forming and bone-forming food known ;
it has nearly twice the amount of nutri-

ment contained in the same weight of
cooked meat. Eggs are wholesome and
nutritious. Oat-meal, barley-meal, indian-
meal, beans, dry peas, green peas, sago,
tapioca, potatoes, turnips, carrots, parsnips
and so forth, prepared in various ways, all
contain flesh-forming and heat-giving

qualities. Oat-meal, wheat-meal, and
91
barley-meal contain all the essentials of

nutrition in very large proportions ;
but
all are nutritious and easy of digestion, and
all are very cheap and pure compared
with butchers meat. Fish is very nutritious
a nd large ly flesh-form ing. The flesh of a
red-blooded fish, such as salmon, is more
nourishing than that of a white-blooded
fish, as cod, etc. Fish is perhaps a purer

kind of food than butchers meat, and is
digested in about half the time. Butchers

meat is the most expensive form of food,
and is certainly not the purest or most
nourishing, being of much less value as a
flesh-former and a heat-giver than ordinary
cheese ;
it is nevertheless nutritious. It is
more stimulating, and increases the vital
action of the whole body, caus es a mo re

ra pid puls e and a hotter skin t han_ a
vegetable diet. Beef is more nourishing
than mutton, veal, pork, or lamb, and less
is lost in cooking it than mutton or lamb.

92
What to Eat
It is therefore the most economical form

of animal food.
Salt meat is not so nutritive as fresh,
boiled or roasted. Salt lessens the relish
and causes a craving for fluids ;

it should
therefore be avoided as much as possible.
Pork and veal should be avoided altoge ther,

especially pork, as it is oftener diseased
than other forms of animal food ;
besides,
they take from five hours, and upwards, to

digest. Some kinds of food are more
easily digested than others ;
and the time
required for the assimilation of the same
articles of diet varies according to the
condition and mode of cooking. The
following table is an approximation to the
time required for digestion of some of the
different articles of ordinary consumption.
It was prepared by Dr. Andrew Combe,

and exhibits the general results of all the
experiments conducted by Dr. Beaumont

on the stomach of a young Canadian
93

named Alexis St. Martin who was

accidentally wounded by the discharge of
a musket. The circumference of the
wound extended to about twelve inches,
and the opening in the stomach nearly
in its centre, was about two inches below
the left nipple. When the stomach was
nearly empty, Dr. Beaumont was able to
examine its cavity to the depth of five or
six inches. During the time the experi-
ments were made, Alexis was in perfect
health, so that the results of his experiments
may be considered generally applicable to

persons enjoying good health.
Table showing the approximate time

of digestion of the different articles of
diet :
94
Time
required for
Articles of Diet. Mode of Preparation. Digestion.
Hrs. Mns.
Rice, . Boiled, 0
Tripe, soused, Do. ,
1 0
Pigs feet, soused, . Do. ,
... 1 0
Eggs, whipped, . Raw, 30
Trout, salmon, fresh, . Boiled or fried, 30
Soup, barley, . Boiled, 30
Apples, sweet and mellow,. . Raw, 30
Venison, steak, , Boiled, 35
Brains, . Do
Tapioca, . Do., 2 0
Barley, Do., 2 0
Milk, Do., 0
Liver, beefs fresh, . Broiled, 0
Eggs, fresh . Raw, 2 0
Codfish, cured, . Boiled, 0
Apples, sour and mellow,.. . Raw, 0
Cabbage, with vinegar, . Do., ..<.... 2 0
Milk, . Do. 15
Eggs, fresh, . Roasted, 15
Turkey, wild, Do., 2 18
Do., domestic . Boiled, 2 25
Do., do., . Roasted, 30
Goose, Do . TO
Pig, suckling, Do., 2 30
Lamb, fresh, . Broiled, 3
Hash, meat and vegetables, . Warmed, 30
Beans, pod, . Boiled, 30
Cake, sponge, . Baked, 30
Parsnips, . Boiled, 2 3
Potatoes, . Baked or roasted... ... 2 30
Cabbage, . Raw, ... 2 30
Spinal Marrow, . Boiled, 40
Chicken, full-grown, . . Fricassee, 45
Custard, . Baked, 45
Beef, with salt only, . Boiled, 45
Apples, sour and hard, , . Raw, 50
Oysters, fresh, .. Do 55
Eggs, fresh, ,. Soft boiled, 3 0
Bass, striped, fresh, . . Broiled, 3 0
Beef, fresh lean, . Roasted, 3 0
Beef, steak,., .. Broiled, 3 0
Pork, recently salted, , . Raw or stewed, 3 0
Mutton, fresh, . . Broiled or boiled,... 3 0
Soup, beans, . . Boiled, ... 3 0
95
Time
required for
Articles of Diet. Mode of Preparation. Digestion.
Hrs. Mns.
Chicken, soup, Do., 3 0

Cake, corn, Baked, 3 0
Dumpling, apple, Boiled, 3 o
Oysters, fresh, Roasted 3 15
Pork, steak, Broiled, 3 15
Pork, recently salted, Do., 3 15
Mutton, fresh, Roasted, 3 15
Bread, corn, Baked, 3 15
Carrot, orange, Boiled 3 15
Sausage, fresh, Broiled, 3 20
Flounder, fresh, Fried, 3 30
Catfish, fresh, Do., 3 30
Oysters, fresh, Stewed, 3 30
Beef, fresh, dry, Boiled, 3 30
Beef, with mustard, etc. Roasted, 3 30
Butter, Melted, 3 30
Cheese, old, strong, ... Raw, 3 30
Soup, mutton, Boiled, 3 30
Oyster soup, Do., 3 30
Bread, wheaten, fresh, Baked, 3 30
Turnips, flat, Boiled, 3 30
Potatoes, Irish,.... Do., 3 30
Eggs, fresh, ... Hard boiled or fried, 3 30
Green corn and beans, Boiled, 3 45
Beet, Do., 3 45
Salmon, salted, Do., 4 o
Beef, fresh, lean, Fried, 4 o
Veal, fresh, Broiled, 4 o
Fowls, domestic, Broiled or roasted,. ... 4 o
Ducks, domestic, Roasted, 4 o
Soup, beef, vegetables & bread, Boiled, 4 o
Heart, animal, Fried 4 o
Beef, old, hard, salted, Boiled, 4 15
Pork, recently salted, Fried, 4 15
Soup, marrow bones, Boiled, 4 15
Cartilage, Do., 4 15
Pork, recently salted, Do., 4 30
Veal, fresh, fried, Fried, 4 30
Ducks, wild, Roasted, 4 30
Suet, mutton, Boiled, 4 30
Cabbage, with vinegar, Do., 4 30
Suet, beef, fresh, Do.,.; 5 3
Pork, fat and lean, Roasted, 5 15
Tendon, Boiled, 5 30
96

