Pleasant, Michigan, 1954-1961; and I came to Wisconsin
State Uni-
versity, Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1961, where I am
presently employed.
I received my Master of Arts Degree from the University
of
Michigan in 1954. I have done graduate work at Wayne
State Univer-
sity, Michigan State University, Central Michigan
University and
The Ohio State University.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
VITA
LIST OF FIGURES
Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE TURNER MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES
III. PIONEER FATHER
IV. YOUTH AND EARLY TRAINING
V. PROFESSIONAL TRAINING EXPERIENCE
BEFORE LA CROSSE
VI. PHYSICAL EDUCATION AT LA CROSSE
A. Establishment of a Physical
Education School
B. Early Years - 1920-1939
C. The War Years -1940-1945
D. Transition Years - 1946-1956
VII. CONTRIBUTIONS
A. Contributions of La Crosse
B. State Contributions
C. Contributions to Literature
D. Inventions
VIII. ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS
IX. SUMMARY
APPENDIXES
A. Awards and Diplomas
iv
Page
ii
iii
vi
1
3
22
28
44
53
53
57
62
63
64
64
86
91
95
100
108
111
112
APPENDIX Page
B. Report Card 125
C. Letter of Advice from Hans' Father 130
D. Questionnaires Returned from Graduates
of the La Crosse Department of Physical
Education, 1920-1956 133
E. Questionnaire Form on Contributions of
Hans Reuter 137
F. Demonstration Program, 1928 142
G. Newspaper Article, Blackhawk Archery Club 145
BIBLIOGRAPHY 147
v
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE Page
1 Hans Christopher Reuter: Master Teacher vii
2 Poem, Composed by William Reuter's Students 32
3 Hans Reuter Highjumping 36
4 Pentathlon and Other Awards 41
5 Turner Friends and Associates 49
6 One of the World's Best Equipped Gymnasiums, 1920 58
7 Movement Education 83
8 Inventions - Bow Seat, Timer and Manikin 96
9 Hans C. Reuter, Artist 102
10 Grand Old Man of Curling 105
vi
FIGURE 1
HANS CHRISTOPHER REUTER: MASTER TEACHER
vii
viii
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This study is concerned with the life and contributions
of
Hans C. Reuter to the field of physical education.
Through his heri-
tage and education at The Normal College of The American
Gymnastic
Union, he typifies the kind of influence which the
German Turners
exerted on the physical education programs in this
country. This study
is concerned with one man's efforts and contributions in
the field of
physical education at La Crosse State Teachers College
and in the
State of Wisconsin.
The purpose of this study is to record the influence of
Hans
C. Reuter in the field of physical education at La
Crosse State
Teachers College and in the State of Wisconsin. Through
a biograph-
ical study of Hans C. Reuter who had been well
indoctrinated by the
American Tumverein Movement, this study proposes to show
that he
was a man of transition. He used his philosophy and
training in
building a physical education curriculum which was
inculcated in a
teacher training program.
This investigation uses the biographical approach to the
historical methods of research. The original sources
investigated are:
lBooks, papers, letters, published and unpublished
articles, awards,
1
2
course of studies, salary lists, diplomas, catalogs,
minutes of
faculty meetings at La Crosse, Wisconsin, questionnaires
and tape
recorded interviews.
The secondary sources are based on materials gathered at
the
Wisconsin State Historical Archives and La Crosse,
Wisconsin
Archives, yearbooks, history texts and unpublished
master and doc-
toral thesis.
Hans C. Reuter, Professor Emeritus of Wisconsin State
Uni-
versity, La Crosse, Wisconsin, retired in 1956 after
spending sixty-
six years of his life in the classroom, laboratories of
gymnasiums and
on the athletic fields. It was here that he taught boys,
girls, young
men and women some of the valuable lessons of life.
In order to comprehend his philosophy of education and
his
contributions to the field of physical education, it is
necessary to
briefly review the history of The American Turner
Movement. It is
also necessary to view Hans Reuter's father, William, as
he was a
recognized teacher in the Turner Movement responsible
for the transi-
tion of this philosophy to the public schools at a time
when physical
education was in its infancy. Trained and guided by his
father in this
philosophy of physical education, Hans was able to carry
it into a
teacher training program.
1Formerly La Crosse State Teachers College.
-
CHAPTER II
THE TURNER MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES
"Mens sana in corpore sano," a sound mind in a sound
body,
as advocated by the Turner movement, has become a part
of our great
American heritage in the field of physical education.
Although this
movement originated in Germany by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn
and had
political aspirations, it was in America that it
achieved its personal
liberty and aspired to new heights by introducing
physical training
into the public schools of this country.
As early as 1823, George Bancroft and Joseph G. Cogswell
organized an academy, the Round Hill School, at
Northampton Mas-
sachusetts. These men wished to embody the best known
theories, of
education in this school. They said:
We are deeply impressed with the necessity of uniting
physical with moral education and are particularly
favored in executing our plan of uniting them by the
assistance of a pupil and friend of Jahn, the greatest
modem advocate of gymnastics.2
This "pupil and friend of Jahn" was Dr. Charles Beck,who
with Charles
Follen, had been forced to leave Germany when Jahn was
arrested
Fred E. Leonard and George B. Affleck, A Guide to the
His-
tory of Physical Education. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger,
1947, p. 312.
2Emmett A. Rice, A Brief History of Physical Education.
New
York: A. S. Barnes and Company, 1929, p. 152.
3
4
and a ban was placed on Turners. These prominent German
Turners
had sought refuge in Switzerland, France and finally
landed in
America on Christmas Day 1824.
Beck was given the position as teacher of Latin and
gymnas-
tics at the Round Hill School. This was the beginning of
German
gymnastics in the United States. It provided an
experienced teacher,
an outdoor gymnasium and it gave the subject a definite
place in the
daily program.2 A newspaper article copied in the
American Journal of
Education for July, 1826, states,
...that classes begin at 5.30, others at 6.15, and
breakfast comes at 7; from 7.30 until 9 the only
exercises are in declamation and dancing, 9 until
12 other classes, 12until 1 rest, dinner at 1, 2
until 5 more classes, 5 until 7 exercise and amuse-
ment. At this time the classes in gymnastics have
their instruction when weather permits. The evening
meal follows, and devotional exercises are held at
8, after which the smaller boys go to bed, and the
rest study for an hour longer. 3
In 1828, Beck published an English translation of Jahn's
Deutsche Turnkunst, which was the first handbook on
physical train-
ing in the United States.4 "In the preface he tells us
that the same
courses which occasioned the publication of the
original, in Germany,
about twelve years ago, render a translation desirable
in this country."5
Ibid., p. 153.
2Ibid., p. 153.
Leonard, op, cit., p 238,
Rice, op. cit., p. 153.
onard, op cit, p 239
Leonard, op. cit., p. 23 9.
5
Dr. Beck left the Round Hill School in 1830 to assist in
es-
tablishing an academy at Phillipstown, New York. From
1832 to 1850
he was active at Harvard University. He became a
professor of
Latin and gradually his classical studies forced his
work as a physical
educator to the background. "At the outbreak of the
Civil War he
enlisted as a private in a company at Cambridge, but was
rejected due
to his age (sixty-three)."1
Charles Follen, Beck's companion, secured a position as
a
teacher of German at Harvard University. He introduced
Jahn gymnas-
tics. to the students in 1826, and established the first
college gym-
nasium in America. Follen and his students constructed
some crude
apparatus on a piece of ground called the Delta. They
made bars,
ladders, horses, suspended ropes, and set places for
running and
jumping. One of the vacant halls was also used for
indoor work.
