User:Liveste/Netball/Footer

Madame Bergman Österberg 1849–1915, a forgotten pioneer? By Inger Fehn Google translation (for the most part) of my transcript of the original article.


 * The Swedish Ling Gymnastics pioneer in England, Martina Bergman-Österberg.

(p. 128) The first time I came in contact with the name Madame Österberg was when I would do my assignments Trainee Librarian at the then Thames Polytechnic Library in London later the University of Greenwich Library. One of the campus libraries were south-east of London at the Dartford Campus. This college was incorporated with Thames Polytechnic in the 70's. The previous name was Dartford College of Physical Education. Even further back was the name "The Bergman Österberg Physical Training College". "It is very fitting, you will just as Swedish to Dartford," said my boss. "Colleget was founded by a Swedish namely, Madame Bergman Österberg." I had never previously heard of this woman, but I was immediately interested to know more about her. There was the opportunity to do by The Bergman Österberg Archive, which is housed in the Library premises. There is much information, more on colleget as such than if Madame Österberg himself.

Who was when Martina Helena Sofia Bergman Österberg? She was born on a farm in Hammarlunda Assembly in Malmöhus County October 7, 1849 as the daughter of Karl Bergman and Betty Lundgren. If her childhood do not know so much. She had two brothers, who both died abroad at a young age. Of her three sisters were all in turn to England, where one of them married Allan Broman, worked as physical education in London. The other two came to settle in Italy and America. That Martin had an excellent private education for his time is clear. She is said to have been his father's favorite among the children and said to have resembled him in many ways. Already as a young man she was purposeful and forward-looking and she was soon focused on trying to change and improve women's situation in the then society. She also realized, that this assumed that women could become self-sufficient and it could only be, when they received an education.

In the beginning, Martina studied languages in Switzerland. Its first service, she received as a governess. She then continued with private lessons until 1874, when she joined the Nordic family Book editorial. At this location she met Edvin Österberg, teachers at Stockholm Ateneum, who later would become her husband. 1877 gave Martina the editor of Nordisk familjebok and went to Switzerland, Germany, France and England to study gymnastics. Returned from this trip, she searched in to the Royal (p. 129) Gymnastic Central Institute in Stockholm, where she was adopted in 1879 at the relatively ripe age of 30 years. Two years later, she received her Ling Certificates from here and went out with the highest grades in all subjects except one.

In England, had, inter alia, Dr Mathias Roth and Miss Concordia Löfving tried to introduce independent Swedish gymnastics as Linge model. The subject had been unable to gain penetration in the English public schools. Already after one year as gymnastic Inspectress for London's public schools gave C. Löfving the service. But despite opposition - including from the taxpayers - then hired the London School Board Martina Bergman as a new gymnastic Inspectress., and on this record she will remain in six years. She received one year's salary of £ 200. Now seemed the resistance broken, and gradually introduced Swedish gymnastics at the English public schools for girls around the London. Martina Bergman was not only to students receiving a methodical gymnastics teaching. Then she saw that the school was too small and inappropriate from ergonomic point of view, she notified the school management with the following statement: "In schools where the girls in the 7th standard are tall and well-developed young women, the desks used by these pupils are not of suitable sized should recommend a supply of desks of the same size and shape as those used in the pupil Teacher Centers. Those which I prefer are called 'Clarke's improved desks'."

On June 28, 1882 was Martina Bergman pupils with gymnastic display in Knighton, where the Prince and Princess of Wales were invited, and they are said to have been very impressed by the display. The prince thanked personally M. Bergman. In the newspaper the Standard was able to read the following: "With a sharp military tone, that any commanding officer might have envied, Miss Bergman faced her company and countermarched them, the girls moving with perfect steadiness and precision to their own voices singing 'The Minstrel Boy '..."

During his time at the London School Board Martina Bergman trained over 700 teacher in elementary physical education teaching.

(p. 130) This training took place some days before and after the regular teaching. Additional 540 teacher participated in courses organized by the MB outside the public schools. In January 1888 had 267 public schools in American gymnastics schedule.