What to Eat
The following- table shows the relative
value as flesh-formers and heat-givers of

some of the principal articles of daily
food :
Matter.
Constituents of Food. Flesh-forming

Heat-giving
Principle. Principle. Mineral Matters.
Water.
Solid
Weight. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs.

]
ioo lbs Cheese, 6l 39 31 25 5

ICO ,, Dry Peas, ... 86 14 23 60 3
ICO ,, Cooked Meat, 37 63 22 H 1
IOO ,, Oatmeal, 89 11 17 69 3
IOO ,, Barley Meal, 84 16 14 68 2
IOO ,, Fish, 22 78 14 7 1
IOO ,, Wheat Flour, ... 80 20 13 66 1
IOO ,, Indian Meal, 87 13 II 7S 1
IOO ,, Cocoa Nibs 99 1 10 86 3

IOO ,, Bacon, 72 28 8 63 1
IOO Bread, 58 42 7 49 2
ICO ,, Rice, IOO 0 7 92 1
IOO ,, Green Peas, 46 *4 7 36 3

IOO ,, Milk, 14 86 5 8 1
IOO ,, Sago, Arrowroot, & Tapioca, 87 13 4 82 1
IOO ,, Potatoes, 26 74 2 23 1
IOO ,, Parsnips, 21 79 2 18 1
IOO ,, Carrots, 14 86 l 12 1
Butter, suet, sugar, fat, etc., do not form

flesh as most people suppose, but simply
produce heat in the body. I am a strong-
advocate for a liberal use of sugar, where
97
any heavy muscular work has to be ac-

complished.
Respecting the quantity of food which
should be taken daily, no rule can be
laid down : it depends on age, constitu-
tion, and the waste incurred by exercise
or otherwise ;
but three hea rty meals are
quite sufficient for adults enjoying ordinary
health ;
more than three are not conducive
to health. Our food should be thoroughly
masticated, as it undergoes an important
change in the mouth by the saliva ;
and
unless it is so, we do not derive the same
amount of nourishment from it. Even
when the food is so soft as not to require
chewing in order to be swallowed, it ought
to be well mixed with saliva.
Few appear to be aware of the action

of food on the human body ;
how it in-
fluences our daily life, our thoughts, our

aspirations, and our actions ;
how it
either tends to make us agreeable,

98
What to Eat
civilised beings, or irritable, cantankerous,
miserable wretches ;
how it either shortens
or prolongs life. Kean, the actor, is saif

to have suited the kind of meat which he
ate to the part which he was going to
play selecting mutton for lovers, beef forf
murderers, and pork for tyrants.
Those who live largely on fley|h are
usually spirited, excitable, easily irritated,
and often passionate qualities which tend
(
to wear out the system ;
on the other
hand those who use flesh sparingly, or live
almost entirely on veg etable food, are, as

a rule, contented, cheerful, quiet and
thoughtful qualities which are very
favourable to longevity.
y On the whole, a plain, simple pure diet
is very much more conducive to health and
long life than a luxurious and costly one.
In conclusion, if you wish to live for a
hundred years, take plenty of exercise,

abstain from all pernicious habits, such as
99
;
drinking intoxicating liquors, smoking, and

chewing tobacco ;
live on a plain, pure,
wholesome diet. In short, eat and drink to
live, and no longer live to eat and drink.
Have an aim to live live to do good ;
live to make others healthy and happy.
Remember that He most lives, who

thinks most, feels the noblest, and acts the
\
best.
Dr. Blackie, on the subject of food,

says: Next to quality, a certain variety
of food is by all means to be sought after.
The stimulus of novelty, that goes along

with variety, sharpens appetite ;
besides
that, nature, in all her rich and beautiful
ways, emphatically protests against mono-
tony. It is moreover, a point of practical
wisdom to prevent the stomach from be-
coming the habituated slave of any kind of
food. In change of circumstances the
favourite diet cannot always be had ;

and
so, to keep himself in a state of alimentary
IOO
What to Eat
comfort, your methodical eater must restrict

his habits of locomotion and narrow the
range of his existence to a fixed sphere
where he can be fed regularly with his
meted portion.
CHAPTER XIV
DRINKING AND BATHING
Water is the fittest drink for all persons

of all ages and temperaments, and of all the
productions of nature and art, it comes
nearest to that universal remedy so much
searched after by mankind, but never
discovered. Water is the best and only
natural drink of man and the lower
animals. No other drink quenches thirst
so thoroughly, or ai ds digestio n so rapidly.
The upper classes in this and other
countries usually take wine after dinner,
and those who cannot afford that take ale
porter, tea, coffee, etc. having a notion

that anything is better than water. This
102

Drinking and Bathing
is a great mistake ;
for the purity of the
water is interfered with by having these

thing's in solution, and is rendered less
useful, and in the case of alcoholic drinks

even hurtful : so that instead of assisting
assimilation they actually hinder it, and
whatever interrupts the healthy action of
the digestive organs is injurious.
In Professors Blackies book on Physi-
cal Culture, we find the following :
Honest water certainly has this merit,
that it
never made any man a sinner
and of whisky it may be said that when
indulged in habitually, it never made any
man either fair or fat. He who abstains
from it altogether will never die in a ditch,
and will always find a penny in his
pocket to help himself and his friends in an

emergency.
The water we drink should
filtered. Rain water, which is conveyed
through exposed pipes placed along houses,
103
often brings along with it poisonous