Gymnastics was not a compulsory subject, but it was
popular and
large numbers took part on the Delta, hikes and cross
country runs.2
Dr. John C. Warren, Professor of Anatomy and Physiology
at
Harvard, led a movement for a public gymnasium to be
constructed in
Boston. Money was raised to guarantee a salary to Dr.
Follen and to
buy apparatus. In 1826 the first public gymnasium was
opened, and
men and boys of all ages came to practice exercises.3
Although widely
1George Brosius, Fifty Years Devoted to the Cause of
Phy-
sical Culture, 1864-1914, Milwaukee: Germania Publishing
Company,
1914, p. 82.
2Rice, op. cit., p. 154.
3Ibid., p. 155.
6
publicized, Follen must have felt the success of the
gymnasium was
only a fad as he resigned in 1827. However, he remained
at Harvard
as Instructor of German, Ethics and History until 1835.
Dr. John Collins Warren, a supporter of physical
training,
made efforts to induce Jahn himself to come to America
and take charge
of the Boston Gymnasium. Although he was unsuccessful in
securing
the services of Jahn, he was able to get Francis Lieber,
another
prominent figure in the German Turner Movement. In 1827
he accepted
the position at the Boston Gymnasium and he opened a
swimming school.
The swimming school proved very popular, but even the
expert gymnast
could not keep the Boston Gymnasium alive. The novelty
was wearing
off. The practice of gymnastics proved to be only a
passing interest
and by 1830 only military schools were promoting this
kind of physical
education.
The effort to transplant the alien system of gymnastics
without radical alteration failed completely . . . As
for the Native Americans, it was clear they would have
to test and analyze and alter and acclimate the foreign
ideas, and add something of their own, before a
system of physical education, suitable to the new
nation, could be found.2
In 1830 Dr. Warren, who had promoted physical education
and health instruction delivered a scholarly address to
the American
Institute of Instruction. He spoke on the effect of poor
ventilation,
Ibid., p. 155.
Ibid., p. 155.
7
unsanitary school buildings, improper seating, and for
directed
physical education in relation of physical exercise to
the problems of
general education. He also said,
The establishment of gymnasia throughout the country
promised at one period, the opening of a new era in
physical education. The exercises were pursued with
ardor so long as their novelty lasted; but...they have
gradually been neglected and forgotten at least in our
vicinity. The diversions of the gymnasium should
constitute a regular part of the duties of all our col-
leges and seminaries of learning.1
Although the practice of gymnastics in the literary
schools ceased, it
was still felt by eminent doctors and educators that
something should
be done for bodily development.
It was not until in the fifties that physical education
again
experienced a revival. Perhaps this was due to the fact
that we were
maturing as a nation and had more time to spend in doing
something
other than extending efforts to maintain a mere
existence. The text
books in physiology from 1830 on, contain information on
the value
of exercise. An educational leader, Horace Mann, devoted
a large
part of his Sixth Annual Report to physiology and
hygiene, and
Beecher's book, Physiology and Calisthenics,
acknowledged the
association of the two subjects.2 By this time enough
progress had
Ibid., p. 156.
2Deobold B. Van Dalen, Elmer D. Mitchell, and Bruce L.
Bennett, A World History of Physical Education. New
York: Prentice
Hall, Inc., 1953, p. 374.
8
been made to insure physical education a foothold in The
American
Way of Life.1
In 1848 revolutionary movements swept over Europe, which
resulted in thousands of liberal Germans migrating to
the United
States. They located, for the most part, in the northern
half of the
country, and the German gymnastic societies, Tumvereine,
soon made
their appearance. The Cincinnati Turngemeinde was the
first one
founded, November 21, 1848. The New York Turnverein came
in the
same year. The Philadelphia Turverein was organized in
May of 1849,
Baltimore in 1849, and Brooklyn in 1850 and a second
society was
founded in New York City.2 These Turnevereins formed a
union known
as the American Turnerbund in 1850. The first gymnastic
festival,
Turnfest, took place at Philadelphia, September 29 and
30, 1851, and
it was a decided success. New York, Boston, Cincinnati,
Brooklyn,
Utica and Newark participated.3
The official publication, the Tumzeitung, appeared the
same
year, and it reported that 11 societies with 1,072
members had joined
the American Turnerbund.4 This publication devoted much
space to
the cause of physical exercises, and it used
illustrations to accompany
the articles. It reported that the larger societies
equipped gymnasiums
Ibid., p. 374.
Brosius, op. cit., p. 83.
Ibid., p. 84.
Leonard, op. cit., p. 295.
9
and introduced the children to the exercises.
Two gymnastic Turnfests were held in 1852, one in
Baltimore
and the other in Cincinnati. Thirty societies were
represented at the
convention held in Cincinnati in conjunction with the
Tumfest.1
Wisconsin responded to this movement as early as March
of
1850, when Edward Schultz, a German patriot of 1848,
opened a
gymnasium on Market Square in Becker's Cafe Francais in
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Two months later the gymnasium moved to
Spring Street
Hill where an open air place was arranged and gymnastics
was dili-
gently practiced. Another refugee of 1848, Fritz Anneke,
assisted
Schultz in conducting this school. George Brosius, who
emerged a
leader of this movement, was one of the outstanding
pupils. The
groups of men associated at this institution proposed to
organize a
Tumverein, but it never materialized. Another group did
form the
"Teutonia Tumverein," but it expired within a year. It
was not until
1853, when the "Milwaukee Tumverein" was born, that the
movement
actually got a foothold in Wisconsin. "The aims of the
Turnverein
were to promote physical education, intellectual
enlightenment and
sociability among the members."3
Since physical education was one of the most important
aims
of the societies, they were always presented with the
problem of
acquiring competent physical education teachers.
Therefore, when the
1Brosius, op. cit., p. 84.
2Ibid., p. 84.
Rice, op. cit., p. 162.
10
National Convention was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
in 1856,
a motion was passed to establish a Turnverein Seminary.
The
National Executive Committee was made responsible for
providing the
framework of the seminary.
In 1860 when the National Convention met at Rochester,
New
York, it was recommended:
That the seminary should be located in one of the larger
cities in which the student could work to support him-
self; that a practical, professionally prepared Turn-
teacher should be the director; that, for mental
develop-
ment, the subjects of anatomy, nature study, methods
of apparatus, the principles of Turnerism should be made
a part of the curriculum; and that every society member
in the United States should pay one cent per week for
the
financial support of the institution and that the
director
should write articles, both in English and in German for
the furtherance of physical education and Turnerism. The
recommendations were to be published in the local
papers.
It was also recommended that the societies should engage
2
the graduates of the course as teachers in their
societies.
These recommendations were accepted, but the Civil War
prevented
them from being carried out.
The Turners also took an active part in the political
life of
the country, denouncing slavery and favoring the popular
election of
Senators. The Know-Nothing Party, which took a stand
against
foreigners, opposed the Turners and ridiculed them even
at their
Turnfeste. In October of 1860, the Executive Committee
at Baltimore
Emil Rinsch. The History of The Normal College of the
Amer-
ican Gymnastic Union of Indiana University: 1866-1966.
Indianapolis:
B & L Composition & Printing, 1966, p. 5.
2Ibid., p. 5, 6.
Rice, o,. cit,, p. 162.
