— THE Gherman System of Physical Education, A Paper Read by WILLIAM A. STECHER, Secretary of the Technical Committee of the North American Turner bund. AT THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION HELD AT PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Apkil, 7, 8 find 9, 1892. Milwaukee, Wis. : FRE1DENKER PUBLISHING CO., 4-70 K. Water St. = THE Gherman System of Physical Education. A Paper Read by WILLIAM A. STECHER, Secretary of the Technical Committee of the Nvrih American Tumerbund. AT THE SEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERIGAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION, HELD AT PHILADELPHIA, Pa., April, 7, 8 and 9, 1892. / 0 & 1 ifzn The German System of Physical Education. America is gradually awakening to the fact that education in its highest acceptance is more than a mere training of the mental facul- ties, yes, that the development and education of the body is of primary importance, because it enables us to bring the mind to its highest state of excellence. With this awakening, there comes also the desire to possess a means of physical training that will answer all the requirements of our school system, and which is adapted to the needs and peculiarities of our own country. » The result is that a number of systems of physical training are offered to the public. Of all those offered , but two deserve the name of a system, namely, the Swedish and the German. The others either do not offer enough for all the conditions of our schools, or are but apologies for a system of physical development, or lastly, are poor imitations of parts of the German System. A few cities in the East having adopted the Swedish or Ling Sys- tem during the last years, this system has suddenly gained a prominence that seems astonishing to a body of men whose life-work it has been to give to their scholars, in the form of gymnastics, the very best results that have been attained by a body of thousands of experienced and en- thusiastic teachers, mainly in Germany, but also in all other civilized countries of the world. It seems strange to them that a conflict that was fought to a finish some thirty years ago, to establish the precedence of the Swedish or German System, and in which the most prominent men of the time, many of whom are still living and who have a world- wide reputation, took an active part, should again be resumed in America. The conflict lasted a number of years, and a short account of the case and the statements of the most prominent combatants will greatly 4 The German System of Physical Education. help us to see our way more clearly, and aid in choosing a system that will be of the greatest use to us. The beginnings of German gymnastics are the result of much earn- est thought and work of the best educators of the latter part of the last century. The first attempt to introduce into a school something that answered our idea of physical training was made by Johann Bernhard Basedow, who in the year 1774, after traveling extensively all over Europe, in his school at Dessau, called the “Philantropin,” introduced such forms of bodily exercises as Swimming, Ball Games, Bowling, Riding, Marching, Dancing, Running, besides Carpentry and Wood- turning. He strove to carry Rousseau’s views into effect, namely, “to manage it so that the training of the mind and body shall serve to as- sist each other.” He tried to strengthen the body, so that it could bet- ter carry out the dictates of the will. At Schnepfenthal, near Gotha, Salzmann, a former teacher at the “Philantropin,” in the year 1784, enlarged upon the exercises brought from his former position. It was Johann F. C. Guts Muths, a teacher at Schnepfenthal, who, in 1785, became teacher of gymnastics there, and who first arranged the exercises then used into the beginnings of our present system. “All that I found out from ancient usages” says he, “from the historical re- mains of earlier and later antiquity, all that reflection and sometimes chances offered to us, was brought forward for the sake of amusing ex- periments. Thus the chief exercises increased, and thus, after experi- menting seven years, originated the first edition of my ‘Gymnastics for the Young,’ 1792 ; my first attempt to call attention to a subject that had been quite forgotten. ” This was the first manual of gymnastics published in modern times. Guts Muths says of “Gymnastics,” that it is “work in the garb of youthful pleasure and merriment,” and later on he again defines it as “ a system of exercises having bodily perfec- tion for their aid.” Let us here state that the German system of to-da}^ is based upon a wise mingling of both quotations. In 1795, Anton Vieth, of Dessau, published his “Encylopaedia of Bodily Exercises.” In 1799, Nachtegall, a follower of Guts Muths, established a pri- vate gymnasium in Copenhagen, and it was here that Ling, the founder The German System of Physical Education. of Swedish gymnastics, had his first lesson in gymnastics. During this time Ling also learned the art of fencing from a few French refugees. Gymnastics, however, made no rapid strides for universal recogni- tion in Germany until the time of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, Dr. Phil., son of a preacher, born in Lanz, in 1778, who first made gymnastics popular. After attending various universities, in 1809, he became a teacher in Berlin, in the “Gymnasium zum grauen Kloster.” In 1811, we find him as the leader of many patriotic young men, opening the first out- door gymnasium on the Hasenhaide, then just outside of Berlin. It was here that in connection with strengthening their