matter which has accumulated in the pipe,
and river water contains putrid substances,
animal and vegetable ;

so that filtering is
absolutely necessary.
Every moment of our lives we are throw-
ing off matter one way being through the
pores of our body. This matter should be
washed off at least once a day, in order that
the pores may be kept open and the body
clean sponging the whole body morning
and evening with cold water would not be
too often. A cold water bath immediately
after getting out of bed is a capital tonic ;
it invigorates the whole system, hardens

the skin and renders us less susceptible to
colds. It must, however, be taken in a
common-sense way, and modified to the
constitution and state of health of the
bather.
One recent professor of physical culture

advises splashing the cold water twenty-
104
Drinking and Bathing
five times over the head, then fifteen times

against the chest and ten times against the
heart. He says, personally he finds the
very best form of the cold bath is to get
into your clothes after it, without drying

your body at all, as the damp is carried
away through the clothes and no particle
of wet is left. But when we consider that

the true skin is covered by a sort of horny
layer, called the scarf-skin or cuticle, and
that this latter is always being detached by
fricton with our clothes, else it would soon
lessen the transpiration of the skin, this
mode of removal is not quite enough. It
should be washed and rubbed off regularly.

Mere splashing will not serve the purpose ;
so that the primary object of the bath

would be nullified unless it be followed
by plenty of vigorous friction, which is
necessary also to prevent chill. The most

superficial thinker will understand at once
that the bath is a mere form, if the most
ic5 7
beneficial part of it be omitted, viz, friction.
Frequent ablution over the whole body is
a necessity for health. If it can be done,

all healthy young people should wash in
cold water all over the body every day,

and should use strong friction afterwards.
If circumstances do not permit this to be
done, still everyone can, in the present
day, get frequent baths, which are very
cheap, and thus secure this important
point.
A periodical warm bath, with soap, is
advisable to dissolve and remove the

greasy exudation from the skin, while an
occasional Turkish bath is a most efficient
skin cleanser, and a first-rate tonic for the
whole system.
106
CHAPTER XV
ALCHOLIC LIQUORS
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging ;

and
whosever is deceived thereby is not wise.
O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no

thee

name to be known by, let us call Devil
!
Among the many causes which con-

tribute to shorten life, there is none greater
in this country than the use moderate or
otherwise of alcoholic drinks, such as ale,
porter, brandy, whisky, rum, wine, etc.
I do not speak specially of drunkeness,

which is the sole cause of 60,000 deaths
annually in the United Kingdom, but of
what is usually considered moderation.
Many regard intoxicating liquors as
necessaries of life. So far from this being-
107
the case, the very opposite is true, there
being scarcely anything more destructive

of life. The most distinguished medical
men have acknowledged that alcohol is not
a food. It does not nourish. It does not
aari**3t
make blood, from which alone nerve,

muscle, flesh and bone, can be formed. It
goes out of the body the same as it went

in, the body having to suffer for its having
been there, and being left much weaker.
It has two actions on the body : it excites
and it stupefies. The stupefying action is
four or five, and in many cases six or
seven times as long in duration as the

exciting one ;
and it is, therefore, the
greater and more powerful action of the
two. The narcotic or stupefying action

of all intoxicating drinks takes away the
governing nerve power of the heart,
and causes the organ to throb with greater
violence so long as its strength will enable
it to do so.
108

Alcoholic Liquors
Nay, more ;
the apparent stimulation is
really due to paralysis of this governing

nerve

the removing of the brake, as it
were so that the heart runs away, and thus

becomes the sooner exhausted. Alcohol is
therefore not a stimulant, but a sedative or

narcotic ;
and this is its action from first to
last.
If you wish to keep in good health to
old age, never touch intoxicants as bever-

ages, but spend the money in better food
or better clothes. how It is astonishing

much may be done with the money
usually spent on beer. There are many
agreeable drinks which you can substitute.
If a little rice is washed in cold water, and
m
then boiled in a good deal of water, the
fluid, if a little sugar is added, is a pleasant
and nutritious drink. It is much used in
India by our men. In winter it may be
taken warm, in summer cold ;
and in sum-
mer if you buy an ounce of powdered tartaric
109
or citric acid, which is cheap enough, and

put a small quantity in this rice-water, a
very refreshing acid beverage is obtained.
You will soon learn when you have got acid
enough ;
and it shoulci not be too acid ;
only
just enough to be pleasant. The boiled
rice, of course, must be used as food.

If you live in the country and can get
skimmed milk, nothing can be better both
for you and your family than to drink this
at dinner and supper. It is well always to
boil it, and a little sugar makes it still more

agreeable ;
no acid must be used to this.
If you have a garden and can get either

currants or raspberries, the pressed juice,
boiled in water and then mixed with a
little tartaric acid and bottled, will keep
I
a long time, and is a very wholesome and
^agreeable beverage.
pP
A little oatmeal boiled in water, and
then sweetened, also makes a good drink.
So that you have a choice of beverages
no
Alcoholic Liquors
if you find the want of something besides

water. But if you can get to like plain
water you are a lucky man. You may

have heard the story of the commercial
traveller who boasted that he could name
every kind of drink that might be given
him with his eyes shut. In all the tests
he was successful until someone gave him
a wineglassful of water, when finally he
had to confess he was baffled.
When you have any heavy work to do.
by
J
far the best drink is thin oatmeal
HK
and
'qgBNMM* MfPP I .UM
water with a little sugar added. The pro-

portions are J^lb. of oatmeal to two or
three quarts of water, according to the heat
of the day, and your work and thirst. It
should be well boiled, and then an ounce

or more of brown sugar added. If you find
it thicker than you like just add more water.
Before drinking it shake up the oatmeal
well through the liquid. In summer drink
it cold ;
in winter hot. You will find it
hi
not only quenches thirst, but will give you

more strength and endurance than any
other drink. If you cannot get it boiled,
you can take the oatmeal mixed with cold

water and sweetened, but this is not so
good ;
always boil it if you can. Wheat
flour will do, but not quite so well. It is
quite a mistake to suppose spirits give