11
sent out a letter calling upon the societies to support
the Republican
platform and vote for Lincoln. "This advice was
generally followed,
even in the slave states. 1
In April 19 and 20th of 1861 a mob attacked the hall of
the
Baltimore Society and demanded that the National flag be
pulled down
and replaced by the State flag. On April 22, the office
of the Turn-
zeitung met a like fate, and the editor and members had
to flee from
the city.
At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, there was a
total of
157 societies located in 27 states of the Union, and
when the call
came for volunteers for the Union Army the Turners
joined in such
numbers that many societies ceased to exist, and many
existed in
name only.2 "The followers of Jahn who had failed to
secure freedom
and liberty in Germany fought for the freedom of the
slaves in America."3
It was not until near the end of the Civil War in April
3-5,
1865, that delegates from the Turner societies met again
to revive the
National Union. They named it the Nordamerikanischer
Tumerbund
(North American Gymnastic Union). They again affirmed
the prime
purpose was the promotion of physical welfare of men,
women and
children as advocated by Jahn and Spiess.
1Leonard, op. cit., p. 298.
Ibid., p. 295.
Rice, op. cit., p. 163.
Ibid., p. 166.
12
At the Cincinnati Turnfest of 1865 the resolutions were
again
passed to re-establish a school for training teachers to
teach both
boys and girls. It was at the St. Louis Convention of
1866 that it
was decided that this school should be located at New
York City. The
doors of this school opened on November 29, 1868, with
William
Hesler and Heinrich Metzner as instructors in physical
education.
Non-members had to pay $25.00 tuition, and the training
was free to
2
members of the Turverein. Nineteen men enrolled, and at
the end
of the four months' course, nine men remained and five
of them
received diplomas.3 The second course was given in 1869,
and then
the school was moved to Chicago.
The third course was opened in 1871, and George Brosius,
one of the most outstanding leaders in the Turner
movement for fifty
4
years, was appointed the superintendent of the seminary.
There were
sixteen students; six took the final exam, and four were
granted
teacher diplomas, and two received section leader
diplomas. The
second course opened in Chicago in the fall of 1871, but
ended
1Brosius, op. cit., p. 85.
2Rinsch, o. cit., p. 7,8.
3Rice, op. cit., p. 167.
4
Ibid., p. 167.
5Rinsch, op. cit., p. 12.
13
abruptly when the building and equipment were burned in
the Chicago
fire of October 6, 1871. "Not only did O'Leary's cow
kick over the
lantern that set Chicago on fire, it indirectly kicked
the seminary out
of Chicago."
The fourth course was reopened in New York City in 1872
with the same teachers as headed it in Chicago. Although
it opened
with forty students, it proved to be a disappointment to
the Turnerbund
as only seven graduated with first class diplomas. This
class was
given practical experience of actually teaching students
in the New
York City Schools.2
The National Convention at Rochester, New York in 1874,
decided to give the problem of furnishing competent
teachers to the
societies of the Turnerbund another final try. They
decided to transfer
the seminary to Milwaukee, and place the schooling under
the direction
of George Brosius. Instruction began on January 4, 1875
with thirty-
five students.3 Two of them were expelled for negligence
and four
withdrew during the course because they could not
support themselves
by day and partake in such strenuous schooling at night.
The second term was for 3 months, October 1875 to
January
1876. However, during this course it was necessary to
devote all
their time to studying and practicing, and a student had
to be able to
have means of support by his society before he came to
Milwaukee.
1Ibid., p. 13.
Ibid., p. 14.
3
Brosius, op. cit., p. 87.
P ' _i 87__
14
It was also soon discovered that three months was not
enough time to
spend in training as the strain was severe on the best
qualified of
students. The executive board in 1876, therefore,
recommended a
longer term and granted an increase of funds to carry on
the teacher
training program.
The third course was opened in Milwaukee on October 9,
1876
for four months duration. Eight students enrolled. The
fourth course
in 1877 was extended to a six months term and it
graduated one woman,
Miss Laura Gerlach.
In Mr. Brosius' report to the Superintendent of public
schools
we find some of his ideas regarding training when he
states:
In the practice of calisthenics the child is not taught
to
perform feats, as some persons believe who are unac-
quainted with the theory and object of these exercises.
The avowed object of calisthenics is to exercise each
limb with reference to its natural use, in order that
the
whole body, thus informly cultivated, may obey the be-
hests of the mind; it opens a means of development in
bodily culture and training besides affording
opportunity
for healthful recreation.
The simplest apparatus used con sists of wands, dumb-
bells, light weight clubs, etc. With such instruments
a great variety of beneficial, graceful, and interesting
exercises can be performed; and when whole classes
are exercised simultaneously, there will necessarily be
a healthful mental diversion given with the physical
training, particularly when the movements are regulated
by the rhythm of music or singing, which is usually the
case in well organized schools.
Ibid., p. 87.
2
Ibid., p. 88.
15
Another benefit to be derived from the practice of these
systematic exercises is the salutary effect upon the
discipline of the school. The pupil is taught to watch
every movement of the teacher and to readily obey every
command given, and in this way habits of promptness
and regularity are practically inculcated in every
scholar.1
A fifth seminar course was held in Milwaukee from
October 1,
1878 to April 13, 1879. Ten students were accepted,
including two
women. Seven graduated, including one woman, Miss
Bauer.2
There was no course offered in the year 1879-80, but the
year
1880 afforded an international opportunity to
demonstrate the sound-
ness and efficiency of the methods taught in the
Milwaukee seminary.
The Tumverein sent George Brosius with a class of seven
members
from the Turverein "Milwaukee," including H. Koehler, F.
Kasten,
W. Wm. Lachenmaier, C. Mueller, C. E. Paul, A. Schaefer,
and
0. Wagner (and Mr. H. Rathke of "Northside Milwaukee
Turner"),
abroad to participate in the Fifth German Turners
Festival in Frankfort
3
on Main to compete with the Germans. To the amazement of
every-
one, at home and abroad, the American Turners were
awarded second,
third, fifth, sixth, thirteenth and twenty-first prizes.
Herman
Koehler, whose mother was Brosius' oldest sister, won
the second
Ibid,, p. 89.
Ibid., p. 89.
Ibid., p. 89.
4Leonaci.p. 303.
Leonard, oM. cit., p. 303.
16
prize. Herman later graduated under his uncle in 1882
and was ap-
pointed Master of the Sword at West Point Military
Academy in 1885.1
The Milwaukee seminary school was continued until 1888.
"In the fourteen years ten courses were conducted and
106 students
graduated."2 The school was changed from an evening
school to a
full time ten-month term, which included systematic
instruction in the
following subjects:
Practical gymnastics, gymnastic nomenclature, the value
and use of the different pieces of apparatus, the
prepar-
ation of series of graded lessons in gymnastics; the
his-
tory and literature of physical training, including
systems
and methods, with the special attention to modem times;
the history of civilization, in connection with the pre-
ceding course, the essentials of anatomy and physiology;
hygiene, medical gymnastics, and first aid; the prin-
ciples of education, and practical hints derived from
them;
the German and English languages and literature; simple
popular and Turner songs; foil, sabre, and bayonet
fencing; swimming. There must also be frequent obser-
vations in classes in gymnastics, for adults and for
school
children, and practice in conducting them. It was deemed
desirable that every graduate should be able to use the
English language in his teaching.3
In addition a system of anthropometric measurement of
students was set
up, requested for admission and graduation were
crystallized and a
scholarship fund was established.4
The year 1886 is regarded as a turning point in the
history of
the German American gymnastic societies, as before that
date it is
1Ibid., p. 303
Brosius, op.cit., p. 90.
