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THE SUN, SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 1915.

15

BY T

BEST OF ALL PHYSICAL CULTURE TEACHERS

Sanford Bennett, Who Grew Young at 70, Advises All to Imitate Contortions of Infancy
Sanford Bennetts accountof the exercises which made him younger at 70 than he was at 50 has been printed in THE SUN. Now he tells how he came to devise those exercises. By S.OiFORD B B S S E T T . T is evident that the Jazy Dut logical methods of muscular activity I have so successfully practised appeal to a gr^at many other laay people, both men and women-,-old or young; Yet my simple methods of physical culture, a s described in m y look, "Old AgeIts Cause and Prer, vention," are not new. All healthy^ babies practise exercises something iimilar as they He in their cradles, cribs or mothers* arms. You practised the same exercises when you were a baby and babies 'will continue to practise this system of physical culture a s long a s human beings inhabit this earth, for in the squirms, contortions and increasing activity of healthy infants you will tee nature's methods of developing their muscular structure. So I will confess that I simply stole this system of exercise from these immature men and women. Muscular activity-Is nature's law of health, and it is a good thing for you to understand this law, for wlien you do you "will realize : why a n d , h o w I grew young atrTPj also.how you too may improve .your, physical condition, and this by the -easiest and simplest methods of physical culture or of exercise ever, devised or.-which can be devised. This is true no matter whether you are a man. or a woman and whatever your age may be. I t is not. jpbsslble'that you; c a n - b e healthy, strong: and elastic of -body without exercise, for this is nature's method of assisting, the eliminating system .in expelling from the body the' dead cells/ worn out tissue and o t h e r debris resulting f r o m ' t he process of life. Medicines cannot do this and in nine cases out of ten a r e : of very doubtful', value. Diet is- undoubtedly a n important factor, but exercise you must have or surely your mechanisms' will Commence to clog up, then your health will fail and that change which, we term-old -age will manifest-itself. Again I repeat it la nature's ,Iaw t h a t if you'do not; "exercise ydurm'us-. cular strttctune. It 5rtJl.4 surely deteriorate. On the .other hand, any muscle which Is systematically and persistently exercised, that is alternately, contracted and relaxed, will grow in size, strength and elasticity, and if all muscle's are exercised there will be a general increase in these invaluable qualities. This is why a baby squirm?, kicks and stretches its little body, and there-' fore if you desire to be healthy and