strength ;
they give a spurt to a man
temporarily, but that goes off, and if more
than a certain quantity be taken they
always lessen the power of work.
For quenching thirst, few things are
better than weak coffee and a little sugar.
One ounce of coffee and half an ounce of

sugar boiled in two quarts of water and
cooled, is a very thirst quenching drink.
Cold tea has a similar effect, but neither is
so supporting as oatmeal.
Thin cocoa is also very refreshing, and
supporting likewise, but is more expensive
than oatmeal.
1 12
CHAPTER XVI
\ TOBACCO
Few will venture to affirm that the use of

tobacco, whether smoked or chewed, is
essential to life, or has any nutritious
qualities, or does in the slightest degree

promote life and longevity. It is used,
with few exceptions, as a luxury only,
and as in the case of alcohol and other
luxuries of a similar nature, the user
oftentimes has to pay the penalty in the
shape of numerous diseases, and in many
instances an early grave. The life de-
stroying principal in tobacco is nicotine,
a poisonous alkaloid so deadly in its
nature that the amount of it contained in

one cigar when extracted and received
into the stomach in a pure state is
sufficient to kill two men. The testimony

of many of the most eminent writers on
medicine clearly shows that the use of
tobacco is exceedingly injurious to the
body ;
and has been proved in numerous
instances to have occasioned diseases, such
as ulceration of the lips, gums, cheeks,
mucous membrane of the mouth and
throat ;
with other affections of a more
serious character.
According to a record kept at Yale

College, U.S.A., it is found that smokers
are 20 per cent, shorter, 25 per cent,
lighter, and have 60 per cent, less lung

capacity than abstainers.
At Amherst, statistics shew 24 per cent,
weight, and 37 per cent, height in favour

of abstainers from smoking. So that not
only are diseases incurred, but the physique
is stunted, if the habit is formed in early
life.
1 14
CHAPTER XVII
INDOLENCE
Inactivity of body and mind is exceed-

ingly prejudicial to health and longevity ;
it is the fruitful parent of more diseases

than thoughtless people are disposed to
believe. Idle people cannot be said to
enjoy a single days health ;
their mode of
living is in direct opposition to all the laws
of life ;
a continual struggle against nature.
What oil is to the machine, exertion is to
the body ;
and without it the system is
completely deranged ;
the circulation of the
blood is interrupted, and consequently all
the organs are enfeebled, and life may be

said to be at a very low ebb. Idleness and
filthiness are twin-sisters who are seldom if
ever found apart ;

indeed the one is the
counterpart of the other. The body and
mind are so intimately connected, that
whatever effects the one influences the
other : and one may judge to a large extent
of the disposition of a person, by the cleanli-

ness or otherwise of his body. Filthiness of
person disposes to impurity of mind and
immorality. The slothful are usually dirty ;
the exhalations from the skin remain un-

removed, obstructing perspiration, and en-
gendering disease in themselves, as well as
rendering the atmosphere obnoxious to all
around them. The idler is necessarily a
miserable creature, dull, hypochondriacal,

and melancholy qualities which are very
unfavourable to long life.
The antidote to this wretched curse of

indolence is a constant and brave fight
against it by taking cheerful muscular
exercise and recreation among others not
Indolence
so afflicted ;
and it is my own conviction
that even a drunkard, who is the very
worst of idlers, if he can only be induced
to take an interest in the culture of his own
body, and take a wholesome pride in it, will,
in the end, not only overcome the habit,

but actually loathe the thing that made him
so slovenly and objectionable to all around
him. From my own experience I can
honestly aver that amongst all my own
athletic friends, and hosts of amateurs
whom have I advised professionally during
my travels, I have never found one who
had the slighest liking to alcoholic drinks
after they had their eyes opened to the

desirability of developing their own physical
powers. A man who takes an interest in
his body will naturally make the care of his
outside appearance the next step, and will
always be clean and neat as far as circum-
stances will permit. I need scarcely say
that this does not mean foppishness, as
that belongs to the class of people who care

only for outward appearance, and depend
upon their tailor for their figure.
1 18
CHAPTER XVIII.
SENSUALITY
On this subject I will here make a quota-

tion from the excellent treatise of R. Scott
Chrystal,* the facts of which are well
known and understood by athletes, and

constitute an admirable guide for all who
care for the ideal body. The excessive
gratification of the passions is extremely
detrimental to long life ;
and especially is
this the case with amativeness, as there is
no other passion so exhausting and baneful

in its effects.
In youth, the period of growth, when the

organs are in the process of formation, and
when every kind of strength and nourish-
ment is required, sexual intercourse, and
especially excess, is exceedingly injurious ;
* Health and Long Life. R. Scott Chrystal.

119
/
it impedes nutrition, weakens and softens

the organs, dries and withers the skin,
impairs the sight, and dulls the memory ;
it saps the very foundation of life, and

hastens consumption and death.
Without referring to the grosser forms
of sensuality, without entering upon the

long catalogue of dreadful diseases incident
on prostitution, suffice it to say that, even
at a proper age, excess materially shortens
life. It leads men to self-destruction in
other directions in order to gratify the
passion. Strong drinks, brandy, rum,

whisky tobacco, and every form of
stimulant is resorted to in order to provoke
the morbid craving, and thus the work of

destruction proceeds until disease and
death
*
make a speedy end of it.
In an excellent and eloquent address by

the Very Rev. W. Lefroy, D.D. (Dean
of Norwich) to a congregation of young
Sensuality
men, at the Polytechnic Institution,
London, he said :
The body ! It is
the most glorious organ of divine

mechanism outside heaven. There is not
on the face of Gods earth such a piece
of machinery as your body. Preachers
never made a greater mistake than when
they disparaged that body. The Greeks
did not ;
and they were imitating them in
the Polytechnic. I am here to tell the young

men before me to avail themselves of all
the means and advantages which this
Institution affords them in connection with

the development of the human body.
There is no animal in the world that
can bear so much fatigue under such a
variety of conditions as man. To speak
disparagingly of such a masterpiece of
capacity is to do dishonour to our
Creator.
121 8
CHAPTER XIX
ATHLETES BEWARE
Athleticism means competition of a

physical kind ;
the dangers of it lie in
the trials so often made of one body

testing its power against another. If all
were of the same cast the trial might be fair
and to a considerable extent free from risk,
because the overstrain of the weaker

might be small, and skill might win. The
risk comes in from the efforts made by
organs of different qualities ;
qualities not
understood by their owners, and liable to
the most serious misunderstanding by them.