3Leonard, op. cit., p. 304.
Rinsch, op. cit., p. 30, 31.
17
considered German and after that date it is American. A
systematic
campaign was now undertaken to acquaint American
educators and the
public with the German system of physical education. The
Turnerbund
authorized its executive committee to appoint delegates
to the second
annual meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of
Physical Education. Three papers were presented and an
exhibition on
German gymnastics was given by classes from New York and
Brooklyn
societies. William A. Stecher presented a paper at
Philadelphia in
1892. A special committee of well-known men (Doctors
Hitchcock,
Sargent and Hartwell) was invited to attend the national
Tumfest in
Milwaukee in 1893 as guests.
It was reported:
Milwaukee had scarcely seen such an event as the
National Tournament of Turners in 1893. Parades, mass
exercises, monster celebrations, and gaily bedecked
city astounded the good burgers. Thousand upon thous-
ands of Turners from all over the United States came to
the city and put on their demonstrations.3
The work at the national Turnfest in Milwaukee, July
21-25, 1893, was
typical of the national Turnfest held every four years
(formerly every
two years). The festivals were held to show what
progress has been
made by the Union as well as its districts, societies
and individual
members. The program was arranged to show the physical
and intel-
lectual work of the men. The children and women put on a
few
Leonard, o,. cit., p. 305.
2bid ., p. 305.
3 .. 90 Years of Service The Milwaukee Turner, October
1943, Milwaukee: Milwaukee Turner, p. 29.
18
exhibition numbers. The work was divided into two
groups--Physical
Work and Mental Work, and these two groups subdivided
into mass
and individual exercises. A copy of the Milwaukee
program at the
Twenty-Sixth National Festival shows the scope of the
activities in
general.
a. Mass-Exercises for Exhibition.
1. Mass-Exercises with Iron Wands, by young men (under
35 years),
over 3,000 took part in these exercises.
2. Mass-Exercises with Dumb-bells, by older men (over 35
years).
3. Mass-Exercises with Indian Clubs, by young women.
4. Mass-Exercises in Calisthenics, by pupils of the
public schools
of Milwaukee.
5. Mass-Exercises in Calisthenics by the girls of the
gymnasium
schools of Milwaukee.
6. Mass-Exercises in Calisthenics, by the boys of the
gymnasium
schools of Milwaukee.
7. Mass-Exercises, Apparatus Work, by the juvenile
classes of the
gymnasium schools of Milwaukee (14 to 18 years old).
8. Mass-Exercises, Pyramids on 18 ladders, by the active
members
of the gymnastic societies of Milwaukee.
b. Mass-Exercises for Competition.
1. Male Chorus, eleven societies competing.
c. Individual Work for Competition.
1. Off-hand Speeches, five men competing.
2. Recitation, seventeen men and two women competing.
3. Essays in the German Language upon the following
themes:
1. In which respect is the German system of gymnastics
superior
to the Swedish or any other system, (a) in regard to
gymnasium schools,
(b) in regard to public schools? 2. How can harmony and
unity be
19
preserved in regard to the ethical, social and political
efforts of the
" North American Tumerbund ? 1
Dr. Dudley Sargent in writing his critical unbiased
report states:
The assembling of three thousand active participants
from
all over the country, including representatives from
states
as remote as California, Louisiana and Massachusetts is
in itself an achievement which has never been accomp-
lished before in America, and is deserving of highest
tri-
bute of praise from all persons interested in the cause
of
physical education . . .
. . . One of the worst features of all gymnastics or
athletic
contests is the tendency to reduce the competition to a
chosen few, thereby depriving the many of an incentive
for
which they may work. By the introduction of the group
system, and by having the apparatus work so arranged
that
each man can be working within his capacity, and the
expert
gymnast still allowed opportunity for his difficult
move-
ments, the Turnerbund has, in my opinion, overcome the
greatest objection to contests and put the whole
tournament
on a higher and broader basis . .
Another feature of the tournament that was especially
inter-
esting to me was "The old men's class," so called.
A notion prevails in our country that men of middle age
are
too old to exercise in the gymnasium, and that they
sacrifice
their dignity in engaging in boyish sports. There is no
time
in life when well regulated and judicious exercise is
more
serviceable to a man than between forty and fifty years
of
age ....
The practice of having a competition in mental efforts
at the
same festival with the physical exercises, and the union
of
the social features with it all, are highly to be
commended.
The Germans are the only people who have carried out the
Greek ideals in this respect.2
Report of the Special Committee on Observation of the
Twenty-
Sixth National Festival of the North-American Gymnastic
Union Tuly
21st to 25th, 1893, Milwaukee, 1893, p. 2,3.
2Ibid., p. 11, 12, 13.
20
The Turners also carried their campaign to promote their
system of physical education to the Chicago World's Fair
in 1893.1
The monthly periodical Mind and Body was started in
March of 1894
and was used to enlighten the public. A "Textbook of
German-Amer-
ican Gymnastics" was published in 1896.3 Turner
instructors, even
went so far in promoting their course, that they offered
their services
free of charge to schools. 'The result was the
introduction of German
gymnastics into the schools of a number of cities in the
Midwest, such
as Kansas City, Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis,
Cincinnati, Milwaukee
and others. In this respect the growth of the German
gymnastic move-
ment was more decentralized than any of the other
gymnastic move-
ments. Practically every large city of the Middle West
treasures the
names of individuals who have given a lifetime of
valuable service to
the growth of physical education. Among the individuals
who were
active also in district and national affairs prior to or
closely following
the turn of the century were George Brosius, Carl Betz,
Henry Suder,
William Reuter, Karl Zapp, Hans Ballin, Carl Zeigler,
Robert Nohr,
,,4
George Wittich and Emil Rath."
For a brief interim, 1889-1891, the teacher training
program
was temporarily conducted at Indianapolis, under the
direction of
Leonard, op. cit.., p. 306.
2Van Dalen, p. cit., p. 393.
Ibid., p. 393.
Ibid., p. 393.
21
William Fleck. The program returned to Milwaukee in 1892
and
remained there until 1907. George Wittich, a graduate of
1881-82,
took over the leadership in 1902 and graduated
forty-three students,
twelve of whom were female students.
On September 23, 1907, the newly christened "Normal
College
of the North American Gymnastic Union,2 incorporated
under the laws
of Indiana, was opened in the German House of the
Indianapolis
Socialer Turnverein.3 Karl Kroh was the head for two
years and was
succeeded by Emil Rath who resigned in 1934. He was
followed by
Dr. Carl B. Sputh, who continued to serve until
September 1, 1941,
when the school was merged with Indiana University, in
accordance
with a recommendation of the 1940 Convention of the
American Turners
held at Camp Brosius, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Brosius, op. cit., p. 91.
2North American Gymnastic Union - henceforth will be
referred
to as NAGU.
Leonard, op. cit., p. 311.
4
Rinschp. cit., p. 79-80.
CHAPTER III
PIONEER FATHER
Wilherm Reuter, Hans Reuter's father, died in 1946 at
the age
of 89. After thirty-three years with the Davenport
Tumgemeinde and
forty-seven years with the public schools of Davenport,
Iowa, he used
to say that he taught physical education for a total of
eighty years.3
William Reuter was born September 21, 1855, Mequon, Wis-
consin, which is just outside of Milwaukee. He was one
of fourteen
children. During the Civil War period he attended a
country school
and then later the public schools in Milwaukee. At age
fifteen, he
received a free scholarship to Professor Engelman's
German English
Academy. Unfortunately, just prior to graduation, Mr.
