rowing army of
women qualified to teach gymnastics and games, and in many cases
dancing and swimming. These trained teachers have studied Anatomy,
Physiology, and Hygiene; they have themselves experienced what they
teach others; they have been trained to observe, and deal gently and
carefully with growing girlhood. They have also studied deformities
such as spinal curvature, round shoulders, and flat feet, and are able
to take all such cases under their special care.

The course of training lasts from two to three years, and the cost
in a residential college, is about L100 a year. To ensure success as
teachers, students should be tactful, observant, and sympathetic; they
should be medically fit, and physically suited to the work, and should
produce evidence of a good general education. The requirements of the
colleges vary as to educational qualification, some being satisfied
with a school-leaving certificate while others demand Matriculation.
This raising of the standard is a step in the right direction and may
hasten the time when the gymnastic teacher will be thought worthy of a
University degree or diploma.

The training includes theoretical as well as practical work, and the
idea which used to be prevalent, is now practically exploded, that
a girl who could not pass examinations but who was fairly good
at gymnastics or games might make a good gymnastic teacher. The
theoretical subjects include Physiology, Hygiene, Anatomy, Theory of
Movements, Psychology, and a certain amount of Pathology; whilst the
practical side includes Educational Gymnastics and Teaching, Remedial
Gymnastics and Massage, Games (hockey, cricket, lacrosse, lawn tennis,
net-ball, and gymnasium games), Swimming and Dancing. Dancing is
becoming more and more, a necessary part of the equipment for the
successful gymnastic teacher, who must be able to teach the ordinary
ball-room dances as well as Morris and country dances.

A typical week's work in the second year's course in one of the
colleges includes six hours' Gymnastics; five hours' Remedial
Gymnastics, and five hours' actual treatment under supervision, of
patients in the clinic; six hours' Anatomy, two hours' Physiology, two
hours' Hygiene, two hours' Vaulting, three and a half hours' Dancing.
In addition to this, four afternoons (from 2 to 4 P.M.) are devoted to
games; class singing-lessons are given twice a week for half an hour,
in addition to a quarter of an hour's practice every day,