HALF-BUILT BOYS
opment may be far from the safest or wisest course. Though physically improved by it, it is not certain that this marked development will carry them onward through life to a ripe old age. But, with others poorly developed, there will be many more really weak. Such men may have bright, uncommon heads. But a bright and uncommon head on a broken-down, or nearly broken-down, body is not going to make half as effective a man in the life-race as a little duller head and a good deal better body. Many bright students in and out of our colleges, secretly think that the month's immortality the athlete gets is all very well: but that the real life-race is with the head, not the body. So they crowd on the study too many hours a day; and forget their bodies. And with what result? That in the middle of the race, often before they are fifty, they are handicapped by a third-rate stomach or a fourth-rate liver, or both; often have to cease work and haul into dry-dock for repairs; or to go abroad, at much expense, to patch up the body they have let ran down, or rather have never built up.
But have these graduates had a competent instructor at college to look after them in this respect? Many have. But instead of building the pupil up for the future, too often little more has been done than to insure present health.
Take even the student who has devoted the most time to severe protracted muscular exercise—the rowing-man; not the beginner; but the veteran of a score or more of races; who has been rowing all his four college years as regularly, and almost as often as he has dined. Certainly it will not be claimed that his is not a well-developed body; or that his permanent health is not insured. Let us look a little at him
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