Engleman died
and the trustees voted to discontinue the scholarship.
The family was
too poor to pay,so William had to go to work.
The Turners' Normal School of Physical Education was
moved
from New York to Milwaukee in 1875. William Reuter
graduated from
Wilhelm changed his name to William and will be referred
as
within.
2Davenport Democrat and Leader, March 18, 1931.
3Taped Interview with Fritz Reuter, Davenport, Iowa,
Dec-
ember, 1968.
4Unpublished Autobiography of William Reuter.
22
23
the school in 1879 with an A-i diploma. (See Appendix
A-l). In was
during this time that he was an understudy of George
Brosius.
After graduation, William Reuter accepted a teaching
position
in Peoria, Illinois Turverein. At this same time, he
also taught at
Pekin, about ten miles away, and at Bloomington, about
forty-five
miles away. He traveled back and forth by railroad, and
his railroad
fares amounted to quite a bit. Finally, he got a
railroad pass from a
newspaper man for making collections for him. William
was also able
to add to his income by conducting a Sunday morning
class in drawing
and modeling.
Mr. Reuter's stay in Peoria was not very long because he
accepted a call from the Davenport Turngemeinde in late
1879.2 This
was a much larger society, and they offered him $25.00
per month,
plus the dues of children's classes, guaranteeing
$600.00 a year.
In addition, on Saturday afternoons he taught at Rock
Island, just
across the river, and then he took the horsecar to
Moline where he
taught two classes from 8 to 10 p.m. Since there were no
cars after
10 p.m. and no trains until the next morning, he walked
the six miles
home. He did all this extra work for the sum of $10.00
per month.
Besides his work in the Tumgemeinde he accepted a
position as teacher
of physical education in the public schools. No
systematic drill in
physical culture was given the children of the schools
until 1887. At
that date the Board of Education determined to employ a
special in-
structor, and William Reuter, in charge of the Turning
school of the
Davenport Turngemeinde was secured. The minutes of the
Board of
Education of January 11, 1887 states:
That Professor William Reuter of this City be employed
for the remainder of the current school year as instruc-
tor in Physical Culture at a salary of $50 per month,
he agreeing to conduct a ten minute lesson in each
room instructed at least once a week, and to meet the
teachers interested, collectively, for an hour's lesson
once in two weeks.l
William Reuter's work in the public school was of very
high
caliber and attracted visitors from the surrounding
states: he became
nationally known in Turner circles for his outstanding
work. He was
especially noted for his model exhibition numbers at the
National
Tumfest. His classes won highest honors in every
National Turnfest
which were held every four years, his first being in
1881 and his last
in 1909.2
At the Turnfest in 1881 in St. Louis, Missouri, he put
on a
number with twelve men using seven pound iron wands,
other groups
used three pounders. No notes could be used, no
coaching, no cues
given, only the count in short snappy commands. There
was to be no
audience applause until all teams finished and the
competition was
Minutes of the Board of Education, January 11, 1887,
Davenport, Iowa.
Unpublished Autobiography of William Reuter.
25
completed. Mr. Reuter says, "On the next day when
announcements
were made and diplomas given, we heard the chairman of
the judges
call out Davenport Turngemeinde--with Reuter Turnerhouse
first place
with 100 percent by all judges, I actually wept. So my
boys with
their black, 72 pound wands beat all others with their 3
pound wands.
We, with only 12 men had outranked even Chicago with 26
men--and
members counted. This put Davenport on the map."
The Davenport Turngemeinde,under the direction of
William
Reuter, were also in competition at the Milwaukee
Turnfest of 1893.
They were invited to put on an exhibition at the World's
Fair in Chicago
in the same year. This group was the only class
officially photo-
2
graphed at that event.
William Reuter attended conventions and meets from
Boston
to San Francisco, New York to Los Angeles and from St.
Paul to Louis-
ville, Kentucky. He was well known and very popular,
consequently,
he got many job offers. He tells us:
There passed not a year in which one or more offers
with good inducements did not come in my mail.
All those cities before mentioned, as well as others,
wanted me. I turned a deaf ear to them all even to
San Francisco offering $100.00 in gold per month
when I yas getting but $85.00 in silver or green-
backs.
1Unpublished Autobiography by William Reuter.
Davenport Turn-Gemeinde, "Seventy-Fifth Anniversary,"
p. 11.
Unpublished Autobiography of William Reuter.
26
Major Koehler of West Point, captain and master of the
sword
and director of athletics and gymnastics, and a former
Turner said he
would like to have William Reuter as an assistant, but
since he was
over age, he asked if one of his sons might be
interested in a position.
Perhaps the best job offered Mr. Reuter, and the most
tempting and
hardest to turn down, was that of Presidency of the
Normal College at
Indianapolis, Indiana in 1909. After he declined the
position, an
article appeared in the newspaper Davenport Democrat:
and Leader
which headlined: "PROF. REUTER REMAINS HERE. Davenport
Physical
Instructor Declines High Honor Elsewhere." Mr. Reuter
remarks of
this offer:
After declining by mail, I received a long distance
call,
saying that secretary Nix would be in Davenport the
next day to try to convince me of the mistake I was
making. He came and was guest at my house. The gist
of our conference was his pointing out that as president
of the Normal College--the oldest in the country--I
would be a national figure in my profession. Having
known me as a member of the technical committee in the
executive board of the American Turnerbund, and knowing
of my never failing success in the past and with a
letter
of recommendation of my superintendent in their hands--
a letter such as are rarely written--and full knowledge
as
to my personality, etc., they wanted me and should have
me... While proud of being considered, I felt I must
decline. After bidding him goodbye at the station with
an "Auf Wiedersehn," he turned, while getting aboard
and said: "remember the salary is $3,000.00 a year and
possible increase. Should you change your mind, wire.
We will hold the place open as long as possible," and
with another "Auf Wiedersehn" he was off. 2
Davenport Democrat and Leader, March 18, 1931.
Unpublished Autobiography of William Reuter.
27
Although William Reuter did not accept the Presidency of
the Normal College of the NAGU at Indianapolis, this
college saw fit
to award him the Bachelor Honoris Causa Degree and the
Masters
Honoris Causa Degree.
In 1931, The American Physical Education Association
award-
ed him an honor award diploma, and he was appointed a
Fellow in the
Academy of Physical Education.
Davenport Democrat and Leader, March 18, 1931.
'CHAPTER IV
YOUTH AND EARLY TRAINING
An elderly man stood at the counter of a sporting goods
store
in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He wanted to purchase a bike
that had a
five-speed shift as this would make it easier to travel
the hilly terrain
of the area. The salesman asked the man, "How old is
your little
boy?" He answered, "Eighty-one." The bike was being
purchased
for the use of Hans C. Reuter, Professor Emeritus,
Wisconsin State
University, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Hans, a second
generation Turner,
is truly a "chip off the old block."
In Davenport, Iowa, on December 20, 1885, Johan
Christopher
was born to Wilhelm and Anna Reuter. Both parents were
natural born
American citizens of German immigrants. Johan was called
Hans until
he enrolled in public school. He was called John in
elementary and
high school, but when he went to work in the jewelry
trade, he reverted
back to Hans.
Hans had one older sister, Wilhelmina (1880) and an
older
brother, Friedrich (1883). He had three younger sisters,
Margareta
(1888); Helena, (1890); Anna Maria (1893); and a younger
brother,
William (1894).2
Note--hereafter referred to as Hans.
2Note--All are living at the time of this writing.