Even the skilfullest and most commanding
athletes are not safe. The young athlete
does not make an old one. The watch
122
Athletes Beware
is over-wound. If we put an india-rubber
band round letters or parcels it holds well

at first, and it holds long if it be kept on
with no more than moderate firmness.
In like manner the elastic and rebounding

tissues of our organs, and especially of
our minute channels of circulation, keep
strong, and will do so if they are not too
long and too often subjected to tension or
pressure. If they are like the rubber,
they give way and rupture, and lose their
straining power. Then we see the athletic
engine, the body, destroyed for athletic work
often before its prime. It should last with
fair play, say, twenty years ;
but otherwise
it begins to fail in fifteen, and is practically
dead in twenty. The man is considered
to be too old, and must make way for
the younger aspirant. If good physical
exercise could therefore be kept free of
competition it would be far better for the
world at large.
123
CHAPTER XX
ON ELECTRICITY" FOR THE MUSCLES
I have great faith in electricity for keep-

ing the muscles in condition, especially
after any hard work, when I find it acts
as a soothing tonic. I have invented

what I call a muscle developer, which
is useful to anyone who really wishes to
go in for the sole object of building up

muscle. I use it on my friends for
rheumatic attacks and stiffness after
unusual exertion. It is a combination of

electricity and light dumb-bell exercise at
the same time. Everyone who has tried
it is enthusiastic about its efficiency in
driving rheumatism away

124
and as a mere
On Electricity for the Muscles
muscle developer it stands a long way-

ahead of any other so-called developing-
machine. The beauty of it is that it can
be used by even aged people.
I have fully protected and patented this,
and the machine will shortly be procurable

at a low price.
Note
In reply to many enquiries from all over the world,

respecting my electrical developer, I here inform future
applicants that have decided not to put it on the market.
I
I have not departed from my conviction that no developer

is of universal utility, especially the so-called developers
sold by strong men, and which undertake to produce
fabulous results on all and sundry. Hence my desire to
dis-associate myself from various professors whose sole
object in rushing into print, seems to be to recommend
the general public to purchase some mechanical appliance
of antique design, and in which they have a financial
interest. Personally, I adopt a different method with
every pupil, as my aim is health and activity before any
other consideration. W.B.
125
CHAPTER XXI
THE DUTY OF PRESERVING OUR HEALTH
For keeping the body in a fine poise of

flexibility and firmness, nothing deserves a
higher place than games and gymnastics.
Health is the working-mans capital, and
he ought to watch over it more than the
capitalist over his largest investment.
Health lightens the efforts of body and
mind ;
it enables a man to crowd much
work into narrow space. For these reasons
I cannot but look on it as a good omen
that the press is circulating amongst us
cheap works in which much useful know-
ledge is given of the structure, functions,
126
The Duty of Preserving our Health
and laws of the human body. It is in no

small degree through our own imprudence
that disease and debility are incurred ;
and
our remedy is to be found in knowledge.
Once let the mass of the people be in-
structed in the knowledge of their own
frames ;
let them understand clearly that
disease in not accident, but has fixed causes,

many of which they can avert, and a great
amount of suffering, want, and consequent
intellectual depression, will be removed.
I hope I shall not digress too far when
I add that were the mass of the community
more enlightened on these points they
would apply their knowledge not only to
their private habits, but to the government

of the city, and would insist on municipal
What

is

regulations favouring general health.
Health? Health is that which

makes your meat and drink both savoury
and pleasant ;
else natures injunction of
127
eating and drinking were a hard task and

a slavish custom.
Health is that which make your bed
easy and your sleep refreshing ;
that which
revives your strength with the rising sun,

and makes you cheerful at the light of
another day ;
tis that which fills up the
hollow and uneven places of your carcase,
and makes your body plump and comely ;
tis that which dresseth you up in natures
choicest colours. Tis that which makes

exercise a sport and walking abroad the
enjoyment of your liberty. Tis that which
maketh fertile and increaseth the natural
endowments of your mind and preserveth
them long from decay, maketh your wit
acute and your memory retentive.
128

CHAPTER XXII
TO BECOME BEAUTIFUL A CHAPTER OF

INTEREST TO LADIES
Are you beautiful ? Have you a perfect

form ? Most persons think that the beauti-
fulwoman is the rare and peculiar individual.

Dr. Stratz, a German physician, holds that
the normal woman is beautiful. If you are
normal you are beautiful, if you are ab-

normal you cannot be beautiful. These
are the proportions of the perfect woman
as he has found them after countless mea-
surements :
The height should be seven and a half

times the length of the head, ten times the
length of the face, nine times the length of
129
the hand, six to seven times the length of

the foot. The distance from temple to
temple should be equal to the length of the
face. The arm should be three times the
length of the head, the shoulders two heads
wide. By these proportion every woman
may see whether all parts of her body bear
the proper relation to one another. Pro-
portion is the first element in beauty.
The most prefect specimens of woman-

hood found by Dr. Stratz were among the
Javanese. Of course these women know
nothing of the refinements of modern
civilisation. They never saw a corset,
much less wore one. They work hard and
develop their muscles in the open air.
They wear no shoes, so their feet are well-
formed. But it is not necessary for a

woman to return to barbarism to become
beautiful. There are modifications which
she can easily introduce, not sacrificing
even her vanity, but raising herself and her

To Become Beautiful
daughters to an equality in form with the

most beautiful of living women.
If a woman would make her proportion
as perfect as possible, she must carry her-
i
j
self well. The best-formed women vary
I
l in height from 5 feet 1 inch to 5 feet 7