Sanford Bennett and some of the exercises of infancy he advises adults to imitate.
strong and t o prolong your life I ad- ercises" became a stock joke-among vise you-to follow the' baby's example. my friends. Then, as" I wag'certainly I do not mean that you should b e a s proving the truth of any theories and strenuous :ln your exercises a s "bablea becoming physically younger, I became are;, for y o u r heart would-not-eland the recipient of a l o t of presents conit," hypertrophy o r enlargement-of t h a i sisting'of milk bottles, baby garments, organ -.would almost certainly ensue; cradles - and pleasantries of that naand"- If- there -was any tendency to ture. One of. the most persistent of these hardening of the arteries, the increased hlood pressurt, "consequent on jokers was a gentleman of about my the -:continuous .rapid' movements, own age, who believed in physical culmight result dangerously. Therefore ture but decided to improve upon practise t h e exercises I describe, but "Bennett's stupid, lazy methods." His improvement consisted in dilating his practise them slowly. To" understand this statement con- lungs t o their fullest extent, arid then sider the great difference between going through a number of rapid tensyour pulsations a n d those of a baby ing movements. This dangerous sys1 year old. Iywill assume you are tem was taught by a peripatetic physbetween 55 and 60. Your normal ical culture instructor* who had formed purse a t those "ages would rate along a class for that purpose in San Frana t about 75, while baby's normal heart cisco. I warned all of my friends who were beat would be 134; that is during its infrequent periods of quiet; and when mevnbers of that class of the danger it was - In activity, which would be they were incurring, but was of course nearly all the time, ft would probably laughed down"Jealousy on. Bennett's rise to 150 or more. Now if you were part." The result was that the gentleto ask me to test your pulse and I man I mention dropped dead during should find an exercising rate a s the second lesson, and t h e "Professor" rapid a s "baby's, I would advise you to found- it advisable to leave town in a :* ..- ..... ," call a halt a t once a n d not t o do i t hurry. again, for the reason that if you' did I h a d b e e n cauUO'tls before/hut 'after your sorrowing relatives might soon . this accident I became doubly so, and after b6 selecting a suitaole epitaph in my exercises I a m continually testdescribing your undeniably good qual- ing my pulse; indeed, I have become ities, and a lot more you may not so accustomed to doing this that a possess. touch of my ringer upon m y wrist for ' I commenced to study baby's method only two or three pulsations is all that of physical culture, and endeavored to I need to keep well within a safe rate. perfect m y system of exercising in This pulse testing is easHy acquired; bedi when I was about 50. My im- learn exactly where t o find the pulsaprovement was rapid and noticeable, tion in your wrist and the test can be and, being very enthusiastic over- my quickly mae. You do not need a success. I talked a great deal about it, watch, as you will speedily determine so much so that "Bennett's baby ex- the approximate rate by a touch, three or four pulsations; as I have said, being amply sufficient. About eighty would he a good, slow exercising pulse, but five or six beats faster* under those conditions would prohaMy be safe enough. You will find that when y6u awake, and before exercising, the r a te will be say ten or twelve beats slower. Regarding baby's exercises. I have had prepared twenty instantaneous photographs of the different positions assumed by a healthy 3 weeks old baby taken during the ten minutes this active little mite was under the sensitive eye of the camera. Thirtyeight snapshots were made, but as. many seemed to be but repetitions of some preceding movement I have used only those which show some variation of position. There were several attitudes in which all of the muscles of t h e little body were apparently tensed, but these were unfortunately not taken, a s the operator supposed the body was simply resting, though during its waking hours it never really rested, a statement which only those who nave nursed or cared for a healthy youngster like this one will appreciate. Afterward, through the kindness of the chief nurse of a maternity home, I have had frequent opportunities of studying the actions of very young babies and have found that there seems to he a well defined system in their muscular activity, all of them when healthy practising the same kicks, squirms and contortions, and by these exercises bringing all of # their muscles systematically into activity. Frequently they stretch or

i's Own Method of Hardening the Muscles as It May Be Practised by Adults

tense every muscle of their little o'clock, breakfast is almost over." That is the way it works with me, bodies, which forces the blood to remote capillaries, and helps the heart and I think you will have the same in its pumping work. I have copied experience, but if you don't your diall of t h e muscle tensing exercises gestion, may be wrong. This is very which I have seen babies practice unusual with me, but it sometimes with the exception of putting my toes does occur; so when I find difficulty in my mouth, which all babies do, but in. putting myself to sleep by such I can't, and don't believe you could if exercises I follow nurse's methods with babythat Is after practising you wanted to. As to the time of practicecom- them slowly I sip warm milk also mence as soon as you afe awake, and very slowly, whereupon after a few before you rise. If you are unable to more gentle movements tired Nature's sleep, and you toss and tumble, and sweet restorer proceeds to "knit up hear the clock strike all kinds of un- the ravelled sleave of care." canny hours, don't bother counting This is one of the best features of imaginary sheep or employ other my lazy man's system of exercise, for standard methods of inducing sleep, I am confident that it is only during but select any one of the exercises I sleep that the repair process of the describe, preferably one of the arm worn out tissue takes place, and so exercises which requires a s little move- t h a t Sancho Panza was right when he ment as possible. said, "Blessed be the m a n who invented sleep." Practice this very slowly, so slowly that it may become monotonous, also That, you may induce this blessed slightly fatiguing, and count the move- condition when you toss and tumble ments very deliberately, a s in the time about at uncanny hours of the night, honored practice of counting sheep try this remedy. As an easily learned jumping over a fence; start onetwo but very effective method of exercisthree, &c, until you are getting into ing, securing bodily elasticity, as well the high numbers. You are becoming a s materially promoting your health, a little tired, for it is awfully monoto- there is not any system of exercise nous, and are getting to be a little like it. Countless millions of babies mixed up and don't know the next have successfully practised it. and it number, so while you are foggily try- is just a s much in. vogue now as when ing to remember it your movement be- the instinct of nature prompted the comes slower and slower, until some first baby to develop Its wonderful one suddenly says, "Wake up, it's 8 structure by muscular activity.