28
29
Hans began his formal education at the age of five
years, in
the Davenport Turngemeinde under the supervision of his
father, Wil-
liam Reuter. The Turner Hall was a large and spacious
gymnasium.
It had a visitors' balcony at one end. Near the entrance
was a poster
printed in German "Man darf," meaning "one may." Under
this head-
ing were several captions such as "one may remove his
hat upon
entering the gymnasium; let your cigar go out; refrain
from loud conver-
sation while class is in session, and so on." The
gymnasium was
equipped with apparatus to accommodate class work and
work by squads.
Hans describes their gymnasium by saying:
We had at least twelve climbing poles; six hori-
zontal bars; six pairs of flying rings; a series of
traveling rings; a dozen balance beams; six ladders
adjustable to the vertical, oblique and horizontal;
at least a half dozen pyramid ladders. Then too,
there were the storming board; the circle swing; the
pulley weights; jump stand; shot put; vaulting poles;
etc. The vaulting poles were of spruce, no spring
to these poles or casts as in present glass poles.
We had hand apparatus such as wooden wands,
three and seven pound iron wands, wooden dumbbells,
wooden barbells, wooden ring, reeds, Indian clubs
of various weights, long wooden wands about twelve
feet long. These were used by several persons (about
four at a time) standing one behind the other, grasping
the wands at their sides. For weight lifting we had
iron dumbbells. Then there was the Linsenstein, so
called on account of its shape, like a lentil pea;
lenticular shape. In using this weight in competition
it was placed on the palm of the right hand at floor
level, raised to chest level and then pushed up to
full arms length. When one couldn't push it any more
times with the right hand, it was transferred to the
left hand without dropping it or letting it touch the
floor. Then it would be pushed up with the left arm.
.. There were a great number of mats, the wrestling
mat, fencing equipment, large medicine balls that
we used to toss and exercise with. We had some
30
smaller medicine balls; we used these in the game
of battleball in the junior and men's classes. When
basketball and indoor baseball came in, of course,
that equipment was added. Also, when the play-
ground movement took hold, playground slides were
installed. 1
The classes were arranged according to age groups. For
boys,
the first class was from age five to nine years; second
class, age
nine to twelve; third class, age twelve to fourteen;
juniors, fourteen
to eighteen; men, eighteen years and over. This last
group of men
was known as the actives. The senior class was comprised
of men
over thirty years of age. Sometimes they called
themselves the Bear
Class. The girls classes were organized according to the
same age
groups, except that at age sixteen they entered the
ladies' class. In
later years, classes were organized for married women.
As a child, Hans had fun in the turner classes for there
was
always time for free play before and after the formal
activities. Every
lesson started with a warm-up period, consisting of
running, jumping
or hopping activities. Marching tactics, with or without
hand ap-
paratus, preceded the free exercise. The men's classes
often marched
while singing some of the Turner songs. Next came the
work on the
apparatus. This was done by the entire class working on
different
apparatus. The lesson usually lasted an hour, and wound
up with a
game or novelty race. The older boys and girls and
adults exercised
with wooden dumbbells, wooden and iron wands and Indian
clubs.
1Autobiographical Tape by Hans Reuter, 1967.
31
At the age of six, Hans was enrolled in the Davenport
Public
Schools. Unlike the well equipped Turner Hall, physical
culture was
conducted in the crowded classroom or in the central
hallway, if they
had one. When the weather was nice, the class went
outdoors. Hans
was fortunate to have a class in physical culture in the
public schools,
as most school systems had not yet recognized this need.
William
Reuter, Hans' father, had introduced and was teaching
this class in
Davenport, Iowa, at the time when his children were in
attendance.
The program was limited due to space and time allotment
of not more
than fifteen minutes a day. William Reuter visited each
school in
Davenport once a week to present the lesson and lesson
plans to be
followed daily by the teacher. The children looked
forward to this
weekly visit, and would applaud when William Reuter
entered the room.
They also made up a poem about him. (See Figure 2.)
The subjects taught in the elementary schools were:
reading,
grammar, geography, history, manual training and
cooking. Hans did
not like multiplication, addition or subtraction, but
when it came to
working out problems, such as how many rolls of
wallpaper or carpeting
required for a room, he was usually the first one
finished.
The Reuters spoke German in their home so naturally Hans
did
pretty well in German in the lower grades. However, when
he reached
the fifth grade he didn't like his German teacher and
got poor grades.
His teacher tried to be a strict disciplinarian, and the
boys took
advantage of her and often misbehaved. One day Hans
really aggravated
32
FIGURE 2
POEM, COMPOSED BY WILHELM REUTER' S STUDENTS
33
IERE is the nman the school kids know.
He helps each one to -.troner grow.
Gives the young blood circi lation:
Also aids their respiration.
Counteracts the school position...
Keeps them all in mood condition.
Creates love for animation.
Has them march in drill r:t'maltion.
Each class he will organizt:
And their bodies exercise.
Indian Clubs and Dumrb-)bells lipht.
They all use in manner right.
Kids all act when he command.
Little chests he makes expand.
Little hands and little feet.
As he counts the time will beat.
By his calisthenic rules,
He makes better all the schools.
And the children like his work.
From it they will never shirk.
He's for health of every kind.
Health of body: health of mind,
Dormant musles he eakes play;
Does it in a pleasing way.
At hiks Izr*I Eo' -thr r ban:
Do yvotf knmw *h'^ -*.hy -T, , n
Ask some mchol boly: he will s*y:
"That's Professor Reuter. plain as day."
34
the teacher, and she asked who had a good pocket knife.
Hans offered
his knife, and the teacher gave it to the boy ahead of
him, telling him
to go out and cut a switch off the tree outside of the
room. As he
passed Hans on the way out, Hans told him to cut a great
big one. The
boy was gone a long while and when he finally came in he
had a limb
about eight feet long with all the side branches still
on it. The fact
that the switch was so big and that the class period was
almost up,
saved Hans from getting a whipping. Hans remarked, "This
incident
may not be nothing to brag about, but it showed that I
used my head."
Like most boys his age, Hans had certain chores to
perform
after school hours. One task was that of shining his
father's shoes
( it was not the wax polish but the "spit and Polish"
kind); mow the
grass, chop and pile kindling, carry coal, shovel snow,
feed and curry
the horse, and hitch her up to the buggy for his
father's visits to the
schools.
William Reuter introduced physical education to
Davenport
schools in the horse and buggy era. Fanny, the horse,
knew all the
schools and the scheduled days of teaching. Fritz
Reuter, Hans'
brother, recalls that one day his father started out for
work and tried
to get the horse to turn at a certain comer. Fanny
refused to make
the turn. Finally, Mr. Reuter realized that the horse
was right, and
he should be headed for another school.2 Another time
Hans and Aunt
Unpublished Autobiography of Hans C. Reuter, 1966.
2Interview with Fritz Reuter, December 30, 1968.
35
Lizzie were driving down town to call for their father
at the Turner Hall.
This time they were using the sleigh (cutter), and the
runner of the
cutter hit the railroad track at a bad angle. Aunt
Lizzie and Hans were
dumped out. Fanny paused while the cutter righted itself
and then
continued on an easy trot until she got to the Turner
Hall. They found
her standing at the hitching post.
All during the period that Hans Reuter was enrolled in
the
public school system in Davenport, he was also enrolled
in the Daven-
port Tumgemeinde. It was here that Hans got most of his
training and
achieved recognition for his athletic ability. A report
card, which was
developed by William Reuter for the Turngemeinde, shows
that Hans
excelled in his work. (See Appendix B-1.) It is
interesting to note the
criteria on which the grades were based. (Appendix B-2.)
