Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, July 27, 1902, Page 25

Gymnastic Exercises and the Public Schools CADET COMPANY AT DRILL. DOLL DRILL BY LITTLE GIRLS. UCH has been sald and written of late on “How can we prevent the High school from fast becoming a young- ladies’ seminary?’ How to induce more boys to take the High school course is, indeed, a seérious question. Fully believing that the student should begin his physical education In the public school instead of the college or uni- versity and hoping that such training would at least offer a partial solution of the above Question, the principal and grammar in- structor of the Elgin public schools at El gin, Neb., decided during the spring of 1901 to inaugurate a thorough system of gymnastic training for use during school year just passed. No two school men in the state were be. ter fitted than they to successfully carry tut an undertaking of this (haracter in a town of only 600 inhabitants. The principal had made something of a specialty of ad- Vanced gymnastics and class exercises for years, while his co-worker had an excellent knowledge of class gymnastics and was also well versed in military tactics, having served in the Spanish-American war. It was known that a new school building for Elgin would be a necessity of the near fu- ture and the instructors hoped that the results of the year's labors might justity the building committee in making the slight additional expense of constructing a well lighted and ventilated basement to be used as a' gymnasium and for the ordinary games and pastimes of childhood when se- vere winter weather should compel all to stay within dogrs. It was argued that if military drill is'a good thing in the schools of Kearney, Lincoln and Omaha it must also prove beneficial in such schools as hat of Elgin, only in & lesser degree. To Jdiform and equip a chdet company in a town smaller by far thin any town in the state having such an drganization was no easy undertaking, but after a public meet- ing to which all parents interested were invited and much persuasive logic by the boys, a company of twenty-ihree was or- ganized and equipped at an expense of ON HORIZONTAL BARS. $260, all of which was borne by the mem- bers. The school board was induced to vote $35 for apparatus, and the instructors, running the risk of making a public enter- tainment pay for additional appliances and the current expenses of the gymnastic work, rented and purchased outright close onto $100 worth of apparatus, so that a large share of the equipment of a well- regulated gymnasium was provided. At first none but the boys were given gym- nastic work, but the methers, quickly noticing the marked effect of the training on the health, strength And carriage of their sons, soon asked that their daughters might also be allowed to take gymnastics, and after due consideration it was decided to organize classes for the girls after the Christmas holidays. The cadets drilled on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4 o'clock until 6, while the gymnastic work proper was from 7 to 9 o'clock on the evenings of the same days, the small boys being required to come from 7 to 8 o'clock and the large boys from 8 to 9 o'clock. ““PASSING SOMERSAULT,"” A DIFFICULT FEAT. SIX EXPERT ATHLETES. The first part of ea¢h sesslon was taken up with class exercises in dumbbells and Indian clubs and the latter half was given up to individual work ion the various ma- chines. By Christmas time much real prog- ress had been made and the instructors were able to assign each lad "to the work he could do best for the public entertain- ment to be given at the close of the win- ter term. At this time the girls were as- signed to classes, the primary girls taking juvenile drills and mparches, the interme- diate girls taking light gymnastics without apparatus and with woodea rings, and the girls from the grammar and high school departments taking the exercises with wands and Indian clubs. By having the work for the girls come after 4 o'clock on alternate days, all classes were able to meet twice a week, The instructors had to devote fen hours a week to the various classes, but mo pupil was required to give more than frem two to three hours per week to the work, Aside from the regulation gymnasium shoe, the boys, not doing advanced athletic work, used Do speclal costume for thelr work. The small girls used a neat costume of white material, while the larger girls used a blue flannel sult made sallor style, with short skirt and trimmed with white brald. The advanced athletes used worsted tights made for them by a New York costumer. An elaborate souvenir program with {llustrations of the performers and their work was prepared for the entertainment which was given to large audiences on the evenings of April 18 and 19. The enter- tainments attracted more than local in- terest and the gross receipts, $180, went much beyond what had been hoped for. The class exercises and drills were ex- ceptionally well executed and the charac- ter of the advanced gymnastics was of a quality seldom seen outside of a eity gymnpasium. On the horizontal bar, the kip-up, hoeck- swing, French whirl, glant swing, and (Continued on Beventh Page.)