I
inches ;
in breadth of shoulders from 13 '65
to 15-60 inches ;
waist (diameter), 7 to 9'36
inches. That is, the tall women have the
larger proportions in other parts of the
body.
Like all physicians, Dr. Stratz is con-
cerned over the use of corsets ;
yet he is
wise enough to know that he cannot stop
their use. Women with poor figures will

always wear corsets, but, says he, let me
beg women of good form not to spoil theirs
with this abomination. The inartistic
effect of tight lacing lies in the wrinkled

waist, flattened muscles of the back, and
stomach forced forward. The tighter the
corsets the greater these defects ;
not to
mention the deleterious effect upon the

health by the constriction of the lungs and
the displacement of the liver. If the corset
cannot be altogether done away with its
bad effects can be minimised. It should

not be put on a young girl. It should be
so broad as to rest on the hips, and should
be buttoned on, not laced, to avoid too
great pressure. It should not reach up too
far, being more of a belt than a corset.
By following these suggestions the bad

effects of the corset would be reduced to a
minimum.
One of the chief elements in beauty is
the skin. The healthy womans skin ought

to be white, with a rosy glow ;
a yellow or
bluish tint is an indication of disease, or of
anaemia, at least. The features, too, have
their special proportion and shape. The
beautiful mouth is well known. The
defects generally lie in either too short an
upper lip or too full or thin lips. Heredity

132
To Become Beautifail
is chiefly to blame for defects here. A

well-set eye adds much to the beauty of
any face ;
it has widely-opened lids and
heavy lashes. All eyes are the same size,
but the large, full appearance comes from

the openness of the lids nothing else.
The perfect ear is probably the rarest
feature of all. Generally the ear-muscle

is too largely developed. These features
are difficult to influence, but the chief

requirements for normal beauty of form
are all within the control of mothers and
daughters.
Food is an important element. Nour-
ishing albuminous food is a necessity.
Meat, eggs, and milk are best. Those
who substitute potatoes and bread do so at
the expense of their bodies. Every

woman would like a beautiful neck and
shoulders, and nothing depends more upon
herself. The carriage of the body and the
shape of the well-moulded neck and bust,
133
which are to retain their beauty almost as

long as the woman lives, comes from the
development of the muscles of the back,
breast, and shoulders. The bust well
rounded merely by accident of fat soon
becomes either too fat or two skraggy. We
are accustomed to think of a small hand as
beautiful, yet the real beauty lies in its
shape ;
it should be one-ninth the height
of the body. The best-shaped hand has
fingers gradually decreasing in size, and
well-curved nails, longer than they are
broad.
The perfect foot is the rarest feature
among civilised women. This is traced to
faulty shoes. It is not the small foot that
is beautiful, but the well-shaped foot.
The second toe should extend beyond the

great toe, yet tight shoes cramp it shorter.
The perfect foot should have so high an
instep that when set on the ground a little
bird could sit under the inner side. Flat-

134
To Become Beautiful
footedness is the ruling defect, coming

often from cramping.
Let the growing maiden wear loose
clothing, and be free in her movements.
Let her eat nourishing food, have fresh air
and plenty of sleep. Let her care for her

skin by a free use of soap and water in a
daily bath the best cosmetic ever invented.
If she must wear a corset, let it be low and
loose, and not put it on until she is at
least seventeen. Let her wear shoes that

fit, with low heels. Let her get plenty of
exercise in the open air. Then she will
develop all of the beauty possible for her,

and preserve it long.
If anyone now wishes to know exactly

what her excellences and defects are,
she can tell in a few minutes by glancing

over this list of good and bad points.
135
Good Points. Bad Points

Slender, fine bones. Heavy thick bones.
Round Limbs. Angular limbs.
Full breasts. Flat breasts.
Luxuriant, long hair. Thin, short hair.
Smooth lips. A moustache.
Thin, soft skin. Thick, hard skin.
Round skull. Angular skull.
Small face. Large face.
Large, deep eye-sockets. Small eye-sockets.
High small eyebrows. Lowering, bushy eye-
Small lower jaw-bone. brows.

Even surface between Broad lower jaw-bone.
cheek and neck. Sharply separated and
Rounded neck. prominent jaw.
Slender wrist. Bony neck, and Adams
hand with long apple.
Narrow
index-finger. Plump wrist.
Broad hand, with long
Rounded shoulders.
right finger.
Straight, small collar-bone.
Hollows over the loins. Bony shoulders.
Round, thick upper thigh. Curved, thick collar bone.

Rounded calf. Even over the loins.
Slender ankle. Thin, flat thigh.
Thin calf, and angular.
Thin foot with thin toes.
Second toe long, fifth toe Heavy ankle.
Plump, fat foot with broad
short.
toes.
Great toe longest, fifth
toe prolonged.
CHAPTER XXIII
MODERATION THE TRUE PRINCIPLE
That exercise should always spring from,

and be continued under, the influence of
an active and harmonious nervous stimulus
will scarcely require any additional evi-
dence ;
but as the principal is not suffi-
ciently appreciated, nor acted upon, a few

remarks still seem to be called for to
enforce its observance. The simple fact

that the muscles are expressly constructed
for the purpose of fulfilling the commands

of the nervous system might of itself lead
to the inference that a healthy mental
stimulus ought to be considered an essential
condition or a complement of exercise ;
and
137 9
might render us prompt to observe how

easy and pleasant muscular action becomes
under the influence of mental excitement.
How useful a vigorous nervous impulse is
in sustaining and directing it, and how

difficult, wearisome, and efficient it be-
comes when the mind which directs it is
languid or absorbed in other employments !
Hence the superiority, as exercises for the

young, of social and inspiring games
which, by their joyous and boisterous
mirth, call forth the requisite nervous
stimulus to put the muscles into vigorous
and varied action ;
and hence the utter
inefficiency of the dull and monotonous

daily walk which sets all physiological
conditions at defiance, and in so many

schools is made to supersede the exer-
cise which it only counterfeits. Even

the playful gambolling and varied move-
ments which are so characteristic of the
young of all animals, man not excepted,

138
Moderation the True Principle
and are at once so pleasing and

attractive, might have taught us that
activity of feeling and affection, and
sprightliness of mind, are intended by
nature to be the source and accompani-
ments of healthful and invigorating mus-
cular exercises : and that the system of
bodily confinement and mental cultivation,
now so much in vogue, is calculated to
inflict lasting injury on all who are sub-

jected to its restraints.
The buoyancy of spirit and comparative

independence enjoyed by boys, when out
of school, prevent them from suffering
under it so much as girls do ;
but the
mischief done to both is the more unpar-
donable, when it does occur, because it
might so easily have been entirely avoided.