It was the philosophy of the Turners to strive for
all-around
physical development. Everyone in the various boys and
mens classes
took part in an annual "Prize Turning" event, usually
held in June or
July. These were invitational meets. All such contests
included
events for gymnastic skills, activities for speed, and
activities for
strength. The participants were judged on a point
system. The events
varied with each meet. The typical meet consisted of
competition
chosen from the following activities: high jump;
high-far jump; hop,
step and jump; three successive broad jumps; running
broad jump;
shot put; pole vault; javelin throw; and hand-over-hand
climbing. Each
man competed in all events and his standing was
determined on the
basis of total points earned. (See Figure 3.)
36
FIGURE 3
HANS REUTER HIGHJUMPING
37
38
Hans Reuter recalls one of the meets held in the Village
of
Eldridge, Iowa:
When a downpour of rain interrupted the competition
just before the last event, the pole vault, was to
start. By the time it cleared off so we could start
the vaulting, it was growing quite late and because
of the surrounding trees, dusk crept upon us. The
result was that by the time there were just a few of
us still in it, it was so dark we had difficulty seeing
the take off and the crossbar. We finished the last
few vaults by the light of a kerosene barn lantern in
the hands of a man on a ladder and a candle placed
at the take off. By the way, our vaulting poles were
spruce, no spring in them as in the modern poles.1
In 1905 Hans Reuter and his brother, Fritz, were members
of
the class that represented the Davenport Turngemeinde at
the National
Turnfest at Indianapolis. As usual, William Reuter's
class received
an excellent rating for the model exercises. This was a
drill using
wooden dumbbells.
This was Hans' first experience at a National Fest. When
he
arrived at the State Fairgrounds where the activities
were held, he
found all the participants encamped in army tents, and
those tents
allocated to his group were not yet set up. Since it was
already late
evening, they did not have time to set them up that day,
so they took
the tents to the exhibition hall and placed them on
tables and shelves
and tried to sleep on them. It proved to be a restless
night for no
matter which way they turned, they still felt the knots
or were tangled
in the ropes. They didn't get much rest for the next
several days of
rough competition.
1Autobiography by Hans Reuter, 1967.
39
The tents were set up the next day, but while the
participants
were competing in the halls, there was a rainstorm. When
they ar-
rived back at the fairgrounds, they found the dirt
horse-racing track
practically flooded. They had to cross this track to get
to their tents.
Hans tells us, "to save us the almost impossible task of
cleaning up
our shoes the next morning, we removed them but kept on
our sox.
In this way, when we took off the sox the mud clung to
them and not to
our feet."1
On the last night of the Festival, the Davenport Turners
stayed
in the city celebrating at the "German House" which was
the head-
quarters. When they got ready to take the street car
back to the
grounds, the cars were already so crowded that they
would no longer
stop to pick up passengers. The only way they could get
back was to
walk the five miles. This they did, doing fancy marching
tactics on
the way.
Both Hans and Fritz took part in the Pentathlon (a group
of
five events) at Indianapolis. To qualify for a place,
one had to make
at least seven points in each event, and the person
getting the highest
total was the winner. Six of the Davenport members
entered this
event. Hans was the youngest member of the group. The
event started
with hand-over-hand climbing and Hans saw his fellow
Turners, one
after the other, fail to make the required time in
climbing. He felt
rather disheartened until he and brother Fritz
qualified. They not only
Unpublished Autobiography by Hans C. Reuter, p. 17.
40
qualified in the other events, but Fritz ranked fifth
and Hans ranked
fourteenth. (First place awards H. C. Reuter, 1898,
1900, 1906 and
1907 are shown in Appendix A-2 through A-5.)
Hans Reuter reached the pinnacle of his success as an
indiv-
idual Turner when he won the Pentathlon at the next
National Turnfest
in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1909. Hans tells us,
This pentathlon consisted of the following five events:
pole vault, high jump, 100 yard dash, hand-over-
hand climbing, and the shot put. You may note that
the combination consisted of events of speed, strength,
and skill, in various combinations. I qualified in
each event and at the distribution of awards, I was
naturally anxious to know how many ranked ahead of
me. When the winner was announced, I did not catch
the name. I asked the gang around me, "Who did
they say?" They gave me a good slap on the shoulder
and shouted, "You, you, go up there and get your
diploma." Needless to say, I was very much surprised
and felt pretty good about it.1 (See Appendix A-6.)
Hans' sisters, Gretchen and Helen, who also participated
in this Turn-
fest, shared his joy. William Reuter, his coach, was
very proud of
his son. (See Figure 4 and Appendix A-7.)
The Davenport Turners also came through with highest
honors
in the exhibition number. Hans Reuter described this
exhibition:
This time they used long wands. These were about
twelve feet long and about one and one half inches
in diameter. They were carried horizontally at our
sides, one in each hand. There were about five men
between each two wands, one man behind the other.
At first thought it might seem that this sort of drill
would be easy, each one pulling the other along.
More often, the person making a mistake would be
pulled off his feet by the other four men. We did our
marching drill first and then, in an ingenious manner,
Unpublished Autobiography of Hans Reuter, p. 18.
41
FIGURE 4
PENTATHLON AND OTHER AWARDS
42
43
passed the wands, which were lying at the side,
over head to each row. This was all synchronized
with music. We made quite a hit with the audience
as well as being given a high rating by the judges.
We were asked to repeat the performance at the
downtown exhibit-place and again later for moving
pictures.
The Davenport Democrat and Leader headlined "Hans Reuter
Captures First Prize in the Big Five Event Contest." It
stated, "In the
five event contest, second only in importance to the
individual con-
test, Hans Reuter of Davenport was first and Otto Witt,
also of Daven-
port, was sixth. This was in competition with the entire
world and is
certainly a glorious victory for Davenport." The paper
goes on to
relate that the Davenport Turners will be returning home
on their
special train and are scheduled to reach Rock Island
depot at 9:30
o'clock. Friends and admirers will accord them a
"tremendous ovation
at the train.1
In addition to the athletic events in which Hans Reuter
so
avidly participated in his youth, he also took an active
part in the
social activities of the Turners. The Davenport Turner
Hall was the
center of social life for the entire family. There they
held the Annual
Exhibition, the Christmas Party, Bird-Shooting Prize,
Masquerade Ball,
the Sylvester Ball (New Years) and Bazaars. It was at
the Turner Hall
that Hans met Ella Mass, his sweetheart and future wife.
Democrat and Leader, 1909.
_ , .
CHAPTER V
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING EXPERIENCE BEFORE IA CROSSE
The Cincinnati Turnfest of 1909 was the last Turnfest in
which
Hans Reuter participated as a member of the Davenport
Turners. Although
this brought to an end the period of education at the
Davenport Tum-
gemeinde under his father, Hans' public school education
had already
ended in 1902. Hans had quit in his junior year of high
school to enter
an apprenticeship with M. E. Nabsted in the jewelry
manufacturing
trade. As an apprentice, he did the work on all of his
Turner medals,
except the laying out and engraving.
Hans Reuter might have continued to work as a jeweler,
but
for one incident in 1910, which demonstrates his quality
of independent
action. He relates,
The circumstances leading to my quitting was the fact
that the boss had posted a notice to the effect that
anyone not liking the way the shop was run could quit.
When I saw this notice, I asked the rest of the em-
ployes what they thought about it and what they in-
tended to do about it. They merely shrugged their
shoulders and said nothing. Some of the men were
married and, of course, it was not so easy to just quit.