1886 included Martina Bergman and Edvin Österberg marriage. Edvin Österberg had licentiate degree in Uppsala in 1885 and continued as rector of Stockholm, while Martina Bergman Österberg continued its activities in the gym training for women in London. She was still heavily involved in women's emancipation and vocational training. Marriage was one for its time very modern arrangements, as Martina Bergman Österberg recommended to other intelligent and mature couple."

Possibly, they were their first time särbopar ("couple"?) - without knowing it. It has been very spectacular at that time with a married woman, who was working and being in a country other than their man.Trots that they were living on their own side, they tried to meet as often as possible in school, conferences and meetings, which they both participated in around the world. After its Marriages called themselves Martina Bergman for "Madame Österberg" (MO), a name that came to be approached and very well known in the field of education not only in Britain but throughout the empire.

1887 Madame Österberg published a small brochure, "Gymnastic tables" to be used by teachers in London's public schools. There was advice on lesson length, indoor and outdoor gear known as "Swedish apparatus", the appropriate English overseas and indoor games, etc.

To allow for the establishment of standalone Swedish gymnastics also works on curriculum in the UK, decided Madame Österberg to start a self-training for gymnastics teacher. She realized that she would otherwise fail to affect the so-called middle and upper classes. Naturally she expressed it as follows: "Is not it rather funny that you here in England think that what is good for the poor can not be good for the rich? By that time I found that I had completed my task, the teachers I had trained would train others, and my work had received many flattering remarks of approval. But the system had been identified with that of the poor, that was the difficulty. Because it was good education for the poor it could not possibly be the same for the rich. However, this argument did not impede me for long. I built the College and High School in 1885, and since then have been steadily working to improve the physical development of women in the middle and upper classes."

As Madame Österberg wrote, had a building for gymnastics training bought in Hampstead in 1885. Here began the first actual gymnastics training for women with four students in September 1885. Madame Österberg was still employed as gymnastikinspektris at London's public schools and she also became the Swedish Gymnasium (p. 131) in Regent Street. Also private gymnastics classes, physiotherapy and massage therapy were at school in Hampstead. You could also receive any patients who received continuous medical gymnastics. The theoretical subjects being taught in were: anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics, hygiene and movement theory. Independent gymnastics, swimming and outdoor games were the practical elements.

Rumors of Madame Österberg and her college spread across the country and there was great demand for those students graduate from her college. The newspaper articles were written on Hampstead High School and the Swedish gymnastics program raised sky high. MO himself was not at all surprised by the attention.

She wrote in the Woman's Herald, 1891: "I never for one moment doubted that I should succeed. The idea of training the body as carefully as we do the mind is too good to fail, our means for this training as provided by Ling's system are too excellent not to overcome opposition, and finally - you English love nothing better than success - you are your selves experts in this difficult art."

All the time, it was a growing number of girls' grammar school which had trained gym teacher. After a dozen years in Hampstead started rumors spread that the railroad would go through the west Hampstead. This had Madame Österberg to look for new premises. A beautiful rural location, King Field House at Dartford Heath was purchased for the purpose. It was in a beautiful environment c: a one hour itinerary from London. It meant, that instead was that made for a gymnastics institutions with large land areas, where you just built tracks for cycling, tennis, cricket, lacrosse, etc.

In September 1895 started training in Dartford, with 14 new students together with the 13 from the previous year. Madame Österberg was very keen to create a beautiful and homely atmosphere of their "English flowers", which she called their students, when she referred to them in Sweden. Dr. Österberg also became a recurring guest on colleget and something of a father figure for the girls. He was a GRAND vision, when he with his Fiery Red energy beard took their daily bike tours in the park wearing a high hat and morning suit.

