Walter Thom

“ As, in this world, man has been placed in the first rank of created beings, his mental powers are not only incomparably beyond those of other animals, but his physical strength also exceeds that of most of them. An ingenious Frenchman ascertained the strength of the human frame, by placing on every part of a man’s body, standing upright, a number of weights in such a manner, that each part supported as much as it could bear relatively to the rest; and it was found by this contrivance, that a man could stand under two thousand pounds. ”

“ We may therefore consider the sacred games of Greece rather as a military institution, than a religious festival; and that the worship of the gods, although combined with the sports of the Stadium and Hippodrome, was only a secondary object, calculated to impress on the minds of the people a higher idea of their value and importance. In the ancient world, as well as in modern times, religion has been made a tool to promote state artifices; and the legislators of Greece knew too well the influence of superstition, to reject its powerful aid in the construction of their political establishments. ”

“ Barclay has ever evinced inflexible adherence to those strict principles of honor and integrity which characterise a gentleman; and, whether as transacting with mankind, individually, or as a public character, responsible for his opinions and conduct at the shrine of his country, he has always proved his sincere respect for the rights of others, and his unfeigned attachment to the British constitution. ”

“ When the human frame is thus capable of being altered and renovated, it is not surprising that the art of training should be carried to a degree of perfection almost incredible; and that by certain processes, the BREATH, strength, and courage of man, should be so greatly improved as to enable him to perform the most laborious undertakings. That such effects have been produced is unquestionable, [227] being fully exemplified in the astonishing exploits of our most celebrated pedestrians, which are the infallible results of preparatory discipline. ”

“ The victors should be rewarded also with the applauses of the public, the countenance of the great, and sometimes, perhaps, with the patronage of the government.”—“All sports,” he farther observes, “without exception, that promote strength and agility, should be encouraged in our military schools [13] .”
But to every man, the proper exercise of the body is an important object, as good health and spirits constitute the greatest blessing of nature, for our pleasures are derived from the capability of enjoying them. ”

“ And what may appear difficult or impossible to a man of ordinary frame, is to him quite easily accomplished. His usual rate of travelling on foot is six miles an hour, and to walk from twenty to thirty miles before breakfast, is a favourite amusement. To a person so constructed by nature and habit, long journies on foot or on horseback—the chase, or gymnastic sports—are nothing more than that moderate degree of exercise which is necessary to the preservation of health. ”

“ The physical, political, and moral influence of the gymnastic exercises on the bodies and minds of the Greeks, was thus evinced by their superior beauty and strength—their strict observance of the laws of their country—their bravery in war—and by their temperance, sobriety, and industry, in civil life. ”

“ The strength and activity of the human frame arise from the muscular conformation of its parts, and their constant EXERCISE.—Those habituated to carry burdens will bear a load of from six to eight hundred pounds; while other men, of the same weight and apparent strength, would find it difficult to carry more than one hundred and fifty, to two hundred pounds. This difference is the effect of practice; as nature proportionally augments the power of those parts of the body which are most exerted. ”

“ The life of a country gentleman, almost every where, but especially in Scotland, presents little variety, and unless he shall occupy himself with rural affairs, or entertain a passion for literary pursuits, he possesses no means of relieving the vacuity of his situation, but such as arise from field sports. Capt. Barclay, at an early period of his life, kept a pack of fox-hounds, with which he hunted in Kincardineshire. But having engaged deeply in the improvement of his estate, he renounced his pack for more serious concerns, to which, for several years, he wholly devoted his attention. ”

“ By the same means, the body is disposed to sleep; the appetite increased; the tone of the stomach and digestive powers preserved; and the blood is determined from the internal viscera, which prevents as well as removes obstructions, and powerfully obviates the tendency to a plethoric fulness of the system. By exercise, the spirits are enlivened, and the body refreshed; or, as Hippocrates observes, it gives strength to the body, and vigour to the mind; and it is an irrefragable truth, that where it is improperly neglected, the energy and strength of the whole machine falls to decay. ”

“ The manner of training among the ancients bears some resemblance to that now practised by the moderns. But as their mode of living and general habits were somewhat different from those of the present age, a difference of treatment is now required to produce the same effects.
The great object of training, for running, or boxing matches, is, to increase the muscular strength, and to improve the free action of the lungs, or WIND, of the person subjected to the process, which is done by medicines, regimen, and exercise. ”

“ We cannot but regard with pity those indolent beings, who pass their lives in idleness and effeminacy; who never exert their strength, nor exercise their powers, for fear of injuring their health, or shortening their lives. ”

“ Early and constant practice gradually forms the pedestrian for the accomplishment of the greatest undertakings: but even in the common intercourse subsisting in society, facility of walking is requisite for individual conveniency and comfort. It should, therefore, be the study of people of all ranks, to adopt the best method of performing either short or long journies, by imitating the GAIT and MANNER of those celebrated men, who, of late years, have so eminently distinguished themselves in the annals of the sporting world. ”

“ Although the chief parts of the training system depend upon Sweating, Exercise, and Feeding, yet the object to be obtained by the pedestrian would be defeated, if these were not adjusted, each to the other, and to his constitution. The skilful trainer will, therefore, constantly study the progress of his art, by observing the effect of the processes separately, and in combination.
If a man retains his health and spirits during the process, improves in WIND, and increases in strength, it is certain that the object intended will be obtained. ”

“ The art of training for athletic exercises, consists in purifying the body and strengthening its powers, by certain processes, which thus qualify a person for the accomplishment of laborious exertions. It was known to the ancients, who paid much attention to the means of augmenting corporeal vigour and activity; and accordingly, among the Greeks and Romans, certain rules of regimen and exercise were prescribed to the candidates for gymnastic celebrity. ”