bodies he, by his speech and writings, inflamed the hearts of his scholars to the highest patriotism. Thanks to the spirit emanating from him — gymnastic societies — Turnvereine — sprung up all over Germany. In connection with Eise- ]en, Friesen and many other devoted followers, he arranged his system of gymnastics, and published it in 1816, under the name of “Turn- kunst” — The art of gymnastics. From now on, bodily exercises were gradually introduced into the schools, and into the German army. Gymnastics for the schools, how- ever, did not receive the form it has at present, until the “founder of modern school gymnastics,” Adolf Spiess, in the year 1840, published his “Gymnastics” in Burgdorf, and in 1846, his “Manual for Schools.” He emphatically demanded that gymnastics as a whole — not only calis- thenics — should form an integral part of the curriculum of every school. At the same time he was the first to show how this could be done — by substituting class-work under the personal direction of the teacher, in place of the squad-work under leaders. During this time we find the Ling system of gymnastics progressing also. The movements that he used in his system were first practiced in Stockholm, in 1813, “as a remedy for certain diseases.” In 1815, the Royal Gymnastic Institute was founded at Stock- holm, and remained under Ling’s supervision until the time of his death in 1839. This institute distinguished between medical and edu- cational gymnastics. After his death, Ling’s system was adopted ac- cording to the directions he gave while on his death bed. 'The claim made for his system is, “that he never introduced a movement, the 6 The German System of Physical Education. physiological effects of which he could not demonstrate, and in his selection of exercises, those which did not exactly produce the effect he desired, were discarded — however classical or beautiful in appear- ance — in favor of such movements as he found to be absolutely essential in producing a harmonious development of the body.” In the year 1848, Major Rothstein, a scholar of Ling, succeeded H. F. Massmann, as director of the “Royal Central Gymnasium of Berlin” — a normal school, under the direction of the Prussian govern- ment, for educating teachers of gymnastics for the schools and the army. Rothstein introduced Swedish gymnastics, and published a periodical, ‘'The Atheneum,” in the interest of the same. In the course of his work he attacked the German system, and especially its nse of the parallel bars. The latter he claimed, being positively in- jurious as a gymnastic apparatus, according to the views and teachings of the Ling system. He had the bars (not only parallel, but also horizontal) abolished from his institute. The result created quite a discussion, and the authorities of Prussia installed a commission of two physicians to report upon the question at issue. This commission re- ported in favor of the abolishment, and the result was a conflict which lasted for years, during which gymnastics were brought into the fore- ground as never before, since the time of the Greeks. All the noted anatomists and physiologists of Germany took an active part. Stand- ing foremost in the fight was Prof. Bois-Reymond, Prof, of Physiology of the Berlin University, who to-day stands among the highest authori- ties in his line. He not onty inquired into the advisability of keeping the parallel bars in a gymnasium, but at the same time made a study of the claims of the Swedish system. The time is too short to quote from other essays of his, or his cotemporaries. I therefore use only parts of his essays “About exercises on the parallel bars and the so-called rational gymnastics.” Berlin, Georg Reiner, 1862. “The point to be ascertained” says he, “is: Does exercising a single muscle or group of muscles bring about a quick and sure, or even a desired degree of physical development ?” (The term “physical development” is here used in opposition to “muscular development”). With the negation of the above, the whole system of the Swedish Gymnastics falls to the ground. Answering the question on the affirmative would necessitate a comparison between the two systems as to which is the better. • “As The German System of Physical Education. 7 far as I know,” says he, “I am the first to attempt to answer this question from a physiological standpoint. Seriously no one will try to prove the claims of the Ling system. Only one half- educated, one who does not see the arbitrary construction, and whom a hollow symbolism, a dry schematism, a pedantic terminology, and a few anatomical and physiological crumbs seem deep science, 'and who does not see the errors, will be impressed by Ling’s works.”* It requires much self-command from any one who knows what science demands, to hunt through those works for such valuable infor- mation as one can expect to find from a well-meaning, but puzzled enthusiast as Ling was, whose life was given to a noble work. A physiological answer to the first question cannot be gotten out of his ivorks. Referring to the works of Major Rothstein on the Ling system, f Prof. Du Bois-Reymond says, “The kernel of his books is the hollow restricted, inflexible system of Ling, and around that small head he has constructed a wig of enormous dimensions, made up of material of all kinds, with the express purpose of hiding the thread-bareness of the system.” The anatomical physiological exercursions to which he invites his readers are worthless. His treatises on anatomy are extracts from the small compendium of Wilson and Holstein. In his treatises on physiology, the author sizes up old views