After Madame Österberg visited USA in the 1890s introduced a new sport on the schedule, namely basketball, which Madame Österberg seen played in the U.S.. Madame Österberg did an adaptation of the rules himself and sports area was later known as the "Net ball" in Britain. Swimming trained in the River Darent. And there is also taught children from local schools in Dartford. This was done as much, so you said that Madame's students "taught Dartford Thursday swim". Dance was also included in the gym training and English folk dance introduced at the schedule from 1900. It became a very popular topic. A new and more practical gymnastics costume also created on the MO's college. A so-called gym slippers designed by a student, Miss Mary Tait and consisted of a short corrugated tunic, which reached the soil, when (p. 132) it was kneeling. It quickly became very popular and was introduced at schools around - not just in Britain. But it also raised opposition. Madame Österberg received the following letter, which was published it the Hockey Field in 1910. "The attention of many hockey players has been drawn by their parents and Guardian to the various portraits that have appeared in an illustrated paper of last week of Kent's new outside left, who plays for the County in her College tunic. That costume is, without doubt ideal in that it can not hamper the moments of the wear, but, at the same time, does not suit itself to public grounds. To show the adoption of this dress for public matches may test detrimental Thursday hockey. I quote an extract from a letter received by a country player from her fiancé. "Please look at page 874 of the Sporting and Dramatic, and see the awful apparition who plays for Kent. If there is any chance of you wearing a kit like that my foot comes down bang, and you have no more hockey."

During the 1900s continued colleget to flourish and got more and more applications. Soon, the number of students reside in 60-century and a new building built to accommodate all. This was in spite of this expansion difficult to get rooms be sufficient and there was trouble getting internships to all students in local schools. It had very good contact with the residents of Dartford, many of which came to colleget for both physiotherapy and massage. General colleget went under the name "Madame's College".

Madame Österberg himself was a dominant woman and disciplen string. The students gave her the name "Napoleon" and had a tremendous respect for her. She could criticize harshly and brutally, and many broke down before her treatment. Despite these pages, she was at the same time much-loved and admired by students out.

Madame Österberg did not hesitate about the quality of education at Dartford. Her niece Anna Broman, who was educated at colleget and then himself taught there, has a quote from one of Madame Österberg's speech: "No student of mine ever says 'I can not'. The day may come when you feel nervous. Remember that you are one of Madame Österberg's students and it will be enough to carry you through any situation."

Despite many years of resistance, eventually won the Swedish gymnastics model enter also in the English fleet, and more specifically in 1905, and a year later, in 1906, also had the army following. 1908 had hundreds of English schools followed the example of combining Swedish gymnastics with the English outdoor games in his gym-teaching. Many of the graduates gymnastic teacher based own gymnastic institute, not only in Britain, but (p. 133) throughout the empire. But not only in Britain was the famous Swedish talk about themselves. Also to Sweden reached the rumor about her. In January 1906 she was awarded the medal "Litteris et Artibus" for their efforts in England and Sweden.

1913 Madame Österberg could observe, that it was teaching under the Swedish model in all training workshops and girls' schools in England and Scotland. T. if the venerable boys' schools at Eton and Harrow had been introduced and the model spread also to the colonies.

At the time around 1913 had Madame Österberg withdrawn from teaching. It has been an indication that she thought it had its most active years behind them, when in 1913 she was preparing for his retirement and future colleges. She consulted with lawyers on a board for the college to continue training there. After many different proposals for solutions donated Mos life to the English State. A board was appointed to administer and be responsible for the Institute's future. During the latter period of its preparation had Madame Österberg health deteriorated and in the spring of 1915, when the final documents were signed, she became suddenly much worse. At the forward closure were awarded certificates of Edvin Österberg and none of the students knew how seriously ill Madame Österberg was. On July 29 died Madame Österberg and her husband were now carrying out what remained to secure collegets future and his wife's life.

Also his home country had Madame Österberg remember come with great donations. Fredrika Bremer Association had received as a gift a farm, Apelryd, located in the vicinity of Båstad. There were students trained in horticulture and rural places. Fredrika Bremer Association was also to receive two donations: "Mrs Martina Bergman-Osterberg scholarship fund for Swedish women", in 1913 at 10,000 kronor and "Martina Bergman Osterberg professional scholarship fund", 1918, at 150,000 crowns, both with specific donation conditions. Finally, the Madame Österberg was the first - and only - Honorary Member of the Country Association for Women's Political Emancipation (LKPR) to whose work she also donated 50,000 to the organization of society courses for rural women.