Excerpt from American Physical Education Review, 1905, Vol. 10 Whole days were often given up to games, which were still popular, and almost every Saturday they were played all night long. Excursions, with older turners especially, and enlivened by Jahn's talk and by many a song, were continued during this and the following summer. The nights were passed in hay-lofts or on the straw in some shed, and at sunrise they started on, first singing together a selection more or less devotional. For Jahn was an earnest Christian; his knapsack always contained a Bible, and he frequently read aloud from it to his companions, showing a preference for prophetic passages from the Old Testament. At the celebration of October 18th thousands were present. Jahn first gave a review of the year's progress; following this all joined in a song, and then came competitive exercises, a torch light procession to the Rollberge, more speech-making and sing ing, and the lighting of huge bonfires. On the 3ist of the same month the universities of Jena and Kiel each conferred on Jahn the honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in recognition Of his services to the fatherland in time Of need, his stimulating influence on the young, his power as a public speaker, and his efforts in behalf of the German language. The number of tumers dropped to 815 in the season of 1818, but there seems to have been no weakening in Jahn's hold upon the love of his followers. We hear again Of the close friendships formed among them, the manly qualities encouraged, the earnest efi'ort to be purely German in speech, custom, and dress, and the underlying seriousness of their joyous life together. After the day's exercise they used to return to the city in groups, each with some favorite leader as its center. Singing and conversation alternated till the Kottbus gate was reached; there they halted till all had come up, joined in a final song, and then scattered to their homes. The next spring (1819) the Turnplatz did not Open at the usual time. The Prussian Ministry had in mind a union of gym nasties with the whole scheme of instruction in the schools.4merican Physical Education Review. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.