and ideas with the results of modern discoveries in a manner which discloses the perfect incapacity to give a scientific decision often found in laymen, who think that for a certain purpose they can easily master and oversee any complicated territory. Again asking myself, if, in the works of Major Rothstein, I find any physiological answer to the first question, I must say that I find no other answer than the citing of the old Greek Platon and Ling, as a proof of his assertions — that bodily exercises are much better, if they be simple; but that the German system is to be rejected upon physiological, ethical and aesthetical reasons. And let me state here, that in all the literature concerning this subject, I have never found an answer to the question. Dr. Langenbeck, in his answer to the Prussian Minister, speaking of his investigations, says, “That by the isolated • * ‘P. H. Ling’s Schriften ueber die Lelbesuebungen. ” Translated from the Swedish by Massmann, Magdeburg, 1847. > t “Die Gymnastic nach dom Systeme des Schwodischen Gymnasiarchen P. H. Ling,” Berlin, 1*47-]*.™. 8 The German System of Physical Education. exercising of single muscles and groups of muscles, a boy becomes conscious of the means at his disposal for rendering combined move- ments.” “Let me here correct the error/’ says Du Bois-Reymond, “that at our will we can contract a single muscle. Knowing the position of every muscle in the body does not change this fact. It is a rule, that even the simplest movements are brought about by a set of muscles acting in like manner. A system like the Swedish, that wishes to develop the body by separately exercising all its muscles or groups of muscles, seems sensible enough. But a close inspection shows that on the one hand it does too much, and on the other not enough. It does too much, because it is not absolutely necessary to cultivate each set of muscles separately, in order to strengthen the body. A large machine, like the human body, cannot do a great amount of work along any one line, without bringing into play many groups, or perhaps, all the muscles of the body, although not all precisely at the same time. How many muscles will remain inactive while executing a pole vault ? A suitable rotation of exercises of this kind offers us the means to evade the weariness that exercising each group of muscles separately must naturally bring w,ith it. On the other hand, a system of this kind does too little, because, bodily perfection means more than merely bringing every muscle to the highest point of development. I can conceive of a man having the development of a Farnesian Hercules, who, never-the- less, cannot be able to stand or walk, to say nothing of being able to execute complicated movements. The natural use of our bodies de- pends as much upon the correct co-ordination as upon the strength of our groups of muscles. In all complicated exercises the senses of sight and feeling, and also the will-power must ever be ready to act im- mediately. All bodily exercises, as swimming, dancing, fencing, ball playing and the like, depend upon a judicious co-ordination of the semi- conscious impressions and end expressions of the will. Such being the case, these sciences are as well exercises for the nervous as for the muscular system. Having over-looked this second side of every good system of physical training is an unpardonable error of the Ling system , which, when viewed from a physiological stand-point, renders it useless. 9 * N. B.— We can move a single muscle, for instance, the biceps and brachii and the vastus inter ntis. The seeming-exceptions only prove the rule, that our will can bring about movements, but cannot exert an influence upon a muscle as such. These movements are' singly a change of position of the belly of these muscles. The German System of Physical Education. 9 A bpdy educated according to this system will always remain an aggre- gate of strongly developed muscles, but nothing more. Enough, we see, by looking at the foundation of the system, that it is just the re- verse of rational, it is mainly irrational. Now, for the third, not less grave, error of the Ling system, which shows this Gymnasiarch as a poor pedagogue. Dr. Langenbeck, in his answer to the Prussian Minister shows the pitiful psychlogical foundation of this system as openly as any opponent thereof has ever ’ done. “Swedish gymnastics,” he says, “in its pure form, cannot be solely recommended for the physical education of the youth. For weak children, it is too fatiguing; for older, too monotonous.” Even a boy wants to do something with his strength. By this system his in- creasing strength is never brought to his consciousness, because he cannot be led to see the use of the various movements and positions. Swedish gymnastics undoubtedly answers as a means to strengthen and develop the muscles, but it has not the property to give to a boy the consciousness of his bodilv force, to 'strengthen his courage, or to bring about that bodily activity, which is so necessary in our lives. “What may I add to this,” says Du Bois Reymond, “except that only sick persons will willingly subject themselves, upon command of their physicians, to the horrible tediousness of the so-called rational gymne sties.” Major Rothstein, in his works, tells us that the Swedish move- ments “are shosen upon grounds of theoretical principles of the highest order: that an inner relation to moral reality, or to the idea of man can be discovered therein.” “The sameness of nature and soul come to reality in a human being” is brought forward, where all that is wanted, is to give a boy red cheeks and healthy