540 CALLOTECHNICS, 



whenever they are equally accessible : but we will venture to add the 

 opinion) that the same amount of exercise, devoted to some of the 

 active arts, as turning, planing, cabinet making, forging and filing, 

 machine making, farming, or gardening, would be alike beneficial to 

 persons of sedentary habits, and far more productive. Of Calisthe- 

 nics, or exercises for young ladies, we would particularly recom- 

 mend dancing ; which, in the social circle, is, we think, alike grace- 

 ful and healthy ; though its practice in crowded halls, and at late 

 hours, is doubtless in many ways injurious. 



3. Of Games of Chance, and of Skill, the most scientific, 

 and interesting, is that of Chess ; which is played by two persons, 

 on a board divided into 64 squares, painted alternately black and 

 white ; the board being so placed that each player may have a white 

 square on the right hand, in the row which is nearest to him. Each 

 player has eight pieces, besides eight pawns ; which, at the com- 

 mencement of the game, are placed in a certain order ; those of the 

 different sides being distinguished by their colors. The white queen 

 is placed on the central white square of one side, the king being on 

 her left. The two pieces called bishops, are placed next to the king 

 and queen ; the knights next to these ; and the castles, or rooks, 

 occupy the corners. The black queen is placed on the central black 

 square ; the black king being on her right ; and the pawns are placed 

 in the second row on each side. The pawns can only be moved 

 forward, either one or two squares at their first move, and then one 

 square at a time ; and they can take the opposite pieces only by 

 moving obliquely forward. The knights move obliquely, three 

 squares at a time ; the bishops obliquely, forward or backward ; the 

 castles directly, forward, backward, or sideways ; and the queen has 

 the moves either of the bishop or the castle, moving, like them, as 

 far as she pleases, if the board be free. The king moves in every 

 direction ; but only one square at a time, except in castling, or dis- 

 placing one of the antagonist castles. 



If a frequent indulgence in the game of chess be an unjustifiable 

 waste of time, how much more so must be those games of mere 

 chance, which serve only to consume the fleeting hours of life, and 

 leave no returns of health, usefulness, or improvement ; but rather 

 bear with them to eternity the stamp of self-condemnation. Such 

 are games of cards, and of dice; which are alike pernicious and 

 dangerous, as the avenues to effeminacy and dissipation, to gambling, 

 drinking, and all their train of vices : while the poor victim imagines 

 that he is only indulging in a little harmless amusement, till the chains 

 are forged and fastened upon him, which shall drag him down to tem- 

 poral if not eternal perdition. Some of these games may be interest- 

 ing, as matters of curiosity, or ingenuity ; but a practical knowledge 

 of them, we must regard as one of the most dangerous and dispa- 

 raging acquirements which a young man can possibly make. If a 

 perusal of the present work has not suggested many sources of 

 amusement, equally recreative, and incomparably more laudable than 

 any of these games, then has the labor here bestowed fallen far 

 short of the writer's object ; the moral as well as intellectual profit 

 of all his readers. 