I told them that I knew what I was going to do. When
the end of the work day came around, I remained at my
bench and started sorting out my tools from the company
tools, wrapped them up in my apron, and got ready to
leave. The boss, who was checking over the day's
work, was watching me and finally came over and asked
what was up. I told him that I was taking his advice
44
45
according to the notice he had posted. He asked
whether I did not like the way the shop was run.
I told him that was right, whereupon he said, "Well
you're cutting your own throat." That was all there
was to it. I had no plans for the future. I knew
also that, because of the slack season, it would be
impossible to get another job at the trade. Also, I
would have to go to one of the larger cities because
there were no other manufacturing jewelry shops in
Davenport or any of the surrounding cities.1
Fritz Reuter, who was teaching in Cincinnati, Ohio at
this
time, persuaded Hans to come there in search of work.
Nic Seuss,
teacher of the North Cincinnati Turnverein and
Supervisor of the Park
Commission playground offered Hans a job in the Sinton
Park Play-
ground. Here he had charge of the boys. (See letter of
advice to Hans
from his father (Appendix C).
Hans Reuter did not stay very long in Cincinnati because
his
brother Fritz was able to convince him to attend the
Normal College
of the American Gymnastic Union at Indianapolis, Indiana
to prepare
himself for teaching physical education. Fritz promised
to help him
out financially, and Hans Reuter enrolled in September,
1910. He
roomed with Francis Miller of Duwagiac, Michigan and
Rudenz Seifert
of Detroit Michigan. Miller, later became a teacher of
physical
education and football coach at Stout Institute at
Menomonie, Wis-
consin. Seifert contracted tuberculosis and died.
The course in physical education was an intense one.
Hans
was enrolled, with three other students, in the
elementary course
Unpublished Autobiography of Hans Reuter, p. 9.
46
which was primarily intended to prepare teachers for the
Tumvereine.
The gym courses were conducted in German, but in the
other courses
they attended classes in English with the rest of the
college students.
All the floorwork was taught by Dean Emil Rath. Because
Hans was
somewhat older than the rest (25) they called him "Dad."
The activity program at the Normal College of the
American
Gymnastic Union (NAGU) followed the pattern of the
German system
with emphasis on newer trends. Hans Reuter says of his
education,
We had more folk dancing as well as aesthetic
dancing and classic dance of the Chalif school
which were popular at that time. Everything
except boxing, wrestling, swimming, athletics
and advanced apparatus was co-educational.
We did practice teaching with the classes in the
Turnvereine and in the public schools. Although
I received my formal teacher training here at
Indianapolis, I feel that it really started when
I was in the boys' classes in the Davenport Turn-
gemeinde. As I progressed to the next higher
age group, I would assist father with classes
below my age level. I would help him set up the
apparatus, get the mats, offer assistance to the
less skillful, and sometimes act as squad leader.
During the year that Hans Reuter was in college, Mr.
Robert
Nix, the president of the American Turners died. He was
also pres-
ident of the national organization, so appropriate
memorial services
were held for him in the auditorium of the Athenaeum.
Hans was
selected to hold the national flag of the Turners. He
wore the grey
flannel uniform of the Active Turner and he stood on a
platform just
Autobiographical Tape by Hans Reuter, 1967.
47
behind a portrait of Mr. Nix. The ceremony was a rather
long one and
Hans became weak from standing erect and rigidly at
attention for so
long. Just as the program ended and he was about to
collapse. Dr.
Sputh noticed him and rushed to his assistance.
Early in the spring of that college year, Dr. Sputh
asked the
class members to enter the Indianapolis City
Championship Track and
Field Meet sponsored by Butler University. Although the
class had not
started the outdoor program or done any track and field
work indoors,
they agreed to participate. Hans had to borrow a
vaulting pole at the
meet, as they wouldn't let him board the street car with
his vaulting
pole. In spite of this, he won first place in the pole
vault. The next
day his picture appeared in the newspaper with the
caption, "Daddy
Reuter Vaults 11 Feet With Strange Pole."
Hans Reuter graduated from NAGU on June 15, 1911, with a
one year Elementary Certificate. He was offered a job in
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania with the Turners, another job in Ludlow,
Colorado with
the Turners and public schools, and a third job in St.
Paul, Minnesota.
He accepted the position in St. Paul at the Mechanic
Arts High School
because he thought it would be a better stepping stone
for the future.
His salary was $1,050.00 per year.
In the spring of 1912, William Reuter recommended Hans
for
the job opening at the Indianapolis Turvereine. Hans
accepted the
position because it would give him experience with all
ages of boys
and girls, six years old through adolescents and adults.
He carried
on the usual Turner program plus folk and aesthetic
dancing. The
48
classes were held after school and evening hours. This
enabled him
to also teach several classes during the day at the
Normal College.
In this first year, 1913, that Hans Reuter was a teacher
in
the Turvereine, he was confronted with the task of
preparing the active
class for the National Turnfest held in Denver, Colorado
in June. He
also had to prepare a model exhibition number for the
actives and
ladies.
The trip to Denver was made by special train. Hans
Reuter
married Ella Mass on April 28 of that year, and since
his work had
prevented him from taking a honeymoon, he looked upon
this trip with
about one hundred fellow Turners, as the honeymoon trip.
The Turners from Indianapolis were not very strong in
gym-
nastic and athletic competition, but they received
highest honors for
the model drill. William Reuter, who was now retired
from teaching
in the Tumverein, was watching the Tunfest. It was a
great satis-
faction to him to see his son following in his
footsteps.
Through associations, Hans Reuter got to know many of
his
father's colleagues among the Turners. Many had been
teachers in
the Tumverein before becoming supervisors in the public
schools.
There was Henry Suder, Chicago, followed by Max Stress
and August
Pritzlaff; Alvin Kindervater of St. Louis; William
Stecher of Philadelphia;
Carl Ziegler of Cincinnati; Carl Burkhardt of Buffalo;
George Wittich,
his brother's teacher, of Milwaukee; George Brosius, his
father's
teacher, of Milwaukee; and Emil Rath, his own teacher,
of Indian-
apolis. (See Figure 5.)
49
FIGURE 5
TURNER FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES
Front Row:
Emil Hocke, Otto Stefhans, Andrew Thama, William
Nicholi,
Mr. Schorer, Theo Stemfhel, Mr. Krinnel, Curt Fall,
William Reuter, , Dr. Robert Nohr.
Second Row: _______, Otto Schissel, Carl Hein, ___ .
Top Row: ___, William Stecher, Mr. Bachman, Max Straus,
Ernest Klafs, ___, Henry Suder, Hans Reuter, Dave
Henschen, George Brosius, Dr. William Acker, ____
Mr. Etling, Mr. Hein, ___ , _ ___, ____
Miss Elsa Hein, Emil Rath,
r J
IL t~ 1
u ** <-^;-~~~~~~~
41 I'
no -IA
I
I i
L s -
LI;
c-
0
IA
ls
JA
*
51
When World War I broke out in 1914, Hans Reuter could
see
the chances of building up his classes in the Turner
organization
began to fade. Although he continued to teach in the
Turnvereine
during this period, he accepted a second job as a
teacher of physical
education in the public schools in Indianapolis. It was
at this time
that Marianna, his first child was born. His second
daughter, Ellen,
was born in 1922. Hans Reuter found that he liked
teaching in public
school as well as he did in the Tumvereine. He was
responsible for
the physical education program in fourteen elementary
schools. How-