Even in some infant schools, where pro-
perly conducted exercise ought to be
considered as a necessary of life, the
principle on which I am insisting is so
139
little understood or valued that no Gym-

nasiums or football grounds have been
provided, and the very best means of
moral as well as physical training play
with companions has, to the great injury
of the poor children, been wholly omitted.

Under judicious direction, the play -ground
affords the most valuable and effective
assistance to the parent and teacher, not

only in eliciting the highest degree of
physical health, but in developing the
general character by the practical incul-
*
cation of moral principle, kindness, and

affection, in the daily and hourly conduct
of the children committed to their charge.
These remarks have been made in the
interests of moderation, as against the ex-
treme ;
and I ask that a fair trial may
be given to my methods before judgment
is passed ;
for am fully convinced that
I
Britishers will eventually see with me that

140
Geo. CROSS, Southport,
Photographer.

Moderation the Trite Principle
this is the sensible method of physical

training, as it is in all other things ; and
that its acceptance will make them stronger
in the true sense, because they will be
healthier. Then, remembering this, let
us inculcate and live up to the motto of

the ancients :
The strength of the citizen is the

strength of the state.
Finis
3
IV. Jolly (Sr Sons, Printers ,
Aberdeen.
A Church of England
CLERGYMANS OPINION
OF
ClK Bppocritc.
I think The
Hypocrite a wonderful picture of human deteri.
oration, hut it is not everybody that can bear to look upon the
seamy Most readers are shocked when it is put so
side of life.
vividly and nakedly before their eyes. If I were to quote the

passages to which objection seems to b3 taken in a sermon, most
of the congregation would walk out. You will say there are
offensive passages in the Bible, but they are never read, and, if
they were, the effect would be the same.
Read by those who have had similar experiences, the story
1
could hardly fail to be salutary. The aim and intention of the

author are right they are manifestly high and noble. The book
;
ca nnot truthfully be called an immoral book, but to people of

limited experience it is evidently very offensive. I do not see how
it could be made more agreeable to them without injuring it as a
work of art.
I shall look forward eagerly for the appearance of
Miss Male-
volent. The auth or is capable of splendid work,
The Hypocrite is acknowledged by the Press of Great Britain, India, America,
Australia, and Japan to be one of the cleverest and most brilliant novels ever pub-
lished. A selection of Press opinions sent post free on application to the publishers.
The realistic Story of Modern Life in Oxford and London.
Hypocrite, a
Sixth Edition now ready. Seventh Edition in the press. Crown 8vo, art cloth 2 s 6d.
The Daily Telegraph says The hook is clever and original. Very brilliant,
very forcible, very sad. It is perfect in its way, in style clear, sharp and forcible;
the dialogue epigrammatic and sparkling. Enough has been said to show
. . .
that The Hypocrite is a striking and powerful piece of work, and that its author

'
has established his name to he considered a writer of originality and brilliance.
AT ALL BOOKSELLERS.
London : GREENING & Co., Ltd., 20 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road
BY THE AUTHOR OF THE HYPOCRITE
Miss Malevolent
A Realistic Story of London Life.
Crown 8 vo, and cloth 3s 6d.

Some JEarlg press pinions.
Saturday Review. The great novel-reading public, which found The
Hypocrite to its taste, will not be disappointed in the authors latest effort
The
writer has a knack of character-presentment which means that his people live he has ;
the dramatic instinct he is at times on the verge of real wit he knows certain
; ;
phases ofliterary and artistic life well and his story is original enough to hold the
;
interest throughout
Academy. It palpitates with actuality.
Public Opinion. Those who read that clever and original book The
Hypocrite will be eager to obtain another by the same author. Its main feature is

an exquisite study of an evilly-disposed woman a woman young, handsome, well
bred, and moving in fairly good society, but overflowing with mischief; she deliber-
ately plans the undoing and the ruin of her acquaintances. So the curtain ...
falls upon a story that holds the reader from the commencement till the close.

Sunday Chronicle. The clever author of The Hypocrite gives us another
story after the same model in Miss Malevolent.

The first effort took the town

by its audacity and brilliance. Miss Malevolent is also audacious, and scintillates

with wit and smart talk. . Full of power and admirably done, Miss Malevolent
. .

should have as great a popularity as its predecessors.

Madame. Miss Malevolent is a very clever book, and, which is better, a
suggestive one. As the book grows, the writer drags himself away from the brilliance
of the opening chapters. He becomes sincere, and sets himself earnestly to the task
of developing an exceedingly unlovely character. Miss Malevolent is a Jesuit, and a
bad-hearted one at that. ... It would spoil a clever story to tell how she gained her
influence over Gilbert Russhe.
Scotsman. You dont get far into this novelabout a couple of pages before
the epigrams begin exploding, and the repartee detonating, and the subtle terce and
quart of wit with wit fuff-fuffing, like so many squibs and crackers on the Queens
Birthday ; and this coruscation is kept up in a way to make your hair curl until the
end of the story. You are in London, among poets and painters, musicians, literary
people, and women whose dialogue scintillates consumedly.
Western Mercury. An extraordinary book, brilliantly written, and punctuated
with sparkling wit, neat epigrams, and occasional cynicisms and sarcasm of the most

cutting order, is the new effort of the anonymous author of The Hypocrite.
To-Day. Anonymity is understood to lend piquancy to a book. Miss Male-

volent needs no such sauce. It is a remarkably clever study of a narrow nature
bound down by the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. The book is . . .
so clever that one regrets the lapses into the affectation of the Green Carnation. It
dazzles with its flashes of wit, but its principal claim upon ones attention depends
upon its serious passages and its few moments of tragedy. The writer, whoever he
he has still a sufficient faith in humanity to feel real passion, and there is abundant
hope in Miss Malevolent to justify another book signed with a name.

