Excerpt from The Quarterly Journal of the University of North Dakota, Vol. 6: 1915-1916

During the long process of the ages what is known as Educa tion has also manifested itself in waves, in different phases, and in extremes. In ancient Sparta, situated as it was in the midst of war-like peoples, education was almost wholly physical. This was true in large mesure of most of the Greek states, including Athens, the intellectual sun of the ancient world. In those days there was little science, and Grecian youths studied no language but the Greek vernacular. All the physical or bodily exercises needed for health, beauty, and war, constituted most of the education and the training of ancient Greece. It is probable that the Greeks realized what we too Often forget, namely, that one of the best ways of reaching the mind and eliciting thought is thru physical exercise in great variety - ia both work and play.

It is doubtful whether we have as fine a perspective of the relation between physical activity and education in general as they had. In our modern institutions what is called physical education constitutes only an extremely small part Of the whole. Students are required to devote probably two hours a week to this; but in the hour allotted, a student must change his clothing, perform his exercises, and change again. If he is given an Opportunity for a bath there is scarcely any time for his physical exercise; and if he does not take a bath he must remain in perspiration and discomfort till the close of his other work or till evening. And this is regarded as physical education! It is not surprising that students dislike both the exercise and the compulsion, and constantly attempt to evade it. Without criticising anyone except the conception and the ideal es tablished everywhere in educational thought and perspective, I would say that this can be little more than a pitiable pretense. There can be no real physical education till it is honored, dignified, and made attractive and worthy of being called a part Of education from child hood to college life. I am aware that this will scarcely find a re spouse in a time when the merely intellectual star is near the zenith, but it is pertinent to inquire how the Greeks attained such beaut\ of physical form and such wonderful intellectual power at the same time. If one man says that he wishes his children to spend half the day in interesting work and fascinating play and the other half in study and discussion, and another man says that such a half dav spent away from books and study is time wasted, these two can not agree, for they have a different conception of the educative process and a different perspective of the relative values Of such things.

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