INTRODUCTION
There was a time when the term physical education meant gymnastics, in an indoor space, clothed in a hideous costume which denied the existence of some parts of our bodies, to the monotonous count of an instructor without psychology, without imagination, without joy in his work.
But times have changed; and the whole world is realizing “the falsity of such methods of teaching.
Woodcraft has always taught that the best kind of physical education embraces elements of all the four ways to perfect manhood, — the physical, the mental, the spiritual, and the social.
Chopping wood, or digging a hole, is a physical act, — yes. Strengthening muscles by means of dumbbells and Indian clubs, is physical education. They accomplish a certain amount of good. But, just as relish is essential to digestion, so is enjoyment essential to physical exercise in its highest and most beneficial form.
A child learns to walk without much mental training. But when it comes to dancing, the successful performer soon realizes that every step is done, first by the head, then with the feet. It is a mental process before it is a physical one.
The best kind of dancing is the kind which interprets an emotion or a set of emotions, the kind which appeals to the imagination. Here we enter the spiritual field with our physical training.
The social side of dancing is, of course, self-evident, whether it be done by the dancers as a form of amusement to themselves, or as a performance before an audience.
All of this is equally true of handicrafts — provided we select our handicrafts. And here is where Woodcraft has always stood firm — and for a long time alone: Woodcraft is recreation; we are teaching the world, not to work, but to play. Therefore, our handicraft activities are those which are — yes — physical in part; but also, they involve a mental side to attain; they appeal to the imagination by harking back ..text pokračuje