THE WIFE'S COFFIN

Continued from Fourteenth Page.

BY GOUVERNEUR MORRIS
accustomed precise and well bred way. "Baby," said he. for so I was still called by rc^t of the family, "do you want to leave the Rev. Crowles entirely to me? If so 1 will first take you to mother and then shoot him like a dog. But if you would rather have a hand in it yourse'.f " "I would. Miles," I blubbered, "I would rather." "Very well, then," said he. "and I'm glad you feel that way. But 'you'll have to stay here till night; because he'll be coming back to have a look a t . you " up, but loosely, and gagging me again, but not so that it hurt, and then he kissed me and said I was Ms own brave brother and went away. A long time after I was awakened by the opening of the attic trap and I heard the voice of Crowles. "Are you all riglil?" lie said sharply. "Oggleoggle," said I. He laughed in a kind of wild, excited way and 1 heard the trap door close and the bolt shoot. The next thing I remember I was running through the night, hand In hand with Miles, and at our sides lx>unded and gamholW-d .Juno, our great mastiff. There were murky clouds racing across tl>^ heavens and now and then flashed forth the moon. Here and there, far off. shone bobbing lights, which wrf tint horns in the hands of those who were searching for me. But no one saw us and we reached the vault and crawled In by the secret entrance and rested awhile, panting among the dead. But Miles had already been in, a3 1 knew, when, after some fumbling, he found and lighu-d a lanthorn. In the centre of the vault, being a3 it wore but a transient Kuest. there rest'd upon the receiving tresties the coffin supposed to contain the fcody of Capt. Thorn's wife. Miles set the lanthorn square upon the lid and fell to undoing the preat thumbscrews. "His first surprise," ^*iid he, "shall be !' find the treasure gone. Now. Baby, take the lanthorn and, as I . lift the lid, you look in. It's your right to look in first, so I'll shut my eyes." But if I expected (and I did) to be daxz'.ed by an Ali Rahan display of sold and diamonds I was disappointed. The roffin was full to the brim of little leathern packets; some light and some as heavy as lead, some of old wormy leather anS some of new and yellow. But at that time we opened none. and Uncle Philip. And with him, bristling horribly, but forbidden to budge or speak, crouched Juno trembling. I heard the key thrust into the lock and turned and then the heavy creaking of the vault door and a moment later the slight concussion caused by its being warily closed. Then 1 heard a lanthorn being lit and a yellow beam of light reached me in the coffin. At the same instant a spasm of acute fear jerked me from head to foot. Then I heard the voice of the Rev. Crowles pitched in a tone of dismay. For he must have seen, at that instant, that the lid of the coffin had been unscrewed. The lid was snatched off. and T saw bonding over me. not the face of Crowles alone, but throe faces: his and those of the two pirates who had come to my mother for the coffin. Howhe had got into communication with them will never be known. i>et it suffice that ho had and was In coKab\ration with th m. at that for him ill omened moment. You must not think that the throe stared down at me and I up at them for an unconscionable time. During the brief moment th.it it takes to wink perhaps, but not longer. In truth, the awful yell that was torn from my throat must have been almost simultaneous with the snatching off of the coffin lid. And hard upon my yell there came the detonation of Miles's fowling pierc and the horrible attacking roar of the mistiff. There wv^s no time for the ili fated pirate against whom she sprang to open the heavy door of the vault and escape her. even for a moment. Indeed and I must have sat up in the coffin, for I saw it allhe did not so much as reaeh the door or try to. He leaped upward and backward upon a coffin, screaming, and from that slight elevation she pulled him downward and forward by the throat, and then up.. n the mouldy floor killed him as if he had been a rat. Kay, we worked like a pair of beaMiles with his fowling piece had vers to remove them all end bide them nr-r-Aitn^^d f o r t h e O t h e r r>irat'.'% b u t ^ about the vault, between coffins, be- for the Rev. Crowies. though he was hind coffins and wherever the light dead as a stone, there was not a mark of a lanthorn from a central position on him. and it was not until the morncould not penerate and we had the. ing when they laid him out for burial coffin nearly emptied and most of the that any one noticed that the most of tr-nsi'-^ hid. when suddctty "Sshh!" his hair had turned white. raid Miles. It remains only to say that the We had heard even through the treasure footed 30.000. a huge sum heavy door the sound as of a trodden in those days, and that at no time twig breaking. was there any talk of turning it over "Baby," Miles whispered with a to the heathen. Indeed, only one thinp sudden insplratidn, "let him find you." not delightful came of the night's work, and this was that at least once And before I could have said Jack a week until her death two years later. Robinson Miles had me in the coffin at the age of 104. Qreataunt Polina and the lid on. But one of the screws made me gag myself with a great held the lid ajar, sa that I knew the brass key and thus cater to her senile precise moment when Miles blew out sense of humor. the lanthorn. Himself, he told me after, then lay down, fowling niece (Copyright by Tke North American Cocked and ready, between gran'pa Cow pam/.)

