Benjamin Franklin used e\ery opportunity to 

 encourage his friends to learn to swim. 



as I wish all men were tauuht to do in their youth; they 

 would, on many occurrences, be the safer for having that 

 skill, and on many more the happier, as freer from painful 

 apprehensions of danger, to say nothing of the enjoyment 

 in so delightful and wholesome an exercise.-* 



Not only was Franklin in l'a\or of being able to swim 

 but when requested he ad\'ised friends on methods 

 for how to teach oneself His instructions, in his letter 

 of September 28, 1776 to Mr. Oliver Neale, were 

 published a number of times e\en as late as the 1830s. 



America's first swimming school was established at 

 Boston in 1827 by Francis Liefer. Two expert swim- 

 mers, John Ouincy .\dams and John James Audubon, 

 the ornithologist, \isited the school and each expressed 

 delight at ha\ing found such an establishment. 



Xumerous books instructing men how to swim were 

 brought into the United States in the early 19th 

 century and some were republished here, but the 

 first original work (i.e., not a plagiarism) by an 

 American was not published until 1846. In this book 

 the atithor, James Arlington Bennet, M.D., LL.D., 

 based his instructions upon his own personal observa- 

 tions as an experienced swimmer. Dr. Bennet's 

 publication requires special note not only due to the 

 basic \alue of the information but because of the 

 extraordinary title (i.e., The Art of Swimming Ex- 

 emplified by Diagrams from Which Both Setes Aiay Learn 

 to Swim and Float on the Water: and Rules for All Kinds 

 oj Bathing in the Presentation of Health and Cure of 

 Disease, with the Management of Diet from Infancy to Old 

 Age, and a I 'aluahle Remedy Against Sea-sickness) . Thanks 

 to this explicit title we learn that Dr. Bennet was in 

 favor of women learning to swim. This energetic 

 aquatic activity had long been considered a masculine 

 skill and, despite such a significant publication, this 

 attitude continued until much later in the century. 



We have already noted in a previous discussion that 

 the Berkeley Springs bath houses of the 1850s pro- 

 vided a swimming bath for men but no similar 

 facilities for women. Also at certain seaside resorts 

 of the same period, a special time was set for men to 

 practice the art of swimming without clothing, but 

 women had no similar opportunity. When the ladies 

 entered the water they were clothed from head to toe 

 because men were also present. The description of 



women's bathing costunte, which will appear in a 

 later section, clearly shows that women could do 

 little more than try to maintain their footing. Un- 

 doubtedly some "brazen" women did find the op- 

 portunity to swim, but the general attitude was that 

 women shotild only imnrerse themselves in water. 



By- the 1860s there was a widespread health 

 movement which gave additional momentmn to the 

 belief that physical exercise was good for one's 

 well-being. As a result, women were being encouraged 

 to emerge from their state of physical inactivity 

 imposed by social custom. Swimming had already 

 gained recognitioit as a healthful exercise for men, 

 but with this fresh approach it was even being 

 suggested that women should swim. A column that 

 appeared in 1866, entitled "Physical Exercise for 

 Females," asserted that 



Bathing, as it is practiced at our coast resorts, is. no doubt, 

 a delightful recreation; but if to it swimming could be 

 added, the delight would be increased, and the possible 

 use and advantage much extended.'^ 



In answer to the possible objection that the facilities 

 for teaching were not always available, the writer 

 maintained that in addition to the seashore there 

 were rivers, lakes, and ponds as well as the swimming 

 baths found in most large cities. He further asserted 

 that if the demand were great enough, certain days 

 could be appropriated e.xclusi\'ely to women as 

 was done in some of the London baths. 



The type of baths referred to in this case were not 

 built simply to suppK' a health-giving treatment or 

 for recreation as described earlier. As part of the 

 health mo\ement mentioned above, there was a 

 growing concern in regards to personal cleansing; 

 it was realized that merely splashing water on the 

 face in the morning was not sufficient for good personal 

 hygiene. While facilities for washing the whole body 

 were being installed in wealthy honies, there was also 

 a growing concern for the masses of people who 

 could not afford such extravagance. Thus philan- 

 thropic individuals encouraged the building of 

 public swimming baths in densely populated, low 

 income areas. It was hoped that, although the patrons 

 would be covered by bathing costume and would be 

 seeking refreshment and recreation, this unaccustomed 

 contact with water would impro\e their personal 

 hxgiene. 



-t J. Frost, The Art oJ Swiinnung (New York: P. \V. Gallaudet, 

 1HI8), p. 57. 



-' Frank Lrilir's lUuilrali'd Ne-Jispaper (.August 25, 1866), 

 vol. L'L'. no. .569, p. 355. 



12 



BULLETIN 2.5U: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY .AND TECHNOLOGY 