“ Let us, in future, therefore, exert all our powers and faculties for the good of our fellow creatures, according to our situation and circumstances; and, if necessity require, let us cheerfully earn our bread by the sweat of our brow ”

“ Homer distinguishes Achilles by the epithet “swift of foot;” and, whether as conducive to health, useful in the affairs of life, or important in the operations of war, pedestrian exercises must be considered as of the utmost consequence to mankind. The human frame is peculiarly calculated for activity and exertion; and it should be remembered, that it is by Exercise and Labour that man is enabled to preserve his health, increase his strength, improve the faculties of his mind, and procure his subsistence.
Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, [31] there were runners of great celebrity ”

“ That exercise is enjoined by Nature, we may learn from the whole structure of the human body; the number of muscles formed for motion; and the mechanism in the circulation of the blood itself. There are indeed no healthier people than those who take strong daily exercise. Man in a state of health is instinctively excited to muscular exertion ”

“ When the object in view is the accomplishment of a pedestrian match, his regular exercise may be from twenty to twenty-four miles a day. He must rise at five in the morning, run half a mile at the top of his speed up-hill, and then walk six miles at a moderate pace, coming in about seven to breakfast, which should consist of beef-steaks or mutton-chops under-done, with stale bread and old beer. ”

“ While stationed at home, they are allowed to waste their time in “indolent repose,” and prevented from taking even that degree of exercise which is requisite to health, lest they should exhaust the most trifling of their necessaries, before the return of the usual period of supply. All the advantages they might derive from a course of training, are thus sacrificed to an ill-judged economy, and to the vain show of a parade or field day. ”

“ In a voluptuous climate, the propensity to vicious indulgence is natural and powerful; but among the Greeks, it was counteracted by the firm organization which they acquired by perpetual exercise; and the universality of the games diffused among the whole people the important advantages of the institution. ”

“ Many of “good account” embraced their tenets; and weekly and monthly meetings of these peaceable and religious people were held at Ury, for devotional exercises. But the clergy looked on them with an eye of jealousy, and stirred up against them the malicious passions of weak and intolerant men. And in the month of March 1676, Colonel Barclay and others, were indicted at Aberdeen, before a committee of the privy-council, for holding meetings contrary to a statute enacted against armed field conventicles, which, under every latitude of interpretation, could not be applied to Quakers. ”

“ In a memoir presented to the National Institute of France, M. Coulomb suggested the idea of ascertaining the quantity of daily action which men are able to furnish by individual labour, according to the different modes in which they employ their strength. And it has been said that, if all the strength a man could exert in a day, were united into a single effort, he could lift (one foot from the ground,) a weight equal to one million seven hundred and twenty-eight thousand pounds, without injuring himself. ”

“ Besides his usual or regular exercise, a person under training, ought to employ himself in the intervals in every kind of exertion, which tends to activity, such as cricket, bowls, throwing quoits, &c. that, during the whole day, both body and mind may be constantly occupied.
From the above account of Capt. Barclay’s method of training, it will be seen, that he commences with the evacuating process, and that three purgative dozes are deemed sufficient to clear any man from the impurities which it is requisite to throw off, preparatory [232] to entering on the course of regimen and exercise. ”

“ But feats more astonishing than those performed by the Indians, or any other nation, have been accomplished of late years in Britain. Captain Barclay walked one hundred and ten miles in nineteen hours and twenty-seven minutes; and Glanville went a hundred and forty-two miles in twenty-nine hours. In the pages of this volume, we have recorded many examples of the almost incredible strength, agility, and perseverance of modern pedestrians. ”

“ The bones and their ligaments, the muscles and their tendons, all the finer, and all the more flexible parts of the body, are as continually renewed, and as properly a secretion, as the saliva that flows from the mouth, or the moisture that bedews the surface. ”

“ Neither the inclemency of the weather, nor the scorching beams of the sun could affect them, as their bodies by continual exercise had become more robust, and less liable to be injured, than the natural frame of ordinary men.
The Grecian manner of fighting required both strength and agility, as the long spear of the “firm phalanx” could not be easily wielded, and the occasionally rapid marches of the Greek armies over a rugged country, sufficiently evince the utility of active habits. To the PRACTICE of the gymnasia, the Greeks owe all the glory they acquired in war ”

“ The powers of the mind were also strengthened and augmented, and that courage which depends on the nerves was improved to the highest pitch. The undaunted spirit of the Greeks appalled their [29] enemies; and the most signal exploits in the field of battle were performed by those who had previously obtained the Olympic crown [10] . The love of glory is the greatest incentive to splendid actions; and the Sacred Games fostered a passion that could easily be transferred from the gymnasia to the contests in the field. ”

“ Any person who will try this plan will find, that his pace will be quickened, at the same time he will walk with more ease to himself, and be better able to endure the fatigue of a long journey, than by walking in a posture perfectly erect, which throws too much of the weight of the body on the ancle-joints. He always uses thick-soled shoes, and lambs-wool [208] stockings, which preserve his feet from injury. It is a good rule to shift the stockings frequently during the performance of a long distance ”

“ It is by Exercise that the soldier is gradually inured to the hardships of the field; and the importance of preparatory training was well known to the ancients, who accordingly converted the amusements of the people into a course of military discipline. The exercises of the gymnasia prepared the youth for the fatigues of the campaign, by strengthening their bodies, and invigorating their minds ”