Personal hygiene and physical training for womenGalbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
Science
Personal hygiene and physical training for women
Galbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
Physical education and training; Women -- Health and hygiene
Some of the mental qualities developed are observation, attention,
concentration, memory, imagination, initiative, reason, and will
power. These qualities are most highly developed in the various
ball games, from its simplest forms to team work, as baseball and
basket-ball.
The moral qualities developed are self-control, unselfishness, a
sense of honor, self-sacrifice, self-confidence, fairness, democracy
of spirit, modesty, and decision. One of the qualities which
characterizes a good player is that she will do the things which are
assigned her. Promptness and obedience to order are the first laws
in any game. Throughout the game self-confidence is taught. Each
player has her own responsibilities, decisions must be quickly and
accurately made, while overconfidence brings a sure defeat.
If competition underlies all games, it is equally true that
unselfishness is the basis of all team work. The ability to work
together requires at every point unselfish adjustment. One of the
first things learned is to appreciate another’s ability, and the
individual egotism, so marked in the beginning of the work, is
rapidly toned down.
Closely allied with unselfishness is the spirit of fair play, and
closely linked with fairness is loyalty and a sense of honor, the
lack of which makes girls the contempt of boys and women the despair
of men. It has been averred that the social position of woman and her
dependence upon her lord and master have lead her to become indirect
and devious, hence her lack of perfect truthfulness and sense of
honor, so that when put upon her honor she does not realize her
responsibility.
Another great advantage that games possess for women is that
many of them, from their weak physical condition, are abnormally
sensitive and introspective; they live too much on the subjective
side of life. While sports are primarily objective, they afford no
opportunity for analysis of feeling; the thought must be riveted
on the thing to be done. Every girl’s school and woman’s club which
provides opportunities for games and sports erect barriers against
nervousness, morbidity, and too much introspection. These qualities
which games develop are not masculine, but human; qualities needed
for human fellowship.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account