"Never in the world's history has there been a greater need of strong, vigorous men; nor has there been a time when the mode of living had a greater tendency toward the degeneration and decadence of health," says one of the articles below. City living is the bane of exercise - whereas exercise, these articles remind us, not only keeps our bodies fit but increases the powers of our minds and wills. This section looks at the importance of physical training (or physical education - "P.E." as we knew it in schools) for men, women and children. While many of these articles are from a volume published in 1913, the information in that volume has its roots in the Victorian era, and most of its authors are experts from the turn of the century.

Physical Education for Women (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

The Physical Education of Girls, by Mrs. Wallace Arnold (Girl's Own Paper, 1884)

A well-illustrated article on Victorian modes of exercise.

Athletic Sports at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, by Montague Shearman (Oxford) and R.W. Turner (Cambridge) (English Illustrated Magazine, 1892A)

The College Gymnasium, by Eugene Lamb Richards (Century Magazine, 1894B)

Its purpose, says the author, is not to teach feats and exploits, but to teach physical health and body-building.

The Poetry of Motion, by Dora de Blaquière (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

Illustrated piece on Delsarte's program of physical exercise and training for girls.

A Unique School, by C.L. McLuer Stevens (Windsor Magazine, 1897B)

Madame Bergman Osterberg's Physical Training College - a college that trains women to become physical training instructors.

Physical Culture for Girls, by Gordon Stables, M.D., R.N. ("Medicus") (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

The Physical Training of Girls (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Ten exercises, with how-to illustrations.

Athletics (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

A selection of essays (including one by Theodore Roosevelt) on the importance of athletics.

A Glance at the History of Physical Education in the US, by Edward Mussey Hartwell (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

The Importance of Elementary Instruction in Physiology, by Prof. T.H. Huxley (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

The Influence of [Physical] Training on Mind and Morals, by E.F. Benson and Eustace H. Miles (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Physical Culture, by Hartvig Nissen (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Physical Culture for Girls, by Julia W. Carpenter, MD (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Physical Training, by A.E. Garland (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Subtitled "special advice to beginners, with corrective exercises."

Physical Training and Athletics in the Schools, by Andrew S. Draper, NY Commissioner of Education (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Physical Training for Schoolboys, by Richard M. Jones, LLD (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Physical Training at Harvard, by Dr. Dudley A. Sargent (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

The Value and Necessity of Physical Training, by Charles Pelton Hutchins, MD (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

Why We Should Give Our Children Physical Training, by John Mason Tyler (Drapers' Self-Culture, 1913)

• See also Health: Exercise