end of the key into his mouth he drew he had played a sorry practical j i k e I caught one glimpse of Miles's astont h e "twine backward over his ears and upon me; but a s time passed and the ished face turned up to mine, and fly was the first duty of a returned then attempted to talk. ' The effect cord cut into my a r m s and legs and then the blood from my slashed head traveller, went upstairs and made my was indescribably droll, I thought. My the twine into t h e corners of my ran into my eyes and I staggered and manners to Qreataunt Polina, de- respected tutor could emit nothing but mouth so a s to cause bleeding. I began, fell o\;er backward. I had always looked up to Miles *.. scribing for her Charleston and the a very faint sound that resembled to think the truth. And then I passed to the most serious minded and virfrom rage against the individual to a nothing more than the syllables "Oghanging and whatever else I thought veritable passion of rage against fate. tuous of my brothers. There was a j!d be pleasant hearing to a person gleoggleoggie." Then he removed the key from his o u u X C A I i a u o i c u U l j o c i k n , 4,*-5^&lUl kind of precise niceness about him in of her years. word and deed that was very ^taking. mouth and, having wiped it upon his less struggles. But by good fortune I had not to M y one chance, I argued, was to I had never known the shadow of an recount the hanging more than four handkerchief, asked me if I did not nor of any coarse expression to times in detail before Aunt Polina fell wish to know how it felt'to be gagged. show myself a t the little square of oath pass his lips; but when he had untied I was alacritous to know and presglass t h a t lighted the attic and be icto one of those little opportune flaps me and taken the gag from my mouth *h;ch are the solace and recreation ently, t h e key pressing downward on seen. But granting that I could get and heard all that I had to tell, he my tongue and paralyzing all power of to my feet and look out, who was to of old ape; and then I was free to rush off to the burial vault in the articulation, I found myself trying to pass, looking up, and see me, unless chapel yard to see that no one had say: "Don't pull the twine so tight." the Rew Crowles himself? Well, I all I got out was "Oggleoggle- did get to my feet, God only knnws tampered with the door and that my But oggle." how, for I was mightily bound, treasure, presumably, had not been and by a series of Jumps of a few The Rev. Crowles had drawn the lifted. inches* each got to the window and string much too tight for comfort; And whom should I come across looked out. teurrying in the same direction but it cut sharply into the corners of my mouth and I realized suddenly that he F o r an hour I stood and saw no U-* Rev. Crowles. was "not holding the two loose ends, living thing, though now and then 'Where are you going, sir?" said I. but had tied them at the back of my I heard far off V-s!-*** And then "My Ix^-." said he, with (but I did head. I put my fingers to the knot, it began to get dark and. rrha? cot think so till afterward) a disin- but could make nothing of it. Then genuous face, "the key of the vault I turned and saw that my tutor was has disappeared." laughingbut nervously, ra.ther than 'Does my mother know?" I asked. with amusement. I tried to say, "Take "N'o." said he, "and no cause to It off, it hurts me." And" what I said fr;?hten her. The matter is best was "Oggleoggle." 1 - iced nfter by men. My first thought. "Jack'," jaid the Rev. Crowles. and *as the keynaturally. And I went in no way could I account for his at -ncf to the place where it usually manifest nervousness? of voice and l>.ric?. in the closet of your father's expression, "you have learned what li-rary. It was gone." it is to be gagged. I am now going Who .,n have taken it?