'

Court Circular. Sure to excite a considerable amount of interest. Decidedly
brisk and interesting. The author is well acquainted with the world, has a keen
sense of humour, and not a little delicate satire. Miss Malevolent is a very readable

novel indeed, and we have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Echo. Its profusion of, shall[I say,Oscar-isms,its trenchant study of an unscrupul-
ous person who commits suicide in sheer boredom and despair, and its amusing sketch
of a certain naughty set of old-young and young-old men are sufficient to hall-mark

Miss Malevolent as the work of the author of The Hypocrite. But while . . .
the analysis of Kitty Nugents temperament is a very searching and stimulating piece
of work it will scarcely of itself give Miss Malevolent its title to a success of either

popularity or scandal. What should afford the book a big boom is its friendly but
frank presentment of one of the most famous of our younger poets. The sketch of
Guy is exceedingly well done, absolutely life-like, The book is dedicated to the man
who is so clearly delineated in its pages.
London; GREENING & Co., Ltd., 20 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Rd.
BOYCOTTED BUT CLEVER.
Shams
($ Q6nftanf |tamccr cckfy (Hot>e.
By ?
FOURTH EDITION, WITH NEW PREFACE.
Crown 8vo, scarlet cloth, gilt, 3s. 6d.

Christian World. A pungent, cleverly-written, and altogether out-of-the-
common-rut Society novel. The author unsparingly exposes the little ways of
smart people. . Every sane reader will wish the author success in his efforts to
. .

expose the hollowness and rottenness of aristocratic virtuous London.
1

St. Pauls. A daring little book, which slashes right and left at the many un-
deniable shams that exist in our midst. It is astonishing to see how eager we are to
read of our delinquencies ! The publishers cannot get copies from the binders quickly
enough meet the demand for Shams.
to

Sheffield Telegraph. The novel itself is not unwholesome, though it deals
with an unwholesome state of things, and it may prove serviceable. The subject is
not an easy one to treat, and the author is at times on thin ice some of the characters, ;
too, are too reminiscent of social notorieties.

Shams
deserves high praise. The
story has been thoughtfully conceived and the workmanship is excellent.

To-Day. A remarkable satire upon modern aestheticism has been written by a
well-known novelist, who preserves a strict anonymity, under the title Shams.' *
The characters bear a remarkable resemblance to certain notorious personages in

contemporary Society.

The Outlook. Something wrong-headed, sensual, and Corellian is anticipated,
nor is one disappointed. Bound to command the public.
. . .

The North Star. The book is of a most daring character, but the author has
treated his theme in a very clever manner. Messrs W. H. Smith & Son
. . .
refuse to circulate Shams objecting to it on moral grounds. This act on their part,
1
however, will not greatly interfere with the sale of the book, which really castigates
vice. We believe it will be as widely read as the works of Ouida and Marie Corelli."

Scotsman. The work is cleverly constructed and cleverly written, and will
easily engage and hold the attention of any reader.

Public Opinion. This novel is a daring attack. The author, whoever he may
be, is a clever writer, and the pictures of the seamy side of idle London life are de-
scribed by him with vivid power.

Echo. All this you will discover by turning to the narrative itself. Youll find
it readable enough, cleverly written, and full of a certain ultra-romantic sentiment.

Womans Weekly. Shams is published without. the authors name, but it

is not impossible to give a guess as to the personality of its brilliantly clever author. . .
the conversations are epigrammatical, and the word painting well done.

Newcastle Daily Journal. A clever and pungent indictment of the vices and
the rottenness which abound in modern Society. _What comes of it all will
. . .
be found set forth in the book with a graphic power of delineation and story-telling
and a clever pungent style that denotes, if not an author already well practised in
his art, then one who is sure to excel. We may add that, though dealing with dark
and ugly vices, the book is perfectly unobjectionable in manner and matter and that
it teaches a powerful and moral lesson.
London: GREENING & CO., Ltd., 20 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Rd.
1
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1

1" / 3Q8 ISM

My Lady Ruby AND

Crown 8vo, Cloth, top edge Gilt, 2/6.

Outlook. Good work in which the influence of Mr. Saltus is perceptible.

work on Rudyard Kipling was so much appreciated, is a dainty little study of

tremely unconventional fashion. Between the same covers is a short, lurid

. . John Basileon evinces imagination and subtilty of a highly vivid and

AT ALL BOOKSELLERS AND LIBRARIES.

Actuated by a loyal, patrotic conviction

that no nation in the world can excel in

bone and muscle our own countrymen, I

feel sure my readers will understand my

Feeling strong on this subject, at a

time when Mr. Sandow was deservedly

for competition, and when ready issued

the following challenge :

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENING TIMES.

Glasgow, March 6th 1899, }

I hereby challenge Sandow to a

contest of strength for 100 a side, for

which I send 25 now to show I mean

lifting from the ground six feats each

one of the feats to be a lift in harness, all

one-handed work to be performed from

the floor to the shoulder. If Mr. Sandow

refuses to meet me on these terms, I hereby

challenge him to an all-round athletic con-

test, consisting of weight-lifting, wrestling,

(catch-as-catch-can style) running a one-

mile race, and jumping with 56 lb. weights,

for ^loo a side, the winner of three events

out of four to be adjudged the conqueror.

This is no bombastic challenge, but simply

from a desire to prove to the public that

there are better athletes in Britain than

ever came from Germany. I hope to hear

from Sandow per return, and remain,

To this I received no reply, although it

appeared in the Glasgow papers every

evening during Sandows engagement in

that city. I did not, as others have done,

send the challenge when Sandow was

in my own city, and I deposited the money

I leave the issue to my readers : and

feel certain that many will think with me,

that in matters of genuine physical strength,

z.e., a combination of pulling and pushing

muscles, there are many men in this

country who, with a little preparation,

could exceed in the aggregate anything

Mr. Sandow has shown us.

BACKWARD SOMERSAULT OVER A LOW CHAIR,

A MAN WITH RIGHT HAND WHILE JUGGLING

APOLLO, AT 26 YEARS OF AGE. SHOWING BICEPS

IDEAL PHYSICAL CULTURE

GREAT ATHLETES AND THEIR FEATS

From the earliest times of which we have

times have done. Milo of Crotona is