limbs. Anatomy and physiology are summoned as aids. “I have had years of experience in a gymnasium,” says Du Bois Reymond, “and, as a physiologist, I have mainly studied the laws of dynamics ; but, should any one ask me to sift the exercises of the parallel bars scientific-critically upon a physiological basis, I would be in no small embarrassment. To tell the truth, a simple vault over the bars would necessitate a very compli- cated and tedious examination by an expert in anatomy, and one of even greater skill in analytical dymanics. - And what would the in- 10 The German System of Physical Education. vestigation amount to ? To knowledge of questionable value. I have often exercised with renowned anatomists and physiologists, and I can- not recall a single instance where we could have made fruitful use of our theoretical knowledge in explaining the exercises in which we were rivaling to excel. How strangely does all this weight placed upon the anatomical and physiological deviation of all their exercises, claimed by the Swedes, contrast with the results achieved by the old Greek gymnasts, who knew absolutely nothing of the sciences?” But enough of these extracts. To bring the controversy, which had been carried on over a period of more than ten years, to an end, the Prussian Government again appointed a commission to report upon the parallel bar question. This commission was composed of doctors Lenert, Casper, Juengken, Horn, Houselle, Martin, Frerichs and Vir- chow. After thoroughly reviewing the question from all sides, they reported (“Central-blatt fuer die gesammte Unterrichtsverwaltung in Preussen,” 1863), that from a medical standpoint, parallel bar exer- cises are to be recommended, not forbidden.” The result was an order from the minister to the director of the Central Institute setting forth, that the scholars of said Normal school be hereafter instructed in the use of the parallel and horizontal bars. That was the end of Swedish gymnastics in Berlin. Even with the official backing of the government it could not be upheld. Shortly after that Major Rothstein resigned, and the German system found itself re- instated in the Normal school of the capital of Prussia. Since that time, this system has continually been improved by the experience gained from practical work — “Grau ist alle Theorie,” says Goethe ; therefore, it has ever been our aim to put all theories to a prac- tical test before adopting them. Do not for a moment think that be- cause we have an abundance of exercises we take every possible move- ment into our system. Far from it. This abundance is brought about because our system is all-embracing. We distinguish between gymnas- tics for the school, for the army, for associations of adults, and for the sick. Each branch is again sub-divided to meet all the needs of each case. The German system may be divided into six large groups or classes of exercises, namely : The German Ststem of Physical Education. 11 1st. Tactics — embracing marching in all its forms, from a simple turn to all the complicated forms of a Reigen or evolution. 2d. Calisthenics — embracing four exercises ; short and long Wands, Dumb-bells, Rings and Clubs. 3d. Fancy steps (mainly for girls) — embracing all the move- ments from a simple gallop to the most complicated forms executed by expert dancers. 4th. Apparatus Work on the Horizontal Bar, Parallel Bars, long and side Horse, Buck, Rings, Ladders, Poles, Ropes, Round Swing, See Saw, Balance Boards, Swinging Boards, Pulley Weights, Storming Boards and Vaulting Table. 5th. Popular Gymnastics — as high, far and deep Jumping, Hop, Step and Jump, Running, Hopping, Putting the Shot or a Stone, Throwing the Javelin and Discus, Lifting and Putting up Iron Weights and Stones, Pole Vaulting, Swimming, Skating, Fencing, Boxing, Wrest- ling and Shooting. 6th. Games and Plays, the enumeration of which would take too long. Let it suffice that Guts Muths published our first book of games, in 1793. Let me state here again, that because our system is all-em- bracing, we have so many kinds of exercises at our command. This by no means implies that we use all of them in every branch of gymnas- tics. I will here speak only of exercises for schools and associations. These exercises have been divided and arranged firstly, into movements suitable for males and females, and again into such for children and adults. The exercises for children have again been divided into six to eight grades, as the case may be, so that they correspond with the number of school years of the common and grammar schools. The exercises of each grade have been selected carefully and ar- ranged for the class or special teachers. This has not only been done in the case of the calisthenics, but also for the tactics, fancy steps, ap- paratus work and games. The results of the experience of thousands of teachers have been used to determine exactly what can be done by this or that grade, what is more interesting and beneficial for this or that sex and so on. All these divisions have been made, keeping the pedagogical rule plainly in view, that every grade must have exercises that distinctly belong to 12 The German System of Physical Education. it, and that new movements are built up, Upon what scholars have learned before. There is no other system in existance that has so carefully pre- pared and built up its work for all classes, from the tots of the kinder- garten along through all forms of budding man or womanhood, to those forms of exercises that we still have our old gray haired men perform- ing. But what our system needs, and that has stood in its way here in