** I saidto teach you what It is to *>e bound." "Wi. .:- said he. "Why. it was in And although I began to kick and lh<- lihr.iry that the pirates waited fight, he so twisted his hand into the -;r mother fetched the boys, collar of my coat that I was soon *>ss "hey made use or the oppor- choked to passivity. * < > v>ok for portable acrttcles Then still holding me by the collar . r.d in opening the closet saw he walked me hither and thither -. recognized it and took it. through his little house, while he tho natural and logical ex- looked for something with which to tie me. The waistcord of an old dress>." I said, my eyes wild with ing gown was finally made to answer, n*. "they will come a t night and having dragged me into the garret > " he treasure." he bound me hand and foot and laid '\'.\ try to." said my tutor, me on the floor. yes flashed; hut whether "And now." said he, and the nervous '' r or derision I could not look in his eyes had given place to a kind evil, greedy light, "you will ' :s;ht we to do about it?" learn of what !t feels like to **> a. pris.. Crowles appeared to eon- oner." He left me, and I heard the attic and the bolt that held it : inkly. Jack,'" gain he, "I shoot home. answer at my tongue's It would have been a? hard to be~ ^ my coat and vre will lieve that one of the great live oaks that. stood about the Mansion House with fatigue and nain and despair, proved himself a veritable glossary of unexpected language. enough T was much fiat- had gone for a walk as that Rev. I began to grow dizzy and to sway ; upon my tethered feet. Then sudWith me upon his knee, snuggled Crowles had turned villain. The man i ; recently we had entered denly, as the moon comes from under close to him and blubbering, he dehad been with us, you might say, for . .;"; shady parlor. ' <t of keys," said he, "doyears, with no greater fault than that a cloud or as the sun clears the rim livered himself of tho longest stream they make the best gags slightly unmanly civility that so often of the world there came, into view, of blood curdling oaths and threats Koes with dependent poverty. You and near at hand, my brother Miles, as T believed them and do stillthat would never have dubbed him "saint, walking briskly and whistling in a had ever flowed in this world. I think ?" 1 asked. "How?" if Emperor Nero had heard he would ' -aid he, "whywell, here's being too fond of his bottle and his preternaturally high key. have run off howling on his bowlegs. whist, and too overwhelmingly long 1 tapped upon the window with my " . he took out that" which ';" lock of the parlor door. faced and pious when he read the ser- forehead, but he did not hear. A Hut as even the most beautiful musi ) a bit of twine, Jack?*' vices in the chapel. But "you had moment more and he would have cal pieces must come to an end, 06 ' 'ftehed it from my pocket. thought him ^s good or better than passed out of sight. Then I drew with Miles's comforting and incomthe general run of respecte.! men. and back ray head and furiously butted parable soliloquy. He stopped short -^ ^r -7 the glass, and out It burst from the In the m!d3t of a hair raising expres K... 1 - *~ ,. ,u Hf i u. the ring at the end of the a.~ feaah with a fine smash and shiver. sion and began then to speak in his

By a series of jumps of a few Jnches each I got to the window.

"But Miles *' I began, aghast at the proposition. "He will come about supper time," said Miles; "at supper you will be missed. Every one of us will be turned out to look for you. See? Crowles will give ail the directions. Well, when we are all well scattered, about eleven or midnight, he will go to the vault and make off with the treasure." "I don't want blm to," I said. " P r r r t ! " paid Mi!e?. "you and T will be waiting for him in the vault." "But he has the. key."' 1 objected. "There's another way in."" said Miles. "Vou don't remember my tame fox. Baby, do yon? WeH, 1 had one and he had a burrow in the earth that's banked over the vault. Yoii can't i*ee it because of the honeyfftioklo. Well, this old burrow's still there and it goes right back to the masonry. And that part of the masonry was laid without cement and all wTe'H have to do Is to pull out a few stonesand I've done it two or three timesand crawl into the vault. You come in just between gran'pa and Uncle Philipand we will wait there till Crowles comes, and, believe me, the surprise will do him a world of good."' Weii, it ended with Miles tying ..no
Thomas M. Tryniski 309 South 4th Street Fulton New York 13069 www.fultonhistory.com