1 



SWIMMING. 



485 



in succession, he is released fiom the pole, but not 

 from the rope. When he can swim about fifty 

 strokes, he is released from the rope too ; but the 

 teacher remains near him with a long pole, until he 

 can swim 150 strokes in succession, so that, should 

 he sink, the pole is immediately held out to him. 

 After this, he may swim in the area of the school 

 under the superintendence of the teacher, until he 

 proves that he can swim half an hour in succession, 

 when he is considered fit to be left to himself, and, 

 in some swimming schools, receives a particular 

 mark on the drawers, that the proficient may be 

 distinguished from the unskilful. Before this de- 

 gree of progress is reached, pupils are not allowed 

 to take part in long excursions. Swimming on 

 the back is easily taught. The swimmer places 

 his hands over his hips, the thumbs turned towards 

 the back, and, letting himself sink perpendicularly 

 in the water, bends his head backward, and makes 

 the common motion with the feet, when he will 

 swim on the back ; or, after having made a stroke 

 when swimming on his belly, he may leave one arm 

 extended, and turn the palm of the hand upward; 

 in which case the whole body will follow, and the 

 swimmer thus be placed on his back. To expedite 

 the motion in swimming on the back, the arms 

 may be used as paddles. To swim quickly on the 



belly, the hands are turned with the palms out- 

 ward, so as to press sideways against the water, in- 

 stead of being allowed to rest flat on it. This 

 makes the efforts of swimming greater, and, of 

 course, exhausts sooner. The teacher may early 

 begin to let the pupil make running leaps into the 

 water. In many cases, the pupils have sufficient 

 confidence to leap from a considerable height the 

 very first time. Every swimming school ought to 

 have a leaping tower, from which the swimmers 

 may leap at different heights. The tower should 

 not be less than thirty feet high. Diving is one of 

 the greatest amusements connected with swimming. 

 There are many kinds : the two most common, 

 easiest and necessary modes of plunging below the 

 surface, are, 1. by a simple jump, feet foremost, 

 the legs, arms and head being kept stiff. The pu- 

 pil must not allow fear, or the strange sensation 

 felt in the abdominal region, in leaping from con- 

 siderable heights, to induce him to spread the arms 

 or legs, or to bend his body. 2. The other mode 



is to plunge head foremost, which is thr safest 



mode for many persons wlio are heavily built about 

 the chest and shoulders, if they have to enter the 

 water from great heights. It must be learned by 

 degrees. The head is drawn down upon the chest, 

 the arms stretched forward, and, as soon as the 

 swimmer begins to feel that he has lost his balance, 

 he stiffens his knees, which, till then, were bent. 

 The diver must avoid striking on his belly the 

 general consequence of fear and turning over so as 

 to come down on his back or side the consequence 

 of pushing with the feet. When he has gone as 

 deep as he wishes, the arms are to be raised, and 

 pressed downwards. In saving a person from 

 drowning, which can be done most effectually if he 

 has already lost consciousness, pull Lira by the 

 hair, or push him before you, if far from shore; 

 otherwise take him by the arm. If the person in 

 danger is an exhausted swimmer, call to him to be 

 quiet ; support him by one shoulder ; or, if he still 

 retains his presence of mind, let both his hands rest 

 on your shoulder, or under your arm-pits, and let 

 him work slowly with his legs. If the person in 

 danger is not a swimmer, and is struggling, take 

 care not to approach him in front ; his convulsive 

 grasp may be fatal to both ; but approach him from 

 behind, and, if he sinks, pull him by the hair, and 

 support him with the utmost caution. If he grasps 

 you, so that you are unable to move, struggle with 

 him under the water. The drowning person, in 

 this situation, will often let go his hold, striving in- 

 stinctively to reach the surface ; but, if the struggle 

 becomes one for life, the only mode of making your 

 antagonist relax his hold is said to be to grasp his 

 throat and render him senseless, as we have known 

 done in a case where a person was thus seized, and 

 both parties were floating swiftly towards the 

 wheels of a mill. An excellent method of one 

 person supporting another in the water is repre- 

 sented in the following cut. The foremost figure 



is in the act of swimming, and carrying with him 

 another person, who is borne up, simply by applying 

 one hand to each hip of his companion. Any 

 swimmer who first tries the experiment will be 

 surprised to find with what ease he can support a 

 person attached to him in this manner. This 

 method can scarcely be practised in cases where 

 persons unable to swim are drowning; but it may 

 be of much avail in supporting a brother swimmer 

 who is attacked with weakness or cramp, and 

 who has presence of mind to take advantage of 

 the support. 



Swimming may be begun very early, at five or 

 six years of age ; and, at the same time, there 

 are many instances of persons past forty learn- 

 ing to swim well. It is unfortunate that pre- 

 judice has excluded females from an exercise so 

 healthful to body and mind, so useful in times of 



