Indian Clubs:
The Riverside Magazine For Young People
An Illustrated Monthly - Vol. 3, 1869
By C.R. Treat
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It may be well to state, for the benefit of those who do not know, that "Indian Club"
is the name of a certain club-shaped implement used in gymnastic exercise.
Concerning gymnastics in general, I propose, with your Editor's permission, at
some time to say a word to you; but for the present, I must content myself with
supposing that you need enlightenment as to this particular kind.
Before I give the authentic history of the Indian Club, I wish to propound a theory,
which you may accept or not, as you please, but which seems to me to assign a very
ancient and satisfactory origin to the implement. The theory is that a Certain
Oriental tale, which I am going to relate, contains an account of its discovery and
earliest use. |
The story runs as follows:
An Oriental king, whose kingdom (according to my theory) must have been in India,
by the luxurious life of a palace, had lost appetite for food, and relish for occupation
or pleasure. At length, dreadfully weary of doing nothing, yet too weak of will to
rise up and find something to do, he called his wise men about him, to prescribe a
remedy for his evil condition.
At this they were a good deal puzzled, for it did not
require much wisdom to see that all the king needed was to stir himself, and shake
off the slothfulness that had fastened upon him. So, one after another, evading the
real difficulty, they proposed a journey, change of diet, a sleeping potion, or some
tonic; but, as the wise men expected, these remedies accomplished nothing, while the
king grew daily more listless and languid.
At last, an obscure man, who had heard
of this strange malady, made bold one day to ask for an audience with the king,
professing to bear an important message. The king granted his request, and with an
air of great languor, asked his message.
"To cure thee, O King,"he said.
The king was astonished and unbelieving. "How canst thou," he said, "accomplish
what the learned of my kingdom has failed to do?
The stranger quietly replied, "I bring thee this club. Within its handle lie hidden
potent drugs, which will impart their virtues only when thy hand, grasping the club,
and brandishing it thus and thus, hath become heated, and imparted its heat to
them. Then will their healing power be aroused, and the cure begin. Rise with
tomorrow's sun, eat sparingly a simple food, and when the sun is three hours high,
withdraw into the garden.
There, for the space of half an hour, swing this club as I
have instructed thee; and after that, go to thy bath and thy couch. Two hours after
the midday meal, go forth again to thy garden; use the club as in the morning, and
afterward bathe and rest. Continue thus till the cure is complete.
The king was persuaded to try the remedy, though much doubting of any success.
To his surprise and joy the first day gave relish for the simple food allowed him, and
at night his sleep was sweet and unbroken.
The rising sun called him to a second
day of trial, which went like the first, with increase of good result. Thus passed a
third day, and many more, till the keen delight of returning health reminded him of
the debt of gratitude he owed his unknown benefactor. Summoning him to his
presence, his eagerness to reward him knew no bounds, and he would have lavished
upon him wealth and honors without stint.
But the stranger modestly declined the
royal bounty, saying, "Thou owest nothing to me. No drug could have worked so
marvelous a change. Thou owest all to the exercise thou has taken, and the
temperate living thou hast practiced."
Now, to you, my wise young reader, this wonderful advice is very plain, and you are
ready to laugh at the simple old king. But when you have lived a little longer, and
have grown a little wiser, you will think differently about the simplicity of the
transaction. The world has scarcely changed from that ancient time; it is certainly
not much sharper than then... Continued in Part II
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