America, is competent teachers ; men and woman who have made the study of gymnastics the aim of their lives. We do not believe that this science can be acquired any easier than every other. To be successful in our work, a teacher must from the very beginning have the qualities of a pedagogue in him. Then he must master the whole field of gym- nastics with its auxiliary sciences. He must know his work by having gone through it practically, for no theory will help him teach something that he never has done personally. He must be able to adapt his exer- cises to the condition and needs of his class. Weather, age, sex, the surroundings and so on must all be taken into consideration by him. I cannot state the spirit and tendency of our system better than by citing Jahn, who so clearly and beautifully says: “Gymnastics must be practiced in accordance with the spirit of the age, and must be adapted to the needs of Heaven, Earth, Country and Race.” And so it has been. German Gymnastics present quite a different aspect in America to-day, than it did 40 years ago. It has ceased to be distinctly German, and is gradually coming to be the American sys- tem. During the last year some of our most prominent educators have taken a stand against all systematic bodily exercises, claiming that this offers no recreation to scholars after much brain work. The point made, is that brain work and systematic exercises both exercise the high nerve centers, and that systematic physical exercises instead of re- lieving these centers, again brings work to them. I acknowledge the point as being made when one thinks of the exefcises as conducted un- der some systems, or by teachers who are not specially trained for such work. But this statement does not hold true in all cases. It is one of those theories that are not upheld by practical experience. Almost daily experience has taught us that one cannot offer to a class that is The German System of Physical Education. 13 dulled by an excess of mental work any better recreation, than venti- lating, the room, having the scholars rise and giving them a few lively exercises that send their blood coursing through thetr veins and brighten their dull eyes. Yes ! you may even use music to help to do this. Let me assure you that this very same class of children will do better men- tal work after five minutes given to such exercise, than they did imme- diately before. Only do not, in cases of this kind, give your scholars a set of exercises arranged ostensively according to the laws of anatomy and physiology, for if you do, they will surely break out in open revolt against such usage as soon as these exercises have lost the attraction of novelty. Allow me here to offer the experience of the gymnastic societies “Turnvereine” of the United States, many of whom have been in ex- istance since 1848 to ’50. Every society has its gymnasium for children and adults. The scholars enter these gymnastic schools of their own free will. The class-hours for children are directly after they have been dismissed from the public schools, the men come in the evening. The ladies usually early in the afternoon. These schools have an attendance of over 40,000. The majority are naturally German- Americans, but I am glad to be able to state that the number of Anglo-Americans is increasing yearly. I now ask, how could we keep this yearly increasing mass of scho- lars, if our system did not offer them something not found in others ? Is it to be supposed, that, if the moment they left their brainwork in the schools come to our gymnasia, and we, by our exercises, would again mainly tax their brain, we could have held these classes for a period of over 40 years? Here practice shows, as far as our system is concerned, that theory is at fault. How often have scholars of my class of older men, composed mainly of doctors, teachers and business men, at the close of a lesson said to me, “This evening I felt so over- worked that it cost me a great effort to come to the gymnasium, but now I feel like a new man!” How could this be the case if our exer- cises had again exhausted these brain-workers? Allow me to recall the words of director Lion, who years ago when speaking of the effects of systematic gymnastics upon him, said: “In sorrowful hours, when wrath, anxiety and sorrow rose in bitter billows in my heart, so that it seemed as if head and breast would burst, I have, by these exercises 14 The German System of Physical Education. dispelled my cares and found oblivion. Though but for a few hours, yet these were not to be bought for gold.” If the American public will adopt a system of physical training, they must adopt one that has life. They must have one that answers for all needs, be they those of the public schools, colleges, universities, associations or the army. They need a system that possesses the qual- ity of conforming to the needs of our country. The system that an- swers all these requirements is the one we represent. WM. A. STECHER, St. Louis, Mo. I append a list of larger cities in which our system is taught in the public schools. Kansas City, Mo., Chicago, Ills., Cleveland, Ohio, Davenport, Iowa, St. Louis, Mo., Milwaukee, Wis., Columbus, O., Dayton, O., Indianapolis, Ind., Rock Island, Ills., Duluth, Minn., Denver, Colo., Sandusky, O., Erie, Pa., New Ulm, Minn., Canton, O., also at the Military Academy at West Point, New York, the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., Cook County Normal School at Englewood, Ills., Washington University, St. Louis, and its branches, Smith Academy and Mary Institute, and in hundreds of private schools all over the country.