GYMNASTICS. 



603 



shown upon the latter, in No. 4. Nothing must 

 touch the pole besides the feet, legs, knees, and hands. 

 The climber, while he raises himself with both hands, 

 draws his legs up the pole, as in No. 4, then holds 

 fast by them, and again places his hands higher up. 

 He continues this alternate use of legs and arms un- 

 til he has reached the top. The descent is not at all 

 difficult ; it is not performed similar to the ascent, 

 but merely by sliding quickly down with the legs, 

 without scarcely ever touching the pole with tiie 

 hands, as shown in No. 5. This exercise is more 

 difficult on the oblique pole, since the hands are more 

 affected by the weight of the body. The learners 

 should be made very perfect in this exercise, for 

 every one ought at least to be sufficiently expert in 

 case of fire to slide himself down along a smooth 

 pole placed against the window of a second or third 

 story of a house. 



10. Climbing the Mast is more difficult than the 

 last exercise, for even when made of a moderate 

 size, it cannot be spanned round by the hands. It is 

 fixed quite firm in the ground ; is from six to eight 

 inches thick at the bottom, and thirty feet high. The 

 learners must not be allowed to climb the mast until 

 they are very expert at climbing the poles mentioned 

 in the last exercise, and are able to get from that, 

 upon the beam c d. All climbing succeeds best in 

 hot weather, but more particularly that of the mast. 

 The position of the legs is the same as with the pole : 

 boots are the best covering for the feet. Since the 

 mast is too thick to be grasped by the hands, the 

 climber must lay fast hold of his left arm with his 

 right hand, and vice versa. Learners climb with 

 much more ease and security, with naked arms, for 

 the skin does not slip near so easily as the ciolhes. 

 A climber up the mast adheres to it with his whole 

 oody, as in No. 6, until he reaches the thinner part 

 of it, as appears from No. 7. 



11. Climbing the Rope-ladder. (See ', Fig. 8.) 

 The rope-ladder should have three or four wooden 

 rundles to spread it out, and ought to be made so as 

 not to twist round and entangle when used ; if it has 

 this fault, it is unserviceable. 



It is much more difficult to mount the rope-ladder 

 than the pole, the former hanging quite loose, and 

 not at all fastened at the bottom. The muscles of 

 the arms and hands are very much affected ; for the 

 latter must, when the learner is not sufficiently ac- 

 quainted with this exercise, almost entirely support 

 tiie body, which continually inclines backward. The 

 manner of proceeding in this exercise is easy, for it 

 is similar to ascending a wooden ladder ; but as the 

 rope-ladder hangs perpendicularly, and is very flexi- 

 ble, the steps upon which the feet rest, are generally 

 pushed forward by the unpractised, and the upper part 

 of the body sinks out of the perpendicular position 

 into a very oblique one ; whereby the whole weight of 

 the body becomes supported by the hands, and the 

 exercise is rendered so difficult that the learner cannot 

 ascend very high. To obviate this, he must always 

 liave a fast hold of the two main ropes, as shown in 

 No. 8, and keep the body, as much as possible, 

 stretched out upon the ladder and upright. If the 

 ladder is sufficiently strong, the teacher allows two or 

 three of his pupils to get up and down at the same timej 

 by which means they learn to pass each other. One 

 hangs by a main rope until the other has passed him. 



12. Climbing either the Oblique or Level Rope. Let 

 a rope be fastened from one post to another, or from 

 the beam c d, to an adjoining post k, and in an oblique 

 direction. Another might also be placed in a level 

 direction, having one end fastened at k, and the other 

 to the post b. In either case the learner fixes himself 

 to the rope as in Fig. 8, No. 9, and advances along 

 (lie rope. In this manner, a number of soldiers 



might cross a small river, with their arms and knap- 

 sacks, when other means failed. 



13. Climbing the Upright rope. This exercise \9 

 shown in Fig. 8, upon two ropes I and m, because the 

 securing of the rope by the feet may be done in two 

 different ways. It is very easy to those who are 

 already expert at climbing the upright pole. The 

 only difficulty lies in seizing the rope with the feet so 

 as to obtain a firm support. 



The first method is shown in No. 10, upon the rope 

 /. Knees and thighs have nothing to do here ; only 

 the feet are employed. If the learner sit upon a 

 chair, and cross his feet in the usual way, he will im- 

 mediately perceive their proper position. The rope 

 passes between them, and is held fast by pressing 

 them moderately together, while the hands alternately 

 grasp higher up the rope. Hereupon the climber, 

 hanging by his hands, also draws his feet higher up, 

 fixes them again to the rope, and proceeds as before. 



The second method, peculiar to sailors, is shown at 

 No. 11, on the rope m. The rope passes down from 

 the hands of the climber, along one, generally the 

 right, thigh, not far above the knee ; winds round 

 the inner side of this thigh, along the knee hollow 

 and the calf, and then across the instep of the right 

 foot, whence it hangs loose. If the climber only 

 treads moderately upon that part of the rope where 

 it crosses the other foot, he will, by means of the 

 varied pressure, obtain a firm support. The exercise 

 depends almost entirely upon holding the right leg 

 and foot so that the rope may retain its proper wind- 

 ing, after being quitted by the left foot, when the 

 hands have been raised for the purpose of drawing 

 the body higher. This is easily acquired after a few 

 trials. In descending, the hands must be lowered 

 alternately, as they are raised in ascending, for if the 

 hands slide down quickly, they will be injured. 



14. Resting upon the Upright Rope. This exercise 

 not only excites a lengthened power of the muscles, 

 but also tends to promote expertness in dangerous 

 situations. It is represented in Fig. 8, at No. 12, 

 upon the rope n ; which must be much longer than 

 what the height requires. The climber mounts to a 

 moderate height, and then halts ; swings the right 

 foot three or four times round the rope, so that this 

 winds round the leg ; he then entwines it, by means 

 of the left foot, once or twice round the right one, 

 which he bends so as to point the toes upwards, and 

 now treads the left foot firmly upon this last winding. 

 The pressure which thus arises between the rope and 

 the feet, opposes the whole weight of the body. In 

 this position, he can rest a long time : but suppose he 

 wishes to be still more at his ease ; with this inten- 

 tion, he lowers his hands a little along the rope, as 

 shewn in Fig. 12, then holds fast with the right hand, 

 stoops, and grasps with the left, that part of the rope 

 which hangs below the feet. He raises himself again, 

 and entwines this part a few times round his shoulders, 

 hips, and the rope itself, until he is firmly entangled. 



15. Fig. 10 represents two pulling against each 

 other with a rope, and comes under that division of 

 gymnastics called wrestling. 



Respecting the manner in which gymnasia should 

 be established and carried on, to afford the greatest 

 advantage, we refer the reader to an article in No. 

 V. of the American Quarterly Review, where they 

 are given at some length. As to calisthenics, or 

 exercises for the female sex, they should be founded 

 chiefiy on balancing, which may exercise the frame 

 in a great variety of ways, affording the means of 

 graceful motion, and being sufficiently strengthening 

 tor females. Those exercises which enlarge the 

 hand, and make the muscles of the arm rigid, are not 

 suitable for them. The chest may be developed in 

 many ways without exercising 1 the anus too muo.h $ 



