About the same time, physical training was taken up by and introduced into the Young Men's Christian Association, whose local gym nasia have done much to give the work a moral tone. We owe a great deal to such men as R. J. Roberts of Boston, whose name has been as sociated with the advancement of physical edu cation since 1875, and whose dumb-bell drill and book of exercises has long been a standard in the association's work. The organization of the physical work under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Associations has been practically responsible for the systematization of the American system of gymnastics, and for the establishment of a universal nomenclature of gymnastics. Among those who have done most for physical training along educational lines, may be mentioned Dr. Hartwell of Boston, Dr. Gulick of New York and Dr. Seaver of Yale.
To-day, practically, all private schools have a well-equipped gymnasium under the direction of a man who has had special training in the application of exercise, the theory and practice of gymnastics, and who is, in many cases, a medical graduate. Systematic progressive courses of work are conducted, which aim to develop and strengthen, to give co-ordination and grace, and to make the individual self reliant and resourceful. The equipment re quired to obtain this result is necessarily exten sive, consisting of a gymnasium, say 50 X 100 feet, with clear floor space, high-vaulted roof, a fine system of ventilation, and with every variety of apparatus which the ingenuity of the specialists, and the energy and resourcefulness of the manufacturers, can provide. The equip ment consists of light apparatus—dumb-bells, Indian clubs, bar-bells, wands; heavy apparatus — German horse, parallel bars (suspended and floor), horizontal bars (high and low), buck, flying rings, traveling rings, horizontal and vertical ladder, climbing ropes, rope ladders, spring-boards, beat-boards, floor-mats, wrestling and tumbling mats, Swedish stahl bars, booms, serpentine ladder and balance-beams; as well as special apparatus — chest-weights, intercos tals, quarter-circle, chest-expander, traveling parallels, wrist-machine, long inclined plane, sculling-machine, paddling-machine, leg-ma chine, neck-machine, bicycle-trainer and so on through an almost endless variety. No plant
is complete without its swimming-tank, varying in size from 15 X 45 up; its shower-baths, needle-baths, tub-baths; and some have steam rooms and massage-tables. An indoor running track is an almost indispensable adjunct to all well-equipped gymnasia; and there should also be the equipment for indoor athletics during the winter months. Provision for indoor games is also essential — basket-ball, baseball and ring-hockey. Each school has adjacent athletic grounds with tennis-courts, quarter mile track, football and baseball fields and golf course. See PHYSICAL' TRAINING.
The college physical departments surpass those of the preparatory schools only in size and extent of equipment. Harvard University probably excels all others in point of variety of equipment for special work. The summer work in the public parks and school playgrounds must also be noted. These out-of-door gymnasia are equipped with extensive apparatus for all outdoor work. Preparatory school work in gymnastics is, by general consent, made to con sist of a system of corrective, body-building exercises, made up of free-arm work and light calisthenics in the lower grades, followed by heavier calisthenics, dumb-bells, clubs and wands, light apparatus, intermediate and ad vanced apparatus, boxing, wrestling and fenc ing, interspersed with periods for recreative games, competitions and contests of skill and strength.