The Age Herald

Gymnasium Classes Are Again the Fad.

With the coming of the winter many society women are spending hours at the gymnasium or taking up other popular fads that tend to strengthen and improve one physically. A number of Birmingham women, who appreciate the need of bodily exercise, are giving up an hour daily to a most delightful method of exercise. The devotees of this fad would probably not agree to the statement with regard to the delightful process, but the effects, it is said, compensate for all the pounding and beating that one receives.

Madame D' Machennes, who is the exponent of this method of beautifying and strengthening, gave a few evenings ago to a number of women an interesting little talk in the Swedish movement, as it is called, which it seems is not a new fad, but rather a very old one, and has been brought from its obscurity by the popular fad of massage. The Swedish movement is, of course, a more intricate and serious method than massage, and the ladies here who are interested tell some very wonderful things in regard to the method and its curative power. Madame D' Machennes said:

"In the beginning of this century a Swede, Pehr Henrik Ling, made a study of movements and manipulations and their effect upon different diseases and founded a system of gymnastics known as the Ling system. He succeeded in making his new ideas recognized by the Swedish government and in 1813 the first college called the "Royal Gymnastic Central Institute" was established and supported by the Swedish government and Ling was its first president.

Ling died, she continued, in 1839, and his pupils published Ling's theories and by this means and through the many foreigners who studied at the Central institute of Stockholm, Ling's system soon became known in a great part of the world. Although known in this country for thirty years or more, the practice of Swedish movements has, until very recently, been confined to scarcely more than half a dozen individuals.

An enthusiastic member of Madame D. Machennes class declares that she owes her increasing charms and her perfect state of health to these lessons she takes daily.

"I am not a Christian scientist," she said, "but I have forsworn medicine. If I feel that I am taking cold these days or am threatened with dyspepsia or any ailment whatever, why I just do this." And she struck out right and left, inflated her chest, described circles in the atmosphere, breathed in sections until the color glowed in her face, threw herself across the couch, extended one foot, then the other, stretched her arms and presently relaxed and yawned tremendously. "That's imbibing," she said.

"Imbibing what?" someone asked.

"The elements," she said. "I am feeding my brain," and went off again. This is what madame is teaching in her own charming and interesting way, and her classes are very popular.