Sex efficiency through exercises : special physical culture for women / by Th. H. van de Velde ; [photos, by E. Steinemann].
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principle, to perform special exercises for the female pelvis under the supervision and direction of a male gymnast, however proficient. It introduces an element of embarrass- ment, disturbance and unrest. Even if the purpose and nature of pelvic and perineal exercises are neither explained nor indicated to the student—and it is not the province of the gymnastic instructress to give such facts or hints—many of the students fully realise the why and wherefore. A lady whose profession is that of gymnastic teacher has written to me as follows :— " In the course of instruction one has the perfectly definite impression that many of the women and girls instructed are instinctively aware that the increased general agility, and especially the pelvic mobility developed by certain exercises, may be of great value to them in intimate married life. The difficult, but highly characteristic, ' For- ward pelvic movement in squatting position ' is performed with indefatigable enthusiasm, in all its variations—however sore and tired knees and thighs may be." But both instinc- tive awareness and deliberate deductive conclusions (which are, however, much less often in question here) have a strongly disturbing and inhibiting effect on many women and girls. This almost automatic hesitation, inhibition and retreat, then hinders the proper performance and mastery of the exercises in question. The same lady writes further, as follows :— " Perhaps there is an unconscious suggestion, in all pelvic movements, of the sexual function, and, therefore, often a reflex inhibition. ... I can only say that we can recognise the force of sexual inhibitions in many women, when we find the frequency with which unmarried women totally fail or refuse to carry out the exercises in which the thighs are widely separated. They never begin to take the right attitude, but simply move their feet about 7 inches apart, after repeated and emphatic instructions from the teacher in charge. And, in other respects, their behaviour and manner show that they are suffering from very strong inhibitions." Obviously, such inhibitions would be even more forcible and frequent were the